60 MINUTES {COMPILATION OF STEVE KROFT SEGMENTS} (TV)
Summary
A compilation of six segments from Steve Kroft's
reports on the news-magazine program "Sixty Minutes."
First, in "Chernobyl," Kroft travels to the Soviet Union
to survey the areas most affected by the 1986 Chernobyl
nuclear disaster. Robert Gale, a medical professor with
an international emergency team, talks about the
dangerous decontamination work, and Kroft visits
several deserted cities and villages that were evacuated
because of radioactive contamination. Soviet nuclear
experts state that the logistical problems that led to
the explosion of plant number four threaten other Soviet
plants still in operation, but financial concerns
prevent the plants from being closed because they
generate much needed, inexpensive power. Information
is also provided about the long-term effects of the
nuclear explosion--which will likely affect younger
generations several decades into the future--and about
Soviet plans to combat radiation and prevent excessive
exposure. Next, in "Cream Puff," Kroft reports on
consumer fraud in Houston used-car sales. Through the
help of two former used-car dealers, Kroft investigates
the illegal practice of "busting" or "whipping"
miles--setting back the mileage on a carÕs odometer
prior to resale. Kroft then goes undercover to
interview one particular wholesale dealer, Bill Whitlow,
notorious for his shady practices; Whitlow discusses
title forgery, professional "mile busters," the
widespread practice of rolling back odometers, and the
tax-free profits that can be made through these illegal
tactics. Kroft also speaks with used-car-lot managers
who deny any knowledge of tampered odometers and with
a used-car auctioneer who suggests federal regulation to
control consumer fraud. Next, in "Bob Dole of Kansas,"
Kroft examines the life of the man he calls "perhaps the
most interesting and complex figure in American
politics," Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kansas),
from his days as a high-school basketball star through
his career in politics, including his Presidential
campaigns. Kroft looks at Dole's reputation as a
straight talker and at the senator's alleged "mean
streak," which Dole calls his "competitive nature," and
dwells on Dole's struggle to recover from machine-gun
wounds the future politician received while trying to
rescue a fellow soldier during World War II. Kroft then
questions Dole about his adversarial relationship with
President Clinton, his praise for Hillary Rodham
Clinton's efforts on health care, and the possibility of
another bid for the presidency in 1996. In "Seinfeld,"
Kroft speaks with situation-comedy star Jerry Seinfeld
and other members of his cast--Jason Alexander, Julia
Louis-Dreyfus, and Michael Richards--in an effort to
understand why many people believe that NBC will give
in to cast demands and pay one million dollars per
episode to each actor. First, Kroft takes a brief look
at Seinfeld's life and early career, NBC's less than
enthusiastic response to the pilot episode, and the
comic's surprise at becoming a superstar. Next, Kroft
speaks with Larry David, co-creator of the show and
model for the character of George Costanza, who
believes that the show's success is largely due to the
strength of the supporting cast and the cast members'
deft handling of controversial topics like masturbation
and homosexuality. Kroft ends the piece with a look at
Seinfeld's private life, focusing on his self-proclaimed
immaturity and his feelings about marriage. In "Clint
Eastwood," Kroft visits the 67-year-old actor/director
on the set of the film "Midnight in the Garden of Good
and Evil" and talks with him about his forty-year career
and his attitude toward aging. Eastwood explains, "You
have to enjoy it." Kroft examines Eastwood's relaxed
directorial style and then looks at his complex family
life, including his seven children with five different
women; his messy break up with Sondra Locke; and his
relationship with his current wife, Dina, who is
thirty-five years his junior. In comparing his life to
a game of golf, Eastwood says that the front nine
consisted mostly of triple bogies but adds that he feels
confident that he is shooting par on the back nine.
Finally, in "Another Look: January 26, 1992," Kroft
looks back at an interview he conducted six years
earlier with presidential hopeful Governor Bill Clinton
of Arkansas and his wife Hillary Rodham Clinton, in
which they responded to allegations of extramarital
infidelity by Gennifer Flowers; these charges were made
relevant again by the recent accusation that President
Clinton had had an affair with a White House intern,
Monica Lewinsky. In this re-edited version of the
interview, Governor Clinton states that he became
acquainted with Flowers in the late 1970s, when she
was a television journalist in Little Rock, Arkansas,
and he was serving as attorney general, but he refuses
to admit to or deny any kind of sexual relationship. He
maintains that they were merely "friendly
acquaintances." Kroft goes on to say that on the day
after the interview aired in 1992, Flowers played
audiotapes on which Clinton told her how to respond to
reporters if they questioned her about an affair. The
Clintons then refer to past troubles in their marriage.
When pressed by Kroft, however, they flatly refuse to
discuss any extra-marital affairs that might or might
not have occurred, maintaining the right of public
figures to retain a level of privacy. Kroft brings up
the question of character in relation to Governor
Clinton's reputed weakness for women, and Clinton
responds by saying that he hopes his character will
continue to grow--but he believes that it is perfectly
fit for public office just as it is. Commercials
deleted.
Cataloging of this program has been made possible by
the Bell Atlantic Foundation, 2000.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: November 30, 1999 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:26:00
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:59749
- GENRE: News magazine; Talk/Interviews
- SUBJECT HEADING: Chernobyl Nuclear Accident, Chernobyl, Ukraine, 1986; Used cars; Politicians; Television personalities; Comedy; Television; Actors; Motion picture producers and directors; Scandals
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1968-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Robert G. Anderson … Producer, For "Cream Puff"
- L. Franklin Devine … Producer, For "Bob Dole of Kansas", For "Seinfeld", For "Another Look: January 26, 1992"
- John Hamlin … Producer, For "Clint Eastwood"
- William K. McClure … Producer, for "Chernobyl"
- Steve Kroft … Reporter
- Jason Alexander
- Hillary Rodham Clinton
- Bill Clinton
- Larry David
- Dole, Bob (See also: Dole, Robert)
- Clint Eastwood
- Gennifer Flowers
- Robert Gale
- Monica Lewinsky
- Sondra Locke
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus
- Michael Richards
- Ruiz, Dina (audio i.d. only)
- Jerry Seinfeld
- Whitlow, Bill (audio i.d. only)