Bill Stout
William Job "Bill" Stout (September 4, 1927 – December 1, 1989) was an American journalist and sometime actor, known for his radio and television broadcasting career with CBS News.[1]
Early life and education
Stout was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 4, 1927.[2] He attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), majoring in English. He enrolled when he was 16, and started classes as he turned 17. In college he edited the college newspaper and was active politically, advocating other students to join the picket lines at Warner Bros. following Hollywood Black Friday in October 1945. [3][4]
Stout advocated racial justice in a college newspaper editorial, [5] and, in 1946, he represented UCLA in Prague at the founding meeting of the International Union of Students[6]
Career
Newspaper
Stout left UCLA in June 1947 at the age of 19 and t obtained work at the rival paper,
Broadcasting
Stout's first broadcast journalist work was for CBS-owned KNX (AM) radio in Los Angeles, working as a reporter starting in 1950. In 1953, he moved to the affiliated television station KNXT, taking the roles of reporter, researcher and writer. KNXT broadcast on channel 2, and Stout worked for the channel's investigative news show Special Assignment.[2] (In 1984, KNXT changed to KCBS-TV.)[1] Stout interviewed Richard Feynman in 1959 for KNXT; the conversation, with its questions about the intersection of science, religion and society, is preserved as a chapter in Feynman's book, Perfectly Reasonable Deviations From The Beaten Track.[7]
In 1960, Stout left CBS for three years to work for rival KTLA inside an old Warner Bros. sound stage, under the same roof as Paramount Pictures.[1] Stout moderated Richard Nixon's press conference following his defeat in the California governor's race in 1962. Stout hosted a half-hour TV series, Line of Sight, in which he aired his commentaries on current news topics. The series was produced by Irwin Rosten at KTLA for Paramount.
In 1963, Stout returned to CBS as the Los Angeles correspondent of CBS News. The Los Angeles Times later observed that Stout's changes of employment during his early years were probably due to the argumentative attitude he displayed to his superiors and peers. He wrote occasional newspaper articles, and he was a popular speaker at parties and fundraisers.[2]
In 1972, he rejoined Channel 2 KNXT. In 1978 on his Perspectives segment, he began delivering gruff commentaries with a rumpled, balding appearance akin to actor
In 1978, Stout unwittingly contributed to the loss by
As part of his commentary at KNXT, Stout regularly chose a person or entity as the winner of his "Golden Turkey of the Month." One of these was Judith Belushi, widow of TV-movie comic
On February 3, 1988, Stout received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in the television industry. In a ceremony conducted at the star's location (1500 Vine Street.[10][11]), Police Chief Daryl Gates said that Stout was "one of the few remaining real reporters in the city".[1]
Death
In 1987, Stout survived a serious heart attack. He spent six months off the air in recovery.[2]
Stout's final television appearance was November 28, 1989, on KCBS's Action News at 6. Two nights later, Stout was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, with flu-like symptoms. He died the next morning from cardiac arrest at the age of 62. Stout was survived by his wife, Margaret, her five children and three children from his second marriage. He was briefly married to a fellow UCLA student.[1][2]
He is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1958 | I Want to Live! | Bill Stout - TV Newsman | Uncredited |
1963 | The Ugly American | Tyler, NBC Reporter | |
1964 | The Best Man | Himself | |
1972 | The Candidate | Himself (CBS) | |
1973 | Sunshine | Interviewer | |
1974 | The Phantom of Hollywood | Commentator | |
1974 | The Underground Man | Television newscaster | |
1979 | 11th Victim | Reporter |
References
- ^ a b c d e f Buck, Jerry (December 1, 1989). "Noted Broadcast Newsman Bill Stout Dies". Associated Press. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ^ ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ^ Kemper, Kurt Edward (2000). Reformers in the Marketplace of Ideas: Student Activism and American Democracy in Cold War Los Angeles (LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses). Louisiana State University. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ISBN 0-7382-0636-9.
- ^ Rojas, Aurelio (December 1, 1989). "KCBS-TV newsman Bill Stout dies". United Press International. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ^ a b Carr, Elston L. (1997). "Oral History Interview with Mervyn M. Dymally". California State Archives. State Government Oral History Program, Volume 1.
- ^ "Bill Stout | Hollywood Walk of Fame". www.walkoffame.com. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
- ^ "Bill Stout - Hollywood Star Walk - Los Angeles Times". projects.latimes.com. Retrieved 2016-10-06.