The Old Guard has now truly come to an end. As Bismo said tonight, it’s perhaps fitting that Walter Cronkite passed away during the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11’s flight to the Moon. This video clip is from a 2007 CBS special celebrating Cronkite’s 90th birthday. The program was produced by Nancy Kramer, who Carol and I helped last year with some background material for an installment of 48 Hours|Mystery.
I also agreed with Bismo when he said that he never warmed up to Huntley and Brinkley as TV news anchormen. Many adults apparently preferred the team, but they were much too severe to appeal to kids. Cronkite was The Man. He narrated the audio book of his autobiography, “A Reporter’s Life”, and I listened to it twice, all the way through. It was abridged from his book, but I trusted Walter to leave in all the good stuff.
Cronkite is indelibly associated with not only NASA in the 60’s, but his live coverage of the assasination of JFK, and his landmark editorial asserting that the Vietnam War, in his opinion, could not be won. Cronkite’s credibility and judgment were held in such high esteem that LBJ realized his Presidency was doomed and he declined to seek re-election.
Another noteworthy accomplishment of Cronkite’s was that he helped introduce The Beatles to America. Here is a video clip from Nancy Kramer’s TV special that I first posted over a year ago.
© 2007 CBS Worldwide Inc.
[flv:/Video/2008/FEB/CronkiteBeatles.flv 440 330]
Lastly, I would like to point out that Walter Cronkite was a big fan of the comic strip Peanuts, and he wrote the introduction to volume 2 of The Complete Peanuts. Walter cried on air when John Kennedy died, he cried on camera again when Apollo 11 landed on the Moon, he denounced the Vietnam War, he has a Beatles connection, and he loved Charlie Brown and Snoopy. I loved the man and everything he stood for.
Thanks for the tip-off. I’m watching it now. Have to run out for a bit, but the DVR is catching it. Looks like they’re running the 90th birthday special.
Tonight at 7PM CBS is having a special on Cronkite in place of 60 minutes. Maybe it will be done by the 60 minutes staff.
My favorite thing I learned about Cronkite in his obits is this:
Cronkite’s legacy of separating reporting from advocacy has become the norm in television news. In addition, his name has become virtually synonymous with the position of news anchor worldwide–Swedish anchors are known as Kronkiters, but in Holland they are Cronkiters.
http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=cronkitewal
Yay! Katie Couric ended tonight’s broadcast pointing out how Uncle Walt was really the first to bring the Beatles to America. They played the broadcast that caught Ed Sullivan’s eye, plus the bit from Nancy Kramer’s special where he says he wanted to set the record straight on that, with an impish twinkle in his eye. Also fun: on this morning’s show, Morley Safer (Pratt family member)’s comments on Walter’s naughty sense of humor, especially after a drink or two, that he “couldn’t recount on TV.” Morley was very sad, but also full of love talking about his dear friend. Oddly absent: Mike Wallace. Not a friend, or depressed over the news?
The way things worked out last night, I couldn’t start this post until 11:30. I had to hustle to put it together, including the scans, before midnight. Working under a deadline was the best way to pay tribute to Cronkite.
Still crying. There will be no other like him. I feel sorry for today’s generation, as they have no news heroes. I came over here for comfort. Yes, it’s fitting he died during the 40th anniversary of the moon landing. I’ll never forget the expression on his face. He was like a little boy. He never realized his dream of going into space, until now. The CBS Early Show has just come on with a two-hour special. A great man has gone to his reward, to give the news to the big guy.