20120630

JACK & JACKIE

"Kennedy began initiatives like the war on poverty and Medicare," Arthur Schlesinger observed, "and trusted that events would bring them to fruition." Jack Kennedy's narrow victory meant his first term did not have a working majority in the House of Representatives. "Kennedy believed there were reserves of idealism and generosity in the nation which could be tapped. In this, he was touched by the ideals of Franklin Roosevelt," Arthur continued. "Many young people who grew up in the '60s were touched by John Kennedy. In the 1990s, they will really come into their own."

When Jackie Kennedy entered the White House in 1960, she was the 3rd youngest First Lady in America. Oleg Cassini dressed Jackie from 1961 to 1963. At the time he enthused, "We are on the threshold of a new American elegance thanks to Mrs Kennedy's beauty, naturalness, understatement, exposure and symbolism." 'Camelot' - the Broadway musical about a mythical spot where the sun never set, no one grew old and dreams were unclear. It was 'Camelot' Jackie had chosen to define JFK's presidency. An administration he described as the "New Frontier". Between 1962 and 1967, Jackie topped Gallup Poll's list of women in the world the American people admired most. Ronald Reagan acknowledged, "Few women throughout history have touched the hearts and shaped the dreams of Americans more profoundly than Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis."

Jackie was among only a handful of people in the world "whose every action, every intention (became) the object of immense fascination." When she married Aristotle Onassis in 1968, the reaction in America was "anger, shock and dismay." L.J Davis pointed out, "For her to have married anyone and still retain her place in the public heart would have been difficult." Her marriage to Ari caused a "widespread sense of shock and disappointment" in Europe. Hariett Van Horne explained, "It's a marriage that suggests qualities in Mrs Kennedy's character we never dreamed were there. A cool ambition, an undue regard for power and money. To the ordinary American these are not sweet, womanly qualities." Americans admired individualists. Jackie was considered one. She became the symbol of many women's dreams and desires. Her lady-like manners and aristocratic upbringing made Jackie the ideal choice for the role of Camelot Queen. Observers believed Camelot came to a sudden end on the day Jackie married Ari. It was also the day which saw Jackie stripped of her queen-like status. One Jackie-watcher expressed, "I think this will be shattering news for idealists the world over." Of her passing, Peter Collier noted, "She was the last public American woman who was wholly unaffected by the feminist movement and was larger than the movement."

At its most popular stages, Andy Warhol described the Kennedy-Onassis soap opera, "They have everything: power, money, beauty, and religion. There are so many great characters like Teddy and Christina and John-John. And every day you open the papers and get a new instalment." However Christina Onassis pointed out, "Happiness is not based on money. And the best proof of this is our family." Norman Mailer ventured, "(Jackie) is not merely a celebrity but a legend; not a legend but a myth; no, more than a myth, she is now an historic archetype, virtually a demiurge. In our history she is the only living symbol of Greek drama." However it was said, "In the grave all are equal. There are no rich or poor." When Jackie died, Kitty Kelley lamented, "It isn't just a famous person dying, it is our very last connection to the magic of the Kennedy era. She didn't leave behind a great body of work but she did leave something quite intangible and magic - a sense of style."

Jaclyn Smith played 'Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy' in 1981. At the Golden Globe Awards in 1982, she was nominated for Best Acting. "I think they wanted to go with an unknown," Jackie Smith recounted, "There was a long search and they tested a lot of people...I hadn't read the script. I'd just gotten back from Spain, so they sent me a script..." In 1972, Jackie told Iranian reporter Maryam Kharazmi, "I am today what I was yesterday and with luck, what I will be tomorrow...I have come to the conclusion that we must not expect too much from life. We must give to life at least as much as we receive from it. Every moment one lives is different from the other, the good, the bad, the hardship, the joy, the tragedy, love and happiness are all interwoven into one single indescribable whole that is called life. You cannot separate the good from the bad. Perhaps there is no need to."

1978

In 1978, '20/20' made its television debut; Martina Navratilova won her first Grand Slam championship at Wimbledon; Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand's duet, 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers' was one of that year most popular songs and on the big screen, 'The Greek Tycoon' premiered.

'The Greek Tycoon' was based on the real-life marriage of Jacqueline Kennedy and Aristotle Onassis. But Jacqueline Bisset insisted, "I don't know how similar the script is to the real events because I never followed the real people. I don't know what the true story was. All I know is that I was moved by the story." Shot on location in Athens, New York, Washington, England and on the islands of Corfu and Mykonos, Anthony Quinn revealed Ari told him in 1974, "Tony, promise me one thing. If anybody does do my life in a film, you will do it...because you'll be nice to me." In the movie, Anthony acknowledged, "I did not play just Onassis but 'a lot of Onassises.'" In May 1961, Jackie accompanied President John F Kennedy on a visit to Paris. At one State dinner Jackie wore a Givenchy white satin gown, with the upper part sparkling in red, white and blue colors. André Malraux took note of her savoir faire and made a comment to President Charles de Gaulle, "She is unique for the wife of an American president, sir." He agreed, "Yes, she's unique. I can see her in about 10 years on the yatch of a Greek petrol millionaire." Charles de Gaulle's prediction wasn't far-fetched. 'The Greek Tycoon' primarily focused on the time of Jackie and Ari's wedding on the 350-acre Greek island of Skorpios in the Ionian Sea on October 20, 1968 until his death in Paris in March 1975. It was noted Jackie wore a Valentino dress at the wedding. Away from the limelight, Maria Callas was heard crying at the time, "First I lost my weight, then I lost my voice, now I've lost Onassis!"

Marilu Tolo's character on 'The Greek Tycoon' was based on Maria Callas. She shared, "You can't snap fingers to be a star. You must have talent and desire. It's not easy. Nothing in life is easy. Stardom comes with hard work...I am taking English lessons all the time. And soon I will be able to play an American girl with a funny accent...I am very fine at French and Spanish. But English is hard for all Italians." When news broke of Ari's death, Jackie told the press, "I'll answer with something my husband often told me. 'Throughout the world people love fairy tales and especially those related to the lives of the rich. You must learn to understand this and accept it.'" Before his death Ari mentioned, "If women didn't exist, all the money in the world would have no meaning." After he passed away, one commentator observed, "Luck and fate have interfered again and again in the unfinished story of Jackie Onassis." Although Ari's hand-written will dated January 3, 1974 stated Jackie would receive $250,000 a year in allowances, under Greek law, in the event of his death, his daughter Christina would inherit 75% of his estate with the 25% left over to go to his widow, Jackie - which Jackie fought for and won. One New York socialite described Jackie as "gracious but there is always that reserve. She might ask you to dinner but if she doesn’t, you hesitate to ask her. She suffers from pedestal complex."

'20/20' bombed when it debut on June 8, 1978. Determined to save TV's first weeknight newsmagazine, Roone Arledge approached Hugh Downs and offered him the sole anchor role. Initially Hugh was hesitant, "I was terrified that ABC just wanted to bring me in to help paper over a disaster that they would quietly fold in a few weeks." However he noted in 1999, "I had no idea when it started that it would last for 21 years and be cloned into several '20/20s.'" Hugh also made the observation when he stepped down as host, "The internet is not going to destroy television, it's going to absorb it." Barbara Walters began co-hosting '20/20' in 1984. A role she held until she too stepped down in 2004. She said, "We have been very long-time partners. I would not be on the air without Hugh." Her interview with General H. Norman Schwarzkopf in 1991 was one of the most-watched on television. So too was Barbara's 1999 interview with Monica Lewinsky. That special attracted a whopping 48.5 million viewers. Producer Victor Neufeld made the comment, "We are an appointment program. They tell us we bring ABC a whole new audience at 10 o'clock." Those audiences stood by the program even when ABC caused anxiety by moving '20/20' to Friday nights in 1987, after 8 years on Thursday nights. Within a year though, '20/20' established itself as the mainstay of ABC, even beating rival 'Dallas' frequently in the ratings.

In sport, Chris Evert described the rivalry between her and Martina, "I think the greatest rivalries are because of the contrasts and styles...With Martina and I, you know, once again we were in the same era. She was a serve and volleyer. I was a baseliner. She was very emotional, involved on the court. I was cool and unemotional on the court." Martina traveled to Moscow in November 2003 to play in the International Tennis Federation Cup. She told the Britain's Guardian at the time, "It all comes flooding back whenever I am there. I was there only last month, when I played doubles in the Kremlin Cup and it was still difficult for me...When I walked around Moscow I kept glimpsing these haunting images...I remembered myself then as a little girl, living under that oppression. I think this week, with me making my comeback for America, will bring up those days even more strongly." Frank Deford remarked, "When she came into the game, she was the European among Americans; she leaves as the American among Europeans - and the only grown-up left in the tennis crib."

20120629

HAWAII FIVE-O

After receiving the script for 'Hawaii Five-O', Jack Lord recounted, "I sat down with a cup of coffee. It was a 2-hour movie for a feature pilot...It was fresh, it was interesting. The rainbow of ideas was vast because you could do anything." Leonard Freeman shared, "In December of 1965, my wife and I made our first trip to Hawaii. Despite the fact that it rained most of the 10 days we were there, I found this last Eden hauntingly beautiful. In films, I have always strived for realism, a documentary feeling, and that is best achieved by location shooting."

