Sunday Showcase: The American

This is a television special, part of NBC's Sunday Showcase series, that depicted the life of Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian who gained fame for being one of the American soldiers to be depicted in a famous photo raising the flag over Iwo Jima. His story has been told, as well, in the feature films The Outsider and Flags of Our Fathers. This TV version was directed by John Frankenheimer and written by Merle Miller. It was the first dramatic show shot on videotape on location, mostly in Arizona.

This episode only survives via kinescope, that is, a 16mm print shot off of a television tube. The original color videotape does not seem to survive. Thus the quality is not going to be excellent, but it's the best one can get at this date.