Lou Gordon | |
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Lou Gordon |
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Born | 17 May 1917 Detroit, Michigan |
Died | 24 May 1977 Bloomfield Hills, Michigan |
Show | The Lou Gordon Program |
Station(s) | WKBD-TV Detroit |
Network | Syndicated through Kaiser Broadcasting |
Country | United States |
Spouse(s) | Jackie Gordon (1932 - 1999) |
Children | A. Scott Gordon, Ruth Gordon Howard, Jon L. Gordon, Deborah L. Gordon, Carol Braitman |
Lou Gordon (May 17, 1917 - May 24, 1977) was a television commentator and talk show host, newspaper columnist, radio host, and influential political reporter. Gordon was known as a flamboyant, irreverent, and controversial interviewer, based in Detroit, Michigan. He is notable as host of The Lou Gordon Program, a twice-weekly, 90-minute television show, that was seen Saturday and Sunday nights on WKBD-TV. Produced from 1966 to 1977,[1]The Lou Gordon Program was also syndicated across most of the larger media markets in the United States to the Kaiser Broadcasting group of stations, as well as several non-Kaiser stations. Three 90-minute television shows were taped per week - two for telecast only on WKBD, the other for nationwide broadcast.
The show's theme song was MacArthur Park, composed by Jimmy Webb and performed by Richard Harris; the portion of the song used for the show's theme was the long, jazzy climactic orchestral break approximately 3/4 way through the recording.
The show was co-hosted by Lou's wife, Jackie Gordon, who would read questions sent by viewers to Lou. Lou would then espouse his opinions on the viewer's question.
In addition to his television program, Gordon also wrote a bi-weekly column for The Detroit News, which was usually a reflection on, or an elaboration of, topics recently featured on his television program.[2]
During the 1967-1968 Detroit newspaper strike,[3] Gordon published Scope Magazine[4] in order to fill the news-hole made by a lack of daily newspapers in Detroit. Lou Gordon was the president of Scope Publishing, as well as a writer, and published the weekly until the Detroit newspaper strike ended.[5] Scope Magazine also featured his wife, Jackie, as advice columnist.[4]
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People interviewed by Gordon included three-term Michigan Governor George W. Romney, of whom he interviewed on August 31, 1967. According to Boston Globe reporter Neil Swidey, "...for more than a year, Romney had been talked about as the Republicans' best chance for winning the White House in 1968. So, during that August interview, when [Romney] was asked by Lou to explain his inconsistent position on the [Vietnam] war, Romney replied, 'Well you know Lou, when I came back from Vietnam, I had just had the greatest brainwashing that anybody can get.' There, he said it. One word, brainwashing, [emphasis added] and his presidential campaign would never recover. Worse, that one politically charged word (which came out on the Gordon show) became not just the shorthand for his aborted White House run, but the bumper sticker for his entire life's work...[6] The interview with Romney, was one of the first major news stories that landed Gordon and his Lou Gordon Program on the front page headlines of newspapers across the country, including Time magazine.
Many guests got so frustrated with Gordon's hard-hitting style, they simply walked off the show in the middle of the interview. In one controversial episode, which originated from WKBS-TV in Philadelphia, mayor Frank Rizzo walked out of an interview with Lou because Rizzo thought the questions were too tough.
Gordon was one of the first journalists to come out publicly against the Vietnam War (which he did in 1964), and was also one of the first commentators to publicly accuse President Richard Nixon of wrong doing in reference to the Watergate scandal.[7] Gordon considered being on Nixon's Enemies List as a "Badge of Honor". [8]
Gordon expressed his strong opinions while exposing elements of phoniness; his talk show featured controversial “gotcha” moments that exposed guests when they gave statements that Gordon knew were not true.
Gordon was once asked by an interviewer if he were the last angry man. He responded that many citizens were angry with irresponsible government and corruption but that citizens didn't have a voice to speak-up. He said that "fate and circumstance have cast me in the role of the peoples advocate and the voice of descent, and I like the role... I love it."[9]
According to author Tim Kiska, "He was Detroit’s Mike Wallace, a broadcast cop who cowered before no one. The bigger the interview, the tougher he got. Most interviewers bowed and scraped before Bob Hope, but Gordon asked him about his defense of President Nixon during the Vietnam era. Gordon questioned George Wallace’s sanity - to his face. Gordon was, by far, the most feared man in television, maybe in the history of the local medium. "[10]
Lou Gordon died May 24, 1977 of heart failure, stemmed from a valve replacement in the mid-1970s due to rheumatic fever. [11] On June 26, 1977, WKBD aired The Lou Gordon Tribute: Man of Conscience, Man of Truth, a clip show of the best moments of the program, hosted by NBC's Tom Snyder.[12] The 90 minute program featured many interviews and good wishes from people like Senator Carl Levin and "Joey the Hitman". According to Snyder, Gordon devoted his life "standing up for the voiceless, representing the little man and being the people's advocate." [13]
Following Gordon's death, WKBD attempted to find a worthy successor -- in November 1977, the station launched a new weekly program hosted by conservative radio talk show host Barry Farber, but was only short-lived.[14] WKBD later attempted a televised pilot with Detroit News journalist Mike Wendland (August 1978)[14] and a short-lived series hosted by notable Boston attorney Joe Oteri (1978-1979),[14][15] before giving up on the concept altogether.
After Lou's death, Jackie Gordon acted in television commercials, and performed voiceover work for various advertising campaigns. She also held the position of Consumer Advocate for Great Scott Supermarkets. Jackie was also head of Public Relations for the Jacobson's department store chain. Upon her retirement, she rejoined WKBD on a part time basis, giving tours of the television station to visitors and groups. Jackie was also a major force in charity work throughout the Metropolitan Detroit Area, and continued her role as celebrity personality until her death, on August 2, 1999.[16]