0:00:02 > 0:00:06I have crossed the Atlantic to ride the railroads of
0:00:06 > 0:00:10North America with my faithful Appleton's guide.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Published in the late 19th century,
0:00:14 > 0:00:19it will lead me to all that is magnificent, charming...
0:00:20 > 0:00:23..confusing, invigorating,
0:00:23 > 0:00:26and wholesome in the United States and Canada.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32As I journey through this vast continent,
0:00:32 > 0:00:34I'll encounter revolutionaries,
0:00:34 > 0:00:37and feminists, pilgrims, and witches,
0:00:37 > 0:00:42and ride some of the oldest and most breathtaking railroads in the world.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44TRAIN HORN BLARES
0:01:16 > 0:01:20Providentially, my rail journey through New England has brought me
0:01:20 > 0:01:24to the smallest state of the Union and also the one with the longest
0:01:24 > 0:01:28name, the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31It was, amongst the British colonies,
0:01:31 > 0:01:36the first to renounce allegiance to the Crown but also, amongst the 13,
0:01:36 > 0:01:40the last willing to cede any sovereignty by signing up to the
0:01:40 > 0:01:43Constitution of the United States.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47These are clearly independent-minded people.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50I'll then travel on to Connecticut, which by contrast,
0:01:50 > 0:01:54rejoices in the slogan, "The Constitution State".
0:01:56 > 0:01:59My route across the Northeastern United States
0:01:59 > 0:02:01and Canada began in Boston.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03From there I travelled south to
0:02:03 > 0:02:06Plymouth and the islands of Cape Cod.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08I'll explore the New England
0:02:08 > 0:02:10landscape on my way to Lake Placid
0:02:10 > 0:02:11before heading into Canada,
0:02:11 > 0:02:13bound for Montreal.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15I'll visit the capital and the
0:02:15 > 0:02:17Thousand Islands of the Saint Lawrence River,
0:02:17 > 0:02:20and finish in Canada's largest city, Toronto.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25On this trip, I'll start in Providence,
0:02:25 > 0:02:27state capital of Rhode Island.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30From there, I'll cross into Connecticut,
0:02:30 > 0:02:31and visit the coastal city
0:02:31 > 0:02:33of New London.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Along the way, I'll help to prepare
0:02:36 > 0:02:38a traditional New England clambake...
0:02:38 > 0:02:41Whoa, that looks good!
0:02:41 > 0:02:45..explore the story behind one of America's greatest plays...
0:02:45 > 0:02:50People are taken aback, because it's sad, it's harrowing,
0:02:50 > 0:02:52and the locals were really shocked.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56..and drill with cadets of the United States Coast Guard.
0:02:56 > 0:02:57Right shoulder, arm!
0:02:59 > 0:03:01Forward, march!
0:03:08 > 0:03:13On my travels so far I've learned a lot about revolutionary battles.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17But now I'd like to discover something about a weapon that is
0:03:17 > 0:03:22supposedly mightier than the sword and is often wielded by the nation's
0:03:22 > 0:03:24commander in chief.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34My first stop is Providence on Narragansett Bay.
0:03:38 > 0:03:43Founded in 1636, it's one of the oldest cities in the United States.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50By the time of my guidebook, it had become a leading manufacturing
0:03:50 > 0:03:53centre with an extensive railroad network.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58After sharing the role of capital with nearby Newport,
0:03:58 > 0:04:02it assumes sole status in 1900 and built this impressive
0:04:02 > 0:04:04neoclassical Statehouse.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08Being the tiniest state is no reason not to think big
0:04:08 > 0:04:09architecturally,
0:04:09 > 0:04:13and this magnificent capital with its elegant dome,
0:04:13 > 0:04:15I think, could grace many a major country.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22But beyond these corridors of power,
0:04:22 > 0:04:24I'm on the trail of a company
0:04:24 > 0:04:27that counts among its customers the White House.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29- Hello, Andy. I'm Michael. - Hello, Michael. Nice to meet you.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31- Welcome to Cross. - Thank you very much.
0:04:31 > 0:04:37Andy Boss has worked at the pen makers AT Cross for 12 years.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39Andy, who was your founder, Richard Cross?
