CTVA
The Classic TV Archive - US Documentary Series
  Winston Churchill:
The Valiant Years (1960-61)
Episode Guide compiled by The Classic TV Archive
with contributions by:
Rina Fox, Tom Alger,  David Rayner (UK dates)
references:
Library of Congress (telnet://locis.loc.gov)
Internet Movie Database (https://www.us.imdb.com)
UCLA Film and Television Archive
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WINSTON CHURCHILL: THE VALIANT YEARS
------------------------------------
ABC Television Network production in
association with
Jack LeVien International Productions, Ltd.
and Screen Gems, Inc.
a television subsidiary of Columbia Pictures Corporation
Executive Producer, Jack Le Vien
Produced by Robert D. Graff & Ben Feiner, Jr.
Associate Producer, Louis Stouman ;
Scriptwriters, Victor Wolfson, Quentin Reynolds, William L. Shirer, and
Richard Tregakis
Directed by Anthony Bushell and John Schlesinger

UK-US Documentary series 1960-61  26 episodes x 30 min bw
 
Series narrated by Gary Merrill
Readings by Richard Burton
 Premise:
Documentary series recalling World War II, through newsreel
footage and Churchill's own words from his memoirs.

"The Valiant Years" Music by Richard Rodgers

Youtube:  Funeral Service of Sir Winston Churchill   30-Jan-1965

### Winston Churchill : The Valiant Years ####
############# season 1960-61 ###############
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 ABC (US) Sundays (27-Nov-1960 to 11-Jun-1961)
BBC UK) Saturdays 8:30pm (11-Feb-1961 to 05-Aug-1961)
 
1.01 [--] The Valiant Years: THE GATHERING STORM
27-Nov-1960 ABC (US) Sun / 11-Feb-1961 BBC (UK) Sat
Synopsis:
This introductory film covers the events and influences leading up to World War II
and Churchill's return to office as First Lord of the Admiralty. [BBC]

1.02 [--] The Valiant Years: THE COMBAT DEEPENS
04-Dec-1960 ABC (US) Sun / 18-Feb-1961 BBC (UK) Sat
Synopsis:
The invasion of Poland is followed by the ' phoney war' at home. The Royal Oak is sunk but the Navy's
successes with the Graf Spee and the taking of the Altmark restore confidence and strengthen British
prestige Holland and Belgium are invaded and Churchill is called upon to form a Government. [BBC]

1.03 [--] The Valiant Years: DUNKIRK
11-Dec-1960 ABC (US) Sun / 25-Feb-1961 BBC (UK) Sat
Synopsis:
The British Expeditionary Force is left with no escape but the sea. The 'mosquito Armada' evacuates
more than 300,000 British and Allied troops. Churchill defies the enemy and fortifies the people of
Britain with some of his most famous speeches. [BBC]

1.04 [--] The Valiant Years: THE FRENCH AGONY
08-Jan-1961 ABC (US) Sun / 04-Mar-1961 BBC (UK) Sat
Synopsis 1:
Unable to withstand the overwhelming Nazi onslaught and threatened by Italy's declaration of war,
France capitulates. To prevent the use of the French fleet against Britain, Churchill reluctantly orders
its destruction. [BBC]
Synopsis 2:
Churchill offers aid to the French, and asks the United States to help also, as the Nazis sweep
through France and capture Paris. Petain and Laval sign an armistice with Hitler, and Churchill
orders the destruction of the French fleet at Oran. [TA]

1.05 [--] The Valiant Years: TAKE ONE WITH YOU
15-Jan-1961 ABC (US) Sun / 11-Mar-1961 BBC (UK) Sat
Synopsis 1:
The Battle of France is over-the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Facing the threat of
German invasion, Britain intensifies her preparations for defence. Churchill's appeal to
Roosevelt for weapons leads first to the supply of arms and finally to Lend-Lease. [BBC]
Synopsis 2:
With most of France in Nazi hands, the possibility of an invasion of
England had to be faced. The Home Guard was strengthened and the British
people were prepared for trouble. Churchill appeals to Roosevelt for help. [RF]

