In an episode similar to how I heard of Chris Penn's death, my brother called to tell me Bill Beutel had died. But I was way ahead of him, already surfing the internets for background info, and also flipping through the 3 TV Guides I have from the mid-70s for an image to scan.And here it is...
Bill co-hosted a new morning show for ABC News called AM America, which was replaced after 10 months by Good Morning, America.
It's doubtful I was watching this in early '75. In fact I'm sure I wasn't. I don't know if I was even awake yet. But if I was, it's obvious what I was tuned to.
Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz.
Mostly, I remember Beutel from WABC's Eyewitness News (that was Channel 7 in the Long Island area). I had forgotten the theme song until I watched to clip above. (Curiously I've learned -- if the internets' anything to trust -- the theme is from the soundtrack to Cool Hand Luke).
That clip looks like it's from 20 years ago! Oh wait, it is...I'm sure I thought the news was shitty back then, but compared to now, it's gold!
So farewell, Bill Beutel! Another forgotten memory of my past now made immortal.
Good luck, and be well.
The footage of Eyewitness News is from a great site called TV Ark The Television Museum. They have clips from dozens, maybe hundreds (do I have to tell you everything?) of programs.
1 comment:
Funny, Bill Beutel briefly crossed my mind last night as I channel-surfed across the credits of The Outlaw and saw it stars an actor named Jack Beutel.
As I've probably mentioned somewhere on my Keep Prying site, as a tot I used to love waking up at night and going downstairs to watch the eleven o'clock news with my parents. It seemed otherworldly to be up at such an unthinkable hour, and the news enforced that feeling--so adult and unfathomable. I clearly recall thinking of Beutel and Roger Grimsby as being similar to Lincoln and Washington in appearance, which lent the whole affair further gravitas. Strange, in this day and age of partisan anchors to think of Beutel fondly and yet really know nothing of him. (I do know that Grimsby was a witty, irreverent guy.) In any case, I'm sorry to hear of his signing off...
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