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Good Night, and Good Luck
(2005)
 In his second directorial effort, George Clooney (also co-writer) takes on Edward R. Murrow, a man who spoke to the nation in a time and in way that made delivering the news of the day (on the groundbreaking CBS program ‘See it Now’) a crucial exchange between a country in crisis (McCarthyism) and a man with courage, poise, and integrity. The film, starring David Strathairn as Murrow, Robert Downey Jr., Patricia Clarkson, and George Clooney opened this year’s New York Film Festival and has the makings of a top contender come award season. We spoke with George, David, Patricia, and co-writer Grant Heslov one afternoon a few weeks back to discuss Murrow, politics, and everyone’s favorite topic, George Clooney.
What was it like filming this moment of American history?
DS – If a character is fictitious I would be responsible to a different set of circumstances. You are always responsible to the script. When it’s a historical figure and someone of the magnitude of Murrow, there is a responsibility to present him respectfully. George said we are not doing an impersonation. These people and their images are iconic.
PC – I was fortunate because I could meet with Shirley Wershba (her character who unlike Murrow, still lives) . I am in love with her she is a remarkable woman and a new friend. I wanted to capture her spirit, her essence and intelligence which she has mountains of. The idea was to extract a little part of her.
DS – Patty also had to represent all the women of 1953 (there are no other female characters in the film).
PS – There was definitely a sexiness to be the only woman with all these men.
DS – It was frustrating for us…whooo.
What has been the reaction to the film?
PC – For all these people (the people who lived it and are alive to see the film), they find it is very moving. They all love it. Dan Rather was at a screening the other night. He’s from Texas and I’m from Louisiana . First thing I said to him, I told him, “Look, I’m from Louisiana ..I know about Texas boys.” It was such a great night. Cronkite spoke to us last night. It was an amazing event.
DS – We all have been affected by Murrow.
PC – He’s been a hero of mine as far back as college. That’s why I wanted to be part of the film
DS – For you (as a member of the press) it must be very special.
PC – I hope it is relevant. The themes of responsibility in journalism, civil rights and liberties. It is important to present the past so you don’t repeat it.
DS – It was not intended as a proselytizing, polarizing movie.
What is it like working on a George Clooney set?
DS – George knows how to throw a party. There is a safety net for everyone. From A to Z you are part of the team.
PC – From the moment you walk in, it is on. George creates an amazing creative environment. Everyone is treated the same. Be prepared for jokes though…like a pie in the face.
GC - They (the actors) came in and we had a real newsroom set up with desks and we would say to Robert, Patricia, David… this is X day in 1954 and they would sit at their typewriters and look at the Times and pick their news story and we would roll and say to them, “Ok what’s your lead?”, and they had to pitch their lead. It was the same way my dad put stories together in the newsroom.
How do you describe George as a director?
DS – In it , of it – it
PC – In his Fred Friendly (Clooney’s supporting role in the movie) outfit everyday. George walks a delicate and beautiful line. He has an incredible light touch, but also serious and specific as a director. He steps in the moment he wants to say something.
How do journalists today measure up to Murrow?
GC - There is still great reporting but there won’t be a “most trusted man in America” anymore. Murrow spoke to 40 million people. He had access to you. He could change policy. There really are two great moments in journalism. Murrow versus McCarthy and Cronkite after he came back from Vietnam and said, “we can’t win this war.” It caused president Nixon to step down saying “I lost Cronkite, I lost the country.”
PC – There are shades of Murrow now. Some journalists out there are determined and thoughtful. With Katrina, something happened and tough questions were asked. Journalists found a way to step up to the plate.
I am from New Orleans. I have allot of family there some are doing better than others. I was down there last week. To talk about that is too big for now, but obviously, if they weren’t okay I wouldn’t be here.
DS – Allot of times you find journalists being Monday morning quarterbacks. Coulda, shoulda, woulda. I don’t think it is possible for Murrow to exist today. Murrow spoke to 40 million. Brian Williams said at the event last night that he speaks to 3 or 4 million. Cronkite was the last newsman who could really change things. As Brian Williams said last night, Cronkite could not have said “Have you no decency” and it have had the same affect unless he said it on the news, and on ESPN, on a blog, HBO, ect.
