tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-321134829069086485.post5391515681819076584..comments2024-02-21T02:07:17.268-05:00Comments on Cultureshark: 5 Q Movie Review: Evocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. MovieRick Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11341452515020374640noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-321134829069086485.post-23050029904330348412013-11-03T20:35:10.470-05:002013-11-03T20:35:10.470-05:00Tremendous story, and thanks for telling it! It wa...Tremendous story, and thanks for telling it! It was not in the movie, and in fact, the documentary--understandably, I think--really compresses his radio career.Rick Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11341452515020374640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-321134829069086485.post-41643926389580320242013-11-01T12:46:26.688-04:002013-11-01T12:46:26.688-04:00This was back in the early '80s.
Oprah Winfre...This was back in the early '80s.<br /><br />Oprah Winfrey was doing a strictly-local show called <i>AM Chicago</i> on the local ABC affil.<br /><br />It was usually a half hour, 9:00 to 9:30 am, followed by <i>Edge Of Night</i>, one day delayed from the network feed.<br />But when <i>EON</i> was preempted for some reason, Oprah got the full hour.<br /> This was one of those mornings.<br />The theme was "Controversial talk-radio hosts". OPrah's guests were four such hosts from around the country:<br />Alan Burke from New York;<br />Jerry Williams from Boston (who'd been on in Chicago some years earlier;<br />Warren Freiberg from Chicago;<br />and Mort Downey Jr. from Cleveland (then).<br />Williams was left-of-center, Downey right-of center, and Freiberg very right-of center, and these three went hot-and-heavy through the first half-hour, with Oprah trying to control things however she could (Burke, the veteran of the group, just sat there and smirked).<br />About midway through the hour, Freiberg took exception to something Williams said on a sexual topic, taking a bottle out of his pocket and spraying Williams in the face with it.<br />Williams was out of his chair immediately, and was about to address Freiberg directly (closed fist directly) when Oprah called for a commercial.<br />After the break, Oprah announced that Freiberg had been asked to leave.<br />But then something interesting happened:<br />Mort Downey, the guy from Cleveland (whomI'd never heard of before this morning) took center stage and heartfeltedly decried what had just happened to Williams.<br />It was deplorable and disgraceful and a buch of other things ,and Downey was appalled at Freiberg's bad behavior.<br />A minute or so later, Williams returned to the stage, and Downey gave him a Great Big Hug (which I strongly suspect Williams wasn't expecting - or welcoming).<br />Burke sat there and smirked.<br />Anyway, Oprah brought the show to its conclusion, and everybody went home.<br />Aftermath:<br />Warren Freiberg lost his Chicago radio show almost immediately.<br />Mort Downey's Cleveland contract ran out, and a local Chicago station (not the one that canned Freiberg) took him on; he called himself "Dr. Morton Downey" (I don't recall the rationale behind this, but his Chicago listeners called him Doc Downey), and he ran his show for about a year or so, before he got the call to NYC and TV stardom.<br />I don't know if this incident is even mentioned in this documentary; I guess I'll have to see it myself one of these days.<br />But after all these years, I still remember that morning in Chicago (I was taping <i>Edge Of Night</i> daily at that time, so I was able to watch it several times; I might still have the VHS somewhere - or maybe not).<br />Just think - I might have had a moment of history ...<br /> ... naahh, I probably taped over it ...Mike Dorannoreply@blogger.com