Shot on location in America's 50th tourist-oriented state, "I think the show’s popularity has been cumulative," Jack believed. "Word of mouth has helped...We shoot the entire show on location in Hawaii where the sun, beaches and tropical growth appeal to people living in Fargo (North Dakota) when it's 40 degrees below zero." Centered around a 4-man State Police Unit, Jack remembered, "It was a police show the first couple of years and then we experimented. We found we could do comedy...And we did love stories...And we did spy stories...." Leonard added, "It took 3 years of hard work to get it on the air." Jack was credited for keeping the show alive for 12 years (between 1968 and 1980). "We were supposed to go into production at the beginning of May 1968," Jack recalled. "But we had no scripts, no crew, no trained help and no studio in Hawaii. We were pioneers. No one had ever shot an entire television series in Hawaii before...Finally, on May 26 1968, at the late Henry J. Kaiser’s Koko Head estate, we turned the first camera."

The series, Jack observed, "has given the people of this state a whole industry, the tourist industry, we never had before." Jack described himself as a day person "thank God every day for this experience." He pointed out in 1978, "Even after 11 years there's a smell of reality about our show...Viewers can smell the trees and flowers, the car fumes, incense and laundries. It affects the actors so vividly they reflect the real atmosphere in their performances."

20120624

1977

In 1977, half the entire U.S population were said watched the compelling 12-hour mini-series, 'Roots' based on Alex Haley's blockbusting novel. Making news, Elvis Presley died. In fashion, Calvin Klein made blue jeans fashionable. On the big screen, 'Star Wars' was the "perfect summer escapist fare" because "the plot is simple...The word for this movie is fun." And in sport Guillermo Vilas was the hottest tennis player in the world after winning the French Open and the U.S. Open championships. In all he won 17 of 33 tournaments he played.

Aside from playing tennis, Guillermo also wrote poems. "I write poetry when I am lonely and when I am sad," he explained. "I don't write much concerning tennis. I just write my own feelings, my moods, my impressions." At the time he expressed, "Happy thoughts are not realistic thoughts. If you think deeply, you think sad things. I try to think deeply, so my thoughts are mostly very sad." His poems, he said were written in Spanish because "there are no translations. Publishers have talked about it. But the poems would not be the same in English. The feeling would be lost."

At the U.S. Open, 12,644 fans packed the 54-year-old horseshoe stadium to see the championship being played for the last time on the Har-Tru surface (or green clay court) at Forest Hills in New York. After winning the championship, Guillermo enthused, "I am so happy. I think this makes me No. 1 in the world." He also made known, "Most players probably prefer winning at Wimbledon but for me Forest Hills is the ultimate...I want to dedicate this win to my country, Argentina. Maybe now they will build that statue of me in downtown Buenos Aires." Of playing in New York, runner-up Jimmy Connors remarked, "I love it here. This New York crowd yells and screams. It really turns me on." On championship point, Guillermo recounted, "On the last point...It was so noisy. I didn’t know what was happening. The fans started shouting it was 'out'. I turned to the linesman and he said it was 'out.'" He also acknowledged, "Only in the United States, the people are so different than in Europe. They move about, shake hands, get up for a drink while the point is in play. Very distracting." In June, Guillermo won his first Grand Slam championship in Paris. At the time the weather was described as windy and drizzling but runner-up Brian Gottfried insisted, "It was Sunday. Everyone was there. The final was scheduled and we both knew we would play if conditions were playable. They were."

Of his winning streak in 1977, Guillermo maintained, "It's not routine. With every match, you have to work. Each man comes with a different tactic and you have to adjust. It's never easy." Brian added, "I had said before that I wouldn't be beaten on stamina and my fitness really helped." Raul Ramirez revealed, "I study my opponent and I plan my tactics from match to match. If I were playing somebody else, I might go to the net more often, perhaps all the time. Against (Adriano) Panatta I thought it was not good strategy."

20120623

LLOYD BRIDGES

Between 1957 and 1961, Lloyd Bridges could be seen in 'Sea Hunt'. "In those days," Lloyd recalled, "actors worried about doing a series. They felt it typed them. I was worried because I had been a serious actor. I'd studied Greek drama and Shakespeare. I went to New York to do classical drama but nobody was doing Shakespeare. I had to unlearn what I had been taught and muddy up my diction to get work. After 'Sea Hunt', I started getting starring roles on Broadway and in the movies." In one movie, Lloyd played Benjamin Franklin. John Conboy noted, "Young people absorb bad habits from their theatrical coaches. They accumulate theatricality from teachers. Their techniques are unnatural."

In 1975 Lloyd played 'Joe Forrester', a character originated from the 'Police Story' series. "With the pressures and compromises of series television, you can't do your best work," he remarked. However "I've always loved acting. It's a great profession, although precarious." Of career path Lloyd believed, "...I guess it's getting your foot in the door early and then it's up to the person...I didn't believe you should wait and learn the craft over a long period of time. I'd done that myself and it wasn't much fun." In 1978 he narrated 'World War II: GI Diary'. From the outset Lloyd made known, "It's not something to be romanticized. It's a lousy way to settle our differences in the world." The series, he said would "show the war through the eyes of the GIs themselves." Lloyd maintained narrating was a useful skill to have for an actor, "It's definitely part of your work as an interpreter. Everybody can express a line differently. It's amazing what you can do with a phrase." Beau Bridges made plain, "I see myself as a communicator. I like to associate myself with jobs I can feel good about...I tried (directing) first with a musical that a friend wrote...I had been doing narrations..."

In 1984, Lloyd co-starred with Morgan Fairchild in 'Paper Dolls'. Based on the popular 1982 pilot movie, Morgan who was a former model shared, "I know about the cutthroat things that go on. It's a very tough business. It's very New York, very intense work..." Douglas Barr pointed out, "In the early days, it leaned more toward the gay side and I had to deal with that because people would assume that I must be gay if I was in that business." Antony Hamilton became a model after a Russian photographer took pictures of him and gave him the prints, "I considered acting but then I took the pictures to a modeling agency and was hired on the basis of that...(Ballet) dancing was too confining and regimented for me. It was like living life with one hand tied behind your back." Sunny Griffin made the comment, "Modeling is a 2 dimensional profession. I've done everything I can in the field. As an actress, there's no limit. There's always a new part to explore." Morgan confessed, "I loved being in 'Paper Dolls'. The writing was good." Doug emphasized, "Basically we are making entertainment here and this is celluloid for fun. It is not your life; it's the business you are in."

Leonard Goldberg recounted, "When we started shooting in New York (during the 1984 summer Olympics) we were just another show clogging up traffic. Then the promos started appearing on ABC and in a few days we had thousands of spectators on our locations..." Lauren Hutton appeared in the last 5 episodes of 'Paper Dolls'. "(Films) use more of 'you' than modeling does," Lauren voiced. "There's much more work involved in acting and you've got to do more thinking." She turned 50 in 1993. On turning 50, she enthused, "Who wants to be 20? You don't know anything. All you do is wonder and worry. 'Will he like me? Will he call?' I don't miss it one bit." Of show business, Mimi Rogers made the observation, "Acting by its nature is an unpredictable and ephemeral business. If you need to have the next 10 years mapped out, this is not the profession to be in." Connie Stevens offered, "Success is momentary. You should appreciate it while it's there but must prepare yourself for the time it's gone. You can only do that by seeking real friendships – and putting money in the bank to support your family when the success ride is over."

20120622

ANWAR SADAT

The death of statesman Mohammed Anwar el-Sadat in 1981 shocked the Western world. Robert Strauss told him in 1979, "Thousands of years from today, when the nations of this region are living as one, it will be recorded that it began November 19 1977, when you had the courage to take that great step forward." Anwar Sadat forfeited his dream of becoming an actor by entering the military academy in 1936. He partook in the Nasserite revolution in 1952 which saw the Egyptian monarchy under King Farouk's rule, overthrown. Anwar Sadat told Peter Jennings in 1974 although King Farouk was very popular at the time, the coup d'état was necessary because "the country was not ours. We had only what I called 'the half per cent community'. It meant that ½% had got everything and 99½% had got nothing at all." Gamal Abdel Nasser, regarded as the idol of the Arab was then declared President of the United Arab Republic of Egypt.

In 1970, Gamal Abdel Nasser died. Anwar Sadat was sworn in as President. During Gamal Abdel Nasser's governance, Israel captured the Sinai Peninsula in what known in history as the 1967 Six-Day War. When Anwar Sadat came to power, he captured the attention of the world's television cameras when he victoriously pushed Israeli troops back from the Suez Canal in what became known as the Yom Kippur war which took place on October 6, 1973. Anwar Sadat's historic flight to Jerusalem in 1977 to initiate the peace process in the Middle East by working to resolve the Arab-Israel dispute was hailed as "a new era of understanding" and "the nearest thing to a political miracle".

In 1976, Egypt held its first free election in 25 years. At the time, each term would run for 5 years. Of the Parliament's 360 seats, Anwar Sadat's National Democratic Party won 312 seats; the Socialist Labor Party won 20 seats; the National Unionist Progressive Party won 2 seats and 26 parliamentarians were independents. Anwar Sadat "was the single most stabilizing force in the most violent and volatile region of the world". His death - the highest profile of all in the history of the Middle East - meant under the Egyptian constitution an electon to seek his replacement must be held within 60 days after parliament had been dissolved. Hosni Mubarak was the only candidate in the Egyptian referendum. Hosni Mubarak told the press in 1982, Anwar Sadat "erupted the earthquake of peace and put the region into a new period which cannot judge with present events but must judge according to the vital changes that it had on the lives of people." Hosni Mubarak's presidency lasted until the Egyptian revolution in 2011.

