Polio Place

A Paralyzing Fear: The Story of Polio in America

Directed by Nina Seavey, this 1998 film depicts the story of polio's rise to epidemic proportions in 1916, and its eventual eradication through vaccines in the 1950s. The documentary examines America's haunting fear of the disease it could not contain and tells the story of America's transcendence from that fear. The film crew traveled across America interviewing polio survivors, parents, doctors, physical therapists, journalists, and everyday citizens.