KET - Tread carefully through Kentucky's past in new documentary on assassinated governor

Tread carefully through Kentucky's past in new documentary on assassinated governor

For Release: 2009-01-12 11:21:00

The title of a new documentary of early 20th-century Kentucky Gov. William Goebel provides an enigmatic clue to the last words of the only U.S. governor thought to be assassinated while in office. This mystery, as well as Goebel's life and lasting influence in Kentucky, are examined by filmmaker Sean Anderson in ... damn bad oyster: The Times of William Goebel, Governor, airing Thursday, Jan. 29 at 10/9 p.m. CT on KET1.

Late 19th-century Kentucky was a rancorous place, and Goebel emerged from the streets of Covington to become the era's most prominent lightening rod. Yet he remained an anomaly: cold, detached and ruthless in a world of political glad-handing; son of German immigrants; champion of urban laborers in a state dominated by landed gentry and agricultural concerns. Goebel struggled against all this to become governor and remained inscrutable to the very end.

"For official consumption, Goebel's last words were a very noble and pseudo-eloquent exhortation to his followers to be brave and loyal to the common people," said filmmaker Anderson. "Irving Cobb, a wry reporter of the day, maintained that was ridiculous; Goebel was never eloquent or noble and unlikely to be so at his death."

"I'm drawn toward instances of 'official' history versus secret or unofficial history," he added. "I like to poke into the dark corners of a subject. Most people focus on Goebel's assassination and get caught up in the whodunnit. That's understandable; almost everyone loves a murder mystery and the trials and controversy provide plenty of grist for that mill. However, I prefer to look at what Goebel did that would make him worth shooting in the first place."

... damn bad oyster: The Times of William Goebel, Governor is produced by Anderson with funding through the Kentucky Fund for Independent Production. More information about KET programming and education services, as well as how to support KET, can be found at www.ket.org.

Contact: Ellen Soileau

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