The three part History Channel documentary series The Titans That Built America follows the rise of business titans Henry Ford, J.P. Morgan Jr, William Boeing, Walter Chrysler, and Pierre du Pont, and how their ingenuity, drive and competition helped to build America into what it is today. From new advancements in the auto industry, to the invention of the aviation business, to the rise of skyscrapers, and more. Over the decades these men face some major obstacles and challenges, such as the Great Depression, an attack from the president, and a second world war, but through it all, they find inventive ways to pivot and weather the storm.

I have been a huge fan of these History channel Built/Made America shows, whether the subject is food, machines, or people, these documentaries are always fascinating and entertaining. This series does a great job of combining interviews and archival footage with great reenactments, making you feel like you are watching history come alive. They cover a lot of interesting topics with each episode naturally flowing into the next. Each time a new character is introduced, the series will jump back and give a brief biography, showing how they grew up and got to where they are in the present day of the story.

I had missed The Titans That Built America when it aired on TV, so I was excited to check it out on this DVD release. While some of these Built America shows concentrate on different people or inventions in each episode, this series primarily follows the same group of titans as they battle it out across the decades and then ultimately join forces for the betterment of America. The series is broken into three 90-minute Parts, though it is really designed to be six episodes, with each part comprised of two back-to-back episodes.

• Part 1: “A New Generation Rises” (1:28:12)
  It’s the dawn of the 20th century and in 1918 World War I came to an end, causing the demand for Pierre Du Pont’s (Gerald Kyd) thriving munitions business to dwindle. He must now pivot if he wants his business to stay alive, and sets his sights on the auto industry. To compete with Henry Ford, Du Pont buys a hefty stake in General Motors. The most promising of its employees is Buick’s mechanical genius Walter Chrysler (Cillian O’Gairbhi). However, Chrysler quickly butts heads with Du Pont and his management style, and soon leaves to launch his own company. Du Pont believes rapid expansion is the key to GM’s success in taking down Ford, and seeks financial backing from J.P. Morgan Junior (Peter O’Meara), who had previously been spurned by Ford. Meanwhile Ford (Grant Masters) has decided to build the biggest auto plant in the world, River Rouge, so that he can control the entire manufacturing process of his vehicles from start to finish. His son Edsel (David Crowley) is trying to impress his father by getting into the aviation industry and prove he can build something himself, but is having a rough start.
   
  After three years on his own, Walter Chrysler is determined to give consumers something they didn’t even know they wanted, a vehicle that drives like a racecar—and his Chrysler 70 is a huge success. In Dearborn, Michigan, Edsel Ford has finally built his plane, but his father worries there is no market for it. That is, until the Postal Service decides to expand into offering Airmail service, and this means the quick rise of Ford Aviation. However, in Seattle, a pilot named William Boeing (Ian Toner) is starting his own small aviation business with hopes of taking taking the airmail contracts from Form. Meanwhile, Ford sees Du Pont eating into his share of the automotive business and slashes his prices. GM counters with a new strategy of offering financing and allowing consumers to buy on credit, which revolutionizes the both the car industry and consumer spending habits. Now Ford faces massive challenges both on the ground and in the air, and Edsel looks to passenger travel as a possible way to save his business. The key to its success lies in young pilot Charles Lindbergh (Charlie Maher), who has just made the first successful solo transatlantic flight, and may be the key to helping the public overcome its fear of flying. Chrysler also sets his sights to the sky, but in a different way—he wants to build the tallest building in the world, the Chrysler Building in New York City. But Du Pont isn’t going to let that happen, and starts to draw up plans for his bigger Empire State Building.
• Part 2: “Titans vs. FDR” (1:26:11)
  It’s 1929 and business is booming for all of the titans. J.P. Morgan is the king of Wall Street, where the stock market appears to be on an endless climb. Chrysler and Du Pont are engaged in their skyscraper race to see who can build the world’s tallest structure. However, things take an unfortunate turn as the U.S. and then the rest of the world falls into The Great Depression, bringing the economy to a halt. No one is buying cars, leasing office space in these new skyscrapers, or flying. As Ford contemplates shutting down Ford Aviation, one man is still managing to turn a profit in this economy. Boeing controls the majority of airmail contracts, and wants to expand his market share, launching Unites Airlines. Meanwhile, Morgan and Du Pont doubt Herbert Hoover’s ability to turn the economy around, and decide to back fellow aristocrat FDR. However, after FDR wins the presidency by a landside, they are shocked and disappointed to hear his inaugural speech announcement that he will be going after the banks and titans of industry.
   