0:04:39 > 0:04:42So Richard Cross came from Birmingham, England.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Came to Rhode Island in the late 1830s.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47And his family in England was already in the jewellery trade.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50Rhode Island eventually became the jewellery capital of the
0:04:50 > 0:04:52United States and so it was the perfect place for him to come.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56And he started AT Cross in 1846,
0:04:56 > 0:05:00making mechanical pencils and pencil cases to go over pencils.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03So from the earliest times, the pencil business was a decorative
0:05:03 > 0:05:07- craft, was it?- His original writing instruments were actually very fancy
0:05:07 > 0:05:13cases, like highly detailed pieces that would actually go over just a
0:05:13 > 0:05:14small pencil.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16That's lovely. It's got a pattern.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20A little hook on the top here, presumably to hang it up.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23And then he went into mechanical pencils, did he?
0:05:23 > 0:05:26This is actually a version of one of his mechanical pencils.
0:05:26 > 0:05:31This one was made in the 1880s and it's ten carat yellow rolled gold.
0:05:31 > 0:05:32Amazing. Wow.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35Now, what about that black number?
0:05:35 > 0:05:37So this is our first kind of foray
0:05:37 > 0:05:40into what's called a stylographic pen.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42Initially it was known as an ink pencil.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44This is from the late 1870s.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48Well, what's astonishing to me is that looks so absolutely modern.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52So already you're entering into the sort of the ballpoint pen era.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54Right, right, right.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58The company acquired its first US patent in 1876
0:05:58 > 0:06:02and soon established itself as the country's leading maker of fine
0:06:02 > 0:06:04writing instruments.
0:06:04 > 0:06:05How did your connection
0:06:05 > 0:06:07with Presidents of the United States begin?
0:06:07 > 0:06:11We started making some pens for President Reagan, for his inauguration.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13And then it just kind of snowballed from there.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17We did a black lacquer and rhodium version for President Obama,
0:06:17 > 0:06:20and then a black lacquer and gold version for President Trump.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22What does the President use these pens for?
0:06:22 > 0:06:25When President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act
0:06:25 > 0:06:27he had an entire tray of Cross pens next to him.
0:06:27 > 0:06:28It was about 22 pens,
0:06:28 > 0:06:32and he ended up using all 22 pens to sign just his one name.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35He would do about half of a 'B', put it down, pick-up another pen,
0:06:35 > 0:06:38finish the 'B', pick up another pen, do half of an 'A'.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41By the time he was done signing just his one signature he will
0:06:41 > 0:06:43have used all 22 of those pens.
0:06:43 > 0:06:44And then he ended up giving them
0:06:44 > 0:06:47away to the various people who helped him make it happen.
0:06:47 > 0:06:52Call me old-fashioned but I find that my handwriting looks best when
0:06:52 > 0:06:54I use a fountain pen.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58Kerry Nixon makes the company's top of the range models by hand.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Kerry, what material is that pen?
0:07:01 > 0:07:03This is 21 carat gold.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05- What, solid?- Solid gold.
0:07:05 > 0:07:10- Amazing. What does this pen sell for?- 7,000.
0:07:10 > 0:07:127,000!
0:07:12 > 0:07:14That's very elegant, isn't it?
0:07:14 > 0:07:17OK, and this is your construction kit now?
0:07:17 > 0:07:21Right, so this is the grip, this is the feed.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23This is where the ink flows down.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27Right. It's a very thin channel that goes down the length of the feed,
0:07:27 > 0:07:28and that's where the ink travels...
0:07:28 > 0:07:31- Right.- ..until it gets to the hole
0:07:31 > 0:07:33and then it travels down the slit in the nib.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37So, what is it we have to do to assemble this one now?
0:07:37 > 0:07:41Now, the feed goes about an eighth of an inch down from the ball.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44An eighth of an inch from the end of the nib would be about there?
0:07:44 > 0:07:45- Right.- And what am I try...
0:07:45 > 0:07:49And then you push that into the end of the grip.
0:07:49 > 0:07:50It's a little tight.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55OK, the next thing, the ink cartridge.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Push that into the end of the...
0:07:57 > 0:07:58- This bit I'm used to.- Yeah.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02There it goes. It's home.
