Mike Wallace Movies
Forever associated with the 60 Minutes Sunday-night news magazine on CBS -- which he anchored for an astonishing 38 years (1968-2006) -- Mike Wallace became synonymous with on-air trustworthiness and reliability, and the nation's preeminent guide to outstanding, documentary-style probes of contemporary issues and global phenomena. Born May 9, 1918, in the posh Boston suburb of Brookline, MA, Wallace attended the University of Michigan as a young man, and later accepted a job as announcer at WOOD-AM radio in nearby Grand Rapids (in 1939). Wallace segued from this into a stint manning radio commercials and announcing serialized radio dramas at stations in Detroit and Chicago. Within a decade, Wallace leapt into the then-nascent medium of television with full abandon, working in any and every capacity allowed him, including dramatic roles, game shows, and the occasional assignment hosting a talk show, such as the now-forgotten Mike and Buff.In 1963, Wallace grew sick of non-news interests and reported to CBS News president Richard Salent, asserting that he had "sanitized" himself of all television matters unconnected to nonfiction reportage. Salent allegedly hired Wallace with a 65-percent pay deduction, but the burgeoning newsman persisted, and in time received title credit on the CBS morning news broadcasts; The CBS Morning News With Mike Wallace ran from 1963 through 1966 and garnered enormous popularity. But Wallace's greatest legacy was still at least two years away. On Tuesday evening, September 24, 1968, 60 Minutes premiered at 10:00 p.m., with Wallace as its chief anchor and Harry Reasoner as his co-host. According to Broadcasting magazine, the format itself developed out of Night Beat, a local talk program hosted by Wallace in 1956, in which he had exhibited a trademark "adversarial style" of journalism. 60 Minutes producers' strategy involved counterbalancing this aggression with Reasoner's genial "nice guy" approach. The plan worked, and the program's ratings shot up to astronomical levels, qualifying it as nothing less than a national phenomenon. As noted, Wallace remained on 60 Minutes for decades, but even after he retired, he returned from time to time to man periodic interviews.
In addition to his role on 60 Minutes, Wallace occasionally dabbled in acting, with a cameo in Elia Kazan's shattering indictment of television, A Face in the Crowd (1957), as well as a humorous 1993 guest appearance on Murphy Brown (a series that a number of his colleagues also appeared on). Wallace hosted the popular documentary series The 20th Century With Mike Wallace (1994-2000), which investigated everything from the Gulf War to celebrity murders to gun control and hurricanes. He also appears as an interviewee in the documentaries Vietnam: Chronicle of a War (1981) and Watergate: The Secret Story (1992). ~ 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)
The meteoric popularity of Arthur Godfrey was allegedly the basis of the 1957 drama Face in the Crowd. Andy Griffith makes a spectacular film debut as Lonesome Rhodes, a philosophical country-western singer discovered in a tanktown jail by television talent coordinator Patricia Neal and her assistant Walter Matthau. They decide that Rhodes is worthy of a TV guest spot, the result being that the gangly, aw-shucks entertainer becomes an overnight sensation. As he ascends to stardom, Rhodes attracts fans, sponsors and endorsements by the carload, and soon he is the most powerful and influential entertainer on the airwaves. Beloved by his audience, Rhodes reveals himself to his intimates as a scheming, power-hungry manipulator, with Machiavellian political aspirations. He uses everyone around him, coldly discarding anyone who might impede his climb to the top (one such victim is sexy baton-twirler Lee Remick, likewise making her film debut). Just when it seems that there's no stopping Rhodes' megalomania, his mentor and ex-lover Neal exposes this Idol of Millions as the rat that he is. She arranges to switch on the audio during the closing credits of Rhodes' TV program, allowing the whole nation to hear the grinning, waving Rhodes characterize them as "suckers" and "stupid idiots." Instantly, Rhodes' popularity rating plummets to zero. As he drunkenly wanders around his penthouse apartment, still not fully comprehending what has happened to him, Rhodes is deserted by the very associates who, hours earlier, were willing to ask "how high?" when he yelled "jump". Written by Budd Schulberg, Face in the Crowd was not a success, possibly because it hit so close to home with idol-worshipping TV fans. Its reputation has grown in the intervening years, not only because of its value as a film but because of the novelty of seeing the traditionally easygoing Andy Griffith as so vicious and manipulative a character as Lonesome Rhodes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andy Griffith, Patricia Neal, (more)
- 1998
This program is part of the popular investigative series on HBO America Undercover. This episode is a study of an American epidemic: depression. People with depression often suffer for years untreated for the symptoms of this debilitating disease. Failure to recognize the problem as an illness, or fear of social stigma are two of the reasons why so many people go without help. Clinical psychologists offer insights on ways to cope with and overcome severe depression. Mike Wallace and William Styron are among the celebrities presented on the show to talk about their successful recovery from this widespread mental disorder. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1984
This video features five investigative stories from the award-winning television news magazine. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- 1951
Spike Jones makes his first TV appearance on this episode of The Colgate Comedy Hour. A young Mike Wallace also appears as an announcer. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Spike Jones
