Tell Me a Story: Fifty Years and 60 Minutes in Television

Rating:
Summary: The Pleasure of His Company
Review: Hewitt has what Hemingway once described as a "built-in, shock-proof crap detector" and to his credit, he applies it to his own opinions as well as to those of others. The title refers to his assertion that the success of "60 Minutes" is explained by the fact that "the most talented men and women in the broadcast news business" formulate and then execute ideas which tell an interesting story. "It's that easy." It's also that difficult. This is what I call a "tag along book" in that Hewitt allows his readers to accompany him over a period of 50 years during which he has produced news broadcasts, the Nixon-Kennedy debates, national political conventions, and of course "Sixty Minutes." He shares his frank opinions of various associates such as Lowell Bergman, Ed Bradley, Walter Cronkite, Fred Friendly, Edward R. Murrow, William S. Paley, Dan Rather, Harry Reasoner, Andy Rooney, Morley Safer, Diane Sawyer, Laurence Tisch, and Mike Wallace. He also comments on various American Presidents, competitors in the broadcast news industry, professional athletes, and show business celebrities. What I found most entertaining is Hewitt's no-nonsense attitude. He can be irreverent, playful, self-deprecating, egotistical, outraged, embarassed, and amusing...but never dull and always good company. Hewitt provides all many of behind-the-scenes revealtions which are always good fun. He can also be thoughtful, at times prescient when commenting on both the glories and inadequacies of broadcast news. He devotes substantial attention to his own misjudgments over the years. He also offers specific suggestions as to how broadcast news can be improved. For me, the book's conclusion reveals why the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of this 78-year old pioneer/iconoclast are worth sharing. "One morning, Darryl Kemp, who mans the front desk at 60 Minutes, greeted me with `Mr. Hewitt, when I grow up, I want to be just like you.' And I said, `That's funny. So do I.'" Let's all hope he never does.

Rating:
Summary: Hewitt's Medium is Not the Printed Word
Review: I expected of Don Hewitt's book something on par, at least professionally, with "60 Minutes"; not so with "Tell Me A Story." This is an okay book-- always straight forward, occasionally telling, a few juicy tidbits-- it's just not a well-crafted, fascinating book. Don Hewitt is a masterful producer with a keen instinct for a good story. The medium of television is his, hands down. Hewitt is not a fine storyteller however. When Hewitt breaks into a sprint of passionate interest, the reader soon begins to realize that the excitement is all about Don, written by Don, and relived through Don's (perhaps) revisionist memory.

In brief, if this were lying about at a church booksale, I'd recommend you snap it up at a tenth the price-- great beach or bath reading.

Rating:
Summary: Hewitt's Medium is Not the Printed Word
Review: I expected of Don Hewitt's book something on par, at least professionally, with "60 Minutes"; not so with "Tell Me A Story." This is an okay book-- always straight forward, occasionally telling, a few juicy tidbits-- it's just not a well-crafted, fascinating book. Don Hewitt is a masterful producer with a keen instinct for a good story. The medium of television is his, hands down. Hewitt is not a fine storyteller however. When Hewitt breaks into a sprint of passionate interest, the reader soon begins to realize that the excitement is all about Don, written by Don, and relived through Don's (perhaps) revisionist memory.

In brief, if this were lying about at a church booksale, I'd recommend you snap it up at a tenth the price-- great beach or bath reading.

Rating:
Summary: Television Pioneer
Review: I've always enjoyed reading the stories of industry pioneers, no matter what industry and Hewitt is a living pioneer of early television news. From his career as a merchant Marine in World War II up unto his creation and production of 60 minutes, Hewitt shares anecdotes and accolades of the people he's worked with and against.

He began in television news back when the Murrows and the Cronkites wouldn't have considered leaving radio. He produced the only Kennedy-Nixon debate and is convinced that not wearing makeup on TV cost Nixon the election. He didn't really care for Nixon much post Watergate, but unlike most of the newsmen of his generation, he didn't really fall for the aura of John Kennedy either.

Hewitt tells of how he convinced Frank Sinatra to sit down with Walter Cronkite in the mid 1960s, and how Sinatra blew up when questioned about his mob ties. Luckily for Hewitt he was around long enough to outlive Sinatra and get the real story from his daughter Tina 30 years later. The story gives more plausibility to the Kennedy assassination being a mob hit.