0:08:02 > 0:08:03All right,
0:08:03 > 0:08:07- and you can thread that into the barrel.- Yeah.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11And...
0:08:16 > 0:08:18That is a lovely pen.
0:08:18 > 0:08:19I enjoyed writing that.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31Built around three rivers,
0:08:31 > 0:08:35Providence's rich architectural heritage has been well preserved.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41And in the heart of the historic downtown is a little reminder of home.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51What in the United States would be modelled on a Greek temple complete
0:08:51 > 0:08:53with 14-metre high columns?
0:08:56 > 0:09:01The answer is a shopping arcade built in 1828.
0:09:01 > 0:09:02Appleton's tells me -
0:09:02 > 0:09:05"It's the largest of its kind in the United States."
0:09:05 > 0:09:09225ft long, three storeys high,
0:09:09 > 0:09:13and also the first shopping mall ever to be built in America by
0:09:13 > 0:09:16entrepreneur Cyrus Butler.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19And sceptics called it - "Butler's Folly".
0:09:19 > 0:09:23But they didn't understand the American propensity to shop
0:09:23 > 0:09:25and shop until they drop.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42Just five miles out of the city centre, in East Providence,
0:09:42 > 0:09:46lies a rocky headland with splendid views of Narragansett Bay.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53These old rail tracks run along the banks of the Providence River.
0:09:53 > 0:09:58This is Squantum and it's owned by the Squantum club,
0:09:58 > 0:10:02a noted resort for the private clambakes of the club
0:10:02 > 0:10:04and its guests.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07An association devoted to the open-air consumption
0:10:07 > 0:10:08of cooked seafood.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10Where do I apply?
0:10:13 > 0:10:15Some say Squantum was named after
0:10:15 > 0:10:18the famous Native American Chief Squanto,
0:10:18 > 0:10:22who helped to teach Plymouth's pilgrim settlers to farm.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26The area became known for its abundant shellfish.
0:10:26 > 0:10:31By the late 1800s clambakes had become a New England tradition.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Jay Morris runs events here.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35Michael, welcome to the Squantum Association.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38- How are you today? - Very well, it's great to be here.
0:10:38 > 0:10:39I've come in search of a clambake.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43- You are in the right place, let me show you the way.- Thank you!
0:10:46 > 0:10:49- Hello, guys.- How are you?
0:10:49 > 0:10:51Jay, this is on a spectacular scale.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54I didn't realise it was as big as this.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56And the seafood just goes on like that,
0:10:56 > 0:10:58in its trays without more ado.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Lobsters first.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02Clams and corn next.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05Steam rising through the seafood.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11And this method of cooking the lobsters and clams goes back to what?
0:11:11 > 0:11:14This goes back to the Native Americans.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17They actually taught the settlers here in America how to cook with
0:11:17 > 0:11:20this style. It was done with seaweed and rocks.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22Obviously, they didn't have canvas at the time
0:11:22 > 0:11:25but this was the traditional way.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27Where do you get the clams and the lobsters?
0:11:27 > 0:11:29We source them from local purveyors
0:11:29 > 0:11:32and they come right out of Narragansett Bay.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37This dining club dates back to the 1840s
0:11:37 > 0:11:41when a small group of well-heeled Providence gentleman began rowing
0:11:41 > 0:11:45out to this tiny island to enjoy open air clambakes.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51In 1872, they started the Squantum Association.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54And 30 years later, membership had doubled.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58They now own ten acres here at Squantum Point,
0:11:58 > 0:12:01complete with an elegant clubhouse.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03- Well, John, are they ready?- Oh, yes.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08OK.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10With today's seafood lunch nearly ready,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13I'm lending a hand with the final stages.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17- Steamy and smoky as we go.- Yes.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24Whoa. That looks good.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27We slide this basket down here to get it off the lobsters.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30Here you go, you can put it right here.
0:12:30 > 0:12:31Look at those lobsters, John.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33They're ready, ready to eat!
0:12:38 > 0:12:39They look good.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47- Hi, everybody.- Hi!- Hello! - Hey, how are you?
0:12:47 > 0:12:51I'm lunching with the Association's 52nd President, Bill Russo.
