LATE LATE SHOW WITH TOM SNYDER, THE {GUEST HOST: JON STEWART; ANDREW CUNANAN MANHUNT, KAREN DUFFY} (TV)
Summary
One in this series of late-night talk shows hosted by Tom Snyder. In this episode, comedian Jon Stewart sits in for Snyder and explains that scheduled guest Al Franken has been bumped to the following night because of the breaking news story regarding the infamous manhunt of spree killer Andrew Cunanan, who has been found dead on a houseboat in Miami.
Stewart talks with reporters Ray Delgado of the San Francisco Examiner and Dan Raviv in Miami Beach, touching upon the following topics: the cops' use of tear gas in a "one-sided" siege of the houseboat, upon which Cunanan was already dead from a self-inflicted gunshot; Delgado's close brush with Cunanan himself through a friend; why many in the gay community of Cunanan's former hometown of San Francisco were afraid and "paranoid" of his potential return; the FBI's "pride" in working with the gay community to track down the elusive killer; whether the gay community fears retribution for Cunanan's actions; how Fernando Carreira, the caretaker of the fateful houseboat, discovered the break-in and overheard the gunshot that likely ended Cunanan's life; the sense that his crimes were not "a priority" for law enforcement until the fifth murder, that of famed fashion designer Gianni Versace; and why Cunanan chose to stay in Miami after the well-publicized killing.
Calls from viewers lead to further discussion of the following topics, among others: the police's confidence in Cunanan's guilt, owing to his use of the same gun to kill multiple victims, including Versace and finally himself; the unusual nature of the five murders, two of which were personal and two "functional," with Versace's being the most "random"; rumors that Cunanan may have met the famous Versace years ago; his love of publicity and habit of compulsive lying; unfounded rumors of his HIV status; his childhood in San Diego and his father's recent denials of his son's homosexuality and of his crimes; whether Cunanan was secretly aided by friends during his five-month killing spree; his "legendary farewell dinner" in San Diego before the first murder, in which he made cryptic statements to his friends about his plans; and whether society can learn from the case or if it is simply "empty calories."
Next, Stewart talks with television personality Karen Duffy, who takes a call from a viewer as she discusses her struggle with a rare form of sarcoidosis, in which abnormal collections of inflamed cells lead to severe pain and paralysis; her initial misdiagnosis of multiple sclerosis; how she has dealt with the illness and why one must "play the hand you're dealt"; why she felt "ashamed" of the disease; eventually deciding to openly discuss her diagnosis, in part because of her longtime work in nursing homes and commitment to destigmatizing disability and illness; advice about maintaining one's mental health through physical struggles; and why her form of sarcoidosis is an "orphan disease" about which little is currently known. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: July 24, 1997 12:30 AM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:41:33
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:69792
- GENRE: Talk/Interview
- SUBJECT HEADING: Talk/Interview; LGBTQ+ Collection; Serial murders
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1995-1999
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Jon Stewart … Host
- Ray Delgado … Guest
- Dan Raviv … Guest
- Fernando Carreira
- Andrew Cunanan
- Al Franken
- Gianni Versace