On March 6, 1975, American television audiences witnessed a pivotal moment that reshaped public perception of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. For the first time, the Zapruder film—captured by Dallas dressmaker Abraham Zapruder on November 22, 1963—was broadcast in motion on national television. The footage aired on Good Night America, a late-night news program on ABC, hosted by Geraldo Rivera. Joining Rivera for the segment were assassination researcher Robert J. Groden and comedian-turned-political-activist Dick Gregory. The impact of this broadcast was profound, reigniting widespread skepticism about the official narrative of Kennedy’s murder and intensifying calls for further investigation.
Since the day of the assassination, the Zapruder film had been shrouded in controversy. Shortly after capturing the footage, Zapruder sold the original 8mm reel to Life magazine for $150,000, giving the publication exclusive rights. While Life released selected still frames, it withheld the full motion footage from the public, fueling speculation and distrust. Those who had viewed bootleg copies or examined the published frames suspected that the film contained evidence contradicting the Warren Commission’s 1964 conclusion that Kennedy was shot solely from behind by a lone gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald. In particular, Frame 313—depicting the fatal headshot—suggested an impact that violently propelled Kennedy backward, an observation inconsistent with a shot fired from the Texas School Book Depository behind him.
Robert Groden, a photographic expert specializing in film restoration, had produced high-quality copies of the Zapruder footage and became an advocate for its public release. He collaborated with Dick Gregory, an outspoken critic of government misconduct, to present the film on Rivera’s show. When the unedited footage aired, viewers were confronted with the assassination’s raw and unsettling brutality. The public reaction was immediate—horror, disbelief, and outrage swept the nation. ABC received an overwhelming number of calls from viewers who felt deceived by the government’s handling of the investigation.
The broadcast had direct political consequences. Public outcry over the film’s revelations played a role in the formation of the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) in 1976, which reopened the investigation into Kennedy’s death. Unlike the Warren Commission, the HSCA’s 1979 report concluded that Kennedy was likely assassinated as part of a conspiracy, citing acoustic evidence suggesting the presence of a second shooter. Though this finding remained contentious, the televised airing of the Zapruder film dramatically altered the trajectory of assassination research, bolstering challenges to the lone-gunman theory.
Beyond its immediate impact, the 1975 broadcast of the Zapruder film marked a turning point in American media and political history. It demonstrated the growing influence of television as a tool for exposing suppressed information and challenging official accounts. The decision by Rivera, Groden, and Gregory to show the footage ensured that Kennedy’s assassination remained an open wound in the national consciousness—one that continues to fuel debate and speculation to this day.