0:12:51 > 0:12:52Well, that does look good.
0:12:52 > 0:12:53Yes. Here's what you do.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57- Mm-hm.- You take this off...- Yeah.
0:12:57 > 0:13:02And you see this little neck here, you have to pull that off,
0:13:02 > 0:13:07you dunk it in here, take the sand out, and then in here,
0:13:07 > 0:13:09and then down the old gullet.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11LAUGHTER
0:13:11 > 0:13:13There we go. So, into the broth.
0:13:13 > 0:13:18- Delicious.- Into the clarified butter and,
0:13:18 > 0:13:21as the vernacular has it, down the gullet. Mm!
0:13:22 > 0:13:23That's good.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26Can you imagine how hungry the first person who ever ate
0:13:26 > 0:13:28these must have been?
0:13:28 > 0:13:30- Am I right?- Absolutely!
0:13:30 > 0:13:34So, Mr President, how often, now, do you have these clambakes?
0:13:34 > 0:13:37We usually have these about, maybe, three times a year.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39Wow.
0:13:39 > 0:13:44We have one major one, which we call The Cannon Fire.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48And we fire the cannon that came from the Battle of Bull Run,
0:13:48 > 0:13:50- during the Civil War. - The American Civil War, yes.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52You got the hang of it now? You wash it...
0:13:52 > 0:13:55Oh, I've got the hang of it. I've got the hang of it.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58When it comes to food I'm a very fast learner.
0:13:58 > 0:13:59Aren't we all?
0:14:01 > 0:14:04The lobster may be very considerably trickier.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07You rip off the tail, that's where all the meat is.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09- See it?- Ah, look at that.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14That looks glorious.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18I dedicate this mouthful to the culinary traditions of Rhode Island.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20Yes. Thank you.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31INDISTINCT SPEECH OVER TANNOY
0:14:49 > 0:14:51My next stop will be New London, Connecticut.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Appleton's tells me that -
0:14:53 > 0:14:57"It's pleasantly situated on the west bank of the River Thames.
0:14:57 > 0:15:02"And it possesses one of the finest harbours in the United States."
0:15:02 > 0:15:06A particular reason for the beauty of the New England coastline is its
0:15:06 > 0:15:08many inlands and bays.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12And for many Americans, the sea is their favourite playground,
0:15:12 > 0:15:16but the waters also represent a danger for them.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21And for the United States, the oceans are a vulnerability as well
0:15:21 > 0:15:24as an asset. Who keeps the nation safe?
0:15:42 > 0:15:44- Thank you very much. - You're welcome.- Bye-bye.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51This seaport is one of the smallest cities in Connecticut.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54But it plays a vital role in the nation's security.
0:15:57 > 0:16:02It's home to the United States Coast Guard's Elite Academy,
0:16:02 > 0:16:06which was established around the time of my guidebook in 1876.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11300 cadets enrol here every year, determined to make the grade.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13Lieutenant Junior Grade Davis.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15- Good morning, sir.- Michael Portillo.
0:16:15 > 0:16:16- What a pleasure. - Pleasure to meet you.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18- Do you want to head this way? - Please.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25One of the five armed services of the United States,
0:16:25 > 0:16:28it defends more than 100,000 miles
0:16:28 > 0:16:31of US coastline and inland waterways,
0:16:31 > 0:16:32saves lives,
0:16:32 > 0:16:35apprehends drug smugglers,
0:16:35 > 0:16:40and provides first response during environmental and natural disasters.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44I'm meeting Coast Guard Museum Curator Jennifer Gaudio.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48So please take me back to the origin of the US Coast Guard.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50Well, our founding father was Alexander Hamilton who was
0:16:50 > 0:16:53Secretary of the Treasury under Washington.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57And we were 70 million in debt at the end of the revolution.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59And we needed to recoup those losses,
0:16:59 > 0:17:03and we were created as federal law enforcement
0:17:03 > 0:17:07to stop smuggling and to recoup finances of the country.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11The Coast Guard is in fact the reason why America exists.
0:17:11 > 0:17:16Because they actually collected the taxes that put money in the coffers
0:17:16 > 0:17:20that allowed this experiment, as a federal country, to succeed.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24So, the US Coast Guard owes its existence to this man -
0:17:24 > 0:17:27- Alexander Hamilton.- Yes, it does.
