Walter Cronkite Movies
Regarded by millions as the paragon of on-air trustworthiness, intelligence, professionalism, and unabashed integrity, Walter Cronkite single-handedly invented American television news as a CBS correspondent during the 1950s, with the medium still in a somewhat embryonic state. A former United Press correspondent from St. Joseph, MO -- who would purportedly "go anywhere and do anything for a story, even ride a bomber or a glider into combat" -- Cronkite moved to CBS at the behest of the legendary Edward R. Murrow circa 1952, a position he held for 10 years. In that role, Cronkite carried American audiences through the Cold War, Korea, and other pivotal currents of the 1950s. He simultaneously hosted the eccentric, Sidney Lumet-directed series You Are There (CBS, 1953-1957), which featured reenactments of historical events presented as news broadcasts with Cronkite serving as anchor. As such, the venerable newsman concluded each broadcast with the now-infamous wrap-up: "What sort of a day was it? A day like all days, filled with those events that alter and illuminate our times -- and you were there."Cronkite graduated to head anchor of the CBS Evening News in 1961, a post he retained for 20 years, until Friday, March 6, 1981, when Dan Rather inherited the job. During that time, Cronkite famously reported on such subjects as the Kennedy assassinations, the Civil Rights movement, Vietnam, the Vietnam-era protests, the Arab-Israeli Six Day War, Watergate, and the Menachim-Begin peace accords. In fact, a large percentage of Americans who learned of those subjects from nightly news broadcasts did so through Cronkite's efforts simply because they trusted him.
Save a role in 1980s little-seen drama A Private Battle, and voiceover work as Captain New Eyes in 1993's animated We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story, Cronkite's feature film appearances are virtually nonexistent. His filmed work predominantly (and unsurprisingly) began after his retirement from full-time CBS work in 1981 and consists almost exclusively of hosting duties on dozens of documentary videos that intelligently treat a whirlwind of subjects, everything from South African segregation (Children of Apartheid, 1987) to welfare (Making Welfare Work, 1994) to homeland evangelical Christianity and its disturbing intersection with right-wing political factions (The Cronkite Reports: Christianity Reborn -- Prayer and Politics, 1995).
Like many of his peers in the newsroom, Cronkite also made a handful of humorous guest appearances as himself on the popular CBS series Murphy Brown: one in 1989, one in 1993, and one in 1997. Cronkite died of cerebral vascular disease in July 2009. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- 1993
In this program, the nation's health care reform system is scrutinized not only by patients, but by physicians, the insurance industry, and political figures. The frustration experienced by patients is brought into focus, balanced by the dilemma of health care providers, who speak of volumes of paperwork and the fear of being sued. There are many opinions regarding ways that improvements can be made to the current system. What's Ailing Medicine features appearances by Senator Bob Dole, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and a scholar from Harvard. ~ Alice Day, Rovi
- 1993
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- Add We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story to Queue Add We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story to top of Queue
In this animated children's film from Amblin Entertainment, a group of four dinosaurs, including a tyrannosaurus rex, a triceratops, a hadrosaur, and a pterodactyl, are brought forward in time to New York City to entertain and befriend the children. However, when the dinosaurs are threatened by an evil circus owner, it is up to their young friends to save the day. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Goodman, Blaze Berdahl, (more)
- 1997
This program is a volume in a series featuring renowned journalist Walter Cronkite who takes the viewer on a walk through some of the momentous events of the 20th century. In this episode, Cronkite recalls the war years, when World War II required sacrifice on both the battlefield and the home front. With archival film footage, photographs, interviews, and journalistic accounts, Cronkite follows the story of the war, from the battlefields of Europe and the Pacific, to the victory gardens and gas-rationing activities back in the United States. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, Rovi
- 1997
This program is part of a series featuring renowned journalist Walter Cronkite, who takes the viewer on a walk through some of the momentous events of the 20th century. In this episode, Cronkite examines how the new medium of television was used to advantage by then Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy. Kennedy's television appeal had much to do with his defeat of his opponent, Richard Nixon. The tremendous potential of television as a political tool had begun. Archival television clips, along with commentary by historians, journalists, and political insiders tell the story. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, Rovi
- 1997
This program is a volume in a series featuring renowned journalist Walter Cronkite, who takes the viewer on a walk through some of the momentous events of the 20th century. In this episode, Cronkite covers the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union. The two countries were locked into an ideological battle in the Cold War, and the conflict spilled over into a desire to control the spaces beyond the Earth. When the Russians caught America off guard with Sputnik, the U.S. was quick to respond with the NASA program. Cronkite follows the space story with archival film clips, photographs, journalistic accounts, and commentary from scientists and historians. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, Rovi
- 1981
