Today, we look at Hugh Downs and Barbara Walters’ different perspectives as to why Walters finally broke out on The Today Show.
This is Quite a Story, a sort of catch-all feature where I share short, interesting anecdotes from interviews or books that don’t really fit into any other feature.
The Today Show is where Barbara Walters had her first big break as a television journalist. She had been a writer and researcher for the show in 1961, and made her first appearance period on the program covering Paris fashion week in 1961…
But in general, she was a behind-the-scenes person on the show.
That changed in 1964. Famous actor Maureen O’Sullivan had been a regular on the show, but she was eventually let go for not really being adept at doing serious news.
Walters took her place as a “Today girl” (what a bad name), doing serious news stories a few days a week until she became a regular fixture on the show.
HOW she got the role depends a bit, as Hugh Downs, the host of the show at the time, and Walters, each have different recollections as to why she was promoted into the role that would eventually make her a star.
According to Hugh Downs’ interview with the Television Academy:
When she [O’Sullivan] left, they were combing around their roster of movie stars again, and I said, ‘Why don’t we just develop our own talent instead of going to another medium for it?’ They said, ‘Well, such as?’ And I said, ‘Such as Barbara Walters.’ And they said, ‘But she’s a writer.’ Which she was. She was there when I came on to the show [in 1962]. And she wrote and produced the segment that welcomed me on to the program. And did such a nice job that I thought that she would do well on the air. So they grudgingly let me put her on once a week, for a short time. And then twice a week, and then pretty regularly. And I always sound like a midwife when I talk about Barbara’s career, but I didn’t discover her. She discovered herself, but she did such good work that pretty soon she was a regular.”
Walters, though, believed, in her own Television Academy interview, that once O’Sullivan was fired in 1964, “They had a big contract [with O’Sullivan], so they certainly weren’t going to go out and get another big star. And so they put me on the air three times a week for thirteen weeks.”
In other words, the contrast is just between Downs saying that they wanted to go for another movie star first, while Walters said it came about because they DIDN’T want to pay another movie star. Walters is clear that it was Downs who specifically said to go with HER in particular, and she credits Downs for that a lot, but the dispute is just whether Downs kept them from getting another movie star or not.
Either way, it is a nice look into the very friendly connection between Downs and Walters, who would years later become co-anchors on 20/20 for ABC. Al Morgan, who hated Downs (feeling Downs was an idiot), and who Downs ultimately won a power battle with (getting Morgan fired in 1968) later recalled that Downs loved Walters so much because Walters loved doing the work, so Downs would pawn off all of the hard assignments on her, which she loved to do, and he loved to NOT have to do. Morgan noted that she filled in the vacuum created by “the laziest man in television.”
RIP, Ms. Walters.
If you see any interesting anecdotes from interviews or books that you think would be worth spotlighting, drop me a line at brian@popculturereferences.com.
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This is fascinating! It’s always so interesting to hear how different people remember key moments in their careers, especially when it involves such iconic figures as Hugh Downs and Barbara Walters. It just goes to show how personal perspectives can shape our understanding of history. I appreciate you digging into these differing recollections; it adds another layer to Walters’ incredible journey from behind-the-scenes to becoming a broadcast legend. It reminds me that even for those who seem to effortlessly climb the ladder, the path is often nuanced and debated, much like trying to figure out complex financial scenarios without a ba 2 plus calculator online.
This is a fascinating dive into the early days of Barbara Walters’ career! It’s so interesting how different people involved in the same events can have such varied recollections. I always enjoy learning the behind-the-scenes stories of television legends. Thanks for sharing this “Quite a Story” with us on Block Poster!
This is fascinating! It’s always interesting to hear the different perspectives of people involved in historical TV moments. Barbara Walters’ rise on *The Today Show* is legendary, and it’s cool to learn that even the details of her breakout are a bit hazy depending on who you ask. It really highlights how personal experiences shape our memories, much like how different measurements can give you varying results when you use a square feet calculator. Thanks for sharing this little piece of broadcasting history!
This is a fascinating dive into the early days of Barbara Walters’ career! It’s always intriguing to hear how foundational moments in broadcast history came to be, especially when key figures have differing recollections. The “Today girl” designation definitely highlights how much times have changed. It makes you wonder how many other pivotal career breaks have similar, slightly-conflicting origin stories. Thanks for sharing this little piece of television history! For more insights into how narratives evolve, check out AI Rumpelstiltskin.
This is fascinating! It’s always interesting to hear the different perspectives of key players when looking back at such pivotal career moments. Barbara Walters’ rise was certainly remarkable, and it’s cool to get a peek behind the curtain at the “how” from both her and Hugh Downs. Thanks for sharing this little piece of TV history! For those interested in historical documents, tools like Image to Line Converter can be quite useful for digitizing old notes and interviews.
This is such a fascinating look into the early days of Barbara Walters’ career! It’s always intriguing to hear differing accounts of pivotal moments, especially when they involve such iconic figures like Downs and Walters. It really highlights how personal perspectives can shape our understanding of history. Thanks for sharing this “Quite a Story”! I’m always looking for content that digs into the backstory of media legends, much like how a good Cartoon Video Generator can bring a story to life.
This is fascinating! It’s always intriguing to hear how pivotal moments in someone’s career are recollected differently by those involved. Barbara Walters truly paved the way, and the evolution from “Today girl” to the legend she became is a testament to her talent. Thanks for sharing this insightful snippet – it makes me wonder how many other historical events have such varied perspectives, almost like trying to Image Splitter a single memory into multiple unique angles!
This is fascinating! It’s always so interesting to hear how iconic figures like Barbara Walters got their start, and even more so when there are slightly differing accounts from those involved. It really highlights how personal memories can shape our understanding of the past. The “Today girl” name is definitely something else – glad times have changed! I appreciate these kinds of “catch-all” features that bring us these delightful historical tidbits. It reminds me a bit of how different elements come together, much like you might Combine Image files to create a complete picture. Great read!
This is such a fascinating deep dive into a pivotal moment in broadcasting history! It’s always intriguing to hear different perspectives on how such significant career breaks happen, especially for someone as iconic as Barbara Walters. The “Today girl” moniker definitely shows how much things have changed, and it’s great to see her rise beyond that. It makes you wonder how many other historical turning points have slightly varied recollections from those involved. I’m glad you’re sharing these kinds of anecdotes; they add such rich detail to the stories we think we know. It’s almost like trying to calculate future value with a TVM Calculator – you need all the variables to get the full picture!