An uprising in Saudi Arabia occurred in 1980. Anwar Sadat told the media, "Believe me, if I had been asked before what it happened, I would have said that what took place in Mecca could not have occurred in 20 or 50 years. Well it happened now and that proves that this is a very small world – the world of the transitory." In March 1979, a peace treaty brokered by Jimmy Carter known as the Camp David Accords ended 30 years of war between Israel and Egypt. In May 1979, Anwar Sadat visited Beersheba, home of Abraham's 2 sons - Isaac and Ishmael. Abraham initially resided in Iraq in 2100 BC. "We are calling the visit 'Operation Sons of Abraham,'" the mayor of Beersheba declared at the time. Anwar Sadat was said would be offered water not wine "because our common forefathers dug wells here." Standing at the base of the 7,500-foot Mount Sinai in 1979, Anwar Sadat told listeners, "In this place chosen by God Almighty (Moses), where the 3 faiths (Islam, Christianity and Judaism) descended, here we have the reaffirmation of the noblest values of men: tolerance and co-existence between peoples...I announce this place open as of today (Monday November 19 1979) to all believers, to all the faithful from 3 faiths, with no restrictions so that they may come and address the Lord."

Anwar Sadat began writing his memoirs in 1975. In 1978, 'In Search of Identity: An Autobiography', was published. His memoirs also became the basis of another book after his death. In 1983, the mini-series 'Sadat' was shown starring Louis Gossett Jr. in his Emmy-nominated role. In the 'Sadat Memoirs', Anwar recalled of his first meeting with the Shah of Iran, Mohammed Reza Pahlevi in 1938, "That year we both graduated as second lieutenant...The distance between us was very small, yet in reality it was great. For (the Shah was) the heir to the throne and I was a mere officer from an Egyptian village (he had) never heard of." In January 1978, Anwar Sadat met the Shah at Aswan airport. "A whole year passed," Anwar Sadat recounted, "And again I received the Shah in Aswan...on the same date, January in 1979...in the same city, at the same airport, with the same hotel as his residence. But the Shah was not the Shah I knew and Iran had become another Iran. He had come to Egypt to seek refuge. In the span of a single year, his situation had been transformed..."

20120617

ON LOCATION

Today, Douglas Barr believed, "With limited budgets and so many competing entertainment opportunities, it's very difficult to capture attention without being in your face edgy...(And) young audiences are so much more sophisticated than they were back in 'The Fall Guy' days. They have high expectations in both visual and emotional content and it's up to the storytellers to keep it interesting." To keep viewers interested in the past, shows frequently went on location. Leonard Katzman, producer of the series 'Petrocelli' explained, "When you make a show in Hollywood, it's just like going to work every morning. You finish your work and you go back home, back to your other life. But on location, everyone is together 24 hours of the day. That means there aren't as many things to distract you from your job."

Debbie Allen observed, "Los Angeles is just a place to work...(But) there's nothing like the energy of (New York)." John Hillerman begged to differ, "I never miss New York. I lived in a slum in the lower east side for 7 years; that's 7 years, not 7 months." Debbie reasoned, "It's so alive here. Look at all that space, the pigeons, the skyscrapers, the wackos. This is our element." Perry Stephens pointed out, "New York matures you very quickly." Carol Mayo Jenkins added, "It’s easier to work within the concentration of a studio in Hollywood. But there's inspiration here." Roya Megnot remarked, "You'd think it would be easy to meet people here but it’s not. Maybe it’s because New York is so big, I don’t know..." One of Frank Sinatra's personal signature songs was the 1980 hit, 'New York, New York'. When he was asked if he would prefer to sing in a nightclub or at a concert, Frank replied, "At heart, I guess I'm a saloon singer because there's a greater intimacy between performer and audience in a nightclub. Then again, I love the excitement of appearing before a big concert audience. Let's just say that the place isn't important, as long as everybody has a good time."

Of location filming for the series 'Petrocelli', Leonard made known, "We have to fly our crews and our guest stars to Tucson (in Arizona). We have to house and feed our people there. It costs us about $30 a day per man more to shoot on location. And the crew size is just about the same as if we were doing it in Hollywood." John also shared, "People think Hawaii is dull and that's a misconception I had when I first went there. It's not dull at all. Great lifestyle and the best longevity of any state. It's small, everything's close and it is indeed paradise, which I realize all over again each time I leave." Of Texas, Debbie noted, "All you see is sky."

1974

'The Sex Symbol' was scheduled for a March TV showing on a Sunday in 1974 when unexpectedly the network pulled the movie out of the advertised timeslot. "I thought the movie was ready and I waited a long time for this. It's the finest thing I have ever done," Connie Stevens expressed. Instead 'The Sex Symbol' was postponed until September to be shown. Producer Douglas S. Cramer revealed certain scenes had to be cut "so that Connie Stevens comes off more like a Candice Bergen type and less like a Raquel Welch character." Based on the life of Marilyn Monroe, Connie played an enigmatic Hollywood star. Observers believed Douglas' decision had political overtones because of Connie's character alleged romance with a U.S. Senator. The original 2-hour movie was cut to 90 minutes. Connie made the observation, "Marilyn Monroe, always the child in search of love, in search of her own identity. I can identify too easily with what she went through...If I understand Marilyn Monroe, it's because I've experienced so many of the same disappointments, rejections and hurts."

In sport Chris Evert finished 1974 winning 15 tournaments including the French Open and Wimbledon and was ranked the No. 1 woman player. She turned 20 in December and made the comment, "I don't want to be Cinderella in sneakers anymore but I don't want to be another woman tennis player either. I know I'm not a girl any longer but I don't think I'm a woman yet. I don't want to be a grownup now. I'm happy at 20. I think I've got the best of both worlds." Of tennis, the 1974 U.S. Open champion Billie Jean King made plain, "Six years ago there were only 9 women pros and we had no idea how far we could go and in what direction. Today there are over 250 women clamoring for membership in the Women’s Tennis Association...If the game was still the same as it was when I was an amateur I would not be playing today. It's getting tougher and tougher to win these days because the young players are much more eager to beat you."

In music, 'The Way We Were' was one of the hottest songs on the charts. "At her best," pianist Glenn Gould acknowledged, "Barbra Streisand is probably the greatest singing actress since Maria Callas." Barbra started out performing in nightclubs at the Greenwich Village in the 1960s. "This girl had to become a great star. Anybody could see it," one observer predicted. By 1964 the star was born. Barbra told '60 Minutes' at the age of 7, she foresaw her destiny. "It just had to be. There was no other way for me to be." At 21, she was already the world's best-selling female artist on long-playing record. After seeing one of her shows, she received a fan mail from Frank Sinatra, "You were magnificent." Talking to 'Life' magazine, she voiced, "What does it mean when people applaud? I don't know how to respond. Should I give 'em money? Say thank you? Lift my dress? The lack of applause - that I can respond to. It tears me up! But I can never understand why people laugh or cry when I sing...." Barbra concluded, "My success? The only way I can account for it is that whatever ability other performers have, I must have it plus...I can appeal to everybody."

Hoping to move towards more family-friendly programs the network screened the telemovie, 'Senior Year' in 1974 which was intended to be the pilot for a weekly series aimed at replacing the 'Sonny And Cher' show. Set in the 1950s, the movie followed the romance of 2 high school sweethearts. Critics noted the similitude of 'Senior Year' to 'Happy Days'. But whereas 'Happy Days' was light-hearted, 'Senior Year' adopted a more serious approach to its storytelling. When it became a weekly series, CBS renamed 'Senior Year' to 'Sons And Daughters'. "Bittersweet memories of growing up. We've all been 'Sons And Daughters'" was the catchphrase. Gary Frank explained, "There are facets of Jeff Reed and Anita Cramer (played by Glynnis O'Connor) which applied to people that age today and in any decade actually. There are things Jeff Reed experiences that everyone in that age group experiences - the pain, the frustration, the fear and the tremendous growing up and learning period that those years provide." In one scene, Anita's mother told her, "Things are just not that black and white." To which she replied, "You've raised me in black and white."

"It was a special kind of time. It was a widest period of innocence the country had known," producer David Levinson remarked. "We've just finished with the war. We really have nothing to worry about except ourselves, our home, our 2 cars, our television set. For those of us who were teenagers, the clothes on our back." When 'Sons And Daughters' went on air in September 1974, the show was up against 'Little House On The Prairie'. It was apparent 'Sons And Daughters' was in dire straits. And after 2 months floundering in the ratings game, the network unsurprisingly announced the show would be dropped in favor of a variety show featuring Tony Orlando and Dawn. "I suppose in hindsight it's easy to look back and say, 'Hey didn't we dress funny then or didn't we behave peculiarly then. But it wasn't peculiar to us at that time,'" David reasoned.