Vietnam: Chronicle of a War is a documentary which maps the stages of the United States' military involvement in the Vietnam War. Produced by CBS News, the program features historic wartime footage and interviews with key political players. Walter Cronkite narrates. News legends Charles Collingwood, Charles Kuralt, Dan Rather, Morley Safer, Eric Sevareid, and others contribute reports. ~ Betsy Boyd, Rovi
- 1994
This highly intellectual European documentary examines the benefits and moral basis for war reporting in the 20th century. It is done in two separate films that are part of a three-part project. The acclaimed documentarian Max Ophüls is featured in both films. Included is archival footage, movie clips, interviews, and the reminiscence of Ophüls as he depicts the attempts of journalists to find the truth about the various 20th century wars. The truth is often very difficult to find. Most of the documentaries focus upon the current war in Sarajevo. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marcel Ophüls, Philippe Noiret, (more)
Between 1939 and 1959, Toots Shor ran what was debatably the most famous saloon in America. The son of a poor family in South Philadelphia, Shor was a blustery, larger-than-life character who came to New York City in 1930 and soon landed a job as a bouncer in a mob-run speakeasy. Shor had smarts, charm, and nerve, and he soon made plenty of contacts in the liquor trade as well as befriending habitués of Manhattan nightlife. In 1939, Shor opened a bar and restaurant, simply named "Toots Shor's," and it didn't take it long for it to become the Big Apple's most celebrated watering hole, where Broadway stars, sports legends, political bigwigs, and social climbers were frequent customers but anyone with the price of a drink was welcome to belly up to the bar (among the regulars: Frank Sinatra, Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Gleason, Frank Gifford, Earl Warren, and Frank Costello). While "Toots Shor's" was one of New York's most legendary nightspots, Shor sold the business in 1959, and while he opened a new bar two years later (after running through the million dollars he made from the deal), his style of saloon was falling out of fashion with the arrival of the 1960s, and the free-spending Toots died broke in 1977, six years after his last bar went under. Shor's granddaughter, documentary filmmaker Kristi Jacobson, pays tribute to the man and the era personified by his saloon in Toots, which features interviews with family and friends (including Lauren Bacall, Walter Cronkite, Yogi Berra, Pete Hamill, Mike Wallace, and Whitey Ford) as well as rare recordings of Toots telling his own remarkable story. Also known as Toots Shor: Bigger Than Life, Toots received its world premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival -- appropriately enough, in downtown New York. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Frank Gifford, Walter Cronkite, (more)
Filmmakers David Leaf and John Scheinfeld offer a compelling look at the efforts of the United States government to silence one of rock & roll's most outspoken war critics in this documentary detailing the Vietnam-era struggle between the Richard Nixon administration and iconic peace activist John Lennon. The Vietnam War was raging and the nightly news was filled with stories of failed offensives and massacred U.S. troops. As anti-war protests back home gained momentum, it was the hopeful voice of former Beatle Lennon that served to perfectly encapsulate the frustrations felt by many citizens that the U.S. had gotten caught up in an quagmire from which there was seemingly no end in sight. There's a high price to be paid for standing strong in your beliefs and openly criticizing the ruling elite, though, and now, through interviews with those who knew him best and revealing glimpses into an era where all hope seemed lost, filmmakers finally uncover the truth behind the Nixon administration's highly classified efforts to isolate and eventually deport the man whose powerful words threatened to actually make sense in a world slowly suffocated by the grip of insanity. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Stew Albert, John Lennon, (more)
- 1994
Respected newsman Walter Cronkite chronicles the most important aspects of the Holocaust from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. This Discovery Channel film combines historical records, original footage, and personal photographs in an effort to help viewers understand how Hitler and the Nazi Party assumed power in Germany. Elie Wiesel and other survivors share their painful stories, while those who liberated prisoners from the death camps talk about what they saw upon their arrival. Wiesel and others also comment on what the Holocaust Museum means to them in an age where some still fail to grasp the full gravity of the human evil that took place. ~ Elizabeth Smith, Rovi
This video presents a look at the space shuttle, from its design and construction to life onboard the craft. Narrated by Walter Cronkite, the program traces the human effort to realize the dream of space exploration. The video goes behind the scenes for an intimate look at daily activities of astronauts and the training they must undergo for life in deep space. Archival film clips show historic moments and images of the space program. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, Rovi
- 1995
Venerable news anchorman Walter Cronkite hosts this in-depth look at the pervasiveness and effects of legal gambling on American culture. Cronkite explores questions like, is the lure of "easy money" replacing a strong work ethic in the attitudes of American youth, and is the funding of state and federal government through the proceeds of legal gambling a proper way of conducting government? Cronkite details the history of legalized gambling in America in an attempt to draw some conclusions about the impact gambling has had on the economic, moral, and social fabric of American society. The program features interviews with people from the average man on the street, to members of congress, to noted religious leaders. ~ Sean Hurley, Rovi
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