1.06 [--] The Valiant Years: THE RAVENS REMAIN
22-Jan-1961 ABC (US) Sun / 18-Mar-1961 BBC (UK) Sat
Script by Quentin Reynolds
Narrated by Gary Merrill
Richard Burton reads from Winston Churchill's memoirs
Music by Richard Rodgers
Synopsis 1:
Although heavily outnumbered, the R.A.F. fights and wins the Battle of Britain. Churchill voices
the nation's gratitude to the pilots who have saved the country from invasion. London and the
manufacturing cities of. the North are the targets for the bombing which follows, and which
continues through the winter of 1940-41. But the ravens remain at the Tower of London. [BBC]
Synopsis:
In July, 1940 the Luftwaffe began the air blitz on Britain, and Churchill
symbolized the resistance of the British people. In special sequences filmed
for this series, the following people are interviewed: Wing Commander Douglas
Bader, General Sir Frederic Pile and Alice Landemere (the cook at 10 Downing Street) [RF]

1.07 [--] The Valiant Years: STRUGGLE AT SEA
29-Jan-1961 ABC (US) Sun / 25-Mar-1961 BBC (UK) Sat
Synopsis:
The Battle of the Atlantic and attacks by U-Boats menace Britain's life-line to America. The Hood
engages with the Bismarck, but is lost, and the Prince of Wales breaks off the action. But the Ark Royal,
with her torpedo planes, locates the damaged German battleship and wreaks vengeance. Roosevelt
promises supplies to Britain and all aid short of war. [BBC]

1.08 [--] The Valiant Years: HINGE OF FATE
05-Feb-1961 ABC (US) Sun / 01-Apr-1961 BBC (UK) Sat
Synopsis:
The Mediterranean, scene of some of the toughest struggles in history, once more becomes a battleground.
Malta, the vital centre, heroically withstands almost incessant air raids. The disablement of half the Italian
battlefleet at Taranto enables General Wavell to launch the first British offensive of the war and to drive the
enemy out of Egypt; but the troops he sends to Greece meet with disaster and are evacuated, first to Crete,
and then to Egypt where a new menace-Rommel and his Afrika Korps-threatens them. [BBC]

1.09 [--] The Valiant Years: ALONE NO MORE
12-Feb-1961 ABC (US) Sun / 08-Apr-1961 BBC (UK) Sat
Synopsis:
In spite of the non-aggression pact, Hitler invades Russia and city after city falls to the Nazi troops who
are only halted by Russia's old ally-winter. Churchill crosses the Atlantic to meet Roosevelt;
the Atlantic Charter -a reaffirmation of human rights-Is signed and is an inspiration to the whole freedom
- loving world. In December 1941 the Russians launch a counter-attack, and the same month the Japanese
bomb the American fleet in Pearl Harbour. The United States are in the War, side by side with Britain. [BBC]

1.10 [--] The Valiant Years: OUT OF THE EAST
19-Feb-1961 ABC (US) Sun / 15-Apr-1961 BBC (UK) Sat
Synopsis:
Japanese successes in the East, culminating in the loss of Hong Kong and Singapore, do not blind
Churchill to the fact that Hitler is still the main enemy. His visit to Roosevelt in Washington cements
the friendship between the two countries. The Japs launch an air attack on the United States; but the
success of the American dive bombers in the battle of June 4 proves decisive and turns the tide of
the war in the Pacific. [BBC]

1.11 [--] The Valiant Years: THE TORCH IS LIT
26-Feb-1961 ABC (US) Sun / 22-Apr-1961 BBC (UK) Sat
Synopsis:
In Washington, Churchill and Roosevelt plan the Second Front in Africa in spite of the fall of Tobruk.
Churchill visits Stalin in Moscow and convinces him that an attack on the ' soft belly of the crocodile,'
through Italy, will be the best way to relieve German pressure on the Russian front. The complete
victory of the Desert Rats at El Alamein paves the way for Operation Torch-the landing of the
American Expeditionary Force at Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers. [BBC]

1.12 [--] The Valiant Years: SAND AND SNOW
05-Mar-1961 ABC (US) Sun / 29-Apr-1961 BBC (UK) Sat
Synopsis 1:
The victories of the 8th Army in North Africa and the linking up of Montgomery's and Eisenhower's
troops put an end to Rommel's resistance in that Continent. At the same time the Russians, helped as
always by the Russian winter, inflict a crushing defeat on the Germans at Stalingrad. [BBC]
Synopsis 2:
The establishment of the Free French government and the progress of the
North African campaign are the subjects under discussion at the
Roosevelt-Churchill meeting at Casablanca in January, 1943. The Russians take
the offensive at Stalingrad and trap General Von Paulus and his army. [RF]

