The Parkinsons (2013)

Movie 56 min

The Parkinsons is a companion DVD to Power for the Parkinsons, narrated by Walter Cronkite, which was first broadcast in 2008. That documentary tells the story of the making of the Rural Electrification Administration film Power and the Land (1940). That classic film, directed by Joris Ivens, showed the advantages of bringing electrical power to the farm. It featured the Bill and Hazel Parkinson family of Warnock, Ohio. This sequel program, The Parkinsons, narrated by Walter Cronkite, continues the story. The program aired nationally on PBS. In 1941, Dan Parkinson, the oldest son, signed up with the United States Army and saw combat in New Guinea. He came home with the Bronze Star. Tom, a younger brother, was wounded in Germany in 1945 and received a Purple Heart and a Silver Star. Ruth, the only daughter, became a nurse. Frank, not old enough to fight in World War II, later saw horrendous combat in the Korean War.