COMMON SENSE
CBS-TV is undergoing a time of distress at the moment, since it announced it would not air the forthcoming special dealing the Reagan years, except next year sometime on “Showtime” to a rather limited “pay to see” audience.
The CBS-TV people finally came to realize that the film was a becoming something quite different from that originally planned. Advance clips showed it had become a critical analysis of the Reagan family. The allegations are now being made that Conservative “pressures”. Charges growing out of circulation of the advance clip showings also accuse the producers of creating incidents and creating fictional dialog to sustain such insertion of sections of truth untrammeled.
It is unfortunate that CBS-TV kept their heads in the silicon sands so long and refused to be aware of what was being done in their name. The day it was announced who would play the role of Ronald Regan was sufficient warning for most of us, but not the officials at CBS-TV. Trust is not one of the natural elements to be found in such agreements of things yet to be done.
Years from now there may well be some reason for such a critical work, but right now while the former President - of necessity to focal point of the story – lives in continued misery due to his debilitating illness. Out of respect for the man, and for his family, one would think critics might exercises a bit of common sense and keep much of their feelings away from public view.
Sadly we can cite incidents in the past when we have bad-mouthed our Presidents, but that is no excuse for doing it again. Give them fifty years or so, I'd say. Dorothy Parker often gets the blame but I think it was one the Longworth girls who said of President Calvin Coolidge that “he had been schooled by old maid aunts and weaned on sour pickles.” Or, when rumor spread that the Coolidge was dead, one of them quipped:”How can they tell?”
We can make fun of our Presidents when they are a generation removed, but not while still among us.
The fault in the current situation is not with CBS-TV, but with the producers of the bio-flick mini-series planned to create a Regan to fit their warped views. Common sense will prevail, I believe, in spite of the fact that much of the media is condemning CBS-TV for giving way to what they call “conservative pressures”. It may be wise for us to keep a watchful and fine-tuned, listening ear focused on any media members who attempt to make the wrongdoers look good.
A.L.M. November 5, 2003 [c455wds]
