JOHNSTOWN FLOOD DVD New Sealed Documentary PBS

Documentary of the tragic 1889 Johnstown flood as seen on PBS, plus DVD bonus features. NOTE: this is a rare case of our selling a remaindered / overstock title, which means that it is new and sealed, but may have a small cut or mark through the UPC bar code on the back of the package, indicating that the studio has discontinued it.

New and factory sealed. All of our DVDs are authentic from the manufacturer and designed (region encoded) to play on DVD players purchased in the USA and Canada. We never sell illegal copies or Asian imports.

Johnstown Flood tells a true story of heartbreak, heroism and the courage to survive that claims more than 2,200 lives and wipes out 99 entire families. On a stormy day in May of 1889, the South Fork Dam explodes, unleashing a 45-foot wall of water. Fiercely thrashing at 40 miles per hour, the flood devastates the 14-mile valley between the Conemaugh Lake and Johnstown, Pennsylvania under the force of a 20-million-ton tidal wave. Johnstown Flood depicts this tragic event one of the worst man-made disasters in American history.

When the dam owned by the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club bursts, 20 million tons of water rushed towards Johnstown at 40 mph, sweeping up everything in its path. Prior to the flood disaster, people bustle about this booming and prosperous industrial city of Johnstown. That Friday, freak cloudbursts swell streams and creeks, and the water at the dam begins to rise. Early warning signals and concerns over the safety of the dam are quickly dismissed. Preceding the flood, the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, which owns the dam, carelessly screens the safety spillway to prevent fish from washing over the dam. As the rain continues, the spillway quickly clogs with debris and allows the water to rise even faster.

Startled by the “wall of water” coming towards them, residents of Johnstown, Pennsylvania have no time to escape to safety. At 3:37p.m., the massive dam explodes, unleashing 20 million tons of water that crash down the Conemaugh Valley, wiping out half a dozen towns and taking with it nearly everything on its way to Johnstown. The people of Johnstown never imagined that they could experience such horror and ruin. When the flood hits the busy town, it flattens almost everything in its path. The mass of water travels fiercely, crashing into a stone railroad bridge, which it cannot destroy. Everything the flood gathers smashes into the bridge, further damming up the water and creating a giant whirlpool. When a railroad car catches fire, it further adds to the destruction.

The flood of water racing toward Johnstown, Pennsylvania sweeps up everything in its path, including people, houses and even railroad trains. This is the story of people who survive and people who die in one of the worst floods to ever hit North America. Through documented and illustrated firsthand accounts from survivors of the flood, the actual event is brought to life. Horrified survivors watch as the bustling industrial city of Johnstown, Pennsylvania is instantly reduced into a wasteland.

Johnstown, Pennsylvania, the day after one of the worst disasters in American History. Townspeople and visitors alike are afflicted with untimely demises. Michael Mann, an unlucky miner, is far from his home, pursuing opportunities in Conemaugh Valley. Charles Dewald, a salesman from Altoona, suffers a dreadful fate as the last person to enter Johnstown's luxurious Holbert Hotel. Little children playing so innocently one moment, struggle to survive the rushing waters the next. Each of these peoples stories immerses viewers in this tragic event, enabling audiences to relive their experiences. Among others, a New York World correspondent who is one of the first reporters to reach Johnstown after the disaster tells of the aftermath. As the waters recede, people from all over the world rally around the survivors to help victims regain all that is lost.

Thousands are killed by flood and fire. This fast-paced documentary, Johnstown Flood, reveals both the bright and dark sides of humanity with a mixture of intense live action, personal stories and period photographs and engravings.

Rating: Not Rated
Number of Discs: 1
Run Time: 84 minutes
Suggested Retail Price: $19.95

Full-length commentary track by Richard Burkert, Executive Director, Johnstown Area Heritage Association;20-minute mini-documentary and interview with Richard Burkert providing additional information on the history of the Johnstown Flood;“The Johnstown Flood”, an 1889 piano illustration by Alberto Rivieri, performed by Patricia Prattis Jennings exclusively for this DVD