Andy Rooney Movies
Like Mike Wallace and Morley Safer, Andy Rooney was inextricable from 60 Minutes in the minds of the American populace. Rooney stood apart from those colleagues, however, thanks to the sheer uniqueness of his regular contributions. For decades, Rooney brought a series of reflective witticisms to the news magazine with his famous segment "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney" -- a colorful (and highly editorialized) epilogue response to the events chronicled on each broadcast. Originally added on opposite weeks, to offset the "Point/Counterpoint" debate segment, Rooney's monologues (which commenced with the debut of the 1978-1979 season) helped make the popularity of 60 Minutes skyrocket -- to the number one spot in all of prime-time television, in fact. Though occasionally controversial, the segments netted several Emmys for Rooney.A television personality if ever there were one, Rooney nonetheless regarded himself as a writer by trade. He began life on January 14, 1919, in Albany, NY, and enrolled in Colgate University, then flew bombing raids over Germany in World War II. During his thirties and fourties, he wrote for television in sundry capacities, on such series as Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts and The Garry Moore Show, and on CBS News public-affairs programs. From 1962 through 1968, Rooney teamed up with future 60 Minutes co-star Harry Reasoner to create a series of "television essays," on diverse topics ranging from women to chairs to hotels to bridges. In the late '60s, Rooney also wrote two acclaimed CBS News specials on the African-American experience, as part of the series entitled "Of Black America."
When Reasoner joined 60 Minutes as a correspondent from 1968 to 1970 (he would eventually return for another 13 year stint, starting in 1978), Rooney produced a number of his documentary segments. On the side, Rooney also wrote, produced, and headlined such seriocomic, thought-provoking specials for CBS News as the Peabody Award-winning Mr. Rooney Goes to Washington (1975) and Mr. Rooney Goes to Dinner (1976). In addition to his CBS News work, Andy Rooney authored and published a myriad of books, including The Fortunes of War (1962), Sweet and Sour (1992), and Common Nonsense (2002).
Rooney announced his retirement from 60 Minutes in October 2011, and died just a month later after suffering complications from minor surgery. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- 2011
Canadian filmmaker Alan Zweig, himself an admitted curmudgeon, devotes this talking-head documentary primarily to interviews with other curmudgeons with a similar sensibility. The movie consists largely of talking-head interviews with a variety of men and women, spanning several generations, who have the sourly cynical, intellectual view of the world that qualifies them as fellow curmudgeons. Some of the interviewees are renowned in various fields (author Fran Lebowitz, autobiographical comic strip creator Harvey Pekar, indie rock musician Mark Eitzel, media commentator Andrew Rooney); others are far less familiar to the general public. The interviews are largely devoted to humorous, at times philosophical, discussions (with plenty of illustrative anecdotes) about the curmudgeonly attitudes the subjects bring to their worlds, taking in jaded observations of popular culture, social institutions, and humanity as a whole. ~ Richie Unterberger, Rovi
- Starring:
- Fran Lebowitz
- 2007
- Add Silent Wings: The American Glider Pilots of WWII to Queue Add Silent Wings: The American Glider Pilots of WWII to top of Queue
Join narrator Hal Holbrook as he examines the crucial role that gliders played in World War II offensives in this documentary that follows the history of the glider from the race to master the sky to the beaches of Normandy and Germany's last stand. In order to emerge victorious in battle, it was crucial that pilots be able to deliver weapons and munitions deep into enemy territory. Unarmed cargo gliders provided the ideal means of accomplishing this lofty goal, and the 6,000 American volunteers who volunteered to pilot these vehicles would repeatedly risk their lives flying in the hostile territory under the most treacherous conditions. Frequently carrying out their missions in the dead of night, these brave souls would take to the skies with no motor to propel them, no landmarks to guide them, and no parachutes to ensure their safety. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hal Holbrook
- 2006
- Add Mr. Conservative: Goldwater on Goldwater to Queue Add Mr. Conservative: Goldwater on Goldwater to top of Queue
Barry Goldwater was among the most controversial figures in American politics in the 1960s. A hard-line fiscal conservative and an outspoken supporter of the war in Vietnam, Goldwater was elected to the U.S. Congress as a senator from Arizona in 1952, and he helped galvanize the Republican party, leading the way for a bolder brand of conservative politics that many have cited as the first steps to the election of Ronald Reagan as president and the new wave of conservative thought that followed, despite Goldwater's own infamous defeat when he ran for president opposite Lyndon Johnson. However, while Goldwater was regarded as a spokesman of the far right, his political views were far broader than his reputation would suggest -- he frequently supported civil rights and environmental legislation in Congress, he was an outspoken opponent of the influence of Christian activists in politics, and his positions took an a more libertarian stance as the Republican party moved farther to the right in the 1980s. (He also once called Richard M. Nixon "the most dishonest individual I have ever met.") Goldwater also earned a reputation for his sharp sense of humor and his unflinching honesty. Barry Goldwater's granddaughter C.C. Goldwater produced the documentary Mr. Conservative: Goldwater on Goldwater, in which home movies, archival interviews, newsreel footage, and conversations with Goldwater's friends, relatives, and colleagues come together to create a portrait of the public and private sides of this complicated man. Among those interviewed in the film are Walter Cronkite, Hillary Clinton, Helen Thomas, George Will, Sandra Day O'Connor, Ben Bradlee, Julian Bond, and Al Franken. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 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, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mike Wallace, Ed Bradley, (more)
- 1993
Fans of the TV show 60 Minutes usually have strong feelings for or against this social and news commentator. Each edition of the show ends with Rooney talking about current events or everyday household items that have caught his fancy or even irritated him. He can be quite funny at times, whether speaking out against junk mail or in favor of a particular political cause. Though his detractors might find Rooney a bit too conservative, his supporters love his way of interpreting ordinary topics in a clever or lighthearted way. This video contains a collection of some of his most popular and amusing segments.
~ Elizabeth Smith, Rovi
~ Elizabeth Smith, Rovi
- 1993
The most loveable curmudgeon and cultural critic on television has to be writer, reporter, and television essayist Andy Rooney. His regular segments at the end of the weekly broadcast of 60 Minutes have become legendary, a staple of American television viewing on Sunday nights. In these segments Rooney would often comment and critique everyday or commonplace items or practices, or make general observations about events that were unfolding in the news, managing each time to find a poignant yet humorous tone in his observations. This 60-minute video contains some of Andy Rooney's best essays from his CBS broadcasts since the early 1960's, most containing his trademark question, "Have you ever wondered. . .?"
~ Forrest Spencer, Rovi
~ Forrest Spencer, Rovi
- 1984
This video features five investigative stories from the award-winning television news magazine. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi
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