On the Road with Charles Kuralt: Set 1

In 1967, CBS broadcaster Charles Kuralt set out in a mobile home and went looking for America. Before long, his explorations became a popular feature on The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite. Along back roads and in small towns, Kuralt met ordinary people doing extraordinary things, such as an elderly woman who kept her private library open to others 24 hours a day, a man dedicated to fixing and lending bicycles to local children, and workers who built the Golden Gate Bridge. Compiled by the Travel Channel, this 18-episode collection contains more than six hours of the Peabody and Emmy Award-winning series' most storied moments, and it never runs out of gas: this is reality television at its best and a celebration of the American character when it's most needed. Each seven-minute segment rolls along at a leisurely pace, with Kuralt, who was called “the Norman Rockwell of broadcasters,” coming across as folksy but not too corny. The lyrical writing gets to the heart of each of his subjects, whether it be a Pennsylvania shoe salesperson or a soap-bubble virtuoso. While these segments date back decades, what they portray is not a vanished America. For example, according to one of the “Road Updates” included as a bonus feature, the more-than-century-old Blenheim Ginger Ale Company is still bottling its unique beverage. Other DVD extras include a text bio of Kuralt. Highly recommended. (D. Liebenson)