60 MINUTES {MADAM SECRETARY, SEINFELD, THE DISASTER THAT WASN'T} (TV)
Summary
One in this series of news magazine programs. In the first segment, "Madam Secretary," Ed Bradley conducts an in-depth profile of recently appointed Secretary of State Madeleine Albright that consists of archival footage, dozens of still photographs, and an extensive interview. Bradley opens the profile by discussing Albright's childhood as a refugee from Czechoslovakia, as well as her recent discovery that her grandparents were killed by Nazis during World War II. Bradley goes on to explore Albright's years as an outspoken United Nations ambassador, offering clips in which Albright is pictured threatening Sadam Hussein from the U.N. floor, mocking the French government for its indecision on a particular issue, and yelling at representatives of the Haitian government for a perceived breach of trust. Bradley discusses these and other issues with Albright herself, who admits that she is still stunned to find herself secretary of state. "I think it first hit me," she tells Bradley, "when somebody asked me, 'Do you realize you have Thomas Jefferson's job?'" Their discussion then touches on Albright's critics, who complain that she is too eager to send American troops into battle at the first hint of crisis. In the second segment, "Seinfeld," Steve Kroft profiles actor/comedian Jerry Seinfeld and investigates the appeal of the successful situation comedy that bears his name. Kroft talks with co-stars Michael Richards, Jason Alexander, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus about their roles in the series; everyone including Kroft agrees that Seinfeld's own character is the least interesting on the program. Kroft notes that it is unusual for the star of a situation comedy consistently to play the straight man. Seinfeld tells Kroft that he sees himself as a "solid" comedian, rather than a high-energy, rapid-fire performer like Robin Williams. Kroft also talks to series co-creator Larry David, widely credited for giving the show its neurotic edge. Seinfeld then discusses the show's writers' talent for turning the program's shallow, greedy, mean, and treacherous characters into a likable cast. The profile ends as Seinfeld states that he is now happier than he has ever been. In the third segment, "The Disaster That Wasn't," Morley Safer investigates the unusual circumstances surrounding a large class-action lawsuit filed by the residents of North Richmond, California, against the General Chemical Corporation. In the fourth segment, Andy Rooney riffs on what he sees as the limited vocabulary of President Bill Clinton's major public speeches. Commercials deleted.
Cataloging of this program has been made possible by the Bell Atlantic Foundation, 2000.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: February 9, 1997 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:47:00
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:63307
- GENRE: News magazine
- SUBJECT HEADING: Cabinet officers - U S; Class actions (Civil procedure); Comedians; Television comedies
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1968-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Don Hewitt … Executive Producer
- Philip Scheffler … Senior Producer
- Deirdre Naphin … Producer
- Michael Rosenbaum … Producer, Writer, News Writer
- L. Franklin Devine … Producer, Writer, News Writer
- Arthur Bloom … Director
- Terry Robinson … Associate Director
- Alicia Tanz Flaum … Associate Director
- Mike Wallace … Reporter
- Ed Bradley … Reporter
- Lesley Stahl … Reporter
- Morley Safer … Reporter
- Steve Kroft … Reporter
- Andy Rooney … Reporter
- Madeleine Albright
- Jason Alexander
- Bill Clinton
- Larry David
- Saddam Hussein
- Thomas Jefferson
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus
- Michael Richards
- Jerry Seinfeld
- Robin Williams