| Washington: Behind Closed Doors | |
|---|---|
3-disc DVD cover
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| Genre | Drama |
| Created by | David W. Rintels |
| Based on | The CompanybyJohn Ehrlichman |
| Written by | Eric Bercovici John Ehrlichman David W. Rintels |
| Directed by | Gary Nelson |
| Starring | Cliff Robertson Jason Robards Stefanie Powers |
| Theme music composer | Dominic Frontiere (5 episodes) Richard Markowitz (1 episode) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Producers | Eric Bercovici Frank Cardea Stanley Kallis Norman S. Powell David W. Rintels |
| Cinematography | Joseph F. Biroc (6 episodes) Jack Swain (5 episodes) |
| Editors | Gerard Wilson (6 episodes) Harry Kaye (3 episodes) Arthur Hilton |
| Running time | 750 minutes |
| Production company | Paramount Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 6 (1977-09-06) – September 11, 1977 (1977-09-11) |
Washington: Behind Closed Doors is a 1977 American television miniseries produced by Paramount Television, that was broadcast in six parts, airing across six consecutive nights on ABC, between September 6 to September 11, 1977.[1]
The fictional story is loosely based on John Ehrlichman's 1976 book The Company, a novel inspired by the author's tenure as a top aide in the Nixon administration.
The film is a lavish fictionalized re-telling of the Watergate story (loosely based on ex-Nixon aide John Ehrlichman's novel The Company) mixing political intrigue and personal drama and centering on the rise of a power-hungry American president and the men with whom he surrounds himself in order to keep his grip on his office. The story builds from a soap-opera start into a trenchant study of power that corrupts.[2][3]
The 12 ½‐hour television miniseries was broadcast in 6 parts, airing across six consecutive nights on ABC from September 6 to September 11, 1977.[1] The DVD was released on June 5, 2012.[4]
The show did well in the Nielsen ratings. The last segment (Sunday September 11) was the third-highest rated prime time program of the week (23.6 rating, 17.2 million homes); the Thursday episode was fourth (23 rating, 16.7 million); and the debut Tuesday episode ranked eighth (22 rating, or 16 million). Other parts finished 16th (Friday), 17th (Wednesday), and 25th (Saturday; typically a low viewership night) for the same week.[5]
Robert Vaughn received an Emmy Award for his performance as the President's Chief of Staff, with other nominations going to the show itself as Outstanding Series, to Jason Robards for his portrayal of President Richard Monckton with its overt Nixonian images, director Gary Nelson, cinematographers Joseph Biroc and Jack Swain, art directors Jack DeShields and Jamie Claytor and set decorator Barbara Kreiger.[2]
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Films directed by Gary Nelson
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