To Absent Friends - Larry King and Walter Bernstein

 Larry King

1933 - 2021

By now, everyone is aware of the death of talk show king, Larry King, this past weekend at the age of 87.  Like most people, I first became aware of King on his overnight radio talk show on the Mutual Broadcasting Network, carried on, I believe, KQV here in Pittsburgh.  He went on, of course, to fame as the five nights a week talk show host on CNN, a show that ran for 25 years and was a show that played no small role in the success of the fledgling cable news network.

In time, King almost became a parody of himself, and he was the subject of a lot of well intentioned shots from comedians and pundits, including The Grandstander, who could never resist commenting on his frequent appearances behind home plate at Dodgers games.  And, as the tributes that have been appearing in recent days will tell you, no one enjoyed the ripostes more than King himself.

There may never be another media personality quite like Larry King.  "BUFFALO NEW YORK...YOU'RE ON THE AIR WITH BILL CLINTON"

Walter Bernstein

1919 - 2021

With Woody Allen on the set 

of "The Front" (1976)

Of lesser note, but of no less interest to me, was the death last week of screenwriter Walter Bernstein at the age of 101.  His obituary appeared in today's issue of the Washington Post.  Bernstein was one of the Hollywood figures of the 1950's who got caught up in the Red Scare Menace and was blacklisted by Hollywood in the Era of McCarthyism, one of the more shameful episodes of American History, but an era that fascinates me.

I have included his obit from the Post here.  It makes for great reading.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/walter-bernstein-scriptwriter-who-skewered-mccarthy-era-blacklist-in-the-front-dies-at-101/2021/01/23/01580a4a-5dbc-11eb-b8bd-ee36b1cd18bf_story.html

Bernstein took to making a living by cranking out screenplays for the movies and television, but having his work credited to others who "fronted" for him.  As he put it "(other writers') careers were made on my work."

It was this aspect of his life that he wrote of in his screenplay of the 1976 movie "The Front."  The movie starred Woody Allen in a rare dramatic role playing a "front" for blacklisted writers.  It is an interesting movie, wherein the Allen character goes along with the deal just to make a buck, but soon gets caught up in the extreme injustice of it all.  It is also interesting in that many the people who made this movie, including some of the actors, were victims of Red Scare blacklisting themselves early in their careers.  Be sure to watch the closing credits if you watch this movie.

Bernstein also wrote such notable films as "The Magnificent Seven", "The Molly Maguires", "Fail Safe", and "Semi-Tough."

RIP Larry King and Walter Bernstein