(Lichen Films circulated the following news release on July 21.)
Do you remember where you were on June 8 1968?
That was the day Robert F Kennedy’s funeral train carried his coffin from New York to Washington D.C. to be buried beside his brother in Arlington cemetery.
Now, almost 40 years on, a major documentary feature film is being produced by a Scotland-based film company, and they are looking for people who came out to pay their last respects that day.
Bobby Kennedy was on the brink of becoming the Democratic candidate in that year’s presidential elections when he was tragically assassinated in a Los Angeles hotel.
Just three days after winning a crucial Democratic primary in California, RFK’s body was taken by train from New York to Washington for burial.
Hundreds of thousands of people lined the tracks that hot June day in a spontaneous outpouring of grief and admiration for one of the most popular politicians of his era, whose life had been cut short at the age of just 42.
People from across American society, black and white, rich and poor, from soldiers to sisters, watched the funeral train pass. A journey scheduled to take four hours took eight.
In Elizabeth, New Jersey, two onlookers died when they were hit by an oncoming train as they paid their last respects to the much-loved statesman.
In the November elections of the same year, with the Democratic Party still shaken by its loss, Richard Nixon was elected president with a slim majority of the popular vote.
Inspired by a series of photographs taken from the funeral train by photographer Paul Fusco, the filmmakers are seeking to contact anyone who was there that day by the railroad, to talk about their memories.
Keith Alexander, the documentary’s director, said: “That day marked a turning point in America’s history. It is a loss that still continues to reverberate; for many Americans it was the end of an era of hope for better times, for a more moral kind of leadership.”
If you have your own story to tell about that day, or you know someone else who was there, please contact Lichen Films on (212) 938 0026 or email rfkfuneraltrain@gmail.com with your name and contact details.
The producers are also keen to hear from anyone who with family photographs or home movies documenting the dramatic events of that day.
Check out Paul Fusco’s website at www.magnumphotos.com to see if you recognise any of the faces in the pictures.