Truman (TV 1995)

Biographical account of America's President for the latter part of WWII. Shows Truman's rise from small-town nobody to leader of the USA, his decission to use the Atomic Bomb against Japan,... See full summary »

Director:

Frank Pierson

Writers:

David McCullough (book), Thomas Rickman (teleplay)

Stars:

Gary Sinise, Diana Scarwid, Richard Dysart

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 7 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gary Sinise	...	Harry S. Truman
Diana Scarwid	...	Bess Truman
Richard Dysart	...	Henry L. Stimson
Colm Feore	...	Charlie Ross
James Gammon	...	Sam Rayburn
Tony Goldwyn	...	Clark Clifford
Pat Hingle	...	Boss Tom Pendergast
Harris Yulin	...	General George Marshall
Leo Burmester	...	Frank Vassar
Amelia Campbell	...	Margaret Truman
Virginia Capers	...	Elizabeth Moore
John Finn	...	Bob Hannegan
Zeljko Ivanek	...	Eddie Jacobson
David Lansbury	...	Lt. Jim Pendergast
Remak Ramsay	...	Dean Acheson (as Remak Ramsey)

Storyline

Biographical account of America's President for the latter part of WWII. Shows Truman's rise from small-town nobody to leader of the USA, his decission to use the Atomic Bomb against Japan, and subsequent election as the US' post-war President.

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Plot Keywords:

president | election | armed forces | cold war | corruption | 

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Taglines:

A Simple Man. A Legendary President.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for language and some war footage

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 September 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Truman - Der Mann, der Geschichte schrieb

Filming Locations:

Independence, Missouri, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Home Box Office (HBO), Spring Creek Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scenes of Truman's election night were filmed exactly where Harry Truman spent his election night. Truman went to bed on election night with reports predicting his defeat by Dewey at the Elm's Hotel Resort and Spa in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, USA.

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Goofs

In the WWI segment, when Truman and his men have called for a successful artillery strike against an enemy position, the men are cheering and we can clearly hear one of them shouting "Alright!" It was not until the 1970s that people began using the word "alright' by itself as a cheer or as an exclamation of satisfaction.

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Quotes

Bess Truman: [the Trumans have just moved into the White House] After all this time - our first, Harry. Our own house.

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Connections

Featured in 48th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1996)

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Soundtracks

"Happy Days Are Here Again"
by Milton Ager & Jack Yellen
Courtesy of EMI, Robbins Catalog Inc.

User Reviews

Gripping and enthralling 'biopic'

Based on David McCullough's weighty biography of Harry S Truman, this film is a fascinating and gripping 'biopic'. By refusing to resort either to simple hagiography or revisionist 'debunking', Frank Pierson has directed an excellent account of Truman's road to and period in the White House. He lets characters and events speak for themselves rather than imposing on them some wayward, overly-personal, directorial interpretation (who knows what Oliver Stone would have made of this one). In an age when all politicians, whatever their merits, are usually the targets of ridicule, it was interesting to watch a film which portrayed the difficult, if not impossible, decisions with which political leaders are routinely faced (the use of the Atomic Bomb, the Korean War and recognition of the state of Israel were just some of problems with which Truman had to grapple). Of course, the director's job was made a great deal easier by an excellent cast and flawless acting. 'Acting' is not really an accurate or adequate way to describe Gary Sinise's portrayal of the former President and the word 'performance' suggests impersonation - on the contrary, he seems simply to have 'become' Harry Truman for the duration of the film.