20120616

NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA

1967 marked the golden jubilee (50th anniversary) of the Bolshevik (now called the communist) Revolution. In December 1971, the motion picture 'Nicholas And Alexandra' premiered on the big screen. Jack Valenti believed, "It's still possible to take history or legend or life and tell a great story. The British have demonstrated that on American television recently with the 6 wives of 'Henry VIII' and 'The Forsythe Saga'. Sam Spiegel has a picture coming out for Columbia called 'Nicholas And Alexandra'. If I were to make a prediction, I would say this picture might introduce a whole new trend in putting on film exciting, dramatic scenes of history, which in the retelling become very contemporary."

Nicholas Romanov II ascended the throne in 1894. He was Imperial Russia's - an autocracy - last Tsar. Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria. It was her relationship with the "Mad Monk" from Siberia, Grigori Yefimovich Novikh (aka "Rasputin" meaning low-down scoundrel) that brought about the downfall of the Romanov dynasty. Rasputin was introduced to the family by Grand Duke Nicholas just before the outbreak of World War I in August 1914. Alexandra was said grateful Rasputin had cured her sick son Alexis with his alleged supernatural powers. St. Ivan the Ugly was heard describing Alexandra as the "German She-Devil". Rasputin reportedly compared her with Catherine the Great. Rasputin's notoriety came to an end in December 1916 when he was executed at the palace of Prince Felix Yusupov. In 1932, the motion picture 'Rasputin And The Empress' premiered. Observers contributed Rasputin's Machiavellian behavior to the Russian Revolution that took place in March (present calendar) 1917 and which saw the abdication of Czar Nicholas II and his eventual execution in July 1918. Also executed was Rasputin's successor, Alexander Protopov - another Machiavellian. The March Revolution forced the Duma (parliament) to set up a provisional government in Russia led by Alexander Kerensky. His government was short-lived. Another revolution led by Vladimir Lenin took place in October (old calendar) 1917 ended Alexander Kerensky's reign. Vladimir Lenin successfully convinced the Germans to end the war with the signing of a peace treaty in March 1918.

Jack hailed the 1970s as "the era control by creative men". However, "one of the things that (in many cases) an audience senses that even a creative man overlooks is the dramatic impact of a film. I mean the sense of conflict, suspense, building up of plot, holding our interest, which is the ancient way of telling a story, which has captivated people since the dawn of time. (Fyodor) Dostoevsky was the greatest writer of passion and terror. I don't recall a single page where he describes anything but you feel it because he lets your imagination become your guide."

20120615

MOBILE ONE

Katharine Graham believed, "Print is certainly going to change. It's going to have to adapt. But it's so important. It brings readers the information they need in a democratic society. That sounds pious. But society without print would be a different society. It is up to us to keep print alive and going." In 1975, the television newsroom became the setting for a weekly drama called, 'Mobile One'. Jackie Cooper recalled, "We managed to get a 20 to 22% share of the audience." Produced by Jack Webb, Jackie recounted, "I was pleased that Jack had brought me a reporter, instead of the doctors, cops and private eyes that flood the networks...He had the reporter in a small TV station in a small town. I argued that the audience wanted to see a reporter in a big city covering important news stories. Jack went along with me on that." President Jimmy Carter made the point in 1979 following the death of investigative reporter Bill Stewart in Nicaragua, "Journalists seeking to report the news and inform the public are soldiers in no nation's army. When they are made innocent victims of violence and war, all people who cherish the truth and believe in free debate pay a terrible price."

"..I watch television a lot," James Earl Jones confessed. "I like more often than in films. That's true as a viewer as well as an actor...I wanted to do a series that had something to do with the quality of our lives. In terms of..issues. In a police series the issue every week is justice. I accept justice not as fixed, any more than freedom. We're always in pursuit of it, struggling to defend it." Peter Jennings was one of 3 reporters the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini talked to in 1979. "We always go after public figures in any story and they always say what they want to say. You've got a major story and it would be journalistically irresponsible not to try to see him and not to report what he had to say," a news producer said.

Aung San Suu Kyi came back to Burma in April 1988. There was widespread uprising in the country at the time. "As my father's daughter, I felt I had a duty to get involved," the pro-democracy campaigner explained. Aung San Suu Kyi found herself up against "one of the world’s most repressive military regimes" trying "to bring democracy to Burma under all circumstances". The 15 years between 1988 and 2010 she was held under house arrest. The Los Angeles Times noted, "She always refers to the country as Burma and the capital as Rangoon, purposefully ignoring the government's decree that the nation be called Myanmar and the city, Yangon." She pointed out, "No one should be allowed to change the name of the country without referring to the will of the people. They say that Myanmar refers to all the Burmese ethnic groups, whereas Burma only refers to the Burmese ethnic group, but that is not true. Myanmar is a literary word for Burma and it refers only to the Burmese ethnic group. Of course, I prefer the word Burma." In April 2012, she won a seat in the lower house of Myanmar's parliament. "I am not interested in trying to predict the future. What we are trying to do is shape the kind of future that we want for our country. And that comes about through endeavor," she maintained.

20120612

SEARCH FOR TOMORROW

Soap opera, it was said, "is the true realization of the novel..." The soap opera 'Search For Tomorrow' ran from 1951 to 1986. It was first broadcast on radio. "Soap opera is a story," Larry Haines explained, "It should be a continuing story, rather than disoriented, meaningless adventures." Head writer Irving Elman added, "The other interesting thing about daytime is in every other form of dramatic writing, you are held within a boundary – even Tolstoy had to finish 'War And Peace' – he had to write 'The End.'" Set in the make-believe mid-western town of Henderson, 'Search For Tomorrow' begun with "the story of a young widow and her child and their struggle...It is the story of the folks next door and the misunderstandings and heartbreaks that mar their lives." By the 1980s, Jacqueline Schultz outlined her part, "Hers is a contemporary story of a young woman trying to find herself...Today, I think women feel that to be truly complete people they have to be independent without alienating themselves from the people who are important to them." Whereas "in nighttime TV, even with an hour show, I only had 48 minutes to tell a complete story", on daytime, Irving had to write enough stories each year to last 260 episodes. Around 1977, 'Ryan's Hope' became one of the first soaps to shoot on location. "Since then, more and more remotes are featured on every soap," Marcia McCabe observed.

"At night," one TV programmer pointed out in 1977, "the audience expects change and looks forward to program innovations. In daytime, however, it is not extraordinary for many dramatic series to thrive for 10 or 20 years, attracting audiences from one generation to another." Usually shown around noon every weekday until about 1981 when CBS moved 'Search For Tomorrow' to 2:30 p.m. Suddenly its ratings took a nosedive. 'Search For Tomorrow' was eventually canceled to make way for 'Capitol'. "It didn’t become a feature film," Elinor Karpf said of 'Capitol', "It didn’t become a mini-series. It didn't become a novel. It became a soap opera because it needed the time to unfold." NBC came to the rescue of 'Search For Tomorrow'. Larry Haines recalled, "When we switched networks, a lot of people were not aware that we were going from CBS to NBC. They thought we were off the air." Mary Stuart made the comment, "People tend to put down daytime because it's something women do." Sherry Mathis expressed, "I don’t think any actor ever apologized for being in a soap opera. They all know its some of the hardest work that's done in show business." John James made clear, "In a continuing TV drama we do 45 minutes of dialog involving human relationships and emotions every week."

Writer Joyce Corrington conceded, "There is a fair amount of response to the audience built in. The ad agency people and the producers look at the letters they get and they’ll suggest maybe a character isn’t working or that some other change is needed." Irving described the 3 parts of his job involved producing "the long term story projection, the breakdowns of who's doing what in each show and finally, assigning a writer to each script and then going over that script." In 1986 it was decided "moving our characters into one building will force them to become more interrelated. By shrinking the canvas of the show and concentrating on fewer people in a more intent manner, we're going to be able to realize a greater emotional response." Bill Corrington maintained, "We make the projection, what’s going to happen to A, B and C over the next 6 months, particularly the interrelationships between them. To me, the most fun in the show is the story conference. Everybody likes one another, but we sometimes fight like cats and dogs. But when it’s finished, everyone invariably agrees."

ANOTHER WORLD

Believing "we do not live in this world alone...but in a thousand other worlds", 'Another World' made its television debut in May 1964. Under headwriter Harding Lemay, 'Another World' became the most popular daytime soap opera in the 1970s. "A soap opera," Victoria Wyndham explained, "is an unfolding saga, it's very much – in an exaggerated way, of course – like what goes on in every single American town. Women and men and children can learn from the soaps. Sooner or later, everything is told about or acted out. So I see it as no light responsibility to do my very best."

Between 1965 and 1980, 'Another World' was NBC's most-watched soap. In 1967, Agnes Nixon joined the writing team. She introduced the character of Rachel Davis to begin the Russ/Rachel/Steve/Alice quadrangle. The storyline turned out to be a hit with the viewers. In January 1975, 'Another World' made history by becoming the first daytime drama to run for one hour. "I was the first writer to take a soap to an hour," Harding remembered. "I wanted to write a scene that you build as you do in the theater." Lin Bolen added, "It is the first major form change since 1956 in daytime. In 1956 they went from 15-minute serials to half-hour serials." For an hour, audiences could expect 'Another World' to "play out some of those scenes which an audience assumes take place off camera. In other words, our scenes will be longer..." Between 1973 and 1978, 'Another World' was the 2nd most popular daytime drama, even tied with 'As The World Turns' for the top spot twice.

