STAR SPANGLED CITY

ladies and gentlemen tonight and next week your host on the America series will be one of the most popular stars in the history of American entertainment good evening I'm Robert Taylor here at home with Ursula and the children to watch a most unusual television special star-spangled City a one-hour tour of Washington DC why is it unusual well one of the reasons because it presents America's capital not as the news experts see it but as a as a family on vacation would like to see it as my husband knows the children and I have never been to Washington so we're looking forward to this hour I've had the pleasure of narrating this 60-minute armchair tour and I'm proud to share it with you and my thing the following program is a Jack Douglas camera Kate Jack Douglas presents star-spangled City [Applause] the house the hill the shadows of three from an elevated view it doesn't look quite the same but from street level there's no mistaking the most famous house in all America the address is 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington District of Columbia the star-spangled City promptly at 10:00 a.m. the gate at the visitors entrance is opened and for two hours daily Tuesdays through Saturdays thousands of Americans are made welcome at the house where their president lives the home of every American president accepting George Washington a short walk or drive east on Pennsylvania Avenue leads us directly to the Capitol building the domain of the Senate and the House of Representatives the cornerstone of the Capitol was laid in 1793 about a year after the White House ceremonial here's a rare photographic angle of Capitol Hill a lot of steps to climb but well worth it if only to see the Brumidi corridors so named in honor of Constantino Brumidi the italian artist refugee who at the age of 50 dedicated the rest of his life to beautifying the capitol of his adopted country I think it's very wonderful that you have a chance to see these corridors down here on the ground floor of this Capitol building because you've already had the name of du Midi the old Italian artist that spent 25 years decorating this building and you know something about his other work but down here he tried to give to the American people something of his appreciation of the birds and the flowers and the fruit to make all the growth of the Samara great American continent that he came to as a political refugee and he was so glad to be here that he became an American citizen and the American citizen as you'll see you collapse around you see the profiles of the men that signed the Declaration of Independence here's Franklin right here back of me and all these others I'm reminded of something he said when he first came here somebody said to him what do you charge if we hire you to paint on this in this building Andrew Beatty was about 50 years old at that time and this is what he said and I quote I no longer have any desire or fame or fortune my one ambition and my daily prayer is that I may live long enough to make beautiful the capital of the one country in the world in which there's Liberty Constantino Brumidi 'he's daily prayers were answered enjoyed twenty-five years in which to fulfill his dedicated ambition Carter's once cold and bleak now reflected not merely the loveliness of his colors but of his passionate affection for the Citadel of democracy we're looking now at the small tidal basin bordering the Potomac at the edge of the basin a grateful nation dedicated this memorial building in honor of one of its greatest presidents the Jefferson Memorial is in the opinion of many the handsomest of the memorials to America's first executives know what a brilliant shadow he cast through the early pages of American history the shining intellect to proclaim to the world 90 years before Lincoln that all men are created equal and in the same glittering document the Declaration of Independence it was Jefferson who defined man's god-given rights life liberty and the pursuit of happiness the words are here the memory of him is here at the Jefferson Memorial of the country's many structures bearing the name of the first president the Washington obelisk is probably the most unique in design and without question the tallest the lofty marble shaft soar skyward 555 beat conceived by private citizens the monument was undertaken in 1848 but work stopped due to lack of funds in 1854 when the shaft had reached the height of only 153 feet and here this the project was not resumed until 26 years later when federal funds were finally available inside the obelisk are 189 stone plaques or markers tributes to the father of his country from cities states and even numerous foreign countries but it is Lincoln more than any 18th or 19th century president whose spirit dominates the star-spangled City one reason may be that only Lincoln of the martyred presidents met his tragic death in the capitol city here at what was once known as Ford's Theatre and which later became a museum this is a copy of the billboard for that black 14th of April 1865 ironically the play was a comedy loads of laughs the presidential box looked like this just before mr. and mrs. Lincoln arrived at the theater when the box was not in use it was kept under lock and key these very keys the pistol was hardly bigger than a toy it was big enough the mortally wounded Lincoln was rushed to a house across the street from the theater he would evermore be known as a house where Lincoln died a handful of the selected few maintained a solemn vigil through the night in the early morning hours but the actor assassin had played his part too well in this room at 22 minutes past 7:00 a.m. God reclaimed one of his noblest creations [Music] [Applause] [Music] from the Washington Monument we can look across this long rectangular reflecting pool to the Lincoln Memorial's Memorial incorporated by Congress two years after Lincoln's death but not completed until 1922 fifty-five years later the night time is I think the best