I apologize for not reviewing this show sooner; it aired
last week. It's what we used to call a mini-series. It aired
for three nights in a row. Now they call it an "event
series." Anyway, it was really good. You can still
watch it on the Discovery Channel site.
It chronicles the development of the Harley-Davidson
motorcycles, which was developed by some poor Irish guys in
Milwaukee. Now, this is not entirely historically
accurate. It's very interesting and entertaining, but they
do change the facts a bit. Go watch the movie and then read
a book or Wikipedia article about the true events.
The actors do a great job. The young guy who plays Bill
Harley (Robert Aramayo) reminds me a little bit of Neil
Patrick Harris. Apparently he's a British actor who
was on "Game of Thrones." I don't watch that show, so I had
no idea. Michiel Huisman, who plays Walter Davidson, was
also in GoT. Now, he kind of reminds me of Gale Harold
("Queer As Folk") The third prominent character, Arthur
Davidson (played by Bug Hall) kind of reminds me a little
bit of Raphael Sbarge, who's been in many shows.
In the show, Harley is a brilliant guy who likes to
figure out mechnical things and plans to go to college to
study engineering. Arthur is his good friend who has a big
mouth and often gets into trouble. Arthur is a type of
visionary who takes Harley's ideas of building a better
motorized bicycle and runs with it. He's a real salesman,
anxious to be successful and show his family that he can be
successful without having to work at a manual labor type of
job. His older brother, Walter, has lost his farm,
thanks to eminent domain, but he pays for their new
enterprise with the last of his money. He's kind of
arrogant and enjoys the thrills of racing. They all
have to not only develop their own bike but compete against
the other companies that are also developing them, and
racing against them.
It's a really good show, accurate or not, and I think
anyone would enjoy it. Check it out!
Discovery Channel’s original scripted mini-series,
HARLEY AND THE DAVIDSONS premieres
Monday, September 5! Based on a true story, the
three-night event traces how Walter, along with his brother
Arthur and their best friend Bill Harley
built one of the most iconic bikes of all time.
HOW DID A MOTORCYCLE
BUILT FROM A SHED IN MILWAUKEE BECOME A GLOBAL
PHENOMENON?
Premiering Monday, September 5 at 9PM ET/PT on the
Discovery Channel
SNEAK PEEK VIDEO CLIPS
OF ‘HARLEY AND THE DAVIDSONS’
Calling
Out a Fraud | Harley and the
Davidsons
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81iIm7DSwy4
Veteran
Thank You | Harley and the
Davidsons
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rzs2z-qmUc
EPISODE LISTINGS:
Monday,
September 5
9PM ET/PT –
HARLEY AND THE DAVIDSONS –
EPISODE 1
Amazing Machine: Bill Harley and
brothers Walter and Arthur Davidson found the
Harley-Davidson Motorcycle
Company. But competition is fierce, and Walter puts his
life at risk in deadly races to beat industry
powerhouse, Indian Motorcycles.
Tuesday, September 6
9PM ET/PT –
HARLEY AND THE DAVIDSONS –
EPISODE 2
Race to the Top: Harley-Davidson
must rejoin the racing community if the business is to
survive. Distracted by their race to the top, the
founders leave themselves vulnerable to a devastating
and unforeseen threat to the survival of their company.
Wednesday, September 7
9PM ET/PT –
HARLEY AND THE DAVIDSONS –
EPISODE 3
Legacy: The Great Depression ravages America and
cripples the motorcycle industry. With their company on
the brink of ruin, Walter, Arthur, and Bill flout
conventional wisdom by embarking on their most ambitious
and expensive design yet.
DISCOVERY ROARS OUT
WITH NEW MINISERIES ‘HARLEY AND
THE DAVIDSONS’
3-Part Mini-Series
Premieres Monday, September 5 at 9 PM ET/PT on Discovery
(LOS ANGELES) – A Harley-Davidson
is more than a motorcycle. It is a symbol of Americana,
built from the ground up by founders Walter and Arthur
Davidson and their friend Bill Harley.
But the road to success was not exactly smooth – filled
with innumerable obstacles, ruthless competitors and
extraordinary risks. Together these three young men, the
sons of blue-collar immigrants, gave everything they had
to ensure the survival of the company they founded. But
just how far would they go to reach the ultimate
American dream?
Discovery’s highly-anticipated miniseries
HARLEY AND THE DAVIDSONS will
premiere Monday, September 5 at 9 PM ET/PT.
Consisting of three two-hour installments, parts two and
three will air on Tuesday, September 6, and Wednesday,
September 7 at 9 PM ET/PT.
