Episode
Missing Inaction
- Podcast
- The History on Film Podcast
- Published
- Jan 26, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 5046
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://shows.acast.com/the-history-on-film-podcast/episodes/unrequited-with-benjamin-railton
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Summary
Ross is joined by professor of American Studies Dr. Benjamin Railton, author of and co-creator of Black and White and Read All Over. Together, they do a deep-dive on a relatively-obscure episode of The X-Files, "Unrequited", which looks at the contested legacy, cultural impact, and unresolved trauma of the Vietnam War and the POW/MIA movement. You don't have to be an X-Files fan to listen to this episode, but it does help if you remember what Ross Perot's 1992 campaign song was. FURTHER READING: Perlstein, Rick. The Enduring Cult of the Vietnam "Missing in Action" . Lembcke, Jerry. The Spitting Image:Myth, Memory, and the Legacy of Vietnam. FURTHER WATCHING: Uncommon Valor (1983) Missing in Action (1984) Rambo: First Blood, Part II (1985) Platoon (1986) Full Metal Jacket (1987) Born on the Fourth of July (1989) Casualties of War (1989) AND CHECK OUT: Black and White and Read All Over! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.