time to visit the Lincoln Memorial it's quieter there are few people present and the dim lighting just enough to illuminate the statue adds to the mystique impressive atmosphere the words at Gettysburg the words Lincoln thought the world would not long remember had been carved in stone so that posterity may never forget the words of men the altars of God the building is typically Washington a dozen others look just like it and yet its contents are worth more than all the gold at Fort Knox the archives of the United States the lighting is very subdued silent but alert guards are conspicuously present for in this glass case dated July 4th 1776 is the Declaration of Independence of the United States the most priceless document in all America the parchment is covered with a yellow gelatin filter to protect it from lights and daylight in the display cases below are more words that made freedom ring the Constitution and the Bill of Rights these are not facts emily's but the original completed dress it's only a long block from the Capitol to the Library of Congress the two buildings comprising the library covers six acres of ground on the 16 acres site with 36 acres of floor space 270 miles of bookshelves is the world's largest library as you enter the visitors gallery you're sure to admire a stunning marble mosaic the Minerva of peace 15 feet high and 9 feet wide the vaulted ceiling above the Minerva is painted in the ornate style of the Italian Renaissance [Music] [Applause] we all know of the 500 year old printed Gutenberg Bible this is one of the three perfect copies in existence but two years before Gutenberg the giant Bible of men's was already in progress entirely hand lettered the Bible is the work of a single master scribe he worked at his dedicated task for fifteen months when he was finished the illuminators as they were called took over and illustrated many of the pages truly a monumental work the giant Bible of men's at the National Archives we saw the completed draft of the Declaration of Independence but the very original draft composed by Thomas Jefferson is here at the Library of Congress most of the changes were suggested by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams this now is Washington's own handwriting his first inaugural address from the pen of Lincoln came one of mankind's great documents the Emancipation Proclamation ending with the memorable words and forever be free more from Lincoln the first draft of his Gettysburg Address note that in this draft he struck out to stand here substituting we here be dedicated and again Lincoln his second inaugural address and one of the sweetest noblest phrases ever spoken by mortal man with malice toward none with charity for all yes it's a house of words this Library of Congress words that men live by and cherish more than life itself it will come as a surprise to most of us that America has a National Cathedral it is known simply as the Washington Cathedral and though the foundation stone was laid in nineteen seven the Cathedral is still unfinished largely because no official funds are allocated to it is being built and maintained by donations from We the People this impressive interdenominational house of worship is unique among the world's cathedrals in this respect it does not have a congregation of its own there are eight stone carvers in the country who are skilled in the Gothic style and all eight are employed at the Cathedral half a million Americans visit their Cathedral each year to marvel at its size and to revel in the beauty of its altar the candlesticks are seven feet high and the cross is almost as big all are made of gold crystal and ebony even more impressive is the stone frieze background of the altar it's an elaborate work carved in Italy from French limestone the dominant figure in the frieze is a life-size Christ in majesty seated on a throne while in the cathedral you may wish to honor with a silent prayer to great American's buried here George Dewey Admiral of the Navy the hero of Manila Bay and a wartime president who sacrificed his health and finally his life in the pursuit of peace Woodrow Wilson they rest in peace at our national convenor in architecture the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a tasteful imaginative blending of Byzantine and Romanesque styles but there's more than architecture to recommend the shrine as a sightseers must see to begin with this house of worship dedicated to the Virgin Mary is the largest Catholic Church in the USA st. Patrick's Cathedral in New York for example is only two-thirds as big in square footage the shrine is open to visitors every day of the week from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and a complete tour would involve at least several hours there is however one spectacular artistic achievement you must see one of the world's largest mosaics of Christ adorning the wall of the North apse not even the camera can do justice to a size [Music] 3610 square feet of handset mosaic this romantic looking mosque strongly reminiscent of the Middle and Far East has been called the pride of Islam and we know it as the Islamic center a monument to Islamic culture as well as a house of worship 21 Muslim countries support the center Allah [Music] the prayer call is followed by a reading from the quran the Muslim Bible and our so Naima now I love the phone I can see I imagine everyone who travels whether at home or abroad life's to discover sightseeing bargains well in the star spangled city one of the most impressive tourist attractions is possibly the least publicized we'll save for ourselves in just a few moments star spangled bargain [Applause] it's odd but true that a museum founded by an Englishman who never came to America is one of the major sightseeing highlights in the nation's capital the Smithsonian is not one building but a vast complex spread out over half a dozen city blocks we'll start at the air and space building here on open exhibit is friendship 7 the space capsule in