Our favorite Walter Cronkite TV appearances — aside from the 'CBS Evening News'
Image: The Everett Collection
Walter Cronkite was a staple of American TV on the CBS Evening News for almost two decades. During his tenure, he became a pop culture symbol in his own right — so much so that he had a few walk-on roles and did voice work on various sitcoms and TV shows.
While Cronkite knew the importance of keeping it serious while he delivered the news, it’s also apparent that he had a sense of humor as well. Here are some of our favorite Cronkite appearances over the years.
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‘Captain Kangaroo’ (1968)
Thanks to Walter Cronkite, kids tuning in to the beloved program Captain Kangaroo learned about the voting process. This was right before Richard Nixon was elected. While he may not have been as exciting to the kids as guests like William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy dressed as their Star Trek characters, Cronkite taught them something valuable.
Image: The Everett Collection
‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’ (1974)
In Cronkite’s first sitcom appearance, he plays himself. The episode is titled “Ted Baxter Meets Walter Cronkite,” and that about sums up the plot. After an elaborate attempt to scheme his way into a Teddy Award, Ted is disappointed when actually winning doesn’t seem as life-changing as he expected. At least, until his idol, Walter Cronkite pays a visit to the station. Never mind the fact that he’s not actually there to see Ted.
‘Murphy Brown’ (1997)
None of us can stand not knowing what someone thinks of us, even Murphy Brown. In the season nine episode, “And That’s the Way It Was,” Murphy’s colleague Corky meets Walter Cronkite at a party and says that he “grunted” when the topic of Murphy came up. While Murphy tries to act like it doesn’t bother her that Cronkite might not like her, it drives her crazy, affecting her performance until she can confront him at his book tour.
Image: Warner Bros. TV Distribution
‘Liberty’s Kids’ (2002)
Who was a bigger figure in American history than Ben Franklin? The educational cartoon about the American Revolution featured a “news update” each episode, hosted by Benjamin Franklin. Cronkite provided the voice of Franklin, telling the stories of real historical events that led to America’s independence.
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