1.13 [--] The Valiant Years: STRIKE HARD, STRIKE HOME!
12-Mar-1961 ABC (US) Sun / 06-May-1961 BBC (UK) Sat
Synopsis 1:
With the object of putting Italy out of the war as quickly as possible, Churchill and Roosevelt
plan the Allied landings in Sicily and Italy. In spite of the Italian capitulation in Sicily, the Germans
fight on and strongly oppose the landings across the Straits of Messina and at Salerno.
Italy's Marshal Badoglio surrenders to Eisenhower and declares war on Germany, their former ally.
Naples is taken and Churchill calls on the Italians to march with their British and American allies
to a victory which now seems within their grasp. [BBC]
Synopsis 2:
On July 10, 1943, the Allies invade Sicily. Two weeks later Mussolini's
regime collapses. Badoglio surrenders Italy in September. Churchill and
Roosevelt meet in Washington. General Maxwell D. Taylor, then commander
of the 101st Airborne Division, recalls the events of that time. [RF]

1.14 [--] The Valiant Years: CLOSING THE RING
19-Mar-1961 ABC (US) Sun / 13-May-1961 BBC (UK) Sat
Synopsis:
The first meeting of the ' Big Three' --Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalintakes place in Teheran in
November 1943, and a date is set for the opening of a Second Front in Europe-summer 1944.
To relieve the Russians and draw away German troops, Churchill redoubles attacks in Italy.
The Allied advance is halted at Monte Cassino, and in spite of the landings at Anzio, behind the
German lines, it becomes necessary to destroy the centuries-old monastery. [BBC]

1.15 [--] The Valiant Years: BE SURE YOU WIN
26-Mar-1961 ABC (US) Sun / 20-May-1961 BBC (UK) Sat
Synopsis:
War in the Far East. With the Japanese advancing through Burma to strike at India, the Allies are
forced to retreat, with the disastrous loss of weapons and equipment. Despite India's passive
attitude, more than two and a half million Indians join the Allied forces. Orde Wingate and his
Chindits, with their guerilla tactics, destroy the myth of Japanese invincibility; and under
Lord Louis Mount-batten's command, the tide begins to turn. The Japanese invasion collapses,
and Japan's bid for India is virtually over. [BBC]

1.16 [--] The Valiant Years: TURNING OF THE TIDE
02-Apr-1961 ABC (US) Sun / 27-May-1961 BBC (UK) Sat
Synopsis:
The Allies' situation at the start of 1943 is precarious, on land, sea, and In the air. But the invention
of Radar, together with the use of aircraft carriers as convoy escorts, turns the tide at sea; and by
April the U-Boats have been mastered. In the air, bombers of the American 8th Air Force join the RAF,
and with the provision of long range fighter cover, mastery in the air is achieved. On land the German
resistance is broken; on 4th June 1943 the Allies enter Rome. [BBC]

1.17 [--] The Valiant Years: THE DIE IS CAST
09-Apr-1961 ABC (US) Sun / 03-Jun-1961 BBC (UK) Sat
Narrated by Gary Merrill
Richard Burton reads from Winston Churchill's memoirs
Music by Richard Rodgers
Synopsis 1:
' Operation Overlord': the invasion of Europe is planned, and from the arrival ofthe first G.I.s
in Great Britain, we see the gradual build-up of forces and their training in invasion tactics,
the making and testing of landing craft, and the construction of the ' Mulberry' floating harbour.
At the last moment-D-Day minus one-the weather worsens, and the success of the operation
is in jeopardy; but Eisenhower decides against postponement and D-Day-June 6-is set. [BBC]
Synopsis 2:
The decision to invade Nazi-occupied France is made at the Quebec Conference.
The immense preparation for the assault is chronicled. The final date is
decided by General Eisenhower. [RF]

1.18 [--] The Valiant Years: D-DAY
16-Apr-1961 ABC (US) Sun / 10-Jun-1961 BBC (UK) Sat
Synopsis 1:
D-Day: June 6, 1944. From the early hours the Allied troops go into action in the greatest combined
operation of the war-first the paratroops, then the Air Force, and finally the Armada of 5,000 ships.
Troops, weapons, and supplies are landed in France and a tactical surprise achieved; in spite of
heavy opposition they are able to force their way inland. King George's message and Churchill's
broadcast in French bring new hope to the people of France. Always eager to be with the fighting
forces, Churchill visits Montgomery on French soil four days after the first landings. [BBC]
Synopsis 2:
Five airborne divisions start the invasion of occupied France on June
6, 1944. Then the landings begin. We see scenes of the heavy resistence
on Omaha Beach. General Omar Bradley recalls the events of that day. [RF]

