Times have certainly changed since the days when the arrival
of Mike Wallace would send chills down the spines of would be hustlers, liars
and corrupt individuals. In those days his gotcha style journalism was hailed
as a way of catching people off guard and getting to the truth of the matter.
Many journalists who employ those methods today, such as Project Veritas, are
condemned rather than praised. The fact is both deserve a certain amount of
credit rather than condemnation. But Wallace was the first big name to start it
all.
Composed of various old interviews and footage of Wallace
when he was still alive, the film opens with him interviewing Bill O’Reilly and
taking him to task for his confrontational style of journalism. What makes this
odd is that as the film progresses we witness Wallace doing the same exact
thing in various interviews. The same holds true with the off camera language
used by Wallace at times, something O’Reilly was condemned for at one point in
time.
Wallace states in the film that “A nation’s press is a good
yardstick of a nation’s health. Take a look at the history of any nation that
has lost its freedoms and you’ll find that the men who grabbed the power also
had to crush the free press”. That’s an incredibly true statement. Historically
we’ve seen people like Hitler and Stalin crush the press. One has to assume the
makers of this film feel that this is a current threat, thus using this to
frame the film. But to date there is no sign of it happening.
Wallace also states during the film that “What we’re
defending is the people’s right to know.” There is a fine line in journalism
between the people’s right to know and the safety and rights of those being
accused, badgered or interviewed. Wallace was one that knew enough not to step
over those lines and it shows in this documentary as well as the memories of
those who watched him each week on 60 MINUTES.
The film looks back at Wallace from start to finish, with
his early days as a celebrity host of games shows and as a spokesman for
various products. He stepped up to investigative gotcha style interviews with THE
MIKE WALLACE INTERVIEW for a year in 1957. With controversial guests he would
allow them to speak but would have that moment when you knew he was nailing
them down. While the show only lasted a year it gave him a taste of what it was
like.
In 1962 Wallace’ was faced with the death of his eldest son.
This shook him to his core. As he says in the film it made him want to do
something more with his life than just host shows or work as an actor on radio.
He took a job with CBS News and began filing reports for several years. The
rest of the news team at CBS didn’t welcome him with open arms though,
considering him little more than a talking head, an actor. He had to work to gain
the reputation as an honest journalist among them.
Another person who didn’t quite fit in was producer Don
Hewitt. He and Wallace struck up a friendship as outsiders. When Hewitt was
given a last ditch opportunity to come up with a new show, he developed 60
MINUTES and took Wallace with him. The rest was history.
As some fellow journalists note during their discussions
with Wallace there wasn’t an interview that he did not dominate. He would enter
a business with a cameraman at his side and begin questioning what was taking
place. He would sit down with people and have the answers to his own questions
before asking them, allowing them a chance to dig a hole for themselves. And he
did it with skill. Wallace and his group were seen as hero reporters facing off
against sweat stained victims.
While the film does touch on the personal side of Wallace’
life it doesn’t do so in extreme detail, focusing instead on his life on
camera. The director and editor have done a skillful job of compiling those
brief moments when Wallace allowed himself to be interviewed as well as scenes
from his various programs and interviews of others.
There is a definite skill seen in the footage on display
here that few can master. And like him or not, Wallace did become a journalist
in every sense of the word. I can’t recall a time when I saw him display his
own personal biases during an interview, something that makes him even more of
a rarity these days.
If you’re not familiar with Mike Wallace this is a good way
to learn about him. If you remember Wallace then this is a great way to
remember him. Either way the film is entertaining and informative and worth
giving a watch.
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