So, I'm finally watching Good Night and Good Luck...

[Craig3410]

and it's scary as all hell how if you replace "McCarthy" with "Bush" and "Communist" with "Terrorist", how you could remake this as a documentary of the Bush Administration.

History does repeat itself.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

1. I think that was Clooney's idea, making this film...

[EFerrari]

2. We're going to watch it tonight. There must be some reward

in self punishment. :)

[Lisa]

3. I hear the guy who plays McCarthy does an outstanding job!

What a pity he didn't get a "Best Supporting" Oscar nomination!

(grin)

[nuxvomica]

5. Actually, preview audiences thought he was too "over the top"

:rofl:

[MissWaverly]

7. I may be wrong but

most of the film "McCarthy" was played by himself through actual footage from the time.
I think there was only 1 small scene where he attacks Murrow where an actual actor
was used. But if people are saying over the top-that was Joe McCarthy. He had penetrating
eyes and he had a deep voice which he was able to use well for dramatic effect. I was only
a kid at the time, but you cannot imagine the fear that gripped the land, anyone, anywhere
could be accused on the slightest gossip. Your life would be ruined, you would lose your
job and you would be shunned. All on an innuendo.

[Kire]

9. You are right.

Lisa was being tongue in cheek

I dunno about that "1 small scene", though

[MissWaverly]

13. Yeah, the guy resembles Bill Murray

It's from the scene where he comes to the studio, to "correct" the broadcast of
Edward R. Murrow and uses the airtime as a vehicle to launch a smear against Murrow
and brands him a communist. He actually speaks to Murrow in the hallway if I remember
correctly.

[Kire]

24. The guy in the hallway was a legislative aide.

IMHO

[MissWaverly]

25. Oh thanks

My mistake, there were a lot of people in the movie that you had no idea who they were,
they were just part of the ambience, well it does resemble real life.

[Lisa]

31. this is all your fault, MissWaverly! From now on I'll think "Bill Murray"

...whenever I see period footage of McCarthy (in the Clooney movie or otherwise)! There is a certain similarity ...

[Warpy]

14. We had the first TV on the block so my mom

who'd had a brief flirtation with the CPUSA in the 30s when they were the only ones opposing Hitler, could watch and know if anyone named her. I remember her white knuckled and shaking with rage, one of those early childhood memories that still haunts me whenever anyone presents me with a petition to sign or a contribution form to send in.

I don't think you can overstate the fear in this country and the loathing so many people felt for McCarthy. You also can't overstate the number of bovine spectators who thought McCarthy, like Stupid, was keeping them "safe."

My mother really needn't have worried. She'd been thrown out of her engineering job at the end of WWII to make room for a conquering hero, and had become a housewife and a nobody. McCarthy was going after glamor, making sure the way was paved in Hollywood for conservative no talents like Reagan.

[MissWaverly]

17. I am glad she was not sucked into the vortex

I missed the actual hearings because I was too young but I remember the 50s well. People
whispered about people for years. There was no immediate happy ending. Some carried
that burden around the rest of their lives. For belonging to the ACLU or any of
the organizations he labeled as affiliated with the Communist party.

[NYCGirl]

20. And Reagan ended up appearing before HUAC, and after that worked as

an informant for the FBI, giving them the names of people he thought were communists. That wasn't mentioned much during his political career.

[Lisa]

33. wow ... kudos to your mom ...

I wouldn't be surprised if she were one of the few people on the street, who could explain how that TV worked!

My ex's mother worked at an aircraft plant during WWII, doing elaborate technical drawings of aircraft parts. (Sad that it took the war to make it possible for her to get a job that utilized her talents so perfectly.) She did really well, got promoted -- needless to say, that all ended after 1945. Despite the fact that her supervisors didn't want her to go, the management decided ... it wouldn't be "right" to have a woman designing aircraft, when there were so many unemployed men out there.

She was never the same afterwards. I don't believe she even picked up a drafting pen after she was sacked. She became depressed, and her health was affected. She'd be a star engineer today, if only she'd been born a few decades later!

Her son inherited some of her engineering ability, and went on to help design the Hubble Space Telescope and the Keck Observatory in Hawaii.


p.s. the McCarthyism virus spread outside of the US ... in Canada, some of my parents' friends were implicated. One in particular, who was the Canadian Ambassador to Egypt, was hounded to the point where he killed himself (under rather suspicious circumstances). It really did ruin people's lives.

[Minnesota Libra]

23. MissWaverly, you said you were a kid during McCarthy era, do you........

......see similarities between McCarthy and Bush?? I know you were a kid at the time but the fear thing, the silencing of people, etc. I'm truly interested in your views because I often use the phrase "McCarthy revisited" but am I wrong in this??

