"You Are There" (1953) TV series 1953-1957

User Rating:

8.7/10   

Director:

John Frankenheimer

Writers:

Shirley Gordon (writer)
Saul Levitt (writer) (episode)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | unknown

Release Date:

1 February 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History

Plot:

Walter Cronkite hosted the reenactments of historical events. Shows included "The Landing of the Hindenburg", "The Salem Witchcraft Trials", "The Gettysburg Address", "The Fall of Troy", and "The Scuttling of the Graf Spee".

Plot Keywords:

Reenactment | Scene Based On Painting | Based On Radio Series

Awards:

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Walter Cronkite

...

Himself - Host / ... (77 episodes, 1953-1957)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Quotes:

[last lines]
Narrator: What sort of day was it? A day like all days, filled with those events that alter and illuminate our times... and you were there.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Castle of Fu-Manchu (#4.23)" (1992)

An Early Television Gem

Hosted by Walter Cronkite before his bigger successes, "You Are There" created something totally new for television - a reporter with a camera and microphone who covered historical events as though they were breaking news.

One example was, "The Assassination of Julius Caesar." He interviews many of the people who took part as they stand over Caesar"s body.

"Excuse me, sir," he asks Marc Antony. Antony takes a moment to be interviewed. What a fascinating concept.

The only other episode I remember seeing live was, "The Capture of Jesse James," with an unknown James Dean in the title role.

If the episodes have not been lost, they should be put on DVD for today's generation to watch.