Morton Downey Jr.
Morton Downey Jr. | |
---|---|
Born | Sean Morton Downey December 9, 1932[1] Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Died | March 12, 2001 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 68)
Occupation(s) | Talk show host, actor |
Children | 4 |
Parent(s) | Morton Downey Barbara Bennett |
Relatives | Richard Bennett (grandfather) Adrienne Morrison (grandmother) Lewis Morrison (great-grandfather) Constance Bennett (aunt) Joan Bennett (aunt) |
Morton Downey Jr. (December 9, 1932 – March 12, 2001) was an American television talk show host and actor who pioneered the "trash TV" format in the late-1980s on his program The Morton Downey Jr. Show.[2][3][4][5]
Early life
Downey's roots were in show business; his father, Morton Downey, was a popular singer, and his mother, Barbara Bennett, was a stage and film actress and singer and dancer. Downey did not use his legal first name (Sean) in his stage name.[6] His aunts included Hollywood film stars Constance and Joan Bennett, from whom he was estranged, and his maternal grandfather was celebrated matinée idol Richard Bennett. Born into a wealthy family, he was raised during the summers next door to the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.[7] Downey attended New York University.[8]
Career
He was a
In the 1980s, Downey was a
Anti-abortion activism
On January 22, 1980, Downey, a devoted anti-abortion movement activist, hosted the California State Rally for Life at the invitation of the
Television
Downey headed to
Downey's signature phrases "pablum puking liberal" (in reference to left-liberals) and "zip it!" briefly enjoyed some popularity in the contemporary vernacular. He particularly enjoyed making his guests angry with each other, which on a few occasions resulted in physical confrontations.[2] One such incident occurred on a 1988 show taped at the Apollo Theater, involving Al Sharpton and CORE National Chairman Roy Innis. The exchange between the two men culminated in Innis shoving Sharpton into his chair, knocking him to the floor and Downey intervening to separate the pair.[14]
Downey briefly took his show on the road in 1989, holding concert-like events across the country.
Because of the controversial format and content of the show, distributor
During one controversial episode Downey introduced his gay brother, Tony Downey, to his studio audience and informed them Tony was HIV positive. During the episode Downey stated he was afraid his audience would abandon him if they knew he had a gay brother, but then said he did not care.[16]
The Washington Post wrote about him, "Suppose a maniac got hold of a talk show. Or need we suppose?" David Letterman said, "I'm always amazed at what people will fall for. We see this every ten or twelve years, an attempt at this, and I guess from that standpoint I don't quite understand why everybody's falling over backwards over the guy."[17]
Celebrity, cancellation, and bankruptcy
The success of the show made Downey a pop culture celebrity, leading to appearances on
In 1989, Downey released an album of songs based on his show entitled
In late April 1989, Downey was involved in an incident in a
At the time of its cancellation, the show was airing on a total of 70 stations across the country, and its advertisers had been reduced primarily to "direct-response" ads (such as 900 chat line and phone sex numbers).[25] In February 1990, Downey filed for bankruptcy in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey.[26]
Later career
In 1990, Downey resurfaced on CNBC with an interview program called Showdown, which was followed by three attempted talk radio comebacks: first in 1992 on Washington, D.C. radio station WWRC; then in 1993 on Dallas radio station KGBS, where he would scream insults at his callers.[27] He was also hired as the station's VP of Operations.[10] The following year, he returned to CNBC with a short-lived television show, Downey, which was also carried by some broadcast stations; in one episode, Downey claimed to have had a psychic communication with O.J. Simpson's murdered ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson.[7]
His third – and final – attempt at a talk radio comeback occurred in 1997 on
On August 30, 1997, Downey quit his WTAM show to focus on pursuing legal action against Howard Stern. Downey had accused Stern of spreading rumors that he had resumed his smoking habit, to which publicist Les Schecter retorted, "He hasn't picked up a cigarette."[30] His replacement was former WERE host Rick Gilmour.[31]
Following his death, news reports and obituaries incorrectly (according to the
Controversies
In 1984, at KFBK radio, Downey used the word "Chinaman" while telling a joke.[35] His use of the word upset portions of the sizable Asian community in Sacramento. One Asian-American city councilman called for an apology and pressured the station for Downey's resignation. Downey refused to apologize and was forced to resign.[36]
Downey was sued for allegedly appropriating the words and music to his theme song from two songwriters.
In April 1988, he was
In his later years, Downey expressed remorse for some of the extreme theatrics of his TV show,[23] as well as various incidents outside the studio, including the Inside Edition confrontation.[43] However, he also said his show was of a higher quality than and not as "sleazy" as Jerry Springer's show.[7]
Personal life
Downey was married four times and had four children from three of those marriages.
Legacy
In 1998, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.[45] Morton Koopa Jr. of the Nintendo video game Super Mario Bros. 3 is named after him.