Victoria played Rachel recounted, "...When you're taking over for somebody else and I took over an established part, you never know if it will work with the audience and whether you can co-op the audience to start rooting for you, or whether they're always going to pine for the original actress who did the role. So in show business everyone's expendable and nothing's for sure." Lauri Landry made the observation, "It's interesting in New York I'm always cast as the poor, little wife and in California, I'm always cast as a witch. I'm a brunette, so it's funny to see how I'm perceived in both coasts." Stuart Margolin played a con man in the detective series, 'The Rockford Files' which ran from 1974 to 1980. He said he based his character on a golf hustler he once knew, "In my mind Angel is a descendant of him. He's a hustler, a street character." Hollywood, Stuart maintained, "You have to be in there hustling. In this town you have to spend as much time hustling as you do getting the work done." One actor attending acting classes but avoid participating in the "therapy sessions" expressed, "I keep my distance from that sort of thing, from the idea that you had to suffer to feel." Of the part of Rachel, Victoria voiced, "I looked at what (Robin Strasser) was doing to see what they wanted me to change. I was brought on to definitely take this character into a different direction, so that was my mandate. So I certainly had to watch to see what Robbie had done, so that I knew where the character was at the time and where I could go with her, without trying to imitate. You don't watch somebody else and then imitate them...So you go through a period of adjustments that I'd say lasted about a year."

Between 1979 and 1980, 'Another World' was shown 90 minutes each day. Harding told 'Soap Opera Digest', "I came into soaps as a playwright, not as a soap writer or a radio soap writer as Irna Phillips had...Irna saw me on a local talk show where I admitted that I had never watched a soap opera...But she did create a great tradition and she trained not only me but she trained Agnes Nixon and Bill Bell." He pointed out, "Two prime time soaps took names from my characters. The Ewings were on 'Dallas'; the Carringtons were on 'Dynasty.'" He made known, "The best producer I have ever worked with is a lady named Jill Farren Phelps. She can sit in a room with 5 or 6 writers and myself as a consultant and can rip apart a whole week of breakdowns and you sit there and say 'My god, she is absolutely right!'"

When the Gulf War broke out on January 16 1991, the TV networks decided they would pre-empt their regular programming to televise the Middle East Crisis. Their decision however, had infuriated soap opera fans. One fan club president argued, "When the war first broke out, everyone was interested. But now, there's nothing they've cut in to tell us that couldn't have waited until the evening news." Sixteen days before Saddam Hussein told the world, "The great showdown has begun! The mother of all battles is under way", NBC screened an episode of 'Another World' set on New Year's Eve, which featured a catfight between Iris Carrington Wheeler and Paulina Cantrell, played by Carmen Duncan and Cali Timmins. Close-ups, wide shots and 2-shots were standard soap opera scenes. 'Another World' wrapped in June 1999. Its departure triggered "the largest outcry...in the history of the genre".

20120611

SOAP OPERAS

At the turn of the 21st century, the TV landscape had changed. "You're going to see almost nothing but reality shows," Aaron Spelling remarked. Even on daytime - the home of soap operas, once popular dramas were now "a shinning gem in the dark time." Agnes Nixon observed, "There are so many channels, so much competition...Ratings have gone down on all shows. Our network and the other 2 shows opposite us at 1:00 p.m., all 3 have lost 20% of audience. Advertisers don't pay as much but the costs of production have gone up." In 2004, to the surprise of many, 'Desperate Housewives' became a successful scripted show on nighttime television. Marc Cherry used his instinct for storytelling to apply to a new genre - drama and comedy. "Without changing it too much," Charles Pratt Jr. revealed, "we worked on adding dark flair and open-ended story arcs while protecting the comedy all the way through. I resisted adding melodrama as much as Marc resisted the straight-on-sitcom style."

"If you think about it," Josie Bissett made the point, "there are hundreds of people who work on a show and only a handful are actors. A lot more goes on behind the scenes than many people realize...." Victor French added, "One of the problems with having your own show is that people have a tendency of wanting to subordinate themselves to you. They'll tend to say things like, 'Oh gee, you're a big TV star and I'm just a plumber.' Well, I've been a plumber, a furniture mover and dozens of other things...The only difference is that I'm more recognizable because you see my work." John Conboy maintained, "Casting a soap is different from other series in some respects...I look for the fantasy quality (in the actors and actresses) and it's not easy to find. Young people...have discovered how much hard work goes into a soap opera." Of soap operas, Agnes expressed, "When I look back, everything in my life has pointed me toward understanding what makes people tick. Current events, for me, all get reduced to people and what makes them do the things they do. What I always wanted was to entertain people, first of all, but I also hope that I taught them a bit and out of that teaching, maybe some people rose out of their prejudices and their fears." Of acting, it was explained, "Every character has a history." The job of the actor or actress was to "put that into perspective."

Of working on a soap opera, a typical day normally started at 8 o'clock in the morning and finished at 5 o'clock in the afternoon. A day would consist of: "Dry rehearsal" where the stars would read through the day’s script. At 10.30 a.m. time for "camera blocking" - the director normally visualized the scene in his or her head before he or she directed the actors and actresses. "Most soaps," it was said, "are trapped by the 3-camera technique. They are still haunted by boom shadows – which limits the movement of the actors...On 'The City' it's difficult (to tell who was the director) because in one episode, 2 or 3 directors might have had a hand in it." It was noted, "Since continuity is vital, creating one's own style could disrupt the flow of the episode, since we don't direct the whole show." On 'Sunset Beach', Aaron made known, "We shot for 2 weeks on the beach before going to a soundstage."

Lunch break commenced at approximately 12.30 to 1.30 in the afternoon. 'Loving' was usually shown at 12.30 (eastern) in America. "We break for lunch at 12:30 and sit and watch the show together," one actor said. After lunch would be "dress rehearsal". One costume designer disclosed, "The clothes you see in daytime reflect the styles of what people are wearing today...People are often judged by their clothes." The show's stars often approached the costume designer with questions such as "Does this red tie match this blue shirt?" or "I need something red to break up this black and white look, any suggestions?" At 2.30 p.m. time for "notes" (last minute input) and "taping". "At (university)," one actor shared, "you had to audition for roles and one guy got everything. Now he's not even acting. I think it gave me a preview of the business. I was disappointed that I didn't get better roles but I didn't agonize over it." By 5.00 p.m. time to wrap, go home and study tomorrow's script. Victoria Principal believed, "I think in order to answer the requirements of the American public, whose attention span has gotten shorter, you must have quicker cuts, faster stories and multiple storylines."

20120610

SOAP OPERAS

'Loving' went on air in June 1983. When producer Jacqueline Babbin joined the show in 1991, she readily acknowledged, "When I first took over the show...I (didn't know) what the show was about. To me, it was the quintessential Reagan show about rich, greedy, mean WASPs (white Anglo-Saxon Protestant). It was hard to care about any of these people." For any soap opera to be successful, Jacqueline maintained, "Soaps have to be about human emotions and people like you and me. The storylines need to be grounded in reality and the actors must appeal to the viewers." In the 1990s, Jacqueline believed, "People no longer want to watch storylines out of the '50s." In Italy however, actor Richard Steinmetz recounted, "'Loving' was the No. 1 rated show...surpassing even 'Dallas' in the ratings...'Loving' which they call 'Comé Siamo' or 'How We Are' runs about a year behind there. The show airs daily for one hour with 2 episodes shown back to back uninterrupted. Commercials appear at the beginning and end of the hour."

In November 1995, 'Loving' became 'The City'. "The network took drastic steps at great risk," one director disclosed. The reason: "The whole look of soap operas was established during the 1950s...The form just can't compete in this new age." At the time, one cameraman observed, "I think that the industry is hesitant to dive in to our style because it takes...risk." 'The City' featured MTV-style camera shots and editing and "film-look" videotaping. However one director confessed, "Sometimes we knew that the visual style was too noisy for the dialog but we learned as we went along. This style works better with MTV." On soap opera, it was said, "You have got to focus on the word." Hence "writing is harder than directing and producing. Good stories are hard to come by." Despite its quick cuts, daring camera angles and up-tempo scenes, it was said, "we did miss some key moments in the story because we had cameras flying everywhere." 'The City' wrapped in March 1997.

Producer Fran Sears shared, "I came of age and went to college in the '60s" because academia was the only area opened to women. While working as a girl Friday for a film company, "I saw a lot of women writing, doing hands-on production work...In the '70s, a lot of really talented people were doing commercials. It was an exciting time." Of 'Loving' she argued, "We're dealing with human drama. What we have is characters with real problems and the relationships between characters. If we can make audiences believe in and invest in these relationships with their own feelings, then we're moving them and entertaining them."

20120609

TELEVISION

In March 1980, two shots were fired in an episode of 'Dallas' that could be heard right around the world. A promotional campaign then got under way to galvanize new viewers to watch the series. The result: 'Who Shot J.R?' became the 2nd most watched episode in modern television history. Of the viewers watching TV at 10 p.m. (eastern) in America at that time, 76% were watching 'Dallas' (roughly 41 million plus households, 83 million viewers or simply put 1 in every 5 Americans). Historians had to go back to 1967 to find a similar result when the series, 'The Fugitive' attracted 72% of viewers watching the show's dramatic final episode. Around the world, about 250 million viewers watched 'Dallas'. In Britain at the time, 'Dallas' "is undoubtedly the most popular American TV series ever shown..." Although it wasn't as popular in Spain, it was an outright hit in Greece. In Zimbabwe, the show reportedly attracted a loyal following.

