Book Review: "The Accidental Critic" by Arch Campbell

Editor's Note (courtesy of Mr. Campbell himself.)  Arch was not working on the day of the JFK assassination; he was still in high school at the time, but he came to know and work with many of those in Dallas who did cover that event.  He joined the Dallas newsroom in 1971, and volunteered to be the movie critic in 1973.

Before getting into this book, a little background.  I first heard of Arch Campbell when he was a frequent guest of Tony Kornheiser's on TK's old radio show.  Campbell was a golf partner of Kornheiser's at their Washington DC country club, but he was also a long time Washington television personality who reviewed movies and the DC arts scene and also served as the "resident zany" on the local NBC station's newscasts.  During those guest appearances, I loved hearing Arch's deep voice and booming laugh as he talked about current movies which often included this summary: "Didn't see it, don't want to see it."

Anyway, Campbell moved on from working after over 40 years at two different DC television stations and now does a movie themed podcast, which I highly recommend to any movie buffs out there.

He has now published a memoir of his life in television news, and I highly recommend it.  Now you might ask "Why should I read a book about local television newspeople from a city where I do not live and whom I have never seen?"  Good question, but one thing that I have learned from listening to the Kornheiser radio show and subsequent podcast, and Campbell's podcast is that every community, every city has a cast of characters in local broadcasting, newspaper, and the arts that become interwoven into the fabric of community that they serve.  They almost become a part of the family and when something happens to them, they move to another city, they retire, they pass away, you feel the loss on a personal level.

In this book, you will learn about a TV news team consisting of news anchors Jim Vance and Doreen Gentzler, sports anchor George Michael, weatherman Bob Ryan, and resident zany Arch Campbell who dominated the local television news scene in the nation's capital for over thirty years.   For those of us in the greater Pittsburgh area, I am guessing that similar stories could be told about people such as Bill Burns, Paul Long, Adam Lynch, Ray Tannehill, Marie Torre, Sally Wiggin, Sam Nover, and, well, you get the idea.  My point is, don't let the fact this book may be "local" to Washington DC keep you away from it.

Campbell tells his story from his days growing up in San Antonio, Texas where he started as a broadcaster at San Antonio College and the University of Texas, which led to position in radio and TV newsrooms in Dallas - he was working at a Dallas TV station on November 22, 1963 -  and on to his move to Washington where he worked for forty-three years and where he remains to this day.

That is the bare bones of the book, but Arch fills the narrative of the stories, both on screen and behind the scenes , that are hilarious and poignant, but mainly hilarious.  For example, one day in the newsroom in Dallas, the news director charged in and in desperation yelled "I need someone to review a movie."  After a brief silence, Arch raised his hand and said "I'll do it."  Thus, both a career and a book title were born.  There are stories about how the sausage gets made in delivering the nightly news into you living rooms, and tales of the days when most local TV did live programming You will see names of people you will know who's paths crossed with Arch's over the years (Willard Scott, Katie Couric. Savannah Guthrie, Howard Stern, Nancy Reagan, and I could go on and on).  And did I say funny?  A story is told about a trained monkey making an appearance on a live children's show called Claire and Coco that had me shrieking with laughter and had tears rolling down my cheeks. I won't begin to tell it here, but all Pittsburghers of a certain age, try to imagine the same thing happening on the Ricki and Copper Show.

You'll also read about how Arch once raised a pet pig for a feature story, and about how he had a monkey randomly pick stocks for investments and how it fared against noted economists, a wonderful story about Arch revisiting his home town of San Antonio (for which h won an Emmy Award), and movies.  Lots and lots off stuff about the movies.

You can get the book by ordering it online through the DC bookstore Politics and Prose.  That's how I did it.  You should also check out The Arch Campbell Podcast if you enjoy the world of movies and entertainment, available wherever you get your podcasts.

This one gets the full Four Stars from The Grandstander.

The Man himself.

What I've Been Watching

Movie podcaster and raconteur Arch Campbell always asks the question "What are you watching these days?", so let me tell him - and you.

"Ripley" (Netflix)

This is an eight part series that is based upon the 1999 feature film, "The talented Mr. Ripley", which I have never seen.  Set in the 1950's, Andrew Scott, with whom I was not familiar, plays Tom Ripley, small time con artist in New York City.  For reasons I won't spell out, a wealthy businessman and his wife asks him to travel to Italy and try to convince their wastrel so to return home to them.

