You Are There (series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids You Are There |
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| Genre | Educational |
| Created by | Goodman Ace |
| Directed by | John Frankenheimer Jack Gage Bernard Girard Sidney Lumet William D. Russell |
| Presented by | Walter Cronkite |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 147 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | James D. Fonda Charles Russell |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Release | |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | February 1, 1953 – June 9, 1957 |
You Are There is a 1947-1957 American historical educational television and radio series broadcast over the CBS Radio and CBS Television networks.
Radio
Created by Goodman Ace for CBS Radio, it blended history with modern technology, taking an entire network newsroom on a figurative time warp each week reporting the great events of the past. Reporters included John Charles Daly, Don Hollenbeck, and Richard C. Hottelet. The series was first heard on July 7, 1947, under the title CBS Is There. Its final broadcast was on March 19, 1950, under the title You Are There.
According to author/historian Martin Grams, actor Canada Lee was a guest in episodes 32 and 60. Martin Gabel appeared in character in episode 82. The first 23 broadcasts went under the title CBS Is There and beginning with episode 24, the title changed to You Are There. A total of 90 episodes were broadcast. Only 75 episodes are known to exist in recorded form.
Television
The radio program made a transition to television in 1953, with Walter Cronkite as the regular host. Reporters included veteran radio announcers Dick Joy and Harlow Wilcox. The first telecast took place on February 1, 1953, and featured a re-enactment of the Hindenburg disaster. The final telecast took place on October 13, 1957.
Originally telecast live, most of the later episodes were produced on film. One of the episodes, for instance, features actor Pat Conway as James J. Corbett, the boxer who fought champion John L. Sullivan in 1892.
The series also featured various key events in American and world history, portrayed in dramatic recreations. Events that were covered included the Battle of Hastings, the execution of Joan of Arc and the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire by Hernán Cortés. Additionally, CBS News reporters, in modern-day suits, reported on the action and interviewed the protagonists of each of the historical episodes. Each episode began with the characters setting the scene. Cronkite, from his anchor desk in New York City, gave a few words on what was about to happen. An announcer then gave the date and the event, followed by a loud and boldly spoken "You are there!"
At the end of the program, after Cronkite summarized what happened in the preceding event, he reminded viewers, "What sort of day was it? A day like all days, filled with those events that alter and illuminate our times... all things are as they were then, and you were there."
The program was seen again on Saturday morning as a videotaped color program from 1971 to 1972. The format of the revival was basically the same as the original versions. These programs were also hosted by Cronkite. Both series were produced by CBS News.
From 2000 to 2005, Cronkite presented a series of essays for National Public Radio, reflecting on various key events of his life, including his involvement in You Are There in the 1950s.
Notable guest stars:
- John Cassavetes as Plato in "The Death of Socrates"
- James Dean as Robert Ford in "The Capture of Jesse James"
- Vivi Janiss as Mrs. Gilchrist in "Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941)"
- Paul Newman as Marcus Brutus in "The Assassination of Julius Caesar" and as Nathan Hale in "The Fate of Nathan Hale"
- Jeanette Nolan as Sarah Bernhardt in "The Final Performance of Sarah Bernhardt"
- Kim Stanley as Cleopatra in "The Death of Cleopatra"
- Rod Steiger as Richard Burbage in "The First Command Performance of Romeo and Juliet"
- Beatrice Straight as Anne Boleyn in "The Crisis of Anne Boleyn"
- Joanne Woodward in "The Oklahoma Land Rush"
Home media
22 episodes of the 1950s version of You Are There are available on DVD from Woodhaven Entertainment. The 1970s version is currently not available on VHS or DVD. Chicago's Museum of Broadcast Communications has 20 episodes available for on-site viewing only. Both versions have also been made available to schools on 16mm film for educational purposes.
Some episodes of the radio and television version are available for sale commercially. CBS retains the copyrights.
