Barbara Walters Tribute
Jeremy’s Barbra Walters blog. Jeremy Levy back with you. Today I’m going to write a blog about Barbara Walters. Barabra was born on September 25, 1929, and died on December 29, 2022. She was married 3 times. She worked from 1959 until her retirement in 2015. She was famous from being a news correspondent for ABC news.
My first experience with Barbara Walters came when I was watching Sesame Street. In the late 1980’s Sesame Street did a special of different celebrities’ singing songs with different characters. This special was called Put Down the Duckie. As I wrote about in my Bob Mcgrath tribute, Barbra Walters came to Sesame Street to find out what Bob Mcgrath was really like. They talked about her job as a news correspondent. They sang a verse of People in Your neighborhood together. Barbra asked Bob Mcgrath about something personal that many people wanted to know about. She asked the question this way: “Bob, everyone knows that you and Linda have been keeping company for a time. Where is this relationship going and do you two have any future plans?” Bob Mcgrath said, “As a matter-of-fact Linda, and I are making plans.” Barbra asked, “Could you tell us about them?” Bob’s response, “I would love to. Tomorrow we are going to go to the park, and then Linda and I are going back to her place for a game of checkers. Those are our plans.” Barbra acted as if she seemed a little taken aback with the answer.
The second special that Barbara was in was All-star 25 birthday Stars on the Street Forever. In this episode she was a news anchor. She explained that a grouch by the name of Ronald Grump wanted to destroy Sesame Street forever. She then went to a reporter to tell us more. In my opinion, Barbara was in her element as a news anchor on Sesame Street. At the end of the special Sesame Street was saved.
I know that many news anchors when they were growing up loved watching Barbara Walters knowing that someday they wanted to grow up to be news anchors as well. Barbara wrote a book about her life called audition. I might read this book one of these days. On an episode of the Howard Stern show, he asked what was the obsession to do everything? She answered in her book she talked about her father being a manager of clubs. He owned these clubs in Boston and New York. He lost everything. He lost his wealth from owning the clubs. Barbara had to work. She felt like she was always on the outside looking in. Later in her career the host of the Tonight Show after Hughe Downs wouldn’t allow Barbara to ask any of the serious questions. The hosts' name was Frank McGee.
Barbara’s sister was disabled. The other kids would make fun of her. Barbara’s sister died of Ovarian Cancer 15 or 20 years ago. Her sister was the most influence in her life. When she was writing her book, she wanted to call the book Sister. She never resented her. When they were growing up Barbara had the good looks. Barbara also has a daughter named Jackie. Her sister was named Jackie as well. Her daughter runs a program for adolescent girls called New Horizons. It is a therapeutic program. Because of her sister Barbara said in the interview that she had an understanding and a passion that she might not have had if her sister didn’t have the disability. She had much empathy for her because she had to take care of her.
Barbara didn’t worry about her hair when she was on TV. People recognized her from her voice. She said this during an interview with Cathy and Judy from 720 WGN radio interview. Barbara told the quick story in this interview when she was with her daughter in Bloomingdales in New York, she told her not to touch what was on the shelves. Someone would say “Aren’t you Barbara Walters?” She thought that was funny When this interview was done Barbara was at a great place in her life. When she was writing the book her worst fear was losing the book on the computer.
Barbara Walters never liked to drive. She took lessons, but she never liked to drive. She received a star on the Hollywood walk of fame in 2000 as well as other awards. She was close friends with Tom Brokaw. She also was friends with Joan Rivers. In my opinion she gave women in news radio a good start like Denver's own Lois Melkonian and April Zesbaugh. One of her best friends was Beverly Sills, who was an operatic soprano. 10 years after leaving the New York Opera she gave Barbara a ring. The ring said, "I did that already.” The advice in that ring when you feel you have done that already than you don’t have to audition anymore. Thanks for tuning in.