What follows is a case of stolen identity, a missing persons investigation, and murder. More importantly, the story is told in such beautiful cinematic detail: artfully shot and filmed in beautiful black and white.  It is also a suspense story that would have made Alfred Hitchcock himself proud to have made.

It should also be noted that "Ripley" was written by Steve Zailian, who has written a few other films of which you may have heard:  Moneybag, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Irishman, and Schindler's List.  Not a bad resume.

Three and One-half Stars from The Grandstander.

"Wicked Little Letters" (Netflix)

This is a 2023 feature film set in Britain in the years shortly following World War I.  A spinster lady, played by Olivia Colman, begins to receive anonymous letters that make horrid - and, I might add, positively filthy - accusations about her.  No one knows who sent them, but suspicion soon falls upon a young single mother, recently immigrated from Ireland, who lives next door.  She, of course, denies it, but is arrested anyway.  Soon more and even filthier letters begin arriving in the mailboxes of other village residents.  Calamity ensues.

It doesn't take much to figure out what is really going on here but the efforts of a spunky young Woman Police Officer (a new phenomenon at the time) soon gets to the bottom of things and justice prevails.

Two and One-Half Stars from The Grandstander, but worth watching if only to see Oscar winner Colman, whom many of us know only as the middle aged Queen Elizabeth from The Crown, spewing out such incredible strings of profanity.

Two and One-Half Stars from The Grandstander.

Things you I when researching the writing of these monographs.  "Wicked Little Letters" was based on a true story.  HERE are the details.

And special thanks to the aforementioned Arch Campbell for tipping me off to both Ripley and Wicked Little Letters on his podcast.

"Only Murders In The Building" (Hulu)

The amateur crime solving podcasters Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez are back for a fourth season of this great series.   We are five episodes in as the gang tries to figure out who killed Sazz Pataki, why was she killed, and was she really the intended victim.  All of this is going on while a crew from Hollywood is planning on making a movie based on the first season of the OMITB podcast.  The actors cast to play our heroes, Eugene Levy, Zach Galifinakis, and Eve Longoria play themselves and are great as they assimilate themselves into the Martin, Short, and Gomez characters.  Much of the humor is subtle, much of it is outright hilarious.  For example, a cameo appearance by tennis star John McEnroe in episode five was terrific.  And as in the first three seasons, Martin Short steals the show.

I'm not sure that a fourth season of this show was really necessary, but who wants to kill a cash cow, and the show is still fun to watch.  Word is that it has already been renewed for a fifth season as well.  How many people can get killed at the Arconia before the City just condemns the place?

Three Stars from The Grandstander.

Monsters (Netflix)

This one is a nine part series on Netflix based on the story of Lyle and Eric Menendez, brothers convicted of and now serving life sentences for brutally murdering their parents in 1989.  If you were around back in the early 1990's you surely remember this sensational crime and subsequent trial.

Anyway, I hadn't had a lot of interest in this until I heard an item on The Today Show earlier in the week that stated that Eric Menendez, from his prison cell, was objecting to how the brothers were being portrayed the series.  Really?  Is there a good way to portray two guys who killed their parents in cold blood?

So, in a weak moment, I watched the first two episodes earlier this week.  It was about what you would expect....sensational, overwrought, cheesy, but also strangely compelling as well.   I'll check in on episode three, but not sure if I'll be up for all nine episodes.

No Star rating unless and until I see the entire series.

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We have also seen two theatrical productions here in Pittsburgh this month.

Of course, I don't really need to spell out "Hamilton", do I?  This touring production is the initial offering of the 2024-25 Broadway In Pittsburgh series.  It was the sixth time I've seen it, the second time for Linda.  It was terrific.  Again.

Four Stars from The Grandstander.  Again.

Most people remember the 1954 Hitchcock movie that starred Ray Milland and Grace Kelly.  That movie was based on a play by Frederick Knott, and a production of that play is now being presented by the Pittsburgh Public Theater at the O'Reilly Theater.  It was a very good production, as are all PPT shows, of a good mystery, and there is no better place in The Burgh to see a stage play than the O'Reilly. 

Three Stars from The Grandstander.