0:17:29 > 0:17:34Set up in 1790, it became known as the Revenue Cutter Service,
0:17:34 > 0:17:36named after its ships.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39It merged with United States Life Saving Service
0:17:39 > 0:17:42and became the US Coast Guard in 1915.
0:17:42 > 0:17:47Over the years, the forces played a vital role in conflicts way beyond
0:17:47 > 0:17:48American shores.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50A United States Coast Guard cutter
0:17:50 > 0:17:53patrolling the stormy North Atlantic.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56Guarding convoys from lurking enemy raiders.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00Suddenly off the port bow, a Nazi submarine breaks the surface!
0:18:00 > 0:18:02The cutter's guns open fire.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12The Coast Guard has been involved in every major engagement since before
0:18:12 > 0:18:14the Navy was even founded.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16Up until today.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20And they're still in Bahrain and Iraq and some are still
0:18:20 > 0:18:22in Afghanistan.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24Right shoulder, arm!
0:18:24 > 0:18:29These are among a thousand cadets undergoing four years of classroom
0:18:29 > 0:18:31education and physical and military
0:18:31 > 0:18:34training ready to serve their country.
0:18:34 > 0:18:39- Attention!- Good morning, cadets. ALL:- Good morning, sir.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41Parade, rest!
0:18:42 > 0:18:46- Second Class Delp, good morning. - Good morning, sir. Nice to meet you.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48Michael Portillo. Very good to see you.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50What made you want to be a US Coast Guardsman?
0:18:50 > 0:18:53I've always wanted to be in the military, sir.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56But the Coast Guard's humanitarian aspect appealed to me,
0:18:56 > 0:18:58saving lives, going on search-and-rescue.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01In the event of a war, the US Coast Guard would be absorbed
0:19:01 > 0:19:03- by the US Navy, and you're ready for that?- Yes, sir.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06The Coast Guard handles a lot of the navy's near-shore operations.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08Just because our ships are so much smaller,
0:19:08 > 0:19:11we can get a lot closer to shore, a lot safer and more efficient.
0:19:11 > 0:19:16World War II Coast Guardsmen piloted all of the landing ships on D-Day.
0:19:16 > 0:19:17And in Vietnam,
0:19:17 > 0:19:20a lot of river patrol boats were Coast Guard vessels.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24- Would it be all right if I speak to one of the cadets?- Absolutely, sir. - Thank you.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27Swab Robertson, do you mind if I ask you, how old are you?
0:19:27 > 0:19:30- 19 years old, sir.- And what made you think of going into
0:19:30 > 0:19:33- the US Coast Guard?- Well, ultimately just to save lives and
0:19:33 > 0:19:38- help the community and make an impact.- Of the various roles that the US Coast Guard undertakes,
0:19:38 > 0:19:40is there any one that appeals to you in particular?
0:19:40 > 0:19:44Aviation, sir. The search-and-rescue helicopters.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46That's the ultimate goal, sir.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49Second Class Delp, this has all been most interesting. Thank you so much.
0:19:49 > 0:19:50Would you like to try your hand at it now?
0:19:50 > 0:19:52- Try my hand at the drill? - Absolutely, sir.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54It would be my privilege.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57Port, arms!
0:19:59 > 0:20:02Right shoulder, arms!
0:20:03 > 0:20:05Order, arms!
0:20:08 > 0:20:10Right, face!
0:20:11 > 0:20:13Forward, march!
0:20:15 > 0:20:19These first-year cadets will undoubtedly one day be entrusted
0:20:19 > 0:20:23with vital missions. I wish them success.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37As this is New London,
0:20:37 > 0:20:41it's no surprise that the river running through it is the Thames,
0:20:41 > 0:20:44or THA-mes, as it's known around here.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48It inspired one of America's most renowned playwrights.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51Around the time of my Appleton's,
0:20:51 > 0:20:57European theatre audiences were being entertained by a new sort of drama.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59It was earthy and domestic,
0:20:59 > 0:21:04about unhappy families, anguish, resentment, disappointment.