The success of 'Dallas' spawned a host of products including beer. "People today buy an image, not a beer," it was explained, "and a lot of people like a lot of J.R.'s image." The beer would be sold as "6-shooter 6-packs" comprised of 12-ounce cans which contained 156 calorie per can and stamped "Imported from Texas". "You have to understand," it was said, "there's no such thing as brewer's loyalty anymore. People don't pick up a beer at 18 and drink it for their whole life. In the segmented market we have, there's going to be a beer just for tennis players one of these days. This beer will do well as long as the television show does well."

In April 1980, Rhodesia - a colony of Great Britain since 1890 - was granted independence and changed its name to Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was discovered by Cecil Rhodes. About 83% of the country consisted of rural areas. It mostly specialized in farming (predominantly tobacco and sugar) and mining. Although in 1923 it was granted local self-government, Rhodesia demanded total independence from Britain in 1965. A 7-year civil war broke out in 1973 after disagreement over the running of the country. In 1980, Robert Mugabe, 55 years old, won 57 of the 100 seats in the country's parliament. Robert Mugabe came from the Shona tribe and had held 5 degrees. From the outset he made clear, "Our party principles are based on Marxist-Leninist (communist) principles. Our view is that we should develop a country economically and socially along Marxist-Leninist lines." His opponents were Joshua Nkomo from the Ndebele tribe who held 20 seasts and the U.S. educated Bishop Abel Muzorewa of the United Methodist Church held 3 seats. Robert Mugabe had previously served as Joshua Nkomo's information minister. Prince Charles was on hand to hand over Zimbabwe's new constitution to Robert Mugabe. The party led by former Prime Minister Ian Smith held 20 seats. At the handover ceremony, Robert Mugabe told supporters, "I urge you, whether you are black or white, to join me in a new pledge to forget our grim past, forgive others and forget, join hands in a new amity and together as Zimbabwians trample upon racialism, tribalism and regionalism and work hard to reconstruct our society. If yesterday I fought you as an enemy, today you have become a friend and ally with the same national interest, loyalty, rights and duties as myself."

In 1984 the Sino-British agreement was signed resulted in Britain's handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997. On July 1 1898 at the Second Convention of Peking, the Hong Kong islands were leased to Britain for 99 years. It was noted Hong Kong officially became a colony of Britain in June 1843. It was a time Imperial China was managed by the Manchu Madarins. Prince Charles was on hand for the handover told listeners, "We shall not forget you, as you embark on this new era of your remarkable history."

20120608

TELEVISION NEWS

"Some day," Charles Kuralt gave away in 1986, "I'll write my on-the-road memoirs." The book was published in 1990. Charles' television news career began in 1956. Since 1967 he started traveling throughout America reporting on real people and their contributions to society for the 'On The Road' news special. Speaking at a convention in Dallas in 1975, Charles amplified, "Society depends for its life on an informed citizen. Most people get their information from television. Therefore, substance in an anchorman counts more than style."

"Television news has only come into its own in the last 10 to 15 years," one news analyst declared in 1978. "But its impact is staggering...It is no exaggeration to say that during those 4 days in November 1963, TV journalism came into full maturity." By 1980 television's capacity to inform and the demand for up to date news (local, domestic and foreign) gave rise to the News Information Weekly Service (NIWS) which catered to the small-market stations. The service supplied subscribers with 15 stories each week primarily focussing on health-fitness, money, entertainment, environment and astrology topics. Linda Evans said aside from acting she also practiced numerology. "I have done thousands and thousands of readings for people. It is just startling how much you can tell someone about themselves with numerology...It's wonderful for helping people to help themselves." One science teacher made the comment, "Actors and actresses seem to have more psychic experiences than other people because they are imaginative and must by nature be impressionable."

'Today' host Matt Lauer told 'Time' magazine in 1999, "It used to be that if there was a major statement, a politician would come out at 4:00 p.m. because it'd be on all the nightly newscasts at 6:30. Now they're going to give it to one of the morning shows first." When Soviet Premier Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev died in 1982, there was no announcement made at the time of his death. Speculation intensified when Russian TV network began showing documentaries in place of regular programs and newsreaders wearing black on the air. Leonid Brezhnev's political career thrived under Josef Stalin's regime. In the 1960s, he became the protégé of Nikita Khrushchev and then succeeding him as Premier when Khrushchev was forced from power. CNN observed, "When Brezhnev died on November 10, 1982, at age 75, the Soviet Union itself had less than 10 years to live." Norman Lear made the observation in 1985, "...I’m afraid that news, events and sports will be all the networks are left with if they refuse to innovate and take risks." His argument, "...just before automobile sales started to slide downward, General Motors, Chrysler and Ford had their highest profits ever. I think network television is in a similar situation. That may be true for most of American business and education, politics, publishing, all of our institutions. This obsession with the need to win in the short term is choking the entire society."

The popularity of '60 Minutes' made way for reality-based programs such as 'That's Incredible' which ran from 1980 to 1984. Co-host Cathy Lee Crosby outlined, "Our show is about people demonstrating what they do, how they survive or why they are involved in a variety of situations...The material is real human interest which can't be described as news and certainly not comedy. Some of the subjects we're dealing with are education, ESP, medical advances, inventions, superhuman feats – all verified – and assorted human predicaments and their solutions, experiences which aren't ordinarily reported." The early morning news were usually shown between 6 o'clock and 7 o'clock. It was described as the "all-news radio with pictures" because "we’re in competition with morning news radio." Viewers of early morning news programs were described as "move-about, no-nonsense, hard-news, hard-information audience." Bob Keeshan had starred in the children's program 'Captain Kangaroo' since 1956. In 1982 his show was moved from 6:30 weekdays to 7 o'clock on Saturday and Sunday mornings. On reflection he said at the time, "6:30 in the morning...we've been doing so badly in that hour...Now I'm not under the pressure to be a lead-in for an adult news show..." One producer pointed out, "The audience at that hour is not up to watch TV but to get going. Viewers at 7 to 9 also have to get going but some are a little more sedentary." Norman noted, "...the need to win in the ratings is increasingly the only motivating force for writers and studios and producers. Everyone is desperate for a hit, so a successful show like 'Dallas' immediately begets – name them – 6 quick children."

20120607

TELEVISION NEWS

"Television is your true mirror of reality," Jessica Savitch observed. The coverage of celebrity Anna Nicole Smith's inheritance court case leading up to her death in 2007 flabbergasted Maria Shriver. Speaking at a Conference on Women at the time, Maria made known, "It was then that I knew that the TV news business had changed and so had I...I said, 'You know what, this ship has sailed, it's not for me.'" Connie Chung made the comment in 2004, "The whole climate of our news industry now is pop culture. The Michael Jackson interview, Charlize Theron, Jennifer Aniston and Ben and J.Lo — all of these have taken on a heightened interest." Katie Couric added, "The climate is such that there's so much emphasis on ratings...When there is so much emphasis on ratings, it's hard for true journalism to thrive."

Maria was a journalist at NBC News between 1986 and 2004 before she became the First Lady of the State of California from 2003 to 2010. She stopped reporting in 2004 because "I didn't want to become the story on every story I went out on." Maria made her prime time network news debut in 1986 on a newsmagazine also called '1986'. "I came from a well-known family," Maria acknowledged, "I was very adamant that I had to do something for myself." Over 11 million American homes watched Maria's interviews special in 1990. Presenting news, Jessica made the point, "is a job. It is a career. It is tough and it doesn't mean your personal life is happy just because you do well on the air. There's no 'how to?' (in this business). You go out, you learn your trade, you apply your skills and with luck and timing, maybe you'll make it."

In 1987 Maria co-hosted 'Sunday Today'. That same year Democratic front-runner, Senator Gary Hart was forced to withdraw from the Presidential nomination when an article detailing of his relationship with model Donna Rice became front page news. The news however was soon forgotten when the Wall Street stock market crash dominated the headlines. Commentators at the time noted there were many similarities between the 1980s and the Roaring '20s. However unlike 1929, "a stock market crash doesn't ripple out into the economy with the same force." Television, Jessica explained, "is a visual industry. You have to look pleasant enough to be disregarded (so the viewers can) listen to what you're saying. You don't have to be a knockout glamorous symbol. What you have to be is 3 dimensional. You have to look appealing - not overly appealing. But you have to have that 3rd dimension - to know what you're talking about and communicate that (to the viewers). And the viewers may not know that intellectually but visually they sense that." John Chancellor covered the historic Watergate hearings said in 1974, "TV looks good. I think it is very respectful of the proceedings. We realize that a great tragedy is unfolding before us." Of the coverage of the House Judiciary Committee debate, John maintained, "I don't think I've ever been in a more important place at a more important time."

20120606

SPELLING TV

By the 1990s "Spelling TV shows" had become "the phenomenal worldwide interest." It was explained, "In this market without some sort of hook (such as the name Spelling) to bring people in, you're in trouble." It was said "Aaron has been generationally reborn." Insisting "if you don't continue to build your young audience you will have no audience", 'Sunset Beach' marked Aaron Spelling "first exposure to a daytime bible." Since 1985, about 31% of women between the ages of 18 and 49 stopped watching daytime soap operas. However about a million women in those age brackets were still "up for grabs". Shot on location around Santa Monica and Malibu, 'Sunset Beach' was watched by roughly 1.8 million American viewers, mostly women between the ages of 12 and 34, every afternoon. "What we tried to do is create a community," the show's creator said, "make the town itself a character...It's a special place where people gravitate to and where the people live a little larger than life."

