
David McCullough
Actor · 1933 – 2022
David Gaub McCullough (July 7, 1933 – August 7, 2022) was an American popular historian. He was a two-time winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. In 2006, he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian award. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, McCullough earned a degree in English literature from Yale University. His first book was The Johnstown Flood (1968), and he wrote nine more on such topics as Harry S. Truman, John Adams, Theodore Roosevelt, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Panama Canal, and the Wright brothers. McCullough also narrated numerous documentaries, such as The Civil War by Ken Burns, as well as the 2003 film Seabiscuit, and he hosted the PBS television documentary series American Experience for twelve years. McCullough's two Pulitzer Prize–winning books—Truman and John Adams.—were adapted by HBO into a TV film and a miniseries, respectively.
Movies19
Movie7.1DramaHistoryTrue story of the undersized Depression-era racehorse whose victories lifted not only the spirits of the team behind it but also those of their nation.
Seabiscuit
2003 · 961 votes
Movie6.0DocumentaryIn recognition of the 4th of July, several celebrities and politicians of differing ideologies join to read the historic documents which laid the foundation for the United States of America.
The Words That Built America
2017 · 15 votes
Movie6.9HistoryDocumentaryFor more than 100 years, the Statue of Liberty has been a symbol of hope and refuge for generations of immigrants. In this lyrical, compelling and provocative portrait of the statue, Ken Burns explores both the history of America’s premier symbol and the meaning of liberty itself. Featuring rare archival photographs, paintings and drawings, readings from actual diaries, letters and newspapers of the day, the fascinating story of this universally admired monument is told. In interviews with Americans from all walks of life, including former New York governor Mario Cuomo, the late congresswoman Barbara Jordan and the late writers James Baldwin and Jerzy Kosinski, The Statue of Liberty examines the nature of liberty and the significance of the statue to American life. Nominated for both the Academy Award ® and the Emmy Award ®, The Statue of Liberty received the prestigious CINE Golden Eagle, the Christopher Award and the Blue Ribbon at the American Film Festival.
The Statue of Liberty
1985 · 15 votes
Movie7.5DocumentaryHistoryToday it's a symbol of strength and vitality. 135 years ago, it was a source of controversy. This documentary examines the great problems and ingenious solutions that marked the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. From conception to construction, it traces the bridge's transformation from a spectacular feat of heroic engineering to an honored symbol in American culture.
Brooklyn Bridge
1981 · 22 votes
Movie6.9DocumentaryA story about people whose lives are connected by typewriters. A meditation on creativity and technology featuring Tom Hanks, John Mayer, Sam Shepard, David McCullough and others.
California Typewriter
2017 · 32 votes
Movie8.0HistoryDocumentaryIn David Grubin's NAPOLEON watch Napoleon's rise from obscurity to victories that made him a hero to the French people and convinced him he was destined for greatness. Learn of his love for Josephine Beauharnais, and his rise to Emperor. Witness his extraordinary achievements and ultimately his fall, his final battles, his exile to Elba, and his defeat at Waterloo. For nearly two decades he strode the world stage like a colossus -- loved and despised, venerated and feared. From his birth on the rugged island of Corsica to his final exile on the godforsaken island of St. Helena, NAPOLEON brings this extraordinary figure to life.
Napoleon
2000 · 3 votes
Movie7.2HistoryDocumentaryFranklin Delano Roosevelt is one of the most revered and influential Americans of this century. The subject of hundreds of books and countless plays, films, and television programs, he has become an icon for an entire generation. Until this definitive 4-hour documentary based on two books by senior creative consultant and FDR biographer Geoffrey Ward, the personal motivations and physical and emotional trails that marked his life remained elusive. By interviewing dozens of those who knew FDR or had chronicled his career, by uncovering rare and previously unseen footage of his public appearances and private life, and by weaving them together in a taut and compelling narrative beautifully read by David McCullough, writer/producer David Grubin presents the most complete account to date for Mr. Roosevelt. For this achievement, a Peabody Award was presented to David Grubin Productions and The American Experience for FDR.
FDR
1994 · 7 votes
Movie6.0DocumentaryAuthor/historian David McCullough welcomes viewers into his public and private world in this film. Produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman--who adapted McCullough's 'John Adams' for the 7-part HBO miniseries--this documentary paints an affectionate, first-person portrait of the two-time Pulitzer Prize winner as he gives a speech and even visits his old Brooklyn neighborhood.
David McCullough: Painting with Words
2008 · 2 votes
Movie7.6DocumentaryHistoryFor 200 years, the United States Congress has been one of the country's most important and least understood institutions. In this elegant, thoughtful and often touching portrait, Ken Burns explores the history and promise of this unique American institution. Using historical photographs and newsreels, evocative live footage and interviews with David Broder, Alistair Cooke, Cokie Roberts, Charles McDowell and others, the award-winning film chronicles the personalities, events and issues that have animated the first 200 years of Congress and, in turn, our country.
The Congress
1989 · 5 votes
Movie7.4DocumentaryTV MovieDocumentary about the battle between Orson Welles and William Randolph Hearst over Welles' Citizen Kane (1941). Features interviews with Welles' and Hearst's co-workers also acts as a relatively complete biograph of Hearst's career.
