From the archives: Kennedy Center opens in 1971

From the creator

On Sept. 8, 1971, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts opened its doors with a performance of Leonard Bernstein's "Mass." Several members of the Kennedy family were in attendance, along with celebrities and socialites like Gregory Peck and Alice Roosevelt Longworth. Watch CBS News' footage from the evening. #history #kennedycenter #politics 0:00 CBS News' Bernard Kalb 0:24 Ethel Kennedy, RFK's widow 0:42 Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) 1:02 Robert McNamara, former defense secretary 1:40 Leonard Bernstein, conductor and composer 2:01 Rose Kennedy, JFK's mother 4:18 Herbert G. Klein, Nixon's communications director 4:37 Alice Roosevelt Longworth, Theodore Roosevelt's daughter 4:52 Gregory Peck, actor 5:25 Montage of crowds 6:23 More of Rose Kennedy's reaction to "Mass" 6:59 Curtain call 7:47 Ethel Kennedy 8:00 Sen. Ted Kennedy 8:30 Leonard Bernstein 8:41 Robert McNamara CBS News 24/7 is the premier anchored streaming news service from CBS News and Stations that is available free to everyone with access to the internet and is the destination for breaking news, live events, original reporting and storytelling, and programs from CBS News and Stations' top anchors and correspondents working locally, nationally and around the globe. It is available on more than 30 platforms across mobile, desktop and connected TVs for free, as well as CBSNews.com and Paramount+ and live in 91 countries. Subscribe to the CBS News YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/cbsnews Watch CBS News:

Published 2025-12-31 · Watch on YouTube ↗
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