NBC REPORTS: IACOCCA: AN AMERICAN PROFILE (TV)
Summary
This documentary special, hosted by reporter Tom Brokaw, profiles American businessman and Chrysler Corporation CEO Lee Iacocca.
Topics covered include: Iacocca's business acumen and why he is "the worst loser in the world"; how he orchestrated Chrysler's revival with help from a $1 billion loan from the government, which he now intends to pay back far ahead of schedule; his conflict with the Reagan administration over the ownership of now-valuable Chrysler stocks; his strong dislike of a "political atmosphere"; the significant impact of his memorable July 1978 dismissal from his position as president of Ford Motor Company; how his strong Catholic faith affects his morality and business views; a sense of accountability to his many employees, including those laid off during Chrysler's near-collapse; his ongoing negotiations with the labor union members, who desire a new contract and better benefits since the company is again flourishing; his creation of a new sports car to appeal to younger customers; the "military quality" of his plant managers, who are often forced to deal with severe time constraints and a lack of parts; competition from prominent Japanese and German auto companies; how his immigrant parents' strict demands for his academic success positively influenced his business savvy; his family life with his two daughters and the recent death of his wife, Mary McCleary; his ongoing resentment toward former boss Henry Ford because of the circumstances of his 1978 firing; his reaction to receiving a "cold-shoulder" reception from disgruntled workers, one of whom points out that "no chairman of the board is a friend of the trade union," at a St. Louis plant; Iacocca's speech at a Las Vegas dealer convention; positive feedback from strangers who have drawn personal inspiration from his perseverance to revive Chrysler; and why the "fire in (his) belly" has been largely "quenched." Commercials deleted.
Preservation of the Post–World War II American Television Documentary Collection is supported in part by a Federal Save America’s Treasures grant administered by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: January 29, 1984 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:49:50
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:38218
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Public affairs/Documentaries; Biography; Businessmen; Labor unions
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV, 1984
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Tom Spain … Producer, Director
- Jewel Curvin … Associate Producer
- Smokey Forester … Field Producer
- Tom Brokaw … Writer, Reporter
- Lee Iacocca … Interviewee
- Harold Sperlich … Interviewee
- Henry Ford
- Mary McCleary
- Ronald Reagan