In prime time viewers watched 'Melrose Place'. "More than a TV star, Heather Locklear is a premium brand," The Los Angeles Times observed. "There is no fictional role that could overtake her in term of sheer name recognition." Frank South came from the era of "quality television" ('Cagney & Lacey', 'Fame', 'Hill Street Blues'). Back in the 1980s, Frank was "a young rebel playwright" living in New York. In those days, 'Dallas' "was one of the few TV shows I actually watched, because I always loved (Linda Gray)." In 1994 Linda starred in the 'Melrose Place' spin-off series 'Models Inc'. Frank along with Charles Pratt Jr. created the show. Frank described the production of his show, "...The term we use, is an episode has to 'burn a lot of story'. It has to tell a lot of story fast and hit high points and still it has to be grounded in a recognizable reality, tethered very strongly to emotion..." The success of 'Melrose Place' was attributed to that "element of friendship...And we know that friendship is one of the most important things in appealing to Generation X. Look at 'Friends', it even has it in the name."

Of 'Melrose Place', Charles recounted, "At first we tried to make 'Melrose' a slice-of-life drama. We had all these beautiful people in the same apartment building but nobody was sleeping with each other. It was only after we started making it more episodic, with cliff-hangers and stuff, that the show took off." A TV executive also mentioned, "Heather is one of those very few people that the audience does tend to follow." 'Sunset Beach' ran from 1997 to 1999. Like Seal Beach, the producers pointed out, "That's our vision...small, everyone knows everyone."

20120605

1997

In March 1997, Martina Hingis became the youngest No. 1 woman tennis player in history. "I think there is once in a while, once in 100 years, this kind of player," Wimbledon runner-up Jana Novotna offered. At Wimbledon, Martina became the youngest champion in 110 years. "1997," Martina maintained, "was a dream come true for me. I still sometimes can't even believe it. It is especially nice for me to receive (The Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year) award from American writers because it is always important to be recognized as the best outside of your own country." Martina reached the final of all four Grand Slam championships losing only at the French Open. The U.S. Open, Jana believed, "This is the toughest championship to win. Whoever is going to be fitter and can stay focused for the 2 long weeks at the Open, that will determine the champion." Chris Evert added, "Nerves play so important a part at the U.S. Open. It's certainly the toughest of the Grand Slam events. You've got the heat, the crowds, the hassles. Just living in New York City's a hassle. It comes down to being cool for 2 weeks."

Also in 1997, "Tiger" Woods became the youngest-ever golfer to win the U.S. Masters Championships. "There were millions of people talking about golf at their dinner table (on that) Saturday night who had never talked about golf before," one TV executive remarked. Some 44 million viewers were watching the event making it the highest-rated golf telecast since TV began broadcasting the Masters in 1956, eclipsing the previous highest-rated telecast, which was Jack Nicklaus' 1975 victory. "Almost half of this Masters' audience was non-traditional (viewers)," one analyst proclaimed. In 2000 "Tiger" Woods won the Grand Slam of golf.

On TV in 1997, 'Melrose Place' celebrated its 150th episode. And making news, citing as unconstitutional, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against government censorship of the internet because key provisions of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 would breach free speech protections under the First Amendment. Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen made the point, "It is political coming of age for the internet. It demonstrates that the internet is becoming a very important thing in people's lives and it can't be controlled or be made to fit our preconceptions of it." But one attorney argued, "Essentially the Supreme Court of the United States took an idea from the 18th century, that is free speech and said it has enduring quality and will extend into the 21st century because government will not be allowed to censor what's on the internet." Although "no generation can define itself", Generation X was said "more media savvy and interested in all forms of entertainment." Of characters such as Heather Locklear's Amanda on 'Melrose Place', Aaron Spelling made the observation, "I'll guarantee that anybody you ask cannot really tell you what Eve said to Adam in the Garden of Eden. But I'll bet you know what that darn snake said about the apple, don't you? Because, see, the snake always gets the best lines."

20120604

1988

In May 1988, George Shultz met with the Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze in Geneva to discuss a missile treaty. At the bookstores, Tom Wolfe's 'The Bonfire Of The Vanities' was a best-seller. In sport, Martina Navratilova won back-to-back tennis titles in Florida and declared, "I'm not feeling 31. It doesn't matter who's No. 1 now, it's at the end of the year that counts and I'm right on schedule. Consistency is the key." In music, 'Never Gonna Give You Up' by English singer Rick Astley topped the European and American songs charts. "I took up drums around 15," the then 21-year-old shared. "I started recording in December 1986, three songs. One was 'Never Gonna Give You Up', the first single...It sounds as if it is low (notes)...I prefer to sing lower; it feels better and suits better. I think I've always had this sort of tone to my voice. A lot of my favorite singers are black guys...I like a white artist's voice with a soulful approach." On TV, Linda Gray co-starred in the movie, 'The Gambler III – The Legend Continues'. "I was outside most of the time," she said. "It was a wonderful departure because...visually it's totally unlike Sue Ellen (on 'Dallas')." Linda played a Sioux Indian.

"Everybody's been so worried the past few years about what's going to happen when Chris and Martina are no longer competing," Chris Evert made the comment. "I don't think anybody is going to have to worry about it any more. Women's tennis is in a very healthy state right now." After playing Monica Seles at the International Players Championships, Gabriela Sabatini acknowledged, "I'd never seen her play before...I was a little surprised...She's got a very good opportunity to become a good player. She's very good for 14." Of the International Players Championships, Butch Bulchholz pointed out, "The tournament is 4 years old and it takes a while to get entrenched. All I can say is we'll survive." Gaby defeated Chris and Steffi Graf for the first time in her career in 1988. "It's not easy to explain," she later confessed. "I just can't believe that I won. Now, it's real." Zina Garrison believed, "Tennis is 90% mental." Steffi conceded, "I have to...keep telling myself to concentrate." Gaby added, "To try to win against Graf, I have to concentrate from the beginning..."

Bruce Boxleitner starred in 'The Gambler'. He made the remark, "The differences in the industry between 1946 and 1988 are enormous. Today, time is our enemy. In 1946, they shot the movie in 4 months. Our budget allowed us 21 days. In 1946, you could get 3,000 head of cattle. Today, we were lucky to get 300 head and we had to use a lot of stock footage of bald-faced cattle, cattle that weren't even in this country during the time of the great trail drives." Bruce also stated, "It is enormously expensive to use even 300 cattle in a movie. You have to be able to get them out where you are shooting but you also have to be able to feed them every day. And as the guys on our film found out, cows don't turn around like a car when the director says 'Cut'. If you mess up a scene, you have to spend a lot of time getting them back and starting over. No film budget these days can handle a long shooting schedule with all those cattle, so there was a great amount of pressure on the actors and crew to make every scene count." Of scenes on 'Simon & Simon', Gerald McRaney expressed, "It's entertaining and it gives you a few yucks on a Thursday evening, maybe it picks up your day if you’re feeling down. But I really want to be doing things that have more to do with the way people live their lives, with trying to make them a little bit better. There's been so damn much stuff done that's just depressing." Of 'The Gambler', Bruce remembered, "We were filming in Arizona in the winter, when the days were short. We were always fighting against the loss of daylight. You'd better not mess up. You've got horses, cattle, wagons, extras, big scenes, all depending on you do it right the first time."

20120603

TELEVISION

"Like a rock," Dan Rather remarked, "we are hard news. We want (our news) to constantly be a beacon of real hard news. 'News lite' is not our game." But one news producer reasoned, "In the long term, people will still want a mix of news, entertainment and drama and the news audience is sizable." Dan had hosted the evening network news as well as the newsmagazine '48 Hours'. "If '48 Hours' is up against 2 dramas," it was explained, "you can expect it to be a hit. If you schedule another magazine against it, you end up dividing the share points." For instance when 'Eye To Eye' went head-to-head with 'PrimeTime Live'. Although 'Eye To Eye' was not a success, the show's producer insisted, "The show was designed to be lively, interesting and irreverent." In 1994 there were 50% more newsmagazines than in 1993. By 1995, 'Dateline' was on 4 nights a week. "The early ones, '60 Minutes', '20/20' or '48 Hours' commanded one part of the audience on particular days," one network chief observed. "There was an enthusiastic demand for that and I think we misread that demand."

