Going Back to Crawford

It is as remarkable that Hulu chose "Crawford" as it is that George W. Bush chose Crawford.

Before launching his bid for president in 1999, Bush decided he needed a home in Texas, other than the governor’s mansion. Both supporters and opponents agree that he moved there to enhance his regular-guy image, but even locals wonder why he chose tiny Crawford (population 700) to be his “Western White House.”

Hulu was founded by NBC Universal and News Corp as an online distributor of mainstream entertainment from Hollywood movie studios and TV networks. For their first feature-length online film, they curiously selected the 75-minute documentary, "Crawford."

However, if you watch "Crawford," about the impact of Bush's tenure there on the local citizenry, you'll agree that, whatever your political leanings, it is indeed hugely entertaining, and in many instances hilariously funny. Suffice to say, you just can't make this stuff up. It combines the best of Hollywood storytelling with serious video journalism, and should serve as a beacon to all news outlets who yearn to inject quirkiness and levity into non-fiction multimedia stories, without sacrificing gravitas. So: kudos to Hulu!

In any case, you can understand why "Crawford" seems like an especially topical "end-of-an-era" selection this week for KobreGuide. It's longer than the videos we normally showcase, but we encourage you to carve out some time this weekend to savor it.