Tell Me a Story: Fifty Years and 60 Minutes in Television

Excellent book, so well written you can not put it down. What an incredible life this man had.

Ok, so he isn't a writing genius, but he KNOWS television and how to keep a quality broadcast show on top. The premise of the 60 minutes show is to "tell us something we don't know!" And that it does! Don Hewitt is a pioneer. When you read his book, you find out the conception of ideas that began with Hewitt. He is humorous and shares some funny anecdotes, and yet, he keeps the story going with a cool conversational voice. It's an easy read. Hewitt shares facts about the birth of the show, the cast, and the excellent collection of guests. There are several pictures of him with Presidents and other celebrity notables. Take time to read this book. You will not only be entertained, but you will be informed. He knows his history!!....MzRizz

In almost a counterproductive exercise, Don Hewitt spends chapters talking up the many "geniuses" in the field of television he worked with during the early years before tearing down the industry's "infotainment" culture of today. It's almost like the old man on the corner telling the kid with an earring how in his day kids were more respectful and dignified. Then when you acutally digest what he has to say, you realize: Hey, the guy's right on target. The business of news has been killing the coverage of news not just on TV but in newspapers for years. The public just has no tolerance for substance, which has direct linkage to the television era. We live in a world of 10-minute segments. If I see another shot of Robert Downey Jr. in a courtroom, I'm throwing the remote through the wall. But aside from the unnessary name-dropping, Hewitt's autobiography succeeds in that it is entertaining and biting at the same time. It's a perfect volume to a career that tried to achieve the same kinds of goals in his news show.

Tell Me A Story: Fifty Years And 60 Minutes In Television is the autobiography of Don Hewitt, the famous producer who worked more than a half century with CBS News. For the past 33 years, he has been perhaps best known for being the creator, executive producer, and driving force behind 60 Minutes, the news program that changed the very nature of television journalism. Tell Me A Story recounts Hewitt's amazing life, from his service as a reporter during WW II to his struggle to success during the early days of television. Hewitt writes candidly, with humor and friendly panache, about the workings and shortcomings of television news. Recommended for anyone with an interest in the history of television journalism, or who wants to know just what makes the stopwatch behind 60 Minutes tick!

Hewitt has what Hemingway once described as a "built-in, shock-proof crap detector" and to his credit, he applies it to his own opinions as well as to those of others. The title refers to his assertion that the success of "60 Minutes" is explained by the fact that "the most talented men and women in the broadcast news business" formulate and then execute ideas which tell an interesting story. "It's that easy." It's also that difficult. This is what I call a "tag along book" in that Hewitt allows his readers to accompany him over a period of 50 years during which he has produced news broadcasts, the Nixon-Kennedy debates, national political conventions, and of course "Sixty Minutes." He shares his frank opinions of various associates such as Lowell Bergman, Ed Bradley, Walter Cronkite, Fred Friendly, Edward R. Murrow, William S. Paley, Dan Rather, Harry Reasoner, Andy Rooney, Morley Safer, Diane Sawyer, Laurence Tisch, and Mike Wallace. He also comments on various American Presidents, competitors in the broadcast news industry, professional athletes, and show business celebrities. What I found most entertaining is Hewitt's no-nonsense attitude. He can be irreverent, playful, self-deprecating, egotistical, outraged, embarassed, and amusing...but never dull and always good company. Hewitt provides all manner of behind-the-scenes revelations which are always good fun. He can also be thoughtful, at times prescient when commenting on both the glories and inadequacies of broadcast news. He devotes substantial attention to his own misjudgments over the years. He also offers specific suggestions as to how broadcast news can be improved. For me, the book's conclusion reveals why the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of this 78-year old pioneer/iconoclast are worth sharing. "One morning, Darryl Kemp, who mans the front desk at 60 Minutes, greeted me with `Mr. Hewitt, when I grow up, I want to be just like you.' And I said, `That's funny. So do I.'" Let's all hope he never does.