The latter half of the book focuses on Bill Clinton's infamous interview during the 1992 election and how Hewitt's treatment of James Carville got the show barred from the White House.

Near the end he goes in to a deep explanation of Lowell Bergman and the inaccuracies of the film THE INSIDER. After explaining for pages and pages of how Bergman is disingenuous, he catches us off guard by saying that he would have forgiven the filmmakers everything had they cast Robert Redford in his role. Philip Baker Hall isn't an actor, that's a dormitory, Hewitt jokes.

Hewitt is an interesting guy with a great life and it's hard not to like this book.

Rating:
Summary: A Decent Story; Not Great
Review: If this book attempts to tell a story, following Don Hewitt's philosophy for successful TV news segments, it's not the most engrossing one.

This book reads like a timeline of Hewitt's life -- and then this happened ... and then this happened -- which doesn't allow for much drama-building. A pioneer of the TV news business certainly has a wealth of content for a book, but as is often the case with autobiographies, the story would have been better told by a veteran book writer.

Some insights are valuable -- behind-the-scenes adcedotes about former President LBJ, his thoughts on the validity of the movie The Insider, his take on the 2000 Presidential election. But I found those nuggets to be too few and far between. The rest reads like a chat transcript.

If you buy this book, I hope you do enjoy it.

Rating:
Summary: Tick, tick, tick
Review: In almost a counterproductive exercise, Don Hewitt spends chapters talking up the many "geniuses" in the field of television he worked with during the early years before tearing down the industry's "infotainment" culture of today. It's almost like the old man on the corner telling the kid with an earring how in his day kids were more respectful and dignified. Then when you acutally digest what he has to say, you realize: Hey, the guy's right on target. The business of news has been killing the coverage of news not just on TV but in newspapers for years. The public just has no tolerance for substance, which has direct linkage to the television era. We live in a world of 10-minute segments. If I see another shot of Robert Downey Jr. in a courtroom, I'm throwing the remote through the wall. But aside from the unnessary name-dropping, Hewitt's autobiography succeeds in that it is entertaining and biting at the same time. It's a perfect volume to a career that tried to achieve the same kinds of goals in his news show.

Rating:
Summary: Tick, tick, tick
Review: In almost a counterproductive exercise, Don Hewitt spends chapters talking up the many "geniuses" in the field of television he worked with during the early years before tearing down the industry's "infotainment" culture of today. It's almost like the old man on the corner telling the kid with an earring how in his day kids were more respectful and dignified. Then when you acutally digest what he has to say, you realize: Hey, the guy's right on target. The business of news has been killing the coverage of news not just on TV but in newspapers for years. The public just has no tolerance for substance, which has direct linkage to the television era. We live in a world of 10-minute segments. If I see another shot of Robert Downey Jr. in a courtroom, I'm throwing the remote through the wall. But aside from the unnessary name-dropping, Hewitt's autobiography succeeds in that it is entertaining and biting at the same time. It's a perfect volume to a career that tried to achieve the same kinds of goals in his news show.

Rating:
Summary: A pioneer in TV Land!
Review: Ok, so he isn't a writing genius, but he KNOWS television and how to keep a quality broadcast show on top. The premise of the 60 minutes show is to "tell us something we don't know!" And that it does! Don Hewitt is a pioneer. When you read his book, you find out the conception of ideas that began with Hewitt.

He is humorous and shares some funny anecdotes, and yet, he keeps the story going with a cool conversational voice. It's an easy read. Hewitt shares facts about the birth of the show, the cast, and the excellent collection of guests. There are several pictures of him with Presidents and other celebrity notables.

Take time to read this book. You will not only be entertained, but you will be informed. He knows his history!!....MzRizz

Rating:
Summary: What makes the stopwatch behind 60 Minutes tick
Review: Tell Me A Story: Fifty Years And 60 Minutes In Television is the autobiography of Don Hewitt, the famous producer who worked more than a half century with CBS News. For the past 33 years, he has been perhaps best known for being the creator, executive producer, and driving force behind 60 Minutes, the news program that changed the very nature of television journalism. Tell Me A Story recounts Hewitt's amazing life, from his service as a reporter during WW II to his struggle to success during the early days of television. Hewitt writes candidly, with humor and friendly panache, about the workings and shortcomings of television news. Recommended for anyone with an interest in the history of television journalism, or who wants to know just what makes the stopwatch behind 60 Minutes tick!