HBO
The latest docu-series hitting TV is The Lady and the Dale, premiering Sunday, January 31 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.
If you don’t have HBO and you’ve used your HBO Max free trial, here are some other ways you can watch The Lady and the Dale streaming online for free:
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Amazon Prime’s HBO Channel
Amazon Prime subscribers (Prime comes with a 30-day free trial) can watch all live and on-demand HBO content on the Prime HBO channel. You can try both Amazon Prime and the HBO Channel at no cost with a free trial right here:
Once you’re signed up for the Prime HBO Channel, you can watch The Lady and the Dale live or on-demand on the Amazon Video app on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Nvidia Shield, Xiaomi, Echo Show or Echo Spot, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, various Smart TV’s, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch on your computer via the Amazon website.
Watch HBO on Hulu
Whether you already have Hulu or you want to sign up for a new subscription, HBO is available as an add-on to either Hulu or Hulu with Live TV. If you’re a new subscriber, you can start a free 30-day trial of regular Hulu plus the HBO add-on:
Once signed up, you can watch The Lady and the Dale live or on-demand on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet.
Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
‘The Lady and the Dale’ Preview
The Lady and the Dale is a documentary series that examines the 1970s automobile industry scam that centered around a mysterious figure named Elizabeth Carmichael.
According to the HBO press release, Carmichael “rose to prominence when she released a fuel-efficient three-wheeled vehicle during the 1970s gas crisis. As she wins over major carmakers and investors, a web of mystery unfolds regarding the car’s technology and Carmichael’s surprising past.”
Carmichael was a transgender woman who became known for touting her three-wheeled, fuel-efficient car called The Dale. She promised that it would get 70 miles to the gallon, which during the 1970s oil crisis was a considerable draw. But it all came tumbling down.
The press release continues:
In 1974 in the midst of the Middle East oil crisis, a new, innovative automobile promised America high mileage and a low-price tag; its three-wheeled, slick design is a hopeful harbinger of things to come. Behind the development and promotion of The Dale, was Elizabeth Carmichael, who had previously lived a life of crime, on the run from authorities, and always cooked up preposterous mayhem. She claimed to have smuggled arms to Cuba during the revolution and was wanted by the FBI. With several ex-wives and children in her wake, she eventually wedded soulmate Vivian Barrett. They and their five children lived on the run from the law for many years with Liz starting her transition in 1966. As a woman in the 1970s, with her past kept hidden and a new identity as a widow with a business degree, Liz Carmichael founded the 20th Century Motor Car Company and made a name for herself in the male-dominated business world. A savvy marketer, Carmichael claimed that The Dale would be the biggest thing since the Model T and would challenge Detroit’s iron grip on the auto industry.
Interest in the Dale intensified, accelerated by Carmichael’s boasts of its efficiency and safety but also fueled by the company’s dubious business practices. With that spotlight came increased focus on Liz’s identity and gender. As media attention was heating up and frustrated investors clamoring at her door, Carmichael was arrested for fraud and business code violations before The Dale could even hit the streets.
The trial that followed was one of the longest in Los Angeles criminal court’s history and became as much about Carmichael’s transgender identity as it was about The Dale. Representing herself in the high-profile case, Carmichael challenged the prejudices of the time, but the surrounding media circus obfuscated the issues; Liz as a person was under interrogation as much as her business practices. The scrutiny into her life would continue for decades, even as she continually found surprising ways to outwit her pursuers, persist in her own survival and keep her family together.
According to HBO, those appearing in the docu-series include “are Candi Michael, Liz’s daughter; Michael Michael, Liz’s son; Jeri Burchard, Liz’s granddaughter; Dick Carlson, local TV reporter; Pete Noyes, KABC news producer; Charles Richard Barrett, Liz’s brother-in-law; and lawyers, prosecutors and employees of 20th Century Motor Car Company. Historian Susan Stryker, Gender and Media Theorist Sandy Stone and criminal defender Mia Yamamoto add historical and legal context to the story.”
The Lady and the Dale airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.