  FDR goes after the titans, subjecting them to congressional inquiries, attacking their reputations, and threatening and breaking up their empires. First Morgan is blamed for the stock market crash, then Du Pont is made out to be a war profiteer and labeled a “Merchant of Death”, and finally Boeing’s airmail contracts come under scrutiny. Meanwhile, FDR is enacting his New Deal recovery plan, which involves many large construction projects such as the massive Hoover Dam, overseen by Henry Kaiser (Peter Gaynor). Roosevelt further attacks the titans by instating new regulations, promoting unions, and creating more rules that directly affect the way they can run their businesses. His increase in the wealth tax is the last straw, which unites the vilified titans against FDR. However, a bigger enemy is growing more and more powerful in Europe, and Roosevelt will need to turn to the titans if America is going to ramp up its war effort in time.
• Part 3: “United They Stand” (1:28:11)
  It’s 1939, and with the onset of the second world war in Europe, FDR tasks William Knudsen (Aidan O’Hare) with trying to get the titans on board with his war effort. The titans must choose between their hatred of the president and saving the world. But when the attack on Pearl Harbor draws America into the war, their decision is easy. Du Pont goes back to manufacturing munitions—once again becoming the “Merchant of Death” he was previously vilified for. Ford Motor Company creates the Willow Run assembly line to manufacture the thousands of B-24 bombers needed by the military, though constant design changes threaten the project. Henry Kaiser is put in charge of constructing shipyards and building up a fleet of Liberty ships. And Chrysler gets into the tank business.
   
  The titans doing their separate things may not be enough if America is going to win this war. Kaiser will need to learn Ford’s secrets of mass production and apply it to his shipbuilding process, and Chrysler needs Ford’s engine design to improve its tanks. These rivals must now work together and put their business competitiveness aside for the greater good, and the coordinated war machine. Also, a labor shortage finds women joining the workforce in the factories and military. However, with news that the Germans are developing an atomic bomb, FDR once again seeks the help of Du Pont to help America figure it out first, assisting Oppenheimer with The Manhattan Project. The combines efforts of these titans will help lead America to victory.

Intercut with the dramatic recreations and archival footage are clips of interviews with authors, historians, financial & business leaders and other television personalities to help share more information and insight into the these and the events being portrayed. The participants include authors, historians and academics Yohuru Williams (University of St.Thomas), Douglas Brinkley (Rice University), Jonathan Russ (University of Delaware), Michael Lombardi (Corporate Historian, The Boeing Company), Jeremi Suri & H.W. Brands (University of Texas at Austin), Andrew Ross Sorkin (Financial Columnist, New York Times), Charles Hyde (Author, A History of the Chrysler Corporation), A.J. Baime (Author & Automotive Journalist), Amanda Goodheart Parks (Historian, New England Air Museum), Jeremy Kinney (Curator, National Air and Space Museum), Lynne Olson (Author Those Angry Days), Martin Horn (Associate Dean, McMasters University), Jason Barr (Economist & Author, Building the Skyline), Michael Hiltzik (Journalist & Author, Iron Empires), Arthur Herman (Author, Freedom’s Forge), David Woolner (Historian, The Roosevelt Institute) and Mareena Robinson Snowden (Nuclear Engineer, Johns Hopkins University). As well as business and financial titans, military, and TV personalities Mellody Hobson (Chair of the board, Starbucks Corporation), Carly Fiorina (Former CEO, Hewlett-Packard), Daymond John (Founder & CEO, Fubu), Donny Deutsch (Former Chairman, Deutsch Inc.), Jamie Dimon (CEO JPMorgan Chase), Donald Osborne (historian and CEO, Audran Automobile Museum), David Calhoun (President & CEO, The Boeing Corporation), Stacey Cunningham (President, New York Stock Exchange), Jim Cramer (Host, CNBC’s Mad Money), Neel Kashkari (President, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis), Betty Liu (Former Executive Vice Chairman, NYSE), Stephanie Ruhle (Senior Business Correspondent, NBC News), General David Petraeus (Former Director, CIA), and General Stanley McChrystal (U.S. Army, Retired).

Lionsgate Home Entertainment has only released this series on physical media on DVD, despite it originally airing in HD on History (though it can be purchased digitally in HD). The picture quality is still quite good, and more than sufficient. The audio track is a bit of a mystery. While the series originally aired in Dolby 5.1 on History, it is presented here in Dolby 2.0. That said, my audio receiver converted it to 5.1, and it sounded fantastic, with clear dialogue and a full, rich sound. The two DVD discs comes packed in a standard-sized DVD keepcase with a swinging tray for the first disc. The release does not include any bonus material, a digital copy, or a slipcover.

What’s Included:

Episodes: (4:22:34)

• All three episodes:
  Disc 1: “A New Generation Rises” (1:28:12), “Titans vs. FDR” (1:26:11)
  Disc 2: “United They Stand” (1:28:11)
• 480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 2.55:1
• Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0
• Subtitles: English SDH

Extras:

There is no bonus material included

Final Thoughts:

The Titans That Built America is another fascinating and entertaining installment of History’s documentary series. It looks at the history of America from 1918 to 1945 through the lives, influences and accomplishments of a group of industry titans, who helped to shape the country into what it is today. While the series originally aired in HD, it is only offered on physical media in SD. The disc features a solid presentation but lacks any bonus material. That said, with its interesting storytelling and interviews, and great reenactments, this is a thoroughly entertaining show that makes an easy recommendation based on the series alone.