“This is the type of compelling and honest storytelling
that fits perfectly for Discovery Channel,” said Rich
Ross, Group President of Discovery Channel, Animal
Planet and Science Channel. “It is a story about
brotherhood, an ironclad will to succeed and going
against the conventional wisdom of that time. The
founders of Harley-Davidson
created more than just a motorcycle. They created modern
entrepreneurism.”
Based on a true story, HARLEY
AND THE DAVIDSONS charts the birth of this iconic
bike during a time of great social and technological
change beginning at the turn of the 20th
century. Walter, Arthur and Bill risked their entire
fortune and livelihood to launch the budding enterprise.
Each of these men faced very different challenges, but
it was the motorcycle that united their dreams and
ambitions. For Walter Davidson, the venture was a chance
to escape from the confines of society – to ignore the
rules and build a bike that could go anywhere and ride
hard. For Arthur Davidson, it was an opportunity to
finally make good on his name. And for Bill
Harley, the bike gave him hope
to break free from his overbearing parents and apply his
talent as an engineer.
Built in a shed out of Milwaukee, these motorcycles were
able to survive nearly every condition imaginable. And
Walter certainly put the bikes to the test. His
ferocious ambition propelled him to become a top
motorcycle racer while competing in the deadly
competitions sweeping the nation. Walter’s daredevil
exploits put Harley-Davidson on
the map – and while risky – pushed the company to
eventually overtake their archrival competitor, Indian,
which had a stronghold on the market.
But the founders also faced an underlying moral question
– just how much would they risk to become successful?
Racing could often have deadly consequences, especially
with the rise of the hazardous motordrome competitions
sweeping the country.
Fuelled by ingenuity, innovation and design, the
founders of Harley-Davidson
faced off against their much bigger rivals. If things
couldn’t get any more difficult, the Great Depression
hit and the motorcycle industry was decimated. But
Harley-Davidson continued to
defy the odds with their forward-thinking business
ideas.
HARLEY AND THE
DAVIDSONS looks at how the founders continued to
grow its loyal following like no other competitor–
whether it was securing the American Army contract and
teaching riders how to make repairs on the field to
embracing boisterous motorcycle clubs across the nation.
They would eventually channel all their resources with
their biggest risk yet – creating the world’s first
superbike, a state-of-the-art racing machine for the
masses.
Walter, Arthur and Bill cemented Harley-Davidson’s
reputation as a builder of bikes that goes anywhere,
could ride hard and ignored all the rules. It’s a
legacy that has endured over 100 years – and at the
heart of the brand and its loyal riders.
The
series is led by an all-star cast including Michiel
Huisman (“Game of Thrones”) as Walter Davidson, Robert
Aramayo (“Game of Thrones”) as William (Bill)
Harley and Bug Hall (“The Little
Rascals”) playing the role of Arthur Davidson.
Other cast members include Stephen Rider (“Daredevil”),
Jessica Camacho (“Sleepy Hollow”), Daniel Coonan
(“EastEnders”), Annie Read (“Awkward”), Wilson Bethel
(“Hart of Dixie”), Dougray Scott (in “Mission:
Impossible 2”), Gabe Luna (“Matador”), Alex Shaffer
(“Win Win”) and newcomers Essa O’Shea and Sean Scully.
HARLEY
AND THE DAVIDSONS
is penned by Evan Wright, Seth Fisher and Nick Schenk.
Dimitri Doganis is the Executive Producer on behalf of
Raw Television and John
Goldwyn is the Executive Producer on behalf of
Discovery. Ciáran Donnelly serves as Executive
Producer and Director with Stephen Kay as Director.
About Discovery
Channel
Discovery Channel is
dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction
content that informs and entertains its consumers about
the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement.
The network, which is distributed to 100.8 million U.S.
homes, can be seen in 224 countries and territories,
offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end
production values and vivid cinematography across genres
including, science and technology, exploration,
adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes
glimpses at the people, places and organizations that
shape and share our world. For more information, please
visit www.discovery.com
About Discovery
Communications
Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK)
is the world’s #1 pay-TV programmer reaching nearly 3
billion cumulative subscribers in more than 220
countries and territories. For 30 years Discovery has
been dedicated to satisfying curiosity and entertaining
viewers with high-quality content through its global
television brands, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal
Planet, Investigation Discovery and Science, as well as
U.S. joint venture network OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.
Discovery controls Eurosport, the leading pan-regional
sports entertainment destination across Europe, Asia
Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Discovery also is a
leading provider of educational products and services to
schools, including an award-winning series of K-12
digital textbooks, through Discovery Education, and a
digital leader with a diversified online portfolio,
including Discovery Digital Networks. For more
information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com
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