Lou Gordon (television commentator)
Encyclopedia
Lou Gordon 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,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.
During the 1967-1968 Detroit newspaper strike, Gordon published Scope Magazine 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. Scope Magazine also featured his wife, Jackie, as advice columnist.
, 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... 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
. Gordon considered being on Nixon's Enemies List
as a "Badge of Honor".
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."
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. "
. 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
. 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."
Following Gordon's death, WKBD attempted to find a worthy successor -- in November 1977, the station launched a new weekly program hosted by radio talk show host Barry Farber
, but was only short-lived. WKBD later attempted a televised pilot with Detroit News journalist Mike Wendland
(August 1978) and a short-lived series hosted by notable Boston attorney Joe Oteri (1978-1979), 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.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. 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,The Lou Gordon Program was also syndicated across most of the larger media markets in the United States to the Kaiser Broadcasting
Kaiser Broadcasting
Kaiser Broadcasting was the name of an entity that owned and operated broadcast television stations in the United States from 1958 to 1977.-History:...
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
MacArthur Park (song)
"MacArthur Park" is a song by Jimmy Webb, originally composed as part of an intended cantata. The song was initially rejected by The Association. Richard Harris was the first to record it, in 1968; the song was subsequently covered by numerous artists. Among the best-known covers are Donna Summer's...
, composed by Jimmy Webb
Jimmy Webb
Jimmy Webb is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He wrote numerous platinum selling classics, including "Up, Up and Away", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Wichita Lineman", "Galveston", "The Worst That Could Happen", "All I Know", and "MacArthur Park"...
and performed by Richard Harris
Richard Harris
Richard St John Harris was an Irish actor, singer-songwriter, theatrical producer, film director and writer....
; 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
The Detroit News
The Detroit News is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival Free Press's building. The News absorbed the Detroit Tribune on February 1, 1919, the Detroit Journal on July 21, 1922, and on November 7, 1960,...
, which was usually a reflection on, or an elaboration of, topics recently featured on his television program.
During the 1967-1968 Detroit newspaper strike, Gordon published Scope Magazine 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. Scope Magazine also featured his wife, Jackie, as advice columnist.
Notable interviewees
People interviewed by Gordon included three-term Michigan Governor George W. RomneyGeorge W. Romney
George Wilcken Romney was an American businessman and Republican Party politician. He was chairman and CEO of American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1962, the 43rd Governor of Michigan from 1963 to 1969, and the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1969 to 1973...
, of whom he interviewed on August 31, 1967. According to Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
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... 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.
WKBS-TV (Philadelphia)
WKBS-TV was an independent television station licensed to Burlington, New Jersey, which served the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area from 1965 to 1983. WKBS-TV had studio facilities located in South Philadelphia, and transmitter at the Roxborough tower farm in Philadelphia.-History:WKBS-TV began...
in Philadelphia, mayor Frank Rizzo
Frank Rizzo
Francis Lazarro "Frank" Rizzo, Sr. was an American police officer and politician. He served two terms as mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from January 1972 to January 1980; he was Police Commissioner for four years prior to that.-Police Commissioner:Rizzo joined the Philadelphia Police...
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
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
of wrong doing in reference to the Watergate scandal
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
. Gordon considered being on Nixon's Enemies List
Nixon's Enemies List
Nixon’s Enemies List is the informal name of what started as a list of President of the United States Richard Nixon’s major political opponents compiled by Charles Colson, written by George T. Bell , and sent in memorandum form to John Dean on September 9, 1971...
as a "Badge of Honor".
Gordon's mission
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."
According to author Tim Kiska, "He was Detroit’s Mike Wallace
Mike Wallace
Michael Wallace may refer to:*Mike Wallace , television correspondent**The Mike Wallace Interview, his TV series*Mike Wallace , American historian...
, a broadcast cop who cowered before no one. The bigger the interview, the tougher he got. Most interviewers bowed and scraped before Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
, 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. "
Death and aftermath
Lou Gordon died May 24, 1977 of heart failure, stemmed from a valve replacement in the mid-1970s due to rheumatic feverRheumatic fever
Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that occurs following a Streptococcus pyogenes infection, such as strep throat or scarlet fever. Believed to be caused by antibody cross-reactivity that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain, the illness typically develops two to three weeks after...
. On June 26, 1977, WKBD aired The Lou Gordon Tribute: Man of Conscience, Man of Truth, a clip show
Clip show
A clip show is an episode of a television series that consists primarily of excerpts from previous episodes. Most clip shows feature the format of a frame story in which cast members recall past events from past installments of the show, depicted with a clip of the event presented as a flashback. ...
of the best moments of the program, hosted by NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Tom Snyder
Tom Snyder
Thomas James "Tom" Snyder was an American television personality, news anchor and radio personality best known for his late night talk shows The Tomorrow Show, on the NBC television network in the 1970s and 1980s, and The Late Late Show, on the CBS Television Network in the 1990s...
. The 90 minute program featured many interviews and good wishes from people like Senator Carl Levin
Carl Levin
Carl Milton Levin is a Jewish-American United States Senator from Michigan, serving since 1979. He is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
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."
Following Gordon's death, WKBD attempted to find a worthy successor -- in November 1977, the station launched a new weekly program hosted by radio talk show host Barry Farber
Barry Farber
Barry M. Farber is an American conservative radio talk show host, author and language-learning enthusiast. In 2002, industry publication Talkers magazine ranked him the 9th greatest radio talk show host of all time. He has also written articles appearing in the New York Times, Reader's Digest,...
, but was only short-lived. WKBD later attempted a televised pilot with Detroit News journalist Mike Wendland
Mike Wendland
Mike Wendland is a technology reporter for the Detroit Free Press. He also has published several books on the internet, appears frequently on Detroit radio stations and has features distributed to NBC affiliates....
(August 1978) and a short-lived series hosted by notable Boston attorney Joe Oteri (1978-1979), 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.