Lesley Stahl Movies
Venerable broadcast journalist Lesley Stahl ascended to her best-known position -- that of correspondent for the institutional CBS news magazine 60 Minutes -- in early 1991. Stahl replaced Meredith Vieira, when the latter allegedly left the show in the midst of a dispute with the network. Dedicated TV news adherents will doubtless realize that Stahl's 60 Minutes tenure represented only the cap on an astounding career, and that she -- like her colleagues -- sustained a decades-long resumé of prestigious assignments prior to her arrival on the CBS Sunday-night telecasts.Born December 16, 1941, in Swampscott, MA, Stahl attended and graduated from Wheaton College, and first made her mark reporting, for CBS, on the Watergate scandal of the early '70s. Additional key assignments for Stahl during that decade included coverage of the U.S.-Russian summit meetings and of each U.S. presidential election. In the late '70s, Stahl graduated from regular CBS news correspondent to the network's chief White House correspondent during the Carter presidency, the Reagan era, and part of the term of George H.W. Bush. During this time period, Stahl also served as chief commentator on Face the Nation. Stahl's memorable 60 Minutes pieces included reports on David Kessler's feud with tobacco manufacturers, a business profile of Google, and legendary interviews with Richard Clarke and Paul O'Neill of the George W. Bush administration.
Stahl made a humorous guest appearance alongside her colleagues on a 1993 episode of the situation comedy Murphy Brown. She carried her involvement in that program one step further than the rest, however, by also returning to host a best-of retrospective of clips at the end of the 1994-1995 season. Stahl is married to journalist and author Aaron Latham, best known to cinephiles for authoring the Esquire articles that inspired the enjoyable Urban Cowboy (1980) and the subpar Perfect (1985), and for penning the screenplay of the 1993 James Caan sports drama The Program. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Ever since the 20th anniversary of the CBS news magazine 60 Minutes in 1988, it has been the network's policy to issue, at five-year intervals, a retrospective of the program's most memorable moments. The 2003 edition, 35 Years and 60 Minutes, is like its predecessors, a fascinating mosaic of filmed and taped excerpts from past 60 Minutes installments. Hosted by the indefatigable Mike Wallace, the special is divided into four segments: "Superstars and Celebrities" (Bette Davis, Charles Schulz, Jackie Gleason, Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman, and virtually all presidents from Nixon to George W. Bush); "Asking Tough Questions" (featuring the surprise and outrage of the rich and famous as they are confronted with questions they either can't or don't want to answer); "Crooks and Con Men" (the liars, mountebanks, corrupt officials, and foreign despots who make life so interesting); and, inevitably, "Andy Rooney: Happy 35th Birthday" (Didja ever notice that Andy Rooney never really said "Didja ever notice?"). While many of the clips seen in this special had done yeoman duty in earlier retrospectives, some of the highlights in 35 Years and 60 Minutes are shown for the first time in -- well, in nearly 35 years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mike Wallace, Ed Bradley, (more)
- 1997
In this follow up to the previous episode "My Fair Fraser," the romance between high-powered attorney Samantha (Lindsay Frost) and the uncharacteristically submissive Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) is on the rocks. Ultimately the relationship breaks off, though Samantha assures Frasier that this setback is "all about her." This doesn't stop our hero from believing that the breakup was his fault -- and subsequently obsessing over the "fact." 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl makes a cameo appearance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Although Season Seven of Murphy Brown officially ended with the previous episode "Make Room for Daddy", the season was capped by this retrospective episode, hosted by Lesley Stahl. Featured are highlights from past Murphy Brown installments, including clips from the series' debut and fragments from the famous "childbirth" sequence which so incurred the outrage of former vice-president Dan Quayle). Originally telecast in a single 60-minute slot, "Retrospective" has since been divided into two half-hours for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Although Season Seven of Murphy Brown officially ended with the previous episode "Make Room for Daddy", the season was capped by this retrospective episode, hosted by Leslie Stahl. Featured are highlights from past Murphy Brown installments, including a montage of Murphy's weird secretaries, the guest appearances by such notables as Walter Cronkite and Joan Lunden, and an in-depth interview with series creator Diane English. Originally telecast in a single 60-minute slot, "Retrospective" has since been divided into two half-hours for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Former Alf regular Max Wright appears as an author to whom Murphy (Candice Bergen) has granted authorization to write her biography. Once the deal is signed, Murphy begins to fret over what her friends and colleagues will say about her when interviewed for the upcoming book. This results in an "all-star nightmare" for our heroine, featuring a number of real-life politicians and journalists--including virtually the entire cast of 60 Minutes! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
