it has been said that the four most
feared words in the English language are
Mike Wallace is here with good reason
for 35 years Mike Wallace has been the
Grand Inquisitor of CBS’s 60 minutes his
ability to dismantle interview subjects
the rich the influential the deceitful
with a withering fire of questions
utterly changed our modern views of the
media so let’s turn to the fact file
Mike’s real name is Myron he was born in
Massachusetts at the end of world war
one the son of the Ukrainian grocer grew
up down the street from John Kennedy and
got his first radio job in Michigan did
quiz shows commercials talk shows even
acted on Broadway briefly in 1968 he
turned down an offer to work for Richard
Nixon and that was fortunate because the
same year he joined a new show called 16
minutes it would take a very long time
to chronicle all of the many
accomplishments of Mike Wallace but
we’ll do our best thanks for joining us
here today pleasure I think what do you
think about your future let’s start with
that first contract is running down
everybody wants to know if they’re going
to write down contract will be up a year
from now well that’s running down in my
book are you going to quitter you’re
gonna keep going I probably probably
quit by this probably quit probably quit
yeah I’ll find other things to do but
what you love reporting still love love
it but the grind of doing even though
you love the grind the grind of 60
minutes all these years an 80 it’ll be
then an 85 or an 86 year old man does
not want to get on long plane trips and
I just don’t want to do it just in New
York that will be for so many of us who
love this business both those of us in
it and those at home watching it that
will be the passing of an era Oh knock
at all of course it will be believe me I
mean it’s very flattering and it’s
lovely to hear but it’s not the passing
of
era it’s it’s it’s we did an
extraordinary thing we were fortunate
enough to come along at the right time
do a good job of investigating of
looking behind the facade of asking
questions that were on the mind of
America questions that they hadn’t heard
put by reporters before Aman president
Sadat of Egypt a devoutly religious man
a Muslim says that what you are doing
now is quote a disgrace to Islam and he
calls you Imam forgive me his words not
mine a lunatic and you could see the
object of scrutiny squirming a little is
that why 60 minutes has been the most
successful news magazine show of all
time mm-hmm that basically that is the
reason basically because Hewitt Don
Hewitt the executor he was the first guy
to say it it’s telling a story get an
interesting character tell a good story
something that says I didn’t know that I
didn’t know that that’s wonderful you
mean to say that that’s the kind of
story that we like to tell and if you
can get good characters to tell that
story with took us about five years to
find our way nobody was watching at the
time and then suddenly in them in 71 72
73 people began to watch well you’re
casting from the beginning was what you
were told you are to be what the black
hat the bad guy the black hat the the
harry reasoner was the white hat he was
going to be the sole anchor of 60
minutes from the beginning and somebody
said you know something he’s the heart
of America he’s wonderful on the air but
it needs a little grit beyond harry
reasoner and was that a role you were
eager to take on camera
there was no better attack interviewer
in the country to do this tack well
littell you know what attack means the
thing that made corporate bosses sit
across from you and say oh my gosh it’s
mike wallace all i did was do a little
research or have other people helping it
do a little research and I could prove
that this person over here was a bit of
a crook is that attacking somebody
that’s reporting and putting somebody on
a spot yeah which you did it in a way
all the other reporters are reporting
the same thing you said yourself to be a
good reporter a successful reporter
popular reporter you have to be a bit of
a performer you said there are plenty of
great reporters who have never reached
your renowned because they’re just good
reporters that that has nothing to do
with attack or not attack if you are a
performer that means that you take stage
one of the best performers I know is
that Bradley when you watch Bradley
interviewing somebody when you watch Bob
Simon interviewing somebody they take
command of the tube you’re virtually
inside his their head their heads that’s
that’s what I mean performer there’s not
a writer will have a certain style and
you’ll want to read him you’ll want to
read him because he will take your
attention doesn’t there’s nothing wrong
with being a good performer and I
learned some of that technique along the
way but there’s nothing wrong as being
hard either and pushing in oh hell no
but that’s not attacking