1.19 [--] The Valiant Years: SET EUROPE ABLAZE
23-Apr-1961 ABC (US) Sun / 17-Jun-1961 BBC (UK) Sat
Script by William Templeton
Narrated by Gary Merrill
Richard Burton reads from Winston Churchill's memoirs
Music by Richard Rodgers
Synopsis 1:
With the Allies again on European soil, the invaluable support of the Underground Armies is intensified.
From the London headquarters of the Special Operations Executive, specialty trained men and women
are sent out; and from France, Yugoslavia, Greece, and Czechoslovakia come reports of sabotage to
enemy communication, punished with savage reprisals. And the whole Polish underground-the largest
in Europe-fights the heroic battle of Warsaw for sixty-three days while the Russians deliberately withhold
their help and support. [BBC]
Synopsis 2:
In Yugoslavia and in Czechoslovakia the Nazis carried out fierce reprisals against the people because
of the work of the underground armies; after the killing of the S.S. General Heydrich, who had been
sent to Prague to crush resistance there, the whole village of Lidice was razed to the ground and its
inhabitants shot. One of the most heroic-and tragic-stands made by the Resistance was in Poland,
during the Warsaw uprising in 1943. After sixty-three days of the most fierce and bloody fighting,
often waged in the sewers beneath the city, the Poles were forced to capitulate to the Germans. [BBC]
Synopsis 3:
Churchill's arrangements with governments-in-exile and underground movements are examined in this
episode. Various members of the British Intelligence units and the American OSS recall the plans for
co-operation with the underground during the invasion of Europe. [RF]

1.20 [--] The Valiant Years: TRIUMPH IN FRANCE
30-Apr-1961 ABC (US) Sun / 24-Jun-1961 BBC (UK) Sat
Synopsis:
July, 1944, sees the start of the V.1 Flying bomb raids and the consequent suspense and strain on an
already tired civilian population - but morale is still high. In France the Americans thrust towards
Cherbourg, and Operation Anvil - the landing at St. Tropez on the Mediterranean Â?- is successfully
carried out. The abortive attempt to kill Hitler, made by a group of German generals, meets with
savage vengeance. General Bradley's breakthrough in Normandy enables Allied troops to race for
Paris; and with the help of the French underground, the German commanders are forced to surrender.
On August 25, 1944 Paris is liberated. [BBC]

1.21 [--] The Valiant Years: BEGINNING OF THE END
07-May-1961 ABC (US) Sun / 01-Jul-1961 BBC (UK) Sat
Synopsis 1:
Late Summer, 1944. After seven weeks of unbroken military success hopes run high that the Nazi
world will collapse. But Eisenhower's thrusts towards Antwerp and Verdun meet with increasing
German resistance; and, of 10,000 paratroops dropped at Arnhem to seize and consolidate a
bridgehead over the Rhine, only 2,400 survive after holding out for eight days against fierce
German attacks, while a desperate and unsuccessful attempt is made to relieve them. At the
Dumbarton Oaks conference a new world organisation is born 'The United Nations'; and
after travelling to Moscow to see Stalin, Churchill visits France where he joins the Americans
in celebrating Thanks-giving Day. [BBC]
Synopsis 2:
Churchill and Roosevelt confer at Quebec to plan the final assault on
Germany. The Allies, under Generals Bradley and Montgomery, cross the
German border. The German battleship Tirpitz is sunk. [RF]

1.22 [--] The Valiant Years: FINAL CHRISTMAS
14-May-1961 ABC (US) Sun / 08-Jul-1961 BBC (UK) Sat
Synopsis:
In their last offensive of the war, the Germans strike through the Ardennes in an attempt to split the
Allied armies and create another Dunkirk, and the Battle of the Bulge begins. Patton's army strikes
to the north-west, with Montgomery moving south to meet him; and the Germans are forced back
behind their frontier with heavy losses. In Greece, Communist guerillas attempt to seize Athens by
force and civil war breaks out. Churchill meets Archbishop Damaskinos, and on January 4, 1945,
a new democratic Government is formed. [BBC]

