Today in History:

The Hunt for John Wilkes Booth

DVD Talk Review

About halfway through The Hunt for John Wilkes Booth (based on the book, American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies by Michael Kauffman, who also appears here on the documentary), historian Roger McGrath states that most Americans, in regards to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, know only that John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln at the Ford Theatre in Washington, D.C., while knowing little or nothing of the events leading up to and following this terrible act. He may be right. As a little kid, I remember seeing that Sunn Classic Pictures shlock-tacular, The Lincoln Conspiracy (the one where Bradford Dillman's fake moustache is always in danger of falling off), as well as some other documentaries on the subject since then, but prior to watching The History Channel's The Hunt for John Wilkes Booth I doubt I could have named all his co-conspirators, nor say with certainty if Booth was captured and tried, or killed during the manhunt for the famous actor and notorious assassin.

This review goes on to tell about the plot to assinate Lincoln and it's immediate aftermath.  It is a good synopsis of the events and presumably the DVD is even better.

Read the review