Barbara Walters signs off for the final time

[+ jeezopete]

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/barbara-walters-trailblazing-tv-icon-023600549.html

 

[+ nycman]

I was never a huge fan, but I did think her Fidel Castro interview was incredibly enlightening.

And of course her sign off at the end of the Monica Lewinsky interview was classic…..

Walters asked Lewinsky, “What will you tell your children when you have them?
Lewinsky replied, “Mommy made a big mistake”
Walters turned and deadpanned into the camera,  “And that is the understatement of the year.”

[Becket]

Remembering how comedians would make jokes over Barbara's elocution.  "Hello, this is Baba Wawa" and the like......

.....is the final thing we say to her, "Bye Bye Baba Wawa?"

....sorry

[CuriousByNature]

1 hour ago, Becket said:

Remembering how comedians would make jokes over Barbara's elocution.  "Hello, this is Baba Wawa" and the like......

.....is the final thing we say to her, "Bye Bye Baba Wawa?"

....sorry

May she west in peace

 

[caliguy]

I mostly remember her mostly from this show.   Another piece of my childhood and young life now gone and they're disappearing really fast these days.

It's weird that the world that you grew up in will all be gone one day.  Family, Friends, Celebrities, all of it. I remember my Grandfather one time just breaking down crying about that. I didn't understand as a kid. What's wrong with Grandpa. Now I absolutely do.  RIP> 

[musclestuduws]

I never quite liked her. She impressed me as a person who was ruthlessly ambitious, advancing her career at any cost. What really turned me off was to find out that she was very close friends with Roy Cohn, even posed as his fiancée for a while. She was also a character witness vouchsafing for Cohn’s morality at his disbarment case, together with Donald J. Trump. In any case, RIP.

[samhexum]

She hadn't been seen in public in 5 or 6 years, so she was probably in sharp decline during that time.

I wonder if anything else will be talked about on the next new episode of THE VIEW.

[+ WilliamM]

9 hours ago, samhexum said:

She hadn't been seen in public in 5 or 6 years, so she was probably in sharp decline during that time.

I wonder if anything else will be talked about on the next new episode of THE VIEW.

She suffered from dementia in her last years

[Boink]

I never paid too much attention to her, but I did admire her accomplishments. Although after watching the many tribute clips of her, she does come across to me as extremely obnoxious.  I think I would have found her very hard to be around.

 

[+ WilliamM]

She was a beard for Roy Cohn a terrible person

[+ azdr0710]

desperate for something to watch on a rainy Monday evening, I was reduced to watching "Our Barbara" on Hulu last night, originally a production from 20/20.......quite a love-fest for Babs, with nary a mention of Cohn, "what kind of tree are you?", or her asking Monica what phone sex is......

I didn't know about the Cohn thing until reading it here in the forum....... 

https://www.hulu.com/series/our-barbara-a-special-edition-of-2020-f3f675b0-6f2f-487d-987c-bec929b4de16

[musclestuduws]

I wonder what BW thought of “ Angels in America.” I bet she never interviewed Tony Kushner for her specials. 

[CuriousByNature]

32 minutes ago, azdr0710 said:

desperate for something to watch on a rainy Monday evening, I was reduced to watching "Our Barbara" on Hulu last night, originally a production from 20/20.......quite a love-fest for Babs, with nary a mention of Cohn, "what kind of tree are you?", or her asking Monica what phone sex is......

I didn't know about the Cohn thing until reading it here in the forum....... 

https://www.hulu.com/series/our-barbara-a-special-edition-of-2020-f3f675b0-6f2f-487d-987c-bec929b4de16

I saw that too.  I hadn't realized she was a relatively insecure person, and consequently, a real perfectionist.  She also had some sense of humour.  In 93 years of living it is almost impossible for someone to have a blameless existence, so I can't judge too harshly about the Cohn situation or any other connections she may have had with nefarious individuals over the years.  When you are a popular personality you will no doubt be introduced to, and move in some of the same circles as those who are later found to be morally reprehensible.  The question I would have is whether or not she regretted any of those connections after learning more about the character of those individuals.