- 1993
- Add Edward R. Murrow: The Best of "See it Now" to QueueAdd Edward R. Murrow: The Best of "See it Now" to top of Queue
Edward R Murrow and his way of reporting news still looms large over the landscape of television journalism. This program presents the best of his lauded television program See It Now, including the famous episode where Murrow took on Joseph McCarthy and called him to task when no one else would. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide
- 1986
This business presentation features a variety of interviewers that are grilled about their techniques in this program. ~ 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
- 1998
In the second part of Murphy Brown's series finale (originally telecast as the conclusion of a single 60-minute episode), Murphy undergoes surgery for a possible malignancy. While under the ether, Murphy conducts an interview with God (played by Alan King), which quickly (and typically) degenerates into a shouting match. Ultimately, however, God advises Murphy to give up her retirement plans and return to work--and once it turns out that she's cancer-free, Murphy follows His advice. The now-classic closing scene finds Murphy reunited with her favorite house-painter Eldin Bernecky (welcome back, Robert Pastorelli), who has come to her townhouse on a mysterious mission. Series producer Diane English pops up uncredited as a doctor...and say, isn't that George Clooney? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
The "Big Apple" has a colorful, influential, and, at times, tragic history that spans nearly four hundred years. This is the first episode in the epic PBS documentary series about the most populous city in the United States. Originally christened "New Amsterdam" by its Dutch founders, the city is shown in this program to have been a center of commerce from its inception. When the British took over, they gave it the name by which the world knows the city to this day. The first installment of American Experience: New York takes the story as far as the early years of the bustling 19th century, by which time New York belonged to the fledgling United States. Highlights include archival paintings and engravings, as well as commentary by numerous guests including historian Thomas Bender, novelist Caleb Carr (The Alienist), New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and award-winning novelist E.L. Doctorow. Other features include dramatic readings by some of the guests. Directed by Ric Burns and narrated by David Ogden Stiers. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Ogden Stiers
- 1999
New York of the 19th century was already a haven of celebrities; showman P.T. Barnum's museum drew crowds on Broadway, and up the street the great photographer Mathew Brady stayed busy taking "likenesses" of the rich and famous. However, when British author Charles Dickens visited New York in 1842, the poverty and squalor he witnessed in New York appalled him; he noted that it was worse than any of London's. Indeed, as revealed in the second episode of this epic PBS documentary series, New York's rapid growth didn't come without a human cost. Gangs as bad or worse than any in the 20th century roamed the harsh tenement slums. Disparity between rich and poor, American-born and immigrant, culminated in the draft riots during the sweltering summer of July 1863. Angry over the unfairness of the newly instituted Civil War draft (rich men could buy their way out of the military), mobs of men, women, and children rampaged through the streets causing millions of dollars in damage. Several blacks got lynched during the riots, and federal troops had to be called back from the still-smoking battlefields of Gettysburg to restore the peace. Highlights include archival daguerreotypes, paintings, and engravings, as well as commentary by numerous guests including historian Thomas Bender, poet Allen Ginsberg, architect Robert A. M. Stern, and historian Gretchen Sullivan Sorin. Other features include dramatic readings by various people including Frances Sternhagen, Keith David, Spalding Gray, Philip Bosco, Eli Wallach, and George Plimpton. Directed by Ric Burns and narrated by David Ogden Stiers. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Ogden Stiers
- 1999
With the Civil War settled, New York could focus solely on the business of business and getting rich. Central Park finally became a true park instead of a shantytown, and "Boss Tweed" ran the city like his own private fiefdom, ultimately leading to the rise of righteous reformers such as Theodore Roosevelt. This is the third episode of the epic PBS documentary series about the "Big Apple." Topics covered include the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. The program takes the story of New York to the last years of the 19th century, a time when the city expanded well beyond the confines of Manhattan Island. Highlights include period photographs, archival paintings, and engravings, as well as commentary by numerous guests including Ruth J. Abram, founder of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum; novelist Caleb Carr (The Alienist), architect Robert A. M. Stern; writer Jean Strouse; and historian John Kuo Wei Tchen. Other features include dramatic readings by guests including Frances Sternhagen, Eli Wallach, and George Plimpton. Directed by Ric Burns and narrated by David Ogden Stiers. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide
- 1999
