20/20 {BARBARA WALTERS INTERVIEWS BORIS YELTSIN} (TV)

Summary

One in this series of news magazine programs. In the first segment, Barbara Walters interviews Russian President Boris Yeltsin several months after his victory over the Communist hardliners' attempt to overthrow President Mikhail Gorbachev. After providing a brief biography of Yeltsin, Walters questions the Russian president about his unpopular economic reforms and the difficulties of shifting from communism to a free market economy. She also discusses his poor relationship with Gorbachev, assassination fears, and his promise to reduce the number of nuclear weapons. Yeltsin tries to quell rumors that he has a drinking problem and he discusses the lack of influence that his wife has in policy-making. Additionally, he promises to open secret military files that may contain information regarding the fate of U.S. prisoners of war and the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The second segment analyzes the medical risk to health care workers when dealing with patients who have AIDS. Medical officials display new, intensive precautions that they hope will lessen the risk of infection, and several AIDS-infected medical workers explain the reasons that they have chosen to either retire or to continue their medical careers. This report includes footage of a funeral procession for young Kimberly Bergalis. The final segment focuses on Stephen Wiltshire, a seventeen-year-old autistic savant who is a self-taught artist, and whose rising fame is due, in part, to his incredible renderings of buildings and bridges. Includes commercials, with Stefanie Powers, and promos, with Peter Jennings and Jimmy Smits.

Cataloging of this program was made possible by a grant from the Times Mirror Foundation.

Details

• NETWORK: ABC
• DATE: January 31, 1992 Friday 10:00 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 0:57:45
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: T:23470
• GENRE: News magazine
• SUBJECT HEADING: AIDS (Disease); Arms control; Artists, Mentally handicapped; Autonomous soviet socialist republics; Economic stabalization; Health care; Post-communism; Prisoners of war; She Made It Collection (Barbara Walters); Soviet Union - Politics and government - 1985-; U S - Foreign relations - Russia
• SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1978-
• COMMERCIALS:
  • TV - Commercials - Acura Legend
  • TV - Commercials - Carnation Instant Breakfast
  • TV - Commercials - Discover Card
  • TV - Commercials - Enterprise Rent-A-Car
  • TV - Commercials - Gilette Sensor Razor
  • TV - Commercials - H&R Block
  • TV - Commercials - Kellogg's Nutri-Grain cereal
  • TV - Commercials - Kraft Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • TV - Commercials - Midas
  • TV - Commercials - Mighty Dog
  • TV - Commercials - Mitsubishi Montero
  • TV - Commercials - Orville Redenbacher popcorn
  • TV - Commercials - Post Grape-Nuts cereal
  • TV - Commercials - Shearson Lehman Brothers
  • TV - Commercials - UPS
  • TV - Commercials - Visa Gold Card
  • TV - Commercials - Visine Extra
  • TV - PSAs - Ad Council for United Negro College Fund.
  • TV - Promos - "ABC News Evening News"
  • TV - Promos - "ABC News Nightline"
  • TV - Promos - "American Detective"
  • TV - Promos - "Burden of Proof"
  • TV - Promos - "Emergency: Health Care in America"
  • TV - Promos - "FBI: The Untold Stories"
  • TV - Promos - "Growing Up In The Age Of AIDS"
  • TV - Promos - "One Life To Live"
  • TV - Promos - "The Broken Cord"

CREDITS

• Victor Neufield … Executive Producer
• Deborah Leff … Senior Producer
• Meredith White … Senior Producer
• Ene Riisna … Producer
• Diane S. Forbes … Producer
• Joe Pfifferling … Producer
• George Paul … Director
• Hugh Downs … Host
• Barbara Walters … Host, Interviewer
• Lynn Sherr … Reporter
• Bob Brown … Reporter
• Boris Yeltsin … Guest
• Kimberly Bergalis
• Stephen Wiltshire