0:21:04 > 0:21:10But it took the son of an Irish immigrant to bring such realism to the United States,
0:21:10 > 0:21:14and in the process to transform American theatre -
0:21:14 > 0:21:17although his greatest triumph would be after his death.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20His name was Eugene O'Neill,
0:21:20 > 0:21:22and in an unhappy life, New London
0:21:22 > 0:21:25would be the only place he'd call home.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31O'Neill was born in 1888 in New York City
0:21:31 > 0:21:34but spent the summers of his formative years here in the family's
0:21:34 > 0:21:36riverfront cottage.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39His output was prolific.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41He wrote 51 plays,
0:21:41 > 0:21:43many of them intensely personal,
0:21:43 > 0:21:48dealing with human frailties and the struggles of modern life.
0:21:48 > 0:21:53He's the only American dramatist to win the Nobel Prize for literature.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56The house has been preserved as a museum.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58- Lois, I'm Michael. - I'm Lois McDonald.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00Welcome to the Monte Cristo Cottage.
0:22:00 > 0:22:01- Thank you very much indeed.- Yes.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04Do come into the front parlour.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06- Would these be Eugene O'Neill's parents?- Yes.
0:22:06 > 0:22:11James O'Neill, the father, was an actor and this is his famous role,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14the Count of Monte Cristo, which is why the house is called
0:22:14 > 0:22:16the Monte Cristo Cottage.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18He was a matinee idol of the day.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21She was a convent girl, Ella Quinlan,
0:22:21 > 0:22:23she fell madly in love with him.
0:22:23 > 0:22:28And, ultimately, they were married, they had one son, and then when
0:22:28 > 0:22:31Eugene was born, she was very ill and they give her morphine.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34So she became addicted to morphine.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37And she was in and out of addiction during Eugene O'Neill's childhood.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41So it didn't make for the happiest childhood, shall we say?
0:22:41 > 0:22:44O'Neill was the youngest of three brothers,
0:22:44 > 0:22:45one of whom died in infancy.
0:22:45 > 0:22:50He spent his early years travelling on trains and living in hotel rooms,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53as the family toured the country's theatres.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56They moved to this cottage when he was 12 years old.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00So this was Eugene O'Neill's bedroom when he was a boy.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03What was his first inspiration to write plays?
0:23:03 > 0:23:05Well, I think his father to a certain extent.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07We had two or three theatres here in London.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10This is where he saw his first real theatre at the Lyric Theatre.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12And, of course, he would have seen his father.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15He also was inspired by New London. This was a seaport town.
0:23:15 > 0:23:20He could look out and see the clipper ships going up and down the river.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24He goes to sea three times, he's an able-bodied seaman.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28And he comes back and gets tuberculosis and in 1912 goes to the
0:23:28 > 0:23:31sanatorium. He's there briefly,
0:23:31 > 0:23:35but at that point he decides he is going to be a playwright.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39And in his earliest work, is he already writing realism?
0:23:39 > 0:23:42Yes. He was very influenced by Strindberg,
0:23:42 > 0:23:44and by Ibsen and by Chekhov.
0:23:44 > 0:23:49And he wanted to write the kind of plays that Europe was writing.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51And that was not happening here.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53When is he first successful with a play?
0:23:53 > 0:23:58In 1920, Beyond The Horizon is done, and he gets the Pulitzer Prize.
0:23:58 > 0:24:03It was about ordinary farmers and a sailor that were off to sea.
0:24:03 > 0:24:08Two brothers, interestingly, very much based on his own family.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12O'Neill won a further three Pulitzer Prizes for his plays,
0:24:12 > 0:24:14including the tragic autobiographical
0:24:14 > 0:24:17Long Day's Journey Into Night.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20Set over a single day in the living room of the cottage,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23it tells how his family fell apart,
0:24:23 > 0:24:28under the struggle of coping with addiction, alcoholism, and illness.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32Lois, I remember a production of Long Day's Journey Into Night
0:24:32 > 0:24:34with Laurence Olivier many, many years ago.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38It was very long and deeply harrowing.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41In what does its greatness lie?
0:24:41 > 0:24:42The play is about family.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44And that's universal.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46All people in the world can relate to this.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48The reaching out and missing.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50The saying things and saying, "Oh, my goodness,
0:24:50 > 0:24:52"we never should have said that."