It was the fire that sparked reform; after 146 people -- mostly women and girls -- died in the ferocious 1911 blaze that gutted the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, it was discovered that the exits had been locked by the management to prevent theft by the workers. At the time, there were no fire laws in the city, and few laws protecting workers. As this fourth episode in the PBS documentary series about New York reveals, citizen anger at the tragedy led to public hearings and a state commission recommending safety reforms such as automatic sprinklers in buildings over seven stories high, more frequent fire inspections, and a shorter, 54-hour week for women. Also covered in this episode is the fledgling motion picture industry led by companies such as Biograph, for which D.W. Griffith shot hundreds of short films; the continued problem of overcrowded slums, a blight exacerbated by the arrival of 10 million new immigrants in just a couple of decades; and the building of modern urban emblems: the subway system and skyscrapers. Highlights include archival motion picture footage, period photographs, archival paintings, and engravings, as well as commentary by numerous guests including Academy award-winning director Martin Scorcese; Ruth J. Abram, founder of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum; novelist Caleb Carr (The Alienist); architect Robert A. M. Stern; writer Jean Strouse; and historian John Kuo Wei Tchen. Other features include dramatic readings by guests including Robert Sean Leonard, Frances Sternhagen, Eli Wallach, and George Plimpton. Directed by Ric Burns and narrated by David Ogden Stiers. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Ogden Stiers
- 1999
Calling Prohibition a "noble experiment," New York congressman Fiorello La Guardia then declared the law unenforceable. Throughout most of New York City, this was the correct assessment. This is the fifth episode of the epic PBS documentary series about the "Big Apple." Also covered in this program is the deportation of pacifist and anarchist Emma Goldman during the "Red Scare" of 1919; the horse-drawn wagon bombing of the Morgan Bank in 1920, which killed 30 people; the change of Harlem from a German-Jewish neighborhood to a mostly black one; the "Harlem Renaissance"; the "Jazz Age"; the rise of radio as entertainment; the invention of the Broadway musical; and the construction of the Empire State Building. Highlights include archival newsreel footage and photographs, as well as commentary from a variety of guests including historian David Levering Lewis, construction consultant Joel Silverman, architect Robert A.M. Stern, historian Ann Douglas, and historian Joshua Freeman. Directed by Ric Burns and narrated by David Ogden Stiers. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Ogden Stiers
- 2000
This documentary, part of the 20th Century With Mike Wallace series from CBS News and the History Channel, explores the radical weather patterns and occurrences from the year 1999. Narrated by series host and CBS News correspondent Mike Wallace, this episode uses footage from the CBS News to examine the deadly changes in the weather around the world, including hurricanes in November and tornadoes in January. Wallace talks to noted weather experts David Rind from NASA and Michael Oppenheimer from the Environmental Defense Fund to see what they have to say about these unusual weather conditions. These two scientists talk about the effects of natural phenomenon, such as the Greenhouse Factor and El Nino, in the world's weather conditions and whether these phenomena had anything to do with the record-breaking weather conditions of 1999. Wallace and the experts also speculate about the weather patterns for the future and if these extreme and varying conditions will continue. ~ Cecilia Cygnar, All Movie Guide
- 1997
This documentary, part of the 20th Century With Mike Wallace series from CBS News and the History Channel, takes a look at the role of women throughout the history of the United States armed forces. Narrated by series host and CBS News correspondent Mike Wallace, this episode looks at females in the military from World War I to the Persian Gulf War, examining how their roles have changed through the years. Mike Wallace weighs both sides of this issue, from the proponents of women playing a more active role in the military to the new problems created, such as the Navy Tailhook scandal. Interviews with Air Force Major General Jeanne Holm and Army Colonel David Hackworth offer insight on the obstacles women have to overcome and the future of women in the military. ~ Cecilia Cygnar, All Movie Guide
- 1996
This documentary, part of the 20th Century With Mike Wallace series from CBS News and the History Channel, takes a close look at the history and the war in Entebbe, a city in South Central Uganda in Africa. Narrated by series host and CBS News correspondent Mike Wallace, this episode uses footage from CBS to document these six days in 1976 that began after a French airplane, en route from Israel to France, was hijacked and diverted to Entebbe. An Israeli commando squad finally stopped the Palestinian hijackers and freed all 103 Israeli hostages aboard the plane. 20th Century With Mike Wallace features interviews with some of the former hostages and an examination of the leadership of Yitzhak Rabin, who commanded the Israeli forces during that six-day war. ~ Cecilia Cygnar, All Movie Guide
- 1996
This documentary, part of the 20th Century With Mike Wallace series from CBS News and the History Channel, looks at the horrors of the Vietnam War through an examination of the air conflict and a look at the prisoners of war (POWs). Narrated by series host and CBS News correspondent Mike Wallace, this episode shows how the U.S. military thought that victory would be assured in going up against the third world nations of Southeast Asia. Soon, the U.S. discovered that they had underestimated the powers of the North Vietnamese. By showing classic footage from CBS News archives, this program shows some of the surviving U.S. pilots talking about the brutality and failure of the air fights, from the beginning to the very end of this bloody war. 20th Century With Mike Wallace also features an interview with Senator John McCain, who talks about his experiences as a POW in Vietnam. ~ Cecilia Cygnar, All Movie Guide
