8.8/108 votes#1 - The Real Stuff
Season 5 Episode 1 - Aired 1/27/1987
One year after the Challenger disaster, Frontline examined the all-too-human side of the space program as seen through the eyes of the astronauts and engineers responsible for making it work. Correspondent James Reston tells the inside story of a program plagued by problems and politics.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- NaN/100 votes
#2 - The Earthquake is Coming
Season 5 Episode 2 - Aired 2/3/1987
Frontline examines the startling implications of what will happen when the big earthquake hits California, detailing the awesome effects as systems rupture and the entire nation's economy, industries, and national security are jeopardized.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- NaN/100 votes
#3 - Stopping Drugs (1)
Season 5 Episode 3 - Aired 2/10/1987
A two-part special examining efforts to stamp out drugs. Part 1 examines the personal struggles of addicts trying to kick the habit and the effectiveness of drug treatment programs. Part 2 journeys into America’s schools to find out if drugs are really a major problem and if anti-drug efforts are working.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- NaN/100 votes
#4 - Stopping Drugs (2)
Season 5 Episode 4 - Aired 2/17/1987
A two-part special examining efforts to stamp out drugs. Part 1 examines the personal struggles of addicts trying to kick the habit and the effectiveness of drug treatment programs. Part 2 journeys into America’s schools to find out if drugs are really a major problem and if anti-drug efforts are working.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.4/1012 votes
#5 - The Nazi Connection
Season 5 Episode 5 - Aired 2/24/1987
German scientists were responsible for putting the first American on the moon. Now, 15 years later, government investigators are asking whether some of them were also responsible for Nazi war crimes. Frontline examines their war records and the role of American officials who decided to bring them to the United States.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- NaN/100 votes
#6 - Desperately Seeking Baby
Season 5 Episode 6 - Aired 3/3/1987
Two million American couples desperately want babies and can’t have them. They are turning to private adoption deals brokered by lawyers and counselors. Sometimes they get a new baby and a happy home; sometimes their hearts are broken. Frontline looks at a system filled with ambiguity and heartbreak.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- NaN/100 votes
#7 - Street Cop
Season 5 Episode 7 - Aired 3/31/1987
Frontline takes a gritty look at street cops. In Boston’s busiest, most violent police district, they confront the never-ending calls for help and the never-ending chase after drugs.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- NaN/100 votes
#8 - The Secret File
Season 5 Episode 8 - Aired 4/14/1987
How could an ordinary citizen be considered a national security risk? Penn Kimball, a university professor, former New York Times editor, Rhodes scholar, and Eagle Scout, was stunned to discover that for 30 years, government files existed declaring him as a disloyal American. As he tries to clear his name, Frontline examines the government decision to gather information on American citizens.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- NaN/100 votes
#9 - War on Nicaragua
Season 5 Episode 9 - Aired 4/21/1987
As the Iran-contra scandal was still unfolding, Frontline correspondent William Greider revealed how the US began supporting the contras in Nicaragua and why our involvement there continues. The program is a meticulous reconstruction of US policy toward Nicaragua, and an investigation into how US foreign policy is made.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- NaN/100 votes
#10 - The Bombing of West Philly
Season 5 Episode 10 - Aired 5/5/1987
‘I could hear the bullets all around me, hitting all around the house. I was forced back by gunfire,’ says Ramona Africa, the only adult survivor of MOVE, a small, violent, urban cult. Years of tension ended May 13, 1985, when police bombed Africa’s house. The surrounding neighborhood burned out of control, leaving 250 homeless. Frontline correspondent Leon Dash examines why the bombing really happened.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- NaN/100 votes
#11 - In Search of the Marcos Millions
Season 5 Episode 11 - Aired 5/26/1987
The day Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos fled the Philippines in 1986, they left with $8.9 million in jewelry, cash, and bonds. But the Philippine government claims they took much more, plundering the wealth of the nation, stashing it in fake companies and secret bank accounts. Frontline tracked hundreds of millions of dollars of the Marcos money and asked whether the Philippine government will ever get it back.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- NaN/100 votes
#12 - Israel: the Price of Victory
Season 5 Episode 12 - Aired 6/2/1987
The Six Day War was a decisive victory for Israel. But many Israelis feel that something has gone wrong. On the war’s twentieth anniversary, Frontline finds a nation struggling with its image and its role as a democracy and reveals what has happened to the dream.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.1/1056 votes
#13 - Death of a Porn Queen
Season 5 Episode 13 - Aired 6/9/1987
She was from Minnesota. Young, pretty, and fresh. She went to Hollywood in search of a dream and found herself in X-rated movies, on drugs, and estranged from her family and friends. Correspondent Al Austin retraces her story, discovering why after two years as a porn queen, she took her own life.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- NaN/100 votes
#14 - Keeping the Faith
Season 5 Episode 14 - Aired 6/16/1987
The black church was once the soul of its community. It was a rallying point and a force for change. Now, as the black middle class grows and the church evolves, correspondent Roger Wilkins asks whom does it serve and to what end?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- NaN/100 votes
#15 - The Politics of Greed
Season 5 Episode 15 - Aired 6/23/1987
As corruption scandals rock New York City, the careers of dozens of high officials are being destroyed. Frontline takes an inside look at the seamy side of urban politics and asks whether this is any way to run a government.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of Frontline Season 5
Every episode of Frontline Season 5 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Frontline Season 5!
Since it began in 1983, Frontline has been airing public-affairs documentaries that explore a wide scope of the complex human experience. Frontline's goal is to...
Genres:DocumentaryNewsTalk
Network:PBS
Season 5 Ratings Summary
"The Real Stuff" is the best rated episode of "Frontline" season 5. It scored 8.8/10 based on 8 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 1/27/1987. This episode is rated NaN points higher than the second-best, "The Earthquake is Coming".