The Oscar-winning Argo wasn’t the first screen production loosely based on true stories about rescuing Americans left in the chaos when the Shah fell. This 1986 mini-series portrays Ross Perot (Richard Crenna) as the can-do billionaire determined to spring his employees from captivity. Sad-eyed Burt Lancaster brings gravitas to the proceedings as the retired colonel who executes the scheme. The Americans in Iran come across as smug and shallow even as disaster overtakes them.
