I was a little nervous when I went to CBS Studios to meet the legendary Walter Cronkite.

He had agreed to narrate a Smile Train video. I wrote the script. I was worried he might not like it. But he could not have been nicer. He was friendly, smart, and caring. I really appreciated the fact that he would take the time to do this favor for us.

He welcomed me into his office and gave me a tour while they set up the cameras.

His office was like a museum – all of the most important moments of the previous 50 years were celebrated with photos, videos, mementos, and souvenirs: Man’s first walk on the moon. The Assassination of JFK, RFK, and Martin Luther King. The fall of the Berlin Wall. The Vietnam War.

To think he had a front-row seat for all of those moments in history and brought them to the American people.

“Tell me about clefts,” he asked as we sat down. I had brought a short video to show him on my laptop which he watched closely.

Then, as a true reporter, he peppered me with a few questions: what causes clefts? Why are there so many more clefts in Asia? How can we prevent them?

After I finished answering him, he reviewed the script once, nodded, said he liked it, and said let’s go.

The lights went on, the camera rolled, and he gave a perfect read the very first time through my 3.5-minute script.

His only stumble was on his famous sign-off – I’m Walter Cronkite, and that’s the way it is. We all got a good laugh out of that one. We quickly did a second take of his sign-off, he nailed it and we were done.

We used that video that he narrated for many years and it was one of the best charity videos I have ever seen. It helped us raise millions of dollars and earn the trust and support of 2+ million donors.

Judge for yourself – click on the arrow below.