[MissWaverly]

27. No, my sister is 11 years older than me and watched the hearings

She said that it has come back only worse because habeus corpus has been circumvented by
the Patriot Act. People were afraid, really afraid, I don't remember fear like it was
back then except for now. I remember how Nixon found secret film hidden in pumpkins
and this was used to convict Algier Hiss. I think people were thoroughly cowed and I
think it was because they went after journalist branding them as "communists" or
left footers and now they go against journalists as not patriotic. The fact that
they are considering bring sedition charges against whistleblowers shows you how far
this has come. This name calling and mean hate chatter, we are hearing. One
legislator was recommending that child pornographers be beheaded, we have lost the
center in this country and are listing to the right.

[dorkulon]

38. Nah, he's just ripping off Sean Hannity. (nt)

[blue cat]

4. Great liberal movie

Can you think of a good conservative movie? I can't.

[Warpy]

19. "Starship Troopers"

It had most viewers rooting for the attractive young proto fascist protagonists.

Then there are those of us who sat there, appalled.

It was quite an education.

[cynatnite]

22. It seemed to highlight how easily...

the young can be indoctrinated. I think most viewers saw the movie for what it was. A sci-fi flick with a fascist theme set on conquering and oppression.

[SeveneightyWhoa]

29. What makes it a "liberal movie"?

The fact that its anti-McCarthy?

Are "conservatives" -- not just Ann Coulter conservatives -- pro-McCarthyism? I don't get it..

[MissWaverly]

6. I absolutely loved it

What it is centered on is National Security, the interesting thing is that McCarthy
had witnesses appear and the testimony against them was by undercover agents who
were anonymous, there was one "investigation" were the legal counsel accompanying
the defendant was forbidden to speak, he was only allowed to speak through his
defendant.

[UTUSN]

8. Just saw it last night, and incorrigible curmudgeon that I am

I was let down. I love my Libs, but we ARE self-critical aren't we, and I thought the movie was preaching to the choir (us). Would ANY wingnut look at this movie and be tolerant?--would Dan COULTER see it and think her miserable asshole McCARTHY could be a miserable asshole?-------no.

[MissWaverly]

15. We need to start reaching the Dems first

You don't see the dems leading the charge on the NSA wiretapping, I posted here 2 months
ago where the FBI demand access to information on 1 million revelers in Vegas during New Years in 2004 citing security concerns. It shows how fear and intimidation eat up a free society. If it makes the dems in the Senate get a backbone and realize the damage that is being done to this country by whittling away our constitutional rights, it is worth it.
Maybe we can't reach the David Brooks or the George Wills of this country but maybe
we can reach Harry Reid, Barbara Boxer and our Democratic Leaders.

[globalvillage]

37. You never know.

Maybe not Mann, but I saw it with a Texas republican, and he told me he thought it was really good. He says he's a real a conservative, but he still voted for the asshole.
I also made him go to the movie in my Kerry/DU bumper-stickered car.
(Not a date, BTW. I don't date rethugs. We were part of a group.)

[TomClash]

10. This is really how the First Amendment gets subverted

The phone call in the night to Our Great Paper of Record. This film should have won Best Picture.

[SammyWinstonJack]

11. Haven't seen it yet. I love that Keith Olberman ends his program

with "Good night and Good luck" I love that man! :loveya:

[Nickster]

12. Just got to watch it myself last night. It was really great stuff.

[ribrepin]

16. Just watched it last night

I enjoyed it immensely--don't care if it's preaching to the choir.

Did you watch the special features where they interviewed Shirley and Joe Wershba? It was inspiring to see two people from that era talking about Edward Murrow conforting McCarthy.

[MissWaverly]

18. No, thanks for pointing them out

I will watch them tomorrow.

:-)

[NYdemocrat089]

21. I'm renting it tomorrow. I can't wait to watch it.

[kevinbgoode]

26. I just bought the DVD. . .but am saving it for a nice quiet night

at home alone....without work to do. And I just ordered three other DVDs. . .my summer entertainment stuff I stash away for a warm evening at home.

[Connie_Corleone]

28. I said the same thing to my aunt yesterday when I watched it.

It's amazing how things haven't changed much. In fact, we're going backwards.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

30. I liked Frank Langella as Paley. A nice portrayal of a strong boss figure.

You'd want to ride a different elevator than that guy.

[Lisa]

32. this was the #1 DVD donation request by my local public library ...

I unexpectedly lucked into some cash (the strange story of the $100 bill, which I think I mentioned here on DU some time ago). Well, to cap off the tale, I decided that I should do something memorable with the money, so I asked the staff if they wanted any recent DVD releases for the library collection -- and that was the one they really wanted. "Crash" and "North Country" tied for second (so I got them those too).

[Alamom]

34. We're watching it tonight. n/t

[globalvillage]

35. I just bought it today

I saw it at the theater when it came out, but I had to buy it. What a great film.

[HeeBGBz]

36. Watching it now

Just started. I'll let you know.