Season 5
15 episodes · Jan 26, 1987
Season Videos
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- S5E1
The Real Stuff
Jan 27, 1987One year after the Challenger disaster, Frontline examined the all-too-human side of the space program as seen through the eyes of the astronauts and engineers responsible for making it work. Correspondent James Reston tells the inside story of a program plagued by problems and politics.
- S5E2
The Earthquake Is Coming
Feb 3, 1987Frontline examines the startling implications of what will happen when the big earthquake hits California, detailing the awesome effects as systems rupture and the entire nation's economy, industries, and national security are jeopardized.
- S5E3
Stopping Drugs (1)
Feb 10, 1987A two-part special examining efforts to stamp out drugs. Part 1 examines the personal struggles of addicts trying to kick the habit and the effectiveness of drug treatment programs. Part 2 journeys into America’s schools to find out if drugs are really a major problem and if anti-drug efforts are working.
- S5E4
Stopping Drugs (2)
Feb 17, 1987A two-part special examining efforts to stamp out drugs. Part 1 examines the personal struggles of addicts trying to kick the habit and the effectiveness of drug treatment programs. Part 2 journeys into America’s schools to find out if drugs are really a major problem and if anti-drug efforts are working.
- S5E5
The Nazi Connection
Feb 24, 1987German scientists were responsible for putting the first American on the moon. Now, 15 years later, government investigators are asking whether some of them were also responsible for Nazi war crimes. Frontline examines their war records and the role of American officials who decided to bring them to the United States.
- S5E6
Desperately Seeking Baby
Mar 3, 1987Two million American couples desperately want babies and can’t have them. They are turning to private adoption deals brokered by lawyers and counselors. Sometimes they get a new baby and a happy home; sometimes their hearts are broken. Frontline looks at a system filled with ambiguity and heartbreak.
- S5E7
Street Cop
Mar 31, 1987Frontline takes a gritty look at street cops. In Boston’s busiest, most violent police district, they confront the never-ending calls for help and the never-ending chase after drugs.
- S5E8
The Secret File
Apr 14, 1987How could an ordinary citizen be considered a national security risk? Penn Kimball, a university professor, former New York Times editor, Rhodes scholar, and Eagle Scout, was stunned to discover that for 30 years, government files existed declaring him as a disloyal American. As he tries to clear his name, Frontline examines the government decision to gather information on American citizens.
- S5E9
War on Nicaragua
Apr 21, 1987As the Iran-contra scandal was still unfolding, Frontline correspondent William Greider revealed how the US began supporting the contras in Nicaragua and why our involvement there continues. The program is a meticulous reconstruction of US policy toward Nicaragua, and an investigation into how US foreign policy is made.
- S5E10
The Bombing of West Philly
May 5, 1987‘I could hear the bullets all around me, hitting all around the house. I was forced back by gunfire,’ says Ramona Africa, the only adult survivor of MOVE, a small, violent, urban cult. Years of tension ended May 13, 1985, when police bombed Africa’s house. The surrounding neighborhood burned out of control, leaving 250 homeless. Frontline correspondent Leon Dash examines why the bombing really happened.
- S5E11
In Search of the Marcos Millions
May 26, 1987The day Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos fled the Philippines in 1986, they left with $8.9 million in jewelry, cash, and bonds. But the Philippine government claims they took much more, plundering the wealth of the nation, stashing it in fake companies and secret bank accounts. Frontline tracked hundreds of millions of dollars of the Marcos money and asked whether the Philippine government will ever get it back.
- S5E12
Israel: the Price of Victory
Jun 2, 1987The Six Day War was a decisive victory for Israel. But many Israelis feel that something has gone wrong. On the war’s twentieth anniversary, Frontline finds a nation struggling with its image and its role as a democracy and reveals what has happened to the dream.
- S5E13
Death of a Porn Queen
Jun 9, 1987She was from Minnesota. Young, pretty, and fresh. She went to Hollywood in search of a dream and found herself in X-rated movies, on drugs, and estranged from her family and friends. Correspondent Al Austin retraces her story, discovering why after two years as a porn queen, she took her own life.
- S5E14
Keeping the Faith
Jun 16, 1987The black church was once the soul of its community. It was a rallying point and a force for change. Now, as the black middle class grows and the church evolves, correspondent Roger Wilkins asks whom does it serve and to what end?
- S5E15
The Politics of Greed
Jun 23, 1987As corruption scandals rock New York City, the careers of dozens of high officials are being destroyed. Frontline takes an inside look at the seamy side of urban politics and asks whether this is any way to run a government.