It was the sort of scandal which did for figure skating what 'Who Shot J.R?' had done for 'Dallas'. The climax took place in 1994 at the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. "It's a sports story that became a national story," Connie Chung told viewers at the time. "Violence brought it into the national realm..." At the center of this skating controversy were Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan. Brian Boitano, the 1988 Olympic gold medalist remembered 15 years later, "I thought 'What is Connie Chung doing here?' The way she came in, I was like 'This ain't the Olympics anymore.' We went tabloid. It was very dark." Out of that darkness however, a somewhat rosy future for the sport. When Connie interviewed Tonya, over 15 million TV homes in America were watching. After football, baseball and basketball had always been America's 2nd best-loved sports. Tonya and Nancy had been credited for at least raising the profile of figure skating by generating the level of interest, many believed, was second to none. Their story started in Detroit, also in 1994. Tonya had won the women's U.S. figure skating championship but in controversial style. Nancy, her rival, who was the 1992 Olympic bronze medalist, had withdrawn from the competition after she was kneecapped. At the 11th hour, Tonya went public, "...I learned that some persons close to me were involved in the assault...I have since reported this information to the authorities...How sorry I am about what happened to Nancy Kerrigan. I am embarrassed and ashamed to think that anyone close to me could be involved...I have a great deal of respect for Nancy." At the time, one newspaper columnist wrote, "...Tonya Harding always has been married to trouble." A figure skating coach added, "(She was) a girl who was never taught or trained in how to deal with life."

Roughly 204 million viewers were counted watching the 1994 Olympics (about 93% of all households) making the Winter Games the 6th most watched broadcast in TV history. "I don't think if we sat down to try to script an Olympics we would have done much better," one network chief acknowledged. Some 82 million viewers in 94.2 million homes alone watched the first day of competition. Tonya and Nancy's dramatic showdown round one was watched by over 126 million viewers. The decider attracted 119 million viewers.

"Once I got started in this business," Stone Phillips shared, "it's so engaging because everyday there's another story and it's important. The public service aspect of it appeals to me." Stone co-anchored 'Dateline' with Jane Pauley. From the outset, 'Dateline' producers made the point of 'PrimeTime Live', '20/20' and '60 Minutes', "The only reason they are still on the air is that they adopted the format of what works...They are completely different in the types of stories they cover and how they cover them. That's what will set us apart." Of women occupying high-level positions, Jane made the comment in 1999, "It's just not a shock anymore to my children's generation. They take that absolutely for granted that there are women at every level...There just isn't any going back. That door has been closed - the go back door...All in all I am tremendously amazed at how the world my daughter will grow up in to that she can take for granted things that never occur to me that she would be able to. Looking back 20 years ago, I thought it's going to be an uphill struggle...The barrier has collapsed."

20120602

TELEVISION NEWS

Newsmagazines such as 'PrimeTime Live', '20/20' or 'Dateline' were some of the most-watched 10.00 pm shows on American television in the 1990s. The first and most successful was '60 Minutes'. "There are TV shows about doctors, cowboys, cops," Don Hewitt explained. "This is a show about 4 journalists. But instead of actors playing these 4 guys, they are themselves." It was noted when newsmagazines competed against each other in the same time period, those shows ran the risk of splitting the available audience without attracting any new viewers. An hour-long newsmagazine was said, cost significantly less to produce than an hour-long drama. "That's why you opt to go into commercial broadcasting as opposed to public broadcasting," Don disclosed. "You want to produce something prestigious that is also profitable." Of formula, Roone Arledge remarked, "Somehow, in the original explanation of ('PrimeTime Live')... the idea of liveness was distorted, so that everything had to be live. That never really was the intention. The idea was to go live only when there was a sound reason to do so."

'48 Hours' debut in 1988. It was TV's first single-topic newsmagazine. In 1998, '48 Hours' became the only newsmagazine to achieve an increase in year-to-year viewership. The success of '48 Hours' gave rise to 'Turning Point'. Its March 1994 debut story on Charles Manson attracted 30% of the audience share - a ratings record for a newsmagazine first screen outing in TV history. "There don't seem to be enough compelling stories to carry all these newsmagazines," one network programmer remarked. Dan Rather described '48 Hours' as "the cutting edge of a real story." Bob Simon believed, "Doing '60 Minutes' pieces is really pretty much what we used to do when covering news." In June 1994, the 'Turning Point' special on O.J. Simpson was watched by some 25.4 million viewers in 94.2 million TV homes. It was the No. 1 show of the week.

Network news were undergoing budget cut in 1988. News coverage was in question. Peter Jennings told Garrick Utley, "Well, I think if you look at the evening newcasts of today and compare to 20 years ago the American viewer is infintely better informed than he or she was then. But I think if you compare the average television viewer in America to the average viewer in other countries - particularly in the industrialised world - he or she is under informed. And it is clearly an important rule for people to remember that you think you can get all your news in television you're badly mistaken." Tom Brokaw offered, "We've had the luxury in the last 10 years or so of just being able to go out and cover eveything. Now we just have to make better judgement in the course of the day. We also have to determine what it is that an audience expect from a network news program when it comes on the air and concentrate on that."

Peter also made the point, "Most of us who now do this job in this cycle - and I wasn't here in the last cycle and we may not be here in the next cycle - are somewhat horrified at the degree of attention which these jobs get presently done by, in large measure 3 white middle-aged men. You do your very best to simply ignore that aspect of this business as oppose to this craft and concentrate on those aspects of that craft which is journalism." Andrew Heyward founded '48 Hours'. He made the comment, "Dan is an enormous asset to us. At the same time, Dan and I have talked about and agree on the need to develop the next generation of CBS News anchors."

20120601

TELEVISION NEWS

1990 marked the starting point of women breaking through the glass ceiling to take up anchor roles on prime time television news: Barbara Walters; Diane Sawyer; Connie Chung; Jane Pauley; Maria Shriver; Meredith Vieira; Katie Couric...."It's an interesting phenomenon," Jane readily acknowledged. "For years," one network chief recounted, "people have been saying, 'We've got to get Barbara Walters specials of our own.' It's amazing - she goes out and interviews 3 people and gets a 20 rating every time out." But this phenomenon, one news producer stated, "What you're seeing now is women who started in the '70s and '80s coming of age in the '90s." Barbara remained the most well-known woman in broadcast news. Another commentator added, "In entry-level positions in television, it's 9.5 women for every 0.5 men. I expect the television journalism business to be totally female-driven by the year 2010." Maria maintained, "I certainly don't think I'd be able to do what I'm doing today if it weren't for that experience on (morning television)...Morning television puts you right into someone's bedroom. They decide whether they want you there or they tell you get out." Morning television, Barbara shared, offered a "way for the audience to get to know you. And even if the audience doesn't get to know you, the company gets to know you."

In broadcast news, '60 Minutes' remained the most influential program on television. Don Hewitt disclosed, "I was always a fan of 'Life' and 'Look' magazines. I thought we could be the television counterpart. We'd be the show on everybody's coffee table. I think the death of 'Life' and 'Look' helped us a lot." In 1990 "Saddam Hussein had Americans watching more network news than network entertainment." The 3 newcasts combined captured 59% of the audience share in some 92.1 million households. "Whether he's portrayed as monster or messiah," one commentator claimed, "nobody fascinates the world (in 1990) like Saddam." Harry Truman always believed, "men make history and not the other way around." Iraq's annexation of Kuwait in August 1990 was, according to one Saudi news agency, "the regrettable events (that) are a cause of concern and dissatisfaction to the Arabs as well as the entire world." Requesting to be allowed to make an "appearance in the media, even for 5 minutes" to "help explain Iraq to the American people", Saddam told Diane Americans did not understand survival in the 3rd world. The U.S. ambassador at the time said her embassy managed to secure that interview for the network, noted, "(Diane) did American journalism proud." Then came the words from the White House, "The storm is mighty. The boat is small and the oars are short." George H. W. Bush went on television to notify the American people of his administration's decision to send American troops over to the Persian Gulf to free Kuwait in a battle which became known as the "Operation Desert Storm". "There was a lot more purpose to this war than getting Iraq out of Kuwait," General H. Norman Schwarzkopf recalled. Saddam declared should the war break out, it would become the "Mother of all battles."

Overtly opposing war, the Kuwait council general secretary at the time appealed to Saddam to make a total and unconditional withdrawal from Kuwait before the Tuesday January 15 1991 deadline, "to spare the fraternal Iraqi people and the people of the region and the whole world the horrors of a destructive war." Saddam was said remained defiant. One American official believed, "Saddam may be so focused on the potential losses that Bush might face if he undertakes a war, that he is not focusing enough on the losses Bush might face if he doesn't take action." Almost 2 months into the Desert Storm battle, the overpowered Iraqi forces decided to retreat. Sensing the battle had been won, George senior went on television on February 28 1991 to advise the American people, "Kuwait is liberated...At midnight tonight, eastern standard time, exactly 100 hours since ground operations commenced and 6 weeks since the start of 'Operation Desert Storm', all United States and coalition forces will suspend offensive combat operations."

Sam Donaldson hosted 'PrimeTime Live' with Diane rose to national prominence in 1977 covering the incoming Carter Administration. Sam said, "If they didn't want me to be me then they shouldn't ask me to cover the White House." His 1987 autobiography, 'Hold On, Mr. President!' was an instant best seller. Network anchors were household names during the '60s, '70s and the early '80s. They became authoritative figures because they were seen as a source of reassurance for the nation during a time of crises. "It was a time when I knew all of the names of the correspondents," one news producer remembered. Nowadays, because viewers had access to a lot more information services than back then, meant new personalities would find it hard to break through. "If you look at today's world, where there are so many competent, well-trained reporters and broadcasters working across the networks and across the cable news channels, it's not only harder to stand out but there is also less opportunity to show what your distinctive personality is," another producer observed. "When (Tom) Brokaw came to the anchor desk, he had been a White House correspondent and an anchor on the 'Today' show. A lot of people in this country knew who he was," Sam made the point.

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