Truman (1995) (TV)

Director:

Frank Pierson

Writers (WGA):

David McCullough (book)
Thomas Rickman (teleplay)

Release Date:

9 September 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

A Simple Man. A Legendary President.

Plot:

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...

Plot Keywords:

President | WWII | Election | First Lady | Army General

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 7 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

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	...	Gen. George C. Marshall
Leo Burmester	...	Frank Vassar
Amelia Campbell	...	Margaret Truman
Virginia Capers	...	Elizabeth Moore
John Finn	...	Bob Hannagan
Zeljko Ivanek	...	Eddie Jacobsen
David Lansbury	...	Lt. Jim Pendergast
Remak Ramsay	...	Dean Acheson

MPAA:

Rated PG for language and some war footage.

Runtime:

135 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Certification:

Australia:PG (TV rating) | Iceland:L | UK:PG | Netherlands:6 | Australia:M | New Zealand:M | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Independence, Missouri, USA

Company:

Home Box Office (HBO)

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.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: 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.

Quotes:

Bess Truman: I think like Harry - if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Showbiz Today: (1995-09-07)" (1995)

The buck stops here!

This solid, theatrical caliber bio of President Harry S. Truman covers much ground and offers Gary Sinise giving one of his finest performances to date.

An Emmy-winning production, this also boasts lavish period detail and a strong supporting cast (lead by Diana Scarwid as Bess Truman). It also features one of my all-time favorite character actors, Richard Dysart. He plays Secretary of War Henry Stimson and is quite memorable in an otherwise minor supporting role. All in all I gave this an IMDb '10'. Even with a whitewash of some details, this has to be one of the best presidential bios ever. They obviously put lots of time, money and effort into it.