''Give 'em Hell, Harry!'' is a biographical play and 1975 film, written by playwright

Samuel Gallu Samuel Gallu (March 21, 1918 – March 27, 1991) was an American writer and producer and director of film and television. He is also sometimes credited as Sam Gallu.Huckvale p.176 Selected filmography * ''Navy Log'' (1955–58, TV) * ''The Man O ...

. Both the play and film are a one-man show about former President of the United States

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

. ''Give 'em Hell, Harry!'' stars

James Whitmore James Allen Whitmore Jr. (October 1, 1921 – February 6, 2009) was an American actor. He received numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Theatre World Award, and a Tony Award, plus two Aca ...

, and was directed by

Steve Binder Steve Binder (born December 12, 1932) is an American producer and director. He found success behind the camera on television shows showcasing music, when he was only in his early 20s."Elvis the comeback'". ''Record Collector'', 357 (Christmas 2008 ...

and

Peter H. Hunt Peter Huls Hunt (December 19, 1938 – April 26, 2020) was an American theatre, film and television director and theatrical lighting designer. Life and career Hunt was born in Pasadena, California, the son of Gertrude (née Orphüls) and Geor ...

Title origin

The title comes from an incident that took place during the 1948 presidential election campaign. In

Bremerton, Washington Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington. The population was 37,729 at the 2010 census and an estimated 41,405 in 2019, making it the largest city on the Kitsap Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerto ...

, Truman delivered a speech attacking the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

s. During the speech, a supporter yelled out, "Give 'em Hell, Harry!" Truman replied, "I don't give them Hell. I just tell the truth about them, and they think it's Hell." Subsequently, "Give 'em Hell, Harry!" became a lifetime slogan for Truman supporters.

History

The play previewed in

Hershey, Pennsylvania Hershey is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to The Hershey Company, which was founded by candy magnate Milton S. Hershey. The community is lo ...

, followed by its official opening at

Ford's Theatre Ford's Theatre is a theater located in Washington, D.C., which opened in August 1863. The theater is infamous for being the site of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. On the night of April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth entered the theater box ...

in Washington, D. C. Its April 17, 1975, premiere was hosted by Truman's daughter

Margaret Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular througho ...

, and attended by President

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...

. The play then went on to a six-city tour, during which it was videotaped for film on the stage of the

Moore Theatre Moore Theatre is an 1,800-seat performing arts venue in Seattle, Washington, United States, located two blocks away from Pike Place Market at the corner of 2nd Avenue and Virginia Street. It opened in 1907 and is Seattle's oldest active theater ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, using a live editing process called ''Theatrovision''. It was also recorded and released by

United Artists Records United Artists Records was an American record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 to issue movie soundtracks. The label expanded into other genres, such as easy listening, jazz, pop, and R&B. History Genres In 1959, ...

. Although the play has been regularly revived, it did not make its New York debut until July 2008 at

St. Luke's Theatre St. Luke's Theatre was a 174-seat Off-Broadway theatre at St. Luke's Lutheran Church at 308 West 46th Street, on Restaurant Row, just west of Eighth Avenue in Manhattan's Theater District. Created by then-Pastor Dale Hansen, St. Luke's Theat ...

Accolades

''Give 'em Hell, Harry!'' is only the third film to have its entire credited cast (Whitmore) nominated for an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

, the first two being ''

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' is a play by Edward Albee first staged in October 1962. It examines the complexities of the marriage of a middle-aged couple, Martha and George. Late one evening, after a university faculty party, they receive ...

'' in

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

, for which almost all members excluding the extras were nominated, and ''

Sleuth Sleuth may refer to: *Detective *Sleuth, collective noun for a group of bears Computing *The Sleuth Kit, a collection of forensic analysis software *SLEUTH assembler language for the UNIVAC 1107 Entertainment and media *Cloo, formerly Sleuth, ...

'' in

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

References

External links

*
Department Of The Interior National Register of Historic Places and B.P.O.E. #1181 / City of Bremerton plaques commemorating location of Truman's "Give Em Hell Harry" speech.
{{Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album 1970s 1975 films Cultural depictions of Harry S. Truman Filmed stage productions Films about presidents of the United States Films directed by Peter H. Hunt Films directed by Steve Binder Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album Monodrama One-character films Plays based on real people Plays for one performer 1970s English-language films