The BEST episodes of America in Color season 2

Every episode of America in Color season 2, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of America in Color season 2!

From the 1920s through the 1960s, America transformed from a young country on the rise into a global superpower. Using digital colorization technology, we present these formative decades as few have seen them, revisiting 50 vibrant years of good times and great despair, technological triumphs and natural disasters, and global villains and national heroes.

Last Updated: 10/27/2024Network: Smithsonian ChannelStatus: Ended
Titans of Industry
star
7.82
11 votes

#1 - Titans of Industry

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/25/2018

America is still a rural nation in 1910. Most homes don't have electricity, and less than one percent of the population owns a car. But that changes with the rise of Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, and Thomas Edison, who help foster the economic and technological booms of the early 20th century. Through colorized archival footage and personal home movies, explore the business relationships that transformed America and glimpse into powerful friendships that lasted a lifetime.

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The Wild West
star
7.67
12 votes

#2 - The Wild West

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 11/18/2018

At the dawn of the 20th century, America west of the Mississippi was wild and untamed, featuring formidable landscapes and treacherous rivers. But in the following decades, industry and opportunity transformed the region into an economic and political powerhouse that drove change across the country and the world. Presented for the first time in color, revisit lands made famous by Buffalo Bill, championed by Teddy Roosevelt, and developed by opportunists seeking adventure and fortune.

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Playtime
star
7.60
10 votes

#3 - Playtime

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 12/9/2018

At the start of the 20th century, Americans find themselves with more time and money on their hands. Coney Island launches the country's first amusement parks and proves that big profits can be earned from fun and entertainment. By 1953, Americans are spending $18 billion a year on leisure activities like camping, bowling, and attending sports events. This is the story of America at play, presented through digitally remastered and colorized archival footage and rarely seen home movies.

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Hollywood's Golden Age
star
7.60
10 votes

#4 - Hollywood's Golden Age

Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/23/2018

The movie industry was born in West Orange, NJ in 1893 by Thomas Edison. Within thirty years, Hollywood grew into America's fourth largest, and by far most glamorous, industry. Revisit the Golden Age of Hollywood, when actors became global celebrities, moguls became millionaires, and the entire nation became movie crazy. Using digitally remastered news footage, rare studio archives, and home movie footage, look back on the dawn and meteoric rise of Tinseltown in color.

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American Royalty
star
7.25
8 votes

#5 - American Royalty

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 12/16/2018

American royalty: a potent combination of popularity, glamour, money, and power. In the early 20th century, the Rockefellers and Vanderbilts build empires and spend fortunes. The Roosevelts and Kennedys spawn political dynasties. And news magnate William Randolph Hearst records it all, using film to cash in on the glitzy lives of the rich and famous. Now, through rare archival footage and home movies, get a colorful inside look at these storied families working hard and playing hard.

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Organized Crime
star
7.09
11 votes

#6 - Organized Crime

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 12/2/2018

It's the 1920s. America is on the rise, and so is a dark underworld run by a new kind of criminal, one that is organized, sophisticated, and ruthless. For the next 40 years, legendary gangsters like Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, and Frank Costello build vast empires thanks to bootlegging, illegal gambling, and shady alliances with politicians. Follow the violent rise and fall of organized crime, presented in color for the first time through remastered archival footage and never-before-broadcast home movies.

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