David McCullough, the author of historical books, is shown in this wonderful documentary in a an informal conversation with us, the viewers. Mr. McCullough comes across as one's friend, or neighbor, or someone one could spend sometime with, talking about different things, not only history, which is his forte. His knowledge and common sense are tremendous. Not only that, he even sings for us! Directed with excellent pacing by Mark Herzog, this is television at its best! The writer who gave us "John Adams", "1776" and "Truman", has the uncanny ability to project an approachable aura that he communicates to the audience in an easy and relaxed manner that won this viewer from the start. The 93 minutes flew by and left us wanting for more.
Mr. McCullough's best anecdote was about former president Harry S. Truman. The author was living in Brooklyn, at the time the ex-president was a guest speaker at the legendary St. George Hotel. Mr. McCullough was walking home and saw a crowd in front of the hotel. Asking someone about what was the occasion, he was told Mr. Truman was inside, and like all the others, he waited to catch a glimpse of the famous man. In retrospect, he tells how, even then, he knew he was going to write about Mr. Truman, something that was prophetic on his part.
The novelist, who appears with his wife in the film, prove to be naturals for the camera. Their friendly personalities are the main asset of this documentary, that we highly recommend to fans of Mr. McCullough and people that want to spend some time in the company of friends.