America's first successful colony, Jamestown, didn't look like it would last long enough to earn that name. The settlers had found no gold, no spices and they couldn't grow a decent crop of anything in the James River swampland. That is until they discovered tobacco.
It took off like a weed (it is a weed) and the colony's fortunes were assured. This noxious plant saved Jamestown, and helped to fund America's revolution. The Tobacco growers and America were linked and each thrived as the future unfolded.
It is a story that has been largely overlooked as the cigarette wars take the headlines but leave tobacco's history untold. It's a story full of colorful characters who were consumed by the thought of putting a cigarette in every mouth.
We'll find out how the famous brands developed and see that there really was an Old Joe Camel. He was an aging camel whose act in the Barnum and Bailey Circus got the attention of a package designer. Old Joe's mug is now an icon.
From Bogart, to Bacall, to Brando and to today's Gen X silver screen idols, we'll see how the movies and advertising influenced a generation of smokers. We'll also take a look at the role the military played in turning legions of GI's into hooked puffers.
Unfortunately, the weed that saved the colonies was transformed into a scourge that has been responsible for more deaths than any other product ever invented. Tobacco's glamorous rise and crashing fall from grace is the story of America.
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