[partially lost] Omnibus (1952 TV show)
I've recently become obsessed with the work of Stanley Kubrick, and wanting to see everything he ever worked on, I tracked down a copy of the miniseries which aired as part of the first season of the American educational public access television show Omnibus, Mr. Lincoln and the Civil War, directed by Normal Lloyd with Kubrick serving as a second unit director, and written by the late great American journalist and film critic James Agee, the last thing he would ever write.
The booklet contained with the DVD readily admits that this is an abridged edit of the original miniseries, a later version of it which was trimmed from its supposed 150-minute length down to a mere 70. This is far from the only lost media attached to the Omnibus series, which was, by all accounts, revolutionary and highly influential television. Mr. Lincoln and the Civil War is considered the first TV miniseries ever. The show's anthological nature of course can be credited as an inspiration for Rod Serling and The Twilight Zone. It was the first show of its kind, whose goal was to present complex and varied educational content in a manner that is entertaining to both children and adults. The show won 65 Emmy awards over its 10 year run.
Along with the abridged version of James Agee's Mr. Lincoln, the DVD I obtained contains a few other Omnibus segments: interviews with historian Allan Nevins, James Agee, and USN Capt. John M. Ellicott; an adaptation of an excerpt from Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin; a 15-minute minidoc titled The Four Flags of the Confederacy; and a 3-act play entitled Lee at Gettysburg.
I am unsure how many similar DVDs have been released by the Archive of American Television (which now only archives interviews and does not have Omnibus available on their website). Most of the Omnibus segments readily accessible on the internet are the many segments featuring famous conductor Leonard Bernstein. (The show is actually somewhat to thank in making him such a household name.) Beyond any such DVDs and those Bernstein segments, it seems much of Omnibus's catalog is lost. I am curious if anyone would be interested in assisting me in cataloging what segments from Omnibus are currently available, and what segments are known of but are currently lost.