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CLIP FROM
CONNECTICUT & THE SEA |
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In 2000, I
had the pleasure to work with Walter Cronkite on my documentary
Connecticut & the Sea. An avid sailor and trustee of Mystic
Seaport, Cronkite reviewed my script for the program and
graciously agreed to do the voiceover narration and the
on-camera intro and outro for the show -- at no charge!
It was a heady
combination of fun and pressure as I wrote the copy, reading the
narration out loud in my best Cronkite-like cadence. He asked
to see the copy prior to the record session.
I was delighted
when he called to say that he liked it and everything was a go.
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| Me, Cronkite and
the
crew in his office. |
When my crew
and I arrived at the audio recording studio in New York City,
Cronkite had just finished doing voiceovers for an ESPN series
and seemed tired. But he greeted us warmly and after some
chatting we got to work on recording the 69 voiceovers. That’s a
significant workload for anyone, especially
for an 83-year-old who
had just spent hours on another project.
Nevertheless,
he nailed it on the first take of just about all the voiceovers,
putting his distinctive spin on the read. He made a few
last-minute copy changes, taking care to check with me prior to
making them.
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| Preparing
for the shoot. |
Then it was
off to his CBS office for the on-camera shoot. While we set up
our equipment, Cronkite excused himself to take a nap.
What a treat
during our hour setup to
have the opportunity to examine the impressive career mementos
displayed in
his office -- NASA things, Presidential
stuff -- it was all very cool.
We went to
lunch and when we came back, Cronkite was ready. He sat down,
looked at the camera teleprompter, asked a
few questions, took some direction, and worked his magic.
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| A career
highlight for one of us. |
Throughout the
entire process, Cronkite was a true gentleman, expressing a warm
and friendly attitude toward me and my crew.
To write his copy
and direct him was
the highlight of my television career. To observe him close-up
as he worked was very, very special.
Thank you again, Uncle
Walter.
Click here for the transcript of Connecticut
and the Sea. |