feared words in the English language are
Mike Wallace is here with good reason
for 35 years Mike Wallace has been the
Grand Inquisitor of CBS’s 60 minutes his
ability to dismantle interview subjects
the rich the influential the deceitful
with a withering fire of questions
utterly changed our modern views of the
media so let’s turn to the fact file
Mike’s real name is Myron he was born in
Massachusetts at the end of world war
one the son of the Ukrainian grocer grew
up down the street from John Kennedy and
got his first radio job in Michigan did
quiz shows commercials talk shows even
acted on Broadway briefly in 1968 he
turned down an offer to work for Richard
Nixon and that was fortunate because the
same year he joined a new show called 16
minutes it would take a very long time
to chronicle all of the many
accomplishments of Mike Wallace but
we’ll do our best thanks for joining us
here today pleasure I think what do you
think about your future let’s start with
that first contract is running down
everybody wants to know if they’re going
to write down contract will be up a year
from now well that’s running down in my
book are you going to quitter you’re
gonna keep going I probably probably
quit by this probably quit probably quit
yeah I’ll find other things to do but
what you love reporting still love love
it but the grind of doing even though
you love the grind the grind of 60
minutes all these years an 80 it’ll be
then an 85 or an 86 year old man does
not want to get on long plane trips and
I just don’t want to do it just in New
York that will be for so many of us who
love this business both those of us in
it and those at home watching it that
will be the passing of an era Oh knock
at all of course it will be believe me I
mean it’s very flattering and it’s
lovely to hear but it’s not the passing
of
era it’s it’s it’s we did an
extraordinary thing we were fortunate
enough to come along at the right time
do a good job of investigating of
looking behind the facade of asking
questions that were on the mind of
America questions that they hadn’t heard
put by reporters before Aman president
Sadat of Egypt a devoutly religious man
a Muslim says that what you are doing
now is quote a disgrace to Islam and he
calls you Imam forgive me his words not
mine a lunatic and you could see the
object of scrutiny squirming a little is
that why 60 minutes has been the most
successful news magazine show of all
time mm-hmm that basically that is the
reason basically because Hewitt Don
Hewitt the executor he was the first guy
to say it it’s telling a story get an
interesting character tell a good story
something that says I didn’t know that I
didn’t know that that’s wonderful you
mean to say that that’s the kind of
story that we like to tell and if you
can get good characters to tell that
story with took us about five years to
find our way nobody was watching at the
time and then suddenly in them in 71 72
73 people began to watch well you’re
casting from the beginning was what you
were told you are to be what the black
hat the bad guy the black hat the the
harry reasoner was the white hat he was
going to be the sole anchor of 60
minutes from the beginning and somebody
said you know something he’s the heart
of America he’s wonderful on the air but
it needs a little grit beyond harry
reasoner and was that a role you were
eager to take on camera
there was no better attack interviewer
in the country to do this tack well
littell you know what attack means the
thing that made corporate bosses sit
across from you and say oh my gosh it’s
mike wallace all i did was do a little
research or have other people helping it
do a little research and I could prove
that this person over here was a bit of
a crook is that attacking somebody
that’s reporting and putting somebody on
a spot yeah which you did it in a way
all the other reporters are reporting
the same thing you said yourself to be a
good reporter a successful reporter
popular reporter you have to be a bit of
a performer you said there are plenty of
great reporters who have never reached
your renowned because they’re just good
reporters that that has nothing to do
with attack or not attack if you are a
performer that means that you take stage
one of the best performers I know is
that Bradley when you watch Bradley
interviewing somebody when you watch Bob
Simon interviewing somebody they take
command of the tube you’re virtually
inside his their head their heads that’s
that’s what I mean performer there’s not
a writer will have a certain style and
you’ll want to read him you’ll want to
read him because he will take your
attention doesn’t there’s nothing wrong
with being a good performer and I
learned some of that technique along the
way but there’s nothing wrong as being
hard either and pushing in oh hell no
but that’s not attacking
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