Give 'em Hell, Harry!

This was a great filmed stage presentation of James Whitmore's one-man show about Harry Truman, written by Samuel Gallu. He becomes President Truman right from the beginning. This show, along with the Will Rogers USA and the not-as-well-known Bully or Bully Boy (Theodore Roosevelt) is the complete list of one-man shows this fine actor has done.

My comments concerning "Give Em Hell Harry" need only be short and sweet. This was, bar none, one of the finest movies I have ever seen giving a biography of a presidency and it is done as a one-man show. It is just, well, S-U-P-E-R. If you want to learn a little about a man or a presidency, if you want to see a great actor in action, this is a movie for you. Experience the trauma of an era. Experience the greatness of a man. Experience the fantastic portrayal by a great actor by not missing this movie. I can't imagine anyone being sorry they took time out to live within a period of time for a few short minutes by watching/being a part of this great offering in movie making and stage playing. Don't cheat yourself if you have the opportunity of viewing it. It is a 10 in my eyes without a doubt.

As a twenty two year old enjoying a blissful summer in 1982, I came home from a day at Zuma Beach and this is what channel 5 was showing. Back then, my hobby was to audio tape(VCRs will rare then)stuff on TV. I recorded about the last twenty minutes of it. His story about McCarthy and his reading of the Tennyson poem were parts I've committed to memory. since my mom had a stroke, I recently began driving her car and it has a cassette player in it. I looked in my dusty old tape box and there it was. I have been playing it over and over again, like I did 26 years ago. Whitemore is priceless as Truman.

A side note: After the Truman show ends on my tape, the next thing you hear is Dan Akroyd as Richard Nixon on a SNL sketch where he turns off the TV in disgust at how Rip Torn is portraying him in a TV movie: Akroyd blurts out on my tape: "Well that was a piece of crap"

I have always loved history especially history regarding US Presidents. I think that next to Abraham Lincoln, Harry Truman was our greatest president. This man is the only President of the 20th century who never went to college and yet this common man touched greatness. James Whitmore truly does him justice, I read that Margaret Truman saw his performance and said "my God that is my dad!". I think that Hal Holbrook was the actor who started the great tradition of "one man shows" with his great portrayal of Mark Twain, many have done it since but Whitmore is the best. You get a great history lesson here as Truman talks about his life on the farm, his experiences in WWII, his rise in Missouri politics, his vice presidency and finally becoming President. You think you really are listening to Harry when he talks about dropping the bomb, the 1948 election against Dewey and his firing of MacArthur. This film is a delight from start to finish and I think it should be shown to every child to show him about what a great man Truman was!

I am not surprised that this film earned it's star, James Whitmore, an Academy Award nomination. I would think that it would be better aired on television. He would have easily earned an Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Television Film. It is better to get an Academy Award nomination than an Emmy Award but I still think it's one of the best performances that I have seen by an actor in years. James Whitmore really captures the essence and presence of President Harry Truman. In his brilliant performance, staged and film, he is alive in a role that has consumed him. You really believe that he is Harry Truman after awhile. I still think it would have been seen more by people on television than in the cinemas because this little film has that kind of power. I am sure that many more people would have seen it and that is the key to ensuring it's legacy. I am glad that they released it in cinemas but they probably made little or no money on it. It would have been better to have aired it on television. One man performance even with James Whitmore's talent and genius could not hinge the fact that he is the only person on stage. While brilliant to watch, today's standards would never allow somebody in a one person show unless it's a comedian. As for Truman's power, this film is an excellent tool that can be used in the history classrooms to show this former President. I love how he talks about his wife Bess, his mother-in-law Mother Wallace, FDR, and others. Truman also talks about the klan, racism, and others in this performance that he will be best remembered for.