Frontline - Season 26 - Eps 17: Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story
In the wake of yet another hard-fought and bitter presidential campaign, FRONTLINE presents a spirited and revealing biography of Lee Atwater, the charming, Machiavellian godfather of modern, take-no-prisoners Republican political campaigns. Through eye-opening interviews with Atwater's closest friends and adversaries, the film explores the life of the controversial political operative who mentored Karl Rove and George W. Bush, led the GOP to historic victories, and wrote the party's winning playbook. The story tracks Atwater's rise from his beginnings in South Carolina as a high school election kingmaker all the way to the White House and his subsequent battle with cancer and final search for forgiveness and redemption. To Democrats, Atwater was a political assassin who one Congresswoman dubbed "the most evil man in America," but to Republicans he remains a hero for his deep understanding of the American voter and his unapologetic vision of politics as warfare.
About Frontline
Title: Frontline
First Air Date: 1983-01-17
Last Air Date: 2025-07-29
Status: Returning Series
Rating: 7.4/10 (from 46 votes)
Language: EN
Seasons: 45
Total Episodes: 839
Network: PBS
Genres: Documentary, News
Production Companies: GBH, FRONTLINE
Synopsis
Since it began in 1983, Frontline has been airing public-affairs documentaries that explore a wide scope of the complex human experience. Frontline's goal is to extend the impact of the documentary beyond its initial broadcast by serving as a catalyst for change.
Cast
Will Lyman
Self - Narrator (voice)
