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R.I.P. Grant Tinker

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by justgladtobehere, Dec 1, 2016.

  1. HanSenSE

    HanSenSE Well-Known Member

    A solid 6 at any age.
     
  2. MTM

    MTM Well-Known Member

    When I signed up for sj.com, tried using Lou Grant as a name and it was taken. That's why I went with MTM
     
  3. justgladtobehere

    justgladtobehere Well-Known Member

    She is absolutely gorgeous as Laura Petrie.
     
    BTExpress likes this.
  4. poindexter

    poindexter Well-Known Member

    20 years later would be the Ordinary People MTM.

    Laura Petrie blows her away.
     
  5. Songbird

    Songbird Well-Known Member

    I'm binging Lou Grant on YouTube ... what a terrific show. There was an episode in season 1 called "Nazi" with Peter Weller (Robocop) as the leader of the national party and Brian Dennehy (pre-Rambo) as his Goebbels.

    Some really fucking strong and intense acting in that one.

    Give yourself an hour. Also, the intro montage is terrific with the sweet bluebird losing its home in the forest and then the ending shot where the guy tears off newspaper and places it under the caged bird.

     
  6. BitterYoungMatador2

    BitterYoungMatador2 Well-Known Member

    MeTV re-airs the old Mary Tyler Moore Show on Sundays at midnight eastern along with Taxi, Cheers and the Bob Newhart Show. It's appointment viewing for me if I'm home.
     
  7. Songbird

    Songbird Well-Known Member

    And the writers had some fun with this one in the Nazi episode ...

    Reporter drives VW bug -- commissioned by Hitler -- to the home of the Nazi party leader, who is Jewish and lives on Fairfax. Big lol on that.

    Screen shot 2016-12-04 at 11.59.22 AM.png
     
  8. Bronco77

    Bronco77 Well-Known Member

    I remember having a discussion over a few adult beverages with a co-worker who didn't care for Lou Grant, mainly because he thought the characters represented newsroom cliches. My response was, "Maybe so, but you can't say it's not realistic -- hasn't every paper you've worked for had a photographer like the Animal?" He had to concede that point.

    My only quibbles were that there wasn't much time devoted to copy editors and the night desk (but I'm biased, having spent most of my career on desks) and also that a truly realistic newsroom of that era would have portrayed at least half of the reporters and editors smoking like chimneys (guess that wouldn't fly on prime-time TV).
     
    justgladtobehere likes this.
  9. Songbird

    Songbird Well-Known Member

    Cliches? I don't think so. I worked with every single character portrayed, at least from who I've seen thru 6 episodes.
     
  10. Bronco77

    Bronco77 Well-Known Member

    If Lou had been taller and thinner and worn a beard and glasses, he would have been exactly like the first dominant newsroom figure I worked for in the late '70s. He'd bark and snarl at people all day, then drink with them at night.
     
  11. HanSenSE

    HanSenSE Well-Known Member

    It was a precursor to modern journalism, where copy editors don't matter and the whole paper is put out by two reporters and one photographer.
     
    BTExpress and dixiehack like this.
  12. ChrisLong

    ChrisLong Well-Known Member

    I liked "Lou Grant" except I thought the reporters became too personally involved with the stories they were writing. I mean, you go cover a fundraising at an orphanage, but you don't wind up adopting a kid in every episode.
    Sidebar: A friend of mine was tending bar at a party and Ed Asner was there. My friend asks for an autograph "for a friend who is a real newspaperman." Asner said, "If he's a real newspaperman, he won't want my autograph." BINGO!!!
     
    Bronco77 and HanSenSE like this.
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