On the road with Charles Kuralt: Set Two finds the charming and endlessly curious travelling journalist in his element: visiting the off-the-beaten path America and not-so-average Americans and enjoying every minute of it.  As with Set One, Acorn Media has compiled episodes the Travel Channel assembled from Kuralt’s CBS Evening News segments. Also like Set One, the result is charming, heartwarming, and thought-provoking.
 

Much of the press surrounding the On the Road sets marvels at its portrayal of the “common man,” but to Kuralt, everyone was simultaneously both common and uncommon.  He saw America as a rich tapestry of stories and he told as many of those stories as he could, as simply as he could.  That simplicity, that willingness to let the people and stories speak for themselves, gave Kuralt’s work tremendous power and weight.  His pauses and silences say at least as much as his words and his love for this country and the people in it shines through in every tale.
 

The segments featured range from the fun (“Hood Ornaments,” “Bean-Shooter Man”) or curious (“Ball of String,” “Barber Poles”) to the historical (West Virginia: Harper’s Ferry,” “Hawaii: Early Days”) and the heartwarming (“Friendship between Man and Falcon,” “Professor Turned Janitor.”) Kuralt finds people helping each other in “Parolees” and celebrates the beauty of nature in “Wild Mustangs.” Every segment is worthwhile, every story profound in its own way.  My favorite, though, and the one that is most blatantly heartstring-tugging, is “The Russian Dentist.”  Dr. Nikita Asseyev was a World War II prisoner of war in a concentration camp and—43 years later—he still feels profound gratitude toward the American prisoners who saved him and the other Russian prisoners from starvation by tossing them some of their food.  It sounds like a simple thing, but those Americans would have been killed if they were caught. Kuralt finds some of those American soldiers who also clearly remember that time and Asseyev is even able to thank one of the soldiers during an emotional reunion.  It’s a sob fest in the best possible way.
 

All of the episodes are presented in their original Evening News form, so the video is rarely better than adequate.  The audio is generally clear.  There are two text only extras: a very short blurb called “About On the Road,” and an abbreviated biography of Kuralt.  Each disc also has text-only updates for some of the On the Road subjects. 
 

On the Road is a fascinating, informative, and family-friendly journey through America.  There is nothing in current journalism to compare it to, and each segment is a poignant moment frozen in time.  It is well worth your time to watch, absorb, end enjoy.  I hope that someday someone with the same boundless curiosity and empathy as Kuralt will do back on the road to find new stories for a new generation.
 

Set Contents
Disc 1:
Episode 1: Cloggers, Lady Pilot, Blackie, Spivey Farm, Michigan: Wheels and Machines
Episode 2: British Graves, Lula Watson, Canoe Maker, Pumpkins, Ohio: The Golden Lamb
Episode 3: Moonshiners, Indiana: Poet James Whitcomb Riley, Friendship Between Man and Falcon
Episode 4: Totem Poles, Waynesburg Rain Day, Johnny Appleseed, Swings, Tennessee: A Round and Tumble Past
Episode 5: Ball of String, Fiddlers, Delaware: The Du Pont Family, Ferry Boats, Corn-Pipe Factory
Episode 6: Jump Rope, Chicago Fire, Hood Ornaments, Bottle House, New Jersey: G.W. Crossing the Delaware River

Disc 2
Episode 7: Toy-Fixing Man, Skipjack, Jerry’s Deli, Billy Jones Railroad, South Carolina: Spirit of a City
Episode 8: Alabama: Freedom through Knowledge, Steam Whistles, Mule Doctor, Norwegian Blind Skiers, Auctioneer
Episode 9: Homesteading, Horseshoe Throwing, Mail Boat, Barber Poles, Arkansas: The Louisiana Purchase
Episode 10: Oyster Shucking, Driftwood, Wild Mustangs, Trailers, Oklahoma: American Indian Alphabet
Episode 11: Poet, Chewing Tobacco, Arizona: The Trading Post, Christmas Toys, Professor Turned Janitor
Episode 12: National Road, Bald Eagles, Sandcastles, Rafts, Oregon: The Columbia River

Disc 3
Episode 13: Swanee River, 40-Horse Hitch, Old-Time Religion, Construction Crane, Washington: Narcissa Whitman
Episode 14: Wine Harvest, Lonnie’s Diner, Trading Day, Traffic Cop, Texas: Cowboys’ Romantic Myth
Episode 15: Coffee Club, Lightning, McKinley Pilot, Weeds, Hawaii: Early Days
Episode 16: Parolees, Bell Lady, Rodeo Old-Timers, Bird Lady, Connecticut
Episode 17: Maryland: Chesapeake-Ohio Canal, Peppers, Spring, Sod Houses, Gold Leaf
Episode 18: Russian Dentist, Bean-Shooter Man, West Virginia: Harpers Ferry