which Colonel John Glenn orbited the earth back in February of 1962 except for the model of Colonel Glenn the capsule is completely authentic just as it was when the great astronaut streaked across the heavens and look at that panel board no wonder an astronaut has to be a very special breed of man Colonel Glenn was just an infant when the spirit of st. Louis was planted across the Atlantic by another Colonel Charles Lindbergh a historic solo flight of 33 hours and 28 minutes also at the Smithsonian a flashback to the Wright brothers the first power-driven heavier-than-air machine capable of controlled and sustained flights within a few years this model will come to life the new National Air and Space Museum approved by the Congress the president building is much too small to accommodate all of the significant aircraft and space vehicles designed by a man in his conquest of air and space the Smithsonian's Museum of history and technology is a modern marvel face smartly style edifice that contrasts sharply with some of his antique treasures the Benjamin Franklin printing press the press used by Franklin as a journeyman printer at watts printing house in London 17:26 Franklin's distinguished contemporary wore this uniform on December 23rd 1783 when he resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army of course George Washington this small box revolutionized and made prosperous life in the south Eli Whitney's cotton gin which separated the seeds from the fibers and this odd-looking pot pourri is the work of Joseph Henry who took up where Franklin left off in the field of electricity an electromagnet capable of lifting more than a ton in those days nothing short of a miracle in the Smithsonian collection there are some 400 paintings by Catlin who more than any other artist enabled the people of America to know and understand the western frontier and especially the real American Indian stamps the Smithsonian has some beauties what's the sheet of 2 cent stamps and suddenly the dream of every collector of 5 Center a human error that makes the sheet worth a king's ransom here's one of the most valuable stamps in the collection a 1918 issue in which the airplane is upside down let's turn to famous gowns of the century in a replica of the East Room of the White House are these gowns worn by our first ladies from 1921 to the present time and still on a political vein the campaign's of the past Iran review in the nostalgic Hall of historic American's old Abe sold to the voters as the prince of rails Henry Clay u.s. grant Bryant the perennial hopeful Tippecanoe and Morton - sound money and McKinley Teddy Roosevelt the Rough Rider a memory lane of presidential political campaigns the National Gallery of Art is also a Bureau of the Smithsonian private citizens have joined the gallery in harvesting the fruits of Western man's artistic genius for example Van Eyck the Annunciation Rafael's the album Madonna El Greco's Lyoko on a priest of ancient Troy now the great Rembrandt and his self-portrait and this is Vermeer's girl with a red hat a classic study from the French school Madame bearshare a by Boucher and in the sacrament of the Last Supper salvador dali gave us what may be one of his best remembered works these and hundreds of other masterpieces constitute one of the finest art collections in the world and it's yours to be shared whenever you wish at the Smithsonian's National Gallery of Art the Museum of Natural History is yet another impressive branch of the Smithsonian group it's a storehouse of wonders we'll start with this creative interpretation of the feathered serpent columns at the pyramid temple the toltec Maya people at Chichen Itza in Yucatan if you're a student of geography and anthropology you'll have no trouble identifying this monumental statuary one of the many mysteries of faraway Easter Island the sacred dance dramas of India are symbolized by this figure of King Bali the virtuous heroic Hindu animal God forced into exile because of the jealousy of Lord Vishnu guardian of the universe in these dance dramas the actor and the character he portrays are believed to become as one as a result of intense mental concentration our own American Indians are portrayed in this tableau the Hopi snake dance a primitive prayer for rain in which the Hopi priests use live rattlesnakes the snakes were considered sacred messengers that could communicate with the rain gods the animal exhibits are incomparable this one a collection of typical African species is merely window dressing for what follows an African bush elephant the biggest in recorded history when brought down by a big-game hunter in 1955 this Colossus of the dark continent wait 12 tons and stood 13 feet 2 inches high a foot taller than any other elephant of modern times a 92 foot model of the blue whale takes up the better part of an entire exhibit hall the blue whale is the largest mammal in existence today and possibly the largest that has ever existed on the planet as for this monster from the early past well to a photographed him alive you would have to go back in time roughly a hundred and twenty-five million years now in the very same building you will see diamonds here's the Portuguese diamonds which weighed 150 carats when mined in Brazil in 1920 it was cut to its present size 127 carats the Napoleon necklace was gifted by Bonaparte to his second wife the Empress Marie Louise on the birth of their son it has 47 principal diamonds totaling 275 chemists and this yes this is the famous Hope Diamond the largest blue diamond in the world some forty four point five carats diamonds wildlife primitive customs priceless art treasures historian and political hysteria space capsules stamps statuary these are but a few only a few the thousands of treats that make the Smithsonian the sightseers bargain in the star-spangled City well now the Sun has set the sky has turned to orange and pink it's time to leave the Star Spangled City [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]