You Are There is a 1947–1957 American historical educational television and radio series broadcast over the CBS Radio and CBS Television networks.
Radio Created by Goodman Ace for CBS Radio, the original radio version of the series portrayed an entire network newsroom on a figurative time warp each week reporting the great events of the past. Reporters included John Charles Daly, Don Hollenbeck, and Richard C. Hottelet. The series was first heard on July 7, 1947, under the title CBS Is There. Its final broadcast was on March 19, 1950, under the title You Are There.
According to author/historian Martin Grams, actor Canada Lee was a guest in episodes 32 and 60. Martin Gabel appeared in character in episode 82. The first 23 broadcasts went under the title CBS Is There and beginning with episode 24, the title changed to You Are There. A total of 90 episodes were broadcast. Only 75 episodes are known to exist in recorded form.
Television The radio program made a transition to television in 1953, with Walter Cronkite as the regular host. Reporters included veteran radio announcers Dick Joy and Harlow Wilcox. The first telecast took place on February 1, 1953, and featured a re-enactment of the Hindenburg disaster. The final telecast took place on June 9, 1957.
Originally telecast live, most of the later episodes were produced on film. One of the episodes, for instance, features actor Pat Conway as James J. Corbett, the boxer who fought champion John L. Sullivan in 1892.
The series also featured various key events in American and world history, portrayed in dramatic recreations. Events that were covered included the Battle of Hastings, the execution of Joan of Arc, the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire by Hernán Cortés, and the signing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Additionally, CBS News reporters, in modern-day suits, reported on the action and interviewed the protagonists of each of the historical episodes. Each episode began with the characters setting the scene. Cronkite, from his anchor desk in New York City, gave a few words on what was about to happen. An announcer then gave the date and the event, followed by a loud and boldly spoken "You are there!"
At the end of the program, after Cronkite summarized what happened in the preceding event, he reminded viewers, "What sort of day was it? A day like all days, filled with those events that alter and illuminate our times... all things are as they were then, except you were there."
In cooperation with CBS, the BBC created and broadcast a United Kingdom version aired for thirty-two episodes in 1954 and 1958. It primarily focused on the historical re-enactments present in the American version.
The program was seen again on Saturday morning as a videotaped color program from 1971 to 1972. The format of the revival was basically the same as the original versions. These programs were also hosted by Cronkite. Both series were produced by CBS News.
From 2000 to 2005, Cronkite presented a series of essays for National Public Radio, reflecting on various key events of his life, including his involvement in You Are There in the 1950s.
Notable guest stars included: Louis Armstrong as King Oliver and Billy Taylor as Jelly Roll Morton in "The Emergence of Jazz (November 20, 1917)" (1954)Gianakos, Larry (1981). Television Drama Series Programming: A Comprehensive Chronicle, 1975–1980. Metuchen, N.J. : Scarecrow Press. p. 419. .Christiansen, Erik (2013). Channeling the Past: Politicizing History in Postwar America. Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press. p. 136. . "African Americans also featured prominently in 1954's 'The Emergence of Jazz,' essentially a condensed history of how white musicians co-opted the musical form from black musicians in New Orleans. [...] The script focused on early jazz legends King Oliver an Jelly Roll Morton, played by two younger legends, Louis Armstrong and Billy Taylor, respectively""Free Press Television, Radio Guide: Television Listings for Sunday". Detroit Free Press. September 5, 1954. p. TV-2. "YOU ARE THERE—'The Emergence of Jazz,' Nov. 20, 1917; Louis Armstrong portrays King Oliver, jazz king." Parley Baer as Benjamin Franklin in "Benjamin Franklin's Kite Experiment (June 15, 1752)" (1956)Giannakos op. cit., pp. 420–421. John Cassavetes as Plato in "The Death of Socrates (399 B.C.)" (1953)Winkler, Martin (2024). Classical Antiquity and the Cinematic Imagination. Cambridge University Press. p. 214. . "'The Death of Socrates (399 BC),' a 1953 episode, recreated the last hours of Socrates. Greek-American actor John Cassavetes played Plato. 'You're a clever young man, are't you?' he is told at one point." Pat Conway as James J. Corbett and Jeff York as John L. Sullivan in "The Birth of Modern Boxing (September 7, 1892)" (1955)"Modern Boxing Birth Shown on 'You Are There; Famed John L. Sullivan vs. James J. Corbett Bout Relived Tonight; Corbett Taunts Sullivan". The Springfield Sunday Republican. June 12, 1955. p. 15C. Retrieved August 12, 2025. "Gentleman Jim' Corbett displays some of his famed speed and agility in getting away from the great John L. Sullivan in a scene from 'The Birth of Modern Boxing' on CBS-TV's 'You Are There' today (6.30–7.00 p.m., Channel 55). Former pugilist Jeff York plays Sullivan and Pat Conway, grandson of former matinee idol Francis X. Bushman, plays Corbett." John Craven as Henry M. Stanley and Leonard Mudie as David Livingstone in "When Stanley Finds Livingstone (November 10, 1871)" (1956) Robert Culp as Xenophon in "The Death of Socrates (399 B.C.)" (1953)"You Are There...". Getty Images. Retrieved August 12, 2025. James Dean as Robert Ford in "The Capture of Jesse James (April 3, 1882)" (1953)Brundage, Anthony (2018). Going to the Sources: A Guide to Historical Research and Writing. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. p. 80. . "The series moved to television in 1953 and ran for four and a half years. Top tier stage and screen actors were cast in leading parts, including James Dean as Robert Ford in 'The Capture of Jesse James,' Paul Newman as Marcus Brutus in 'The Assassination of Julius Caesar,' and Joanne Woodward in 'The Oklahoma Land Rush.'" Cyril Delevanti as Alexander Fleming in "The First Major Use of Penicillin (April 1, 1943)" (1955)"TV Highlights Today". Clarion-Ledger. June 5, 1955. Sec. 4, p. 5. Retrieved August 12, 2025. "DR. ALEXANDER FLEMING (Cyril Delevanti), discoverer of penicillin, talks with Dr. Howard C. Florey (Robert F. Simon) at the right in Dr. Fleming's laboratory in St. Mary's Hospital at the University of London, where he found the lowly mold that destroys germs. Dr. Florey recalls the first patient to be treated with penicillin in the winter of 1941 during the 'You Are There' presentation of 'The First Major Use of Pincillin,' today at 4:30 P.M. on WJTV, Channel 12." Mildred Dunnock as Queen Elizabeth in "The First Command Performance of Romeo and Juliet (1597)" (1954)"TV Key". Brooklyn Eagle. February 21, 1954. p. 24. Retrieved August 12, 2025. "You Are There. 'First Command Performance of Romeo and Juliet.' The personalities of Shakespeare, Sir Walter Raleigh, Essex and the aging Queen Elizabeth, are excellently and perceptively, woven in and out of this first rate piece of historical drama. It manages to touch upon Elizabethan theatre, politics and what went on in the minds of the Elizabethan censors one when "Romeo and Juliet" was performed at the request of autocratic, ruthless Elizabeth. Excellent cast headed by Rod Steiger as Romeo, Mildred Dunnock as Queen Elizabeth and Douglas Watson as Shakespeare." Lorne Greene as Charles Stewart Parnell in "The Fall of Parnell (December, 1890)" (1954) Vivi Janiss as Mrs. Gilchrist in "The Attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941)" (1953)Chance, Norman (2011). Who Was Who on TV, Volume 3. Philadelphia, PA: Xlibris. p. 25. .Gros. (August 31, 1955). "Television Reviews". Variety. p. 27. Retrieved August 12, 2025. "YOU ARE THERE (The Attack on Pearl Harbor) With Walter Cronkite, Hayden Roarke, De Forest Kelley, Roy Linnert, Stanley Farrar, Vivi Janiss, Kam Tong, Edward Earle, others Producer: James Fonda Director: Bernard Girard 30 Mins.; Sun., 6:30 p.m. ELECTRIC COS., PRUDENTIAL CBS-TV (film) (N. W. Ayer; Calkins & Holden) For its fall season return Sunday (28), “You Are There” went back to Dec. 7, 1941, the day Japan attacked Pearl Harbor." Diana Lynn as Joan of Arc in "The Final Hours of Joan of Arc (May 30, 1431)" (1956)"Diana Lynn Stars as 'Joan of Arc'". Oklahoma City Advertiser. February 3, 1956. p. 2. Retrieved August 12, 2025. "The Final Hours of Joan of Arc' is the moment in history captured by 'You Are There' for its viewers on Saturday. Diana Lynn stars in the dramatic recreation of the trial and execution of the maid of Orleans over KWTV at 4 p. m. This will make history in its own way, as it is the first time any actor has received star billing on the program since its inception three years ago." E. G. Marshall as George Washington in "Washington's Farewell to His Officers (December 4, 1783)" (1955)"Sunday: Washington's Farewell". Battle Creek Enquirer. February 26, 1955. p. TV-2. Retrieved August 12, 2025. "A Martha memorable and unexpectedly poignant occasion will be recreated for You Are There viewers at 6:30 p.m. when Walter Cronkite and the TV cameras return to Dec. 4, 1783, and to "Washington's Farewell to His Officers." E. G. Marshall will portray him." Felicia Montealegre Bernstein in "The Death of Rasputin" (1954) Paul Newman as Marcus Brutus in "The Assassination of Julius Caesar" (1953)Scheuer, Steven H. (March 8, 1953). "TV Key". Brooklyn Eagle. p. 30. Retrieved August 12, 2025. "6:00 p.m. Ch. 2-You Are There. 'The Assassination of Julius Caesar.' Expert casting of Joseph Wiseman as Cassius and talented newcomer Paul Newman as Brutus, enhance this terse, authentic account of events leading up to Caesar's assassination." and as Nathan Hale in "The Fate of Nathan Hale" (1953)"CBS to Recreate Story of Nathan Hale". The Star-Ledger. August 30, 1953. p. T-14. "Nathan Hale will be portrayed by Paul Newman, currently appearing on Broadway in 'Picnic.'" Jeanette Nolan as Sarah Bernhardt in "The Final Performance of Sarah Bernhardt (November 30, 1922)" (1955)"As THE Actress". The Baltimore Sun May 1, 1955. p. 18A. Retrieved August 12, 2025. "JEANETTE NOLAN was both delighted and dismayed when she won the part of Sarah Bernhardt perhaps the most accomplished actress in all theatrical history. The 'divine Sarah' ruled the stage for more than half a century, applauded by millions of theater lovers, acclaimed by letters. Miss Nolan learned she was to be this genius of a woman in "The Performance of Sarah Bernhardt," to be presented on 'You Are There,' May 8 (CBS Television, 6.30–7 P.M.)" Ainslie Pryor as William Jennings Bryan in "William Jennings Bryan's Presidential Nomination"