The BEST episodes of The Awful Truth season 1
Every episode of The Awful Truth season 1, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Awful Truth season 1!
From acclaimed filmmaker and author Michael Moore comes THE AWFUL TRUTH, the most daring documentary show to hit the American public since Moore’s own TV Nation. In the spirit of his award-winning film Bowling for Columbine, Moore skewers politicians and the public alike, placing himself squarely in the middle of today’s most controversial issues and events. Join Moore as he goes on a crusade for justice with Cracker, The Corporate Crime Fighting Chicken, spreads holiday cheer to deserving tobacco executives with the “Voice Box Choir,” and brings a street pimp to congress as the answer to campaign finance reform. Shot in Moore’s trademark “guerrilla video” style, each of 24 half-hour episode is filled with scathingly funny observations and humorous rants that boldly and ironically provide valuable commentary on today’s cultural landscape.
#1 - Beat the Rich, The Sodomobile
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 4/18/1999
Beat the Rich: Wealthy and working-class people are asked about common things. Questions asked include: the price for Dom Perignon, price of one share of IBM stock, and ingredients needed to make a Macaroni and Cheese dish. The Sodomobile: A hot pink Winnebago full of gay men and women travels thru states with anti-sodomy laws on the books. Fred Phelps, whose Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, KS is infamous for picketing funerals of gays and their supporters, makes an appearance.
#2 - Crackers vs. Mickey Mouse, The Voice-Box Choir
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/25/1999
Crackers vs. Mickey Mouse: Crackers goes to Disney World to meet Mickey Mouse and talk about Disney's treatment of its employees. His reward? Getting thrown in Disney jail. The Voice-Box Choir: Mike brings Christmas carolers to entertain tobacco company executives and lobbyists. The twist: all of the carolers lost their voice boxes due to smoking.
#3 - Sal, The Bill Collector, Interlude, Duck and Cover
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 5/2/1999
Sal, The Bill Collector: UPS fails to keep a promise they made to their union. Time to send in Sal, the Awful Truth's bill collector. Interlude: "Thomas Jefferson" protests the impeachment hearings. "I had an affair, big deal," he says. Duck and Cover: India and Pakistan start an arms race. But do their citizens know how to duck and cover?
#4 - Man of the Year, TV Pundits, 150 Feet from NBC
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/9/1999
The Awful Truth Man of the Year: Ira Rennert has the distinction of being one of the largest polluters in the country, as well as owning one of the largest houses on Long Island, with over 30 bathrooms. Moore tracks him down to give him his award. TV Pundits?: Which has more favorable audience response: George Will or (a) a jackhammer, (b) scraping fingernails on a blackboard, or (c) a guy chewing aluminum foil? 150 Feet from NBC: Michael receives a restraining order courtesy of Mr. Rennert, to keep him from the Rockefeller Center area (where Rennert's company, Renco, has its offices). Unfortunately, it also means he can't get to NBC Studios, where he's due to tape a segment of "Late Night With Conan O'Brien".
#5 - Work Care!, LucyCam, Air-Drop TVs on Afghanistan
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 5/16/1999
Work Care!: Under a system called WorkCare, people who can't pay their hospital bills can do jobs around the hospital. Across the street, Moore decides to start a pilot program of his own. LucyCam: Lucianne Goldberg has no problem violating the President's privacy, so Moore decides to violate hers. He sets up a webcam across the street to film her apartment 24 hours a day. Air-Drop TVs on Afghanistan: The Taliban banned TVs. so Moore air-drops some for the citizens.
#6 - Cohen is a Wimp, LucyCam #2, Mind That Memo
Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 5/23/1999
Cohen is a Wimp: William Cohen's Secretary of Defense seems like he's sort of a wimp. To compensate, he bombs medicine factories and embassies. LucyCam #2: Mike recaps the LucyCam story. Mind That Memo: Manpower, Inc. sent a memo to each of their offices to ask them not to allow him in. Moore tests to see how many read it.
#7 - Montana Shacks, Joe Camel Needs a Job, LucyCam #3
Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 5/30/1999
Montana Shacks: Michael Moore visits Montana, a state known for it's beauty as well as being the home of The Unabomber. Joe Camel Needs a Job: The famous spokescamel visits the New York Career and Job Center, looking for work. LucyCam #3: In the third week of this segment Michael calls Lucy. He then reveals to her that he's filming her.
#8 - Hail Turdonia, Teen Sniper School, Hitler Makes a Withdrawal
Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 6/13/1999
Hail Turdonia: Since Ted Turner is America's largest private landowner, he should have his own country, complete with flag and national anthem. Teen Sniper School: A parody ad for a summer camp, featuring sniper training for children. (Unaired) Hitler Makes a Withdrawal: Swiss banks accepted billions of dollars worth of items stolen by the Nazis from victims of the Holocaust at the end of WWII but refused to return it to survivors and family members. The Awful Truth sends "Adolf Hitler" to Switzerland to get the money back.
#9 - Crackers vs. The Egg Farm, The Michael Moore Playset, American Apartheid, Bill Gates' Housewarming
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 6/6/1999
Crackers vs. The Egg Farm: Crackers, the Corporate Crime Fighting Chicken goes to see how his fellow chickens live. The Michael Moore Playset: Now the whole family can pretend to be Michael Moore. American Apartheid: America has learned how to keep the appearance of racial harmony, while keeping blacks far, far, away. Bill Gates' Housewarming: Bill Gates just moved into his new home. Mike gets him a housewarming gift.
#10 - Weapons Inspectors, Make A Wish, We Find Hillary a Date
Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 6/20/1999
Weapons Inspectors: The US is inspecting Iraq's weapons, so Moore gets some Arabs to inspect ours. The "Make a Wish Foundation": The Make a Wish foundation was forced to let a child shoot a bear. What won't they allow? We Find Hillary a Date: Hillary needs a date. Mike tries to find the right man.
#11 - NAFTA Mike, Strikebreakers, The Merger
Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 6/27/1999
NAFTA Mike: NAFTA sent your job to Mexico. Mike goes south to find it. Strikebreakers: Expert strikebreakers decide to unionize. The Merger: Chrysler merges with Daimler-Benz. Mike throws them a wedding.
#12 - A Cheaper Way To Conduct A Witch Hunt, HMO Funeral
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/11/1999
A Cheaper Way To Conduct A Witch Hunt: Moore shows Ken Starr how to perform a cost-effective witch hunt. HMO Funeral: A funeral is staged outside of an HMO's corporate headquarters. The (soon to be) deceased? A policyholder who was refused a lifesaving transplant by the HMO.