1.23 [--] The Valiant Years: YALTA
21-May-1961 ABC (US) Sun / 15-Jul-1961 BBC (UK) Sat
Synopsis:
In an attempt to come to a better understanding with Russia, Churchill goes to Yalta, on the Black Sea,
to meet Stalin and the now ailing Roosevelt. The dismembering of Germany and the partition of Berlin
into four zones is agreed; the structure of the Security Council of the United Nations is discussed and
the five permanent members are given the right of using the veto-a right which Russia is to use eighty-eight
times in the years ahead. A secret agreement regarding Russia's participation in the war against Japan is
made between Roosevelt and Stalin with Churchill's reluctant concurrence. As Churchill reports to the
House on his return, the Russians already violate the Yalta agreement in Rumania-a pattern of things to
come. But the United Nations survives. [BBC]

1.24 [--] The Valiant Years: THE TYING OF THE KNOT
28-May-1961 ABC (US) Sun / 22-Jul-1961 BBC (UK) Sat
Synopsis:
The crossing of the Rhine by an advance guard leads to the outflanking of the Siegfried Line and
the end of organised resistance by the Germans. But they arc still not ready to accept the Allied
terms of ' unconditional surrender on all fronts.' Cologne, Essen, and Frankfurt fall; the death camps
of Buchenwald, Belsen, and Dachau are liberated; and on April 12 the Elbe is crossed-the Allies
are only 60 miles from Berlin. This significant date brings to Churchill not only hope of victory, but
sudden sorrow: Roosevelt has died. [BBC]

1.25 [--] The Valiant Years: GOTTERDAMMERUNG
04-Jun-1961 ABC (US) Sun / 29-Jul-1961 BBC (UK) Sat
Synopsis 1:
April, 1945, is indeed ' Gotterdammerung -'the 'Twilight of the Gods '- for the Dictators. Mussolini,
attempting to flee, meets with a shameful death at the hands of the partisans; and Hitler, believing up till
the end that his Reich is invincible, is forced to face the truth and takes his own life. The German
generals surrender unconditionally-and the German war is at an end. At last, after six years, the lights
come on again, and the whole freedom-loving world celebrates. [BBC]
Synopsis 2:
American and Russian forces meet at the Elbe River in Germany as the
Nazi war machine crumbles. Preliminary surrender is made to United States
General Walter Bedell Smith. On V-E Day, Churchill addresses the
British people from Buckingham Palace. [RF]

1.26 [--] The Valiant Years: GOODBYE MR. CHURCHILL
11-Jun-1961 ABC (US) Sun / 05-Aug-1961 BBC (UK) Sat
Synopsis 1:
Spring, 1945. The lights are on again in London, but Japan is still unconquered and the political situation
at home is unclear. Churchill, secure in the belief that he has the backing of the people, tenders his
resignation to the King, and a General Election is declared. Following a gruelling election campaign,
Churchill goes to Berlin after a brief sketching holiday in France. He meets President Truman for the
first time; and during talks with him and Stalin, news is brought of the dropping of the first atomic
bomb-the bomb that ends the war in the Far East. Churchill returns to England to find he has been
overwhelmingly defeated at the polls-rejected by the people whom he had led to victory. [BBC]
Synopsis 2:
With the war almost over, England prepares for a general election.
Churchill travels to Potsdam for his conference with Truman and Stalin.
Returning, confident of political victory, he learns that his party has lost. [RF]
 
### Winston Churchill : The Valiant Years ####
################# feedback ##################
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From : <MosEisleySP@aol.com>
Sent : Monday, June 28, 2004 2:18 AM
Subject : Winston Churchill Valiant Years Tapes Episodes
Hello,
I found your listing on the web of "Winston Churchill The Valiant Years"
episode listings. Thanks for this posting. I am a Winston Churchill nut.
All info is greatly appreciated and I needed a total list of these episodes.

I have all but three on VHS and I am in the process of changing them to
DVD format. Do you have the following episodes and can I get a copy
of them for myself? I would be willing to send any episodes you
need back as a trade or pay for the ones I need. I have a large
video collection and may have something you are looking for.
Please ask. Any and all info on finding these missing episodes
would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your time
Matt,
Baltimore Maryland
Episodes missing:-
(00) The Will to Victory
(24) Tying the Knot
(25) Gotterdammerung

### Winston Churchill : The Valiant Years ####
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