The Battle Over Citizen Kane
1996 · 29 votes
Movie7.2DocumentaryKen Burns' portrait of Louisiana governor and U.S. senator Huey Long.
Huey Long
1985 · 9 votes
Movie7.1DocumentaryThey called themselves the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, but because of their ecstatic dancing, the world called them Shakers. Ken Burns creates a moving portrait of this particularly American movement, and in the process, offers us a new and unusually moving way to understand the Shakers.
The Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God
1984 · 11 votes
Movie7.0DocumentaryHistoryDoomed attempt to get to California in 1846. More than just a riveting tale of death, endurance and survival. The Donner Party's nightmarish journey penetrated to the very heart of the American Dream at a crucial phase of the nation's "manifest destiny." Touching some of the most powerful social, economic and political currents of the time, this extraordinary narrative remains one of the most compelling and enduring episodes to come out of the West.
The Donner Party
1992 · 12 votes
- MovieDocumentary
Documentary on the making of the 2003 film 'Seabiscuit'.
Movie9.0DocumentaryHistoryThe personal development of George Washington is the focus as Producer David Sutherland brings to life a uniquely human Washington who transformed himself from social climber into a patriot willing to give up everything for a higher cause.
George Washington: The Man Who Wouldn't Be King
1992 · 2 votes
- MovieDocumentary
In 1967, Dr. Thomas Starzl stunned the world with the first successful liver transplantation. His breakthrough provoked controversy. Critics accused him of recklessness, even murder. Others declared it the beginning of a medical revolution. "Burden of Genius" is the story of an innovator as complex and elusive as the biological secrets he unlocked. It is also a reflection on the price of scientific progress by the man many consider the greatest surgeon of the 20th century and the father of transplantation.
Burden of Genius
2017
MovieDocumentaryHistoryIn the mid 1800s, New York City was one of the most crowded places on earth. The congested streets and pokey transportation system were a source of constant complaint. On March 24, 1900, ground was broken for the Big Apple's subway; the Interborough Rapid Transit Line opened four years later, running more than 26 miles of underground track at the speed of 35 miles per hour. Soon thousands in the city were "doing the subway."
Movie9.0DocumentaryHistoryOn August 8, 1908, at a racetrack outside Paris, Wilbur Wright executed what was, for him, a routine flight: a smooth take-off banking into a couple of tight circles, ending in a perfect landing. The flight took less than two minutes, but it left spectators awestruck. While the combined talents of Wilbur and Orville Wright had produced the first plane capable of controlled flight , their distrust of others had almost cost them the credit for their invention. Now, having proved to the public that they had mastered the sky, the reserved brothers from the small town of Dayton, Ohio, became world celebrities.
The Wright Stuff
1996 · 1 votes
Movie7.3DocumentaryA documentary chronicling the pioneering efforts of black filmmaker William D. Foster in the early years of the industry and Oscar Micheaux's controversial impact on the subsequent "race movies".
Midnight Ramble
1994 · 3 votes
Series10
TV6.4NewsComedyThe World's Fakest News Team tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and pop culture.
The Daily Show
1996 · 660 votes
TV7.0NewsComedyThe Colbert Report is an American satirical late night television program. It stars political humorist Stephen Colbert, a former correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The Colbert Report is a spin-off from and counterpart to The Daily Show that comments on politics and the media in a similar way. The show focuses on a fictional anchorman character named Stephen Colbert, played by his real-life namesake. The character, described by Colbert as a "well-intentioned, poorly informed, high-status idiot", is a caricature of televised political pundits.
The Colbert Report
2005 · 313 votes
TV6.5NewsAmerica's popular television News magazine in which an ever changing team of CBS News correspondents contribute segments ranging from hard news coverage to politics to lifestyle and pop culture.
60 Minutes
1968 · 85 votes
TV6.5DocumentaryTV's most-watched history series brings to life the compelling stories from our past that inform our understanding of the world today.
American Experience
1988 · 48 votes
TV7.9DocumentaryWar & PoliticsA documentary on the American Civil War narrated by Ken Burns, covering the secession of the Confederacy to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
The Civil War
1990 · 134 votes
TV7.5DocumentaryThis eight-part, 16½-hour television event explores New York City's rich history as the premier laboratory of modern life. A sweeping narrative covering nearly 400 years and 400 square miles, it reveals a complex and dynamic city that has played an unparalleled role in shaping the nation and reflecting its ideals.
New York: A Documentary Film
1999 · 2 votes
TV7.7DocumentaryWar & PoliticsChronicles the lives of Theodore, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, three members of the most prominent and influential family in American politics. It is the first time in a major documentary television series that their individual stories have been interwoven into a single narrative. This seven-part, fourteen hour film follows the Roosevelts for more than a century, from Theodore’s birth in 1858 to Eleanor’s death in 1962.
The Roosevelts: An Intimate History
2014 · 38 votes
TVDocumentaryNapoleon's extraordinary rise from obscure military man to hero of the French people convinces him that he is destined for greatness.
Napoleon
2000
- TV8.0Documentary
A series combining the arts, humanities, and sciences to explore such topics as time, light, transportation, and communication.
Smithsonian World
1984 · 1 votes
TVDocumentaryLBJ is a 1991 two-part television documentary film about Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th president of the United States. Produced by PBS for The American Experience documentary program, it recounts Johnson's life from his childhood to his presidency up to his death.