60 MINUTES {RONALD REAGAN: THE MOVIE; JIMMY EVANS; DEAD OR ALIVE} (TV)
Summary
One in this series of news magazine programs. In this edition, Morley Safer reports on the way President Ronald Reagan appears to be delivering movie lines during his speeches; Diane Sawyer reports on a business in Alabama that has come under criticism; and Ed Bradley reports on the status of U.S. prisoners of war (POW) in Vietnam. In the first segment, "Ronald Reagan: The Movie," Safer talks about how Reagan seems to rely on movie lines in speeches as if he had never really left Hollywood, and Professor Michael P. Rogin talks about when the president discovered this technique. Other topics include: his favorite line, "win one for the Gipper"; whether Reagan knows he is using lines from movies; reasons he continues to do so, despite criticism; and the fact that many stories he recites in speeches are often copied from obscure war movies.
Next, in the segment, "Jimmy Evans," Sawyer reports on why District Attorney Jimmy Evans of Montgomery, Alabama, is investigating the business activities of James Parsons, the son-in-law of Gov. George Wallace. Topics include: the amount of money Parsons has earned from a landfill where toxic waste is dumped; whether the waste dumping is illegal; the way Evans obtains jurisdiction for records from other areas of the state; remarks by Alabama Ethics Committee Chairman Mel Cooper on Evans's ability to harness white-collar criminals; the way the area for the landfill was an obvious target, considering nearby poverty; landfill manager Rodger Henson on how the area's soil has been deemed safe for dumping toxic waste; royalties from the landfill; and Governor Wallace's reaction to the news of Parsons' shady contract negotiations.
Next, in the segment, "Dead or Alive?", Bradley reports on whether numerous prisoners of war are still in Vietnam. Topics include: whether army personnel harbor any doubts that soldiers are still held captive; comments by former POW Robert Garwood on the U.S. prisoners of war he says he has seen in Vietnam, despite his conviction as a collaborator with the Vietnamese government; whether Garwood had spoken to these POWs; whether his information corroborates with data from government officials; remarks by former POW Major Mark Smith on his mission to return to Vietnam with a special force to seek out POWs; the highly confidential evidence that he brought back; and the evidence required for the government to carry out a rescue mission. The program concludes with correspondent Andy Rooney talking about how Christmas toys have changed dramatically in the past few years. Includes commercials. Commercials include Jackie Stewart for Ford automobiles.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: December 15, 1985 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:55:28
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T86:1625
- GENRE: News magazine
- SUBJECT HEADING: Hazardous wastes; Magazine; Presidents; Prisoners of war (Vietnam); U S - Officials - Talk/Interviews
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1968-
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - AT&T phone services
- TV - Commercials - Ernest & Julio Gallo wines
- TV - Commercials - Ford Aerostar automobile
- TV - Commercials - Ford automobiles
- TV - Commercials - GTE telephone systems
- TV - Commercials - Kellogg's Apple Raisin Crisp cereal
- TV - Commercials - Mercedes Benz SRS automobile
- TV - Commercials - Norelco home products
- TV - Commercials - Sony Superbeta video cassette recorder
- TV - Commercials - Taster's Choice coffee
- TV - Commercials - Zenith televisions
CREDITS
- Don Hewitt … Executive Producer
- Philip Scheffler … Senior Producer
- St. Pierre, Suzanne … Producer, For "Ronald Reagan: The Movie" segment
- Lowell Bergman … Producer, For "Jimmy Evans" segment
- Monika Jensen Stevenson … Producer, For "Dead or Alive?" segment
- Betty Scordamaglia … Associate Producer, For "Ronald Reagan: The Movie" segment
- Nellie Lide … Associate Producer, For "Dead or Alive?" segment
- Jane Bradford … Associate Producer, For "Andy Rooney" segment
- Arthur Bloom … Director
- Jonathan King … Researcher, For "Jimmy Evans" segment
- Mike Wallace … Reporter
- Morley Safer … Reporter
- Ed Bradley … Reporter
- Diane Sawyer … Reporter
- Andy Rooney … Commentator
- Mel Cooper
- Jimmy Evans
- Rodger Henson
- James Parsons
- Ronald Reagan
- Michael P. Rogin
- Mark Smith
- George Wallace