[musclestuduws]

19 minutes ago, CuriousByNature said:

I saw that too.  I hadn't realized she was a relatively insecure person, and consequently, a real perfectionist.  She also had some sense of humour.  In 93 years of living it is almost impossible for someone to have a blameless existence, so I can't judge too harshly about the Cohn situation or any other connections she may have had with nefarious individuals over the years.  When you are a popular personality you will no doubt be introduced to, and move in some of the same circles as those who are later found to be morally reprehensible.  The question I would have is whether or not she regretted any of those connections after learning more about the character of those individuals.

As it turns out, she was Roy Cohn’s beard. Their “engagement” was announced in most New York’s newspapers. And as I wrote above, she was a character witness in Cohn’s disbarment case, when he was stripped of his license because the evidence against him was massive. He was not just a “connection” or someone she was introduced to “socially.” And Cohn surely helped her to advance her career. Everyone knew since the time Cohn was senator McCarthy’s right hand  that he was a horrible, amoral human being. Trump was his protege and best disciple. Watch “Angels in America” if you haven’t yet. 

Edited January 4, 2023 by musclestuduws

[CuriousByNature]

10 minutes ago, musclestuduws said:

As it turns out, she was Roy Cohn’s beard. Their “engagement” was announced in most New York’s newspapers. And as I wrote above, she was a character witness in Cohn’s disbarment case, when he was stripped of his license because the evidence against him was massive. He was not just a “connection” or someone she was introduced to “socially.” And Cohn surely helped her to advance her career. Everyone knew since the time Cohn was senator McCarthy’s right hand  that he was a horrible, amoral human being. Trump was his protege and best disciple. Watch “Angels in America” if you haven’t yet. 

I haven't seen that yet, and admittedly I don't know much about Cohn, other than that he was not a good guy.  I remember reading that he was a mentor of sorts to Trump, which is pretty disturbing.  I understood that Walters dated him way back in college, so that would have been in the early 1950s, I guess.  I don't know enough about Cohn to conclude that Walters would have known about the more nefarious aspects of his character - back then a lot more was kept hidden, and it was easier for people to keep things hidden in pre-social media times.  Even wives who were married for years did not always know the fullness of their spouse's character - especially if a significant component was being covered-up.  I also wonder if her support of Cohn was the result of any legal help he may have given to her or her family - not that it makes it okay to turn a blind eye to wrongdoing - but people are complex, and some feel loyalties that others may not.

 

Edited January 4, 2023 by CuriousByNature

[musclestuduws]

Barbara Walters was a very smart journalist adept and familiar with the inner workings of power. Not an innocent housewife. She of course knew who Roy Cohn was. But her ruthless ambition trumped ethical concerns. How do you think she got so far in a profession where you are  swimming with sharks? Regardless I recommend you read and learn about Roy Cohn. Every gay man must know who he was and what he did. Here’s a good documentary. There are several. 

Btw she did not “date” Cohn in college. And even if you want to justify that, once again there’s no justification to her being a character witness for Cohn in his disbarment case other than she clearly owed him important “favors.” By then absolutely everyone with a brain knew what an evil person and corrupt lawyer Cohn was. 

Edited January 4, 2023 by musclestuduws

[+ WilliamM]

51 minutes ago, CuriousByNature said:

I saw that too.  I hadn't realized she was a relatively insecure person, and consequently, a real perfectionist.  She also had some sense of humour.  In 93 years of living it is almost impossible for someone to have a blameless existence, so I can't judge too harshly about the Cohn situation or any other connections she may have had with nefarious individuals over the years.  When you are a popular personality you will no doubt be introduced to, and move in some of the same circles as those who are later found to be morally reprehensible.  The question I would have is whether or not she regretted any of those connections after learning more about the character of those individuals.

I am at least 15 years younger than Walters,. But I remember Cohen on Joe Mc McCarthy'side  in the Ar.my McCarthy hearings

[TonyDown]

I recall a Richard Gere interview where Walters alluded to Gere's performance on stage as a gay character was a little bit TOO good, that some people might now wonder that he was actually gay.

Gere had the best response, that there is nothing wrong with being gay.

 

[+ WilliamM]

The Broadway show was called Bent

And Richard Gere  was stiunningly hot

One actor was naked, but unfortunately not  Richard

Edited January 4, 2023 by WilliamM

[+ purplekow]

West in peace  Babwa 

[musclestuduws]

1 hour ago, purplekow said:

West in peace  Babwa