0:24:52 > 0:24:57It was only in 1956, three years after Eugene O'Neill's death,
0:24:57 > 0:24:59that the play was first seen.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01He wrote it in blood, sweat, and tears.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04And he left a stipulation that it should never be published in this
0:25:04 > 0:25:07country for 25 years after his death.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09Nor should it be produced in this country.
0:25:09 > 0:25:15However, his third wife, Carlotta, by the time '56 comes round -
0:25:15 > 0:25:17Eugene has been dead for three years -
0:25:17 > 0:25:19gives permission for it to be done.
0:25:20 > 0:25:25Long Day's Journey Into Night laid bare the misery of O'Neill's family
0:25:25 > 0:25:27and the impact of his mother's addiction.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30It opened on Broadway to rave reviews
0:25:30 > 0:25:33and won a Tony Award for best play.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37It was performed in theatres across the world and became a movie.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40How was the play received?
0:25:40 > 0:25:42People were taken aback.
0:25:42 > 0:25:47Because it's sad, it's harrowing, and the locals were really shocked,
0:25:47 > 0:25:49because they don't remember Mrs O'Neill that way at all.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52I can tell you. But it's a great play.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54And it touches everybody.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59Actors have visited the cottage for inspiration.
0:26:01 > 0:26:02And a couple of miles down the river,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05they flock to the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center
0:26:05 > 0:26:08to practise their art.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10Preston Whiteway is the executive director.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15Preston, what is it that you do here at the O'Neill Center?
0:26:15 > 0:26:17We invented the model of play development,
0:26:17 > 0:26:20that there would be a step before full production for a play.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22And we're focused on making the script and the piece itself
0:26:22 > 0:26:24the best it can be.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27Ever since our founding in the 1960s, many around the world have
0:26:27 > 0:26:29gotten their careers started with us.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32So whether that's actors like Michael Douglas and Meryl Streep
0:26:32 > 0:26:34or writers like Bobby and Kristen Lopez,
0:26:34 > 0:26:36who created Avenue Q with us early in their career
0:26:36 > 0:26:38and go on to write Frozen, the movie.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42And so pieces that are formed in these modest surroundings later go
0:26:42 > 0:26:44on to grander venues, do they?
0:26:44 > 0:26:48Exactly right. Not worrying about lights and sets and costumes
0:26:48 > 0:26:51we are able to really make the piece as strong as it can be.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54And are you all inspired by Eugene O'Neill?
0:26:54 > 0:26:57Absolutely, we take our namesake's spirit very seriously.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00He innovated new forms in the American theatre.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02He was the first great American playwright.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05So in his memory, in his legacy,
0:27:05 > 0:27:07we are trying to create new great American work.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19For the United States, the two oceans that bound it are a source of
0:27:19 > 0:27:22plenty, such as lobsters and clams,
0:27:22 > 0:27:25but also of dangers, against which
0:27:25 > 0:27:28the US Coast Guard offers protection.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32Along this coast, Eugene O'Neill wrote his first pieces,
0:27:32 > 0:27:37going on to demonstrate as much as anybody the power of the pen.
0:27:37 > 0:27:43US presidents have inked their signatures on epoque-making legislation,
0:27:43 > 0:27:46but perhaps today the might of the pen
0:27:46 > 0:27:49has been trumped by the presidential tweet.
0:27:49 > 0:27:55Next time, I'll try to master one of America's oldest sports...
0:27:55 > 0:27:56Whoops! I got that one very wrong!
0:27:56 > 0:27:58LAUGHTER
0:27:58 > 0:28:00..discover the perils of New England's
0:28:00 > 0:28:02most exposed mountaintop...
0:28:02 > 0:28:05We recorded a wind gust of 231mph.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08For almost 60 years, that was our claim to fame,
0:28:08 > 0:28:11it is the highest wind ever known by mankind.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13..and hold on tight
0:28:13 > 0:28:16on one of the steepest railroads in the world.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18We roared into action!
0:28:18 > 0:28:22And the track stretches ahead of me like a giant roller-coaster.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24This is going to be a fun ride.