How many journalists are there now who want to say something, but can’t? How many journalists have been embedded or imprisoned and can’t get their stuff out? What is most insidious today is that you can’t say it is Joseph McCarthy stopping you (when you fail to report something honestly). You point a finger at what…who? You can be “imprisoned” and not know it. This film by way of showing these journalist, when journalists today find themselves at cross roads this can give them encouragement. It is up to each person where they draw a line.
GC - Les Moonves (head of CBS) is a buddy of mine and I spoke to him about producing news programs today. He said it is not like it was. He has to go back to shareholders and markets get smaller and moneys gets less. It is a battle between capitalism and information
George, why did you make this movie?
This started obviously because I grew up on a newsroom floor watching my father (Clooney’s dad, Nick, was a newsman) with wonderful reporters piecing a news show together. My love of that is a tip of the hat to my dad.
There are really two main reasons for doing it: It was about responsibility of journalists to question those in power. There needs to be a danger and a fear to erode away our civil liberties. After something like Pearl Harbor we panic and put civilians in prison . Then we fix it, we’re good at that. We get a little crazy, lose our minds, get scared, and then we fix it. I like that. And its newsmen who fix it. Without newsmen then we don’t have civil rights, women’s right, and anti-Vietnam movements.
How did you go about researching the characters involved?
I saw on Page Six than Anna Coulter said looking back at Murrow, he was wrong. I don’t know about that. When I went into this project my dad simply said get the facts right - just get the facts right.
There were things we had in doing the research and it was important to go back to the original material. Important to go back to the source material so we won’t compound any myths. We found ourselves having to check everything. Some of the original McCarthy broadcasts were misleading...like they would show statements from different days as if they were spoken together.
Is it a message movie?
We had an alternative ending. Kind of a montage starting with Murrow, and then John-John saluting, all the way to OJ. We ended with this story, I don’t know if you remember about this guy in car and after a police chase he pours gas on the car and then blows his head off on national TV with a shotgun. It was powerful but we felt it was editorializing and we cut what was one of our favorite scenes. We wanted to stay away from standing on a soap box.
It isn’t really political. It is a film by someone who happens to be political. I’m an old liberal. It is a historical piece – careful to be made with facts. If it opens up a debate then good. If some kid sees it in journalism class and decides he wants to be a writer or reporter then we win.
Like protest songs of the 60’s, film goes through periods of time when we don’t care about politics or social issues but film catches up...it takes a while to write a script but there are films that come out in the right moment like Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner during the civil rights era.
Here is an example. It is a terrible thing with the photographers always hanging outside your home and jumping out. For one day if it happened to you, you would see and hate it. They don’t try and catch you doing something stupid, they try and make you do something stupid. The paparazzi pops out they wants to pick a fight. But the idea of stopping them is worse. You can’t burn a book even it is Mein Kampf. Stopping them is censorship and that is far more dangerous.
Did you always plan on being in the movie?
I chose my character (Fred Friendly, president of news for CBS) because…(jokes) no one else would play it. I didn’t really want to act in the film. It isn’t fun directing yourself. “How was I? Fantastic! You look younger….” It was a black and white movie starring David Strathairn for 7 million - they made sure I was in it. Fred was bombastic but I couldn’t’ stop at that. It was a big enough part so I could get the money. It is a part where as an actor no one looks at me (then jokes)..and I like looking at me.
Is it important for you to do more artistic work after doing bigger Hollywood stuff like Ocean’s 11?
If my sell out movie is Ocean’s11 then I’m in good shape…if it’s Batman and Robin…that’s another thing.
What was it like growing up in conservative Cincinnati?
Growing up in Cincinnati in the early 70’s there was the counterculture and sexual revolution…it was not so conservative. It is much more conservative now. Jerry Springer was our mayor. I’m gonna tell you something about that idiot. He was a friend of my dad’s…a friend of our family and we liked him. Then he went and wrote a check to a hooker…which is very dumb. So very Kennedyesque he came out and admitted it and apologized and he ran again and won by a landslide. Later he did his show and it started off whatever like all those others…and then it became what it became. I saw him a while ago and I said to him “I’m ashamed of you and my father is ashamed of you.” You know what you are doing and he knows better.
Do you ever think about going into politics?
No. I won’t campaign (for politicians) but I will do fundraisers. Kerry wanted me to get on his train and I said that I would do more damage than good.
How did you team up with Grant Heslov to write the movie?
I know Grant for twenty years. He lent me a hundred bucks for my head shot so I could guest star on Joni Loves Chachi. I didn’t get the part…he did.
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