Death
In June 1996, Downey was diagnosed with lung cancer, while being treated for pneumonia, and had one of his lungs removed.[46] His views on tobacco use changed substantially, going from a one-time member of the National Smokers Alliance to a staunch anti-smoking activist.[47] He continued to speak against smoking until his death from lung cancer and pneumonia on March 12, 2001.[48]
After being diagnosed with lung cancer, he commented:
I had spawned a generation of kids to think it was cool to smoke a cigarette. Kids walked up to me until a matter of weeks ago, they'd have a cigarette in their hand and they'd say, 'Hey, Mort,' or, 'Hey, Mouth, autograph my cigarette.' And I'd do it.[2]
He also blamed tobacco companies for lying to consumers about cigarettes.[2]
Évocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie
Released in 2012, the documentary film Évocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie touches upon Downey's upbringing and formative years in radio and politics before launching into the history of The Morton Downey Jr. Show and Downey's influence on trash TV.[49] The film also looks at Downey's relationship with Al Sharpton and other important 80s figures.[50]
Filmography
- 1978: Born Again as Classroom Guard
- 1990: Predator 2 as Tony Pope
- 1990: Tales from the Crypt (Episode: "Television Terror") as Horton Rivers
- 1991: Monsters (Episode: "A Face for Radio") as Ray Bright
- 1991: Driving Me Crazy as Taj
- 1991: Legal Tender as Mal Connery
- 1992: Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation as Orrin Price
- 1992: Body Chemistry II: The Voice of a Stranger as Big Chuck
- 1992: The Silencer as Michael Keating
- 1997: Meet Wally Sparks as himself
- 1999: Palmer's Pick-Up as Dick Cash (final film role)
See also
References
- ISBN 0440500923.
'Can you prove that you're Morton Downey Jr.?' he asked. I had an idea. 'Do you have a morgue here, a file of old articles?' I asked. I dug into old issues of the Examiner from the days following my birth on December 9, 1932. Sure enough, in the December 11th issue I found a picture of Morton Downey and Barbara Bennett, holding a little baby. Me.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Trash TV icon Morton Downey Jr. dies". CNN. March 13, 2001. Archived from the original on 2001-03-16. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- ^ "Morton Downey Jr., trash TV pioneer, 68". New Haven Register. Associated Press. 14 March 2001. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ "10 Pioneers of Trash Television". Toptenz.net. 30 May 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ "CNN doc chronicles "trash TV" pioneer Morton Downey Jr". Channel Guide Magazine. 13 August 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ Case of Sean M. Downey Jr., US Bankruptcy Court, District of New Jersey, February 16, 1990
- ^ a b c d e "'Mort the Mouth' Downey Jr. Dies; 'Trash TV' Talk-Show Host's Draw Was Shocking, Mocking". The Washington Post. March 14, 2001. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- ^ Wolfgang Saxon (March 14, 2001). "Morton Downey Jr., 67, Combative TV Host". The New York Times.
- ^ "Proud Profession/Boulevard of Broken Dreams". 45cat.com. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ a b Downey's entry Archived 2012-04-28 at the Wayback Machine at 440 International
- ^ "Rally for Life held in Capital", by: Times Herald, Vallejo, January 22, 1980, Page 16.
- ^ "WEBCommentary(tm) – About the Late (Sean) Morton Downey, Jr. & The Ron Paul Appearance". www.webcommentary.com. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ Rick Kogan (December 19, 1988). "Morton Downey Jr. Is In Game Form". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ Marlow Stern (April 24, 2012). "Morton Downey Jr.'s Top Outbursts: Ron Paul, Al Sharpton, More (VIDEO)". The Daily Beast.
- ^ Hoffman, Ken (24 July 2015). "When it comes to garbage TV, Downey set the standard". Houston Chronicle. The Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- People. June 20, 1988. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
- ^ "Shriek! Chic! It's Morton Downey!; Talk's Mr. Nasty, Coming On Strong With the Art of Abuse", The Washington Post, July 6, 1988, Tom Shales
- ISBN 9780879724900. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
- ^ HILBURN, ROBERT (4 April 1989). "Morton Downey Jr.--The Mouth Goes on the Record". Retrieved 28 February 2019 – via LA Times.
- ^ "Morton Downey Jr. Sings". Amazon.com Music Listings. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
- ^ "TV Host Takes a Beating". Deseret News. 26 April 1989. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
- ^ "Attacked or Not?". Deseret news. May 3, 1989. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
- ^ a b c "Morton Downey Jr. Dies". CBS News. March 14, 2001. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- ^ "Morton Downey Jr. Show is History". Deseretnews.com. Deseret News. July 23, 1989. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
- ^ Gerard, Jeremy (July 20, 1989). "Downey Show Canceled". The New York Times.
- ^ "Downey Wants Protection from Creditors". Deseret News. February 22, 1989. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
- ^ "Talk Show Culture". Report. Ellen Hume. Archived from the original on 2007-07-01. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
- ^ Morton Downey Jr. back with WTAM talk show, The Plain Dealer, July 14, 1997, pg. 5, sec. E, Roger Brown
- ^ Talk hosts talk about talking on Morton Downey show-il, The Plain Dealer, December 9, 1988, pg. 33, sec. SU, Bob Dolgan
- San Jose Mercury News, August 30, 1997, p. 4A, Mercury News Wire Services
- ^ 'Best Radio Personality: Rick Gilmore (sic) of WTAM', Cleveland Scene, September 17, 2003
- ^ "Wiping Out a Myth". Orange County Register. 2002. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
- ^ Morton Downey Jr.'s Home Page Archived 2001-12-14 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Myth Information". Spin. 5 (1): 66. April 1989. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
20 great rock 'n roll events that never really happened... 11. Morton Downey Jr. did not cowrite "Wipeout", the surf instrumental by the Surfaris.
- ^ "Living under Limbaugh". Sacramento News & Review. February 19, 2009. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ "The Rush is On – But it's a Slow Start After Two Months In NY, Limbaugh Is Happy, Hopeful". Sacramento Bee. August 31, 1988.
- ^ Suit alleges Downey stole song, Chicago Sun-Times, May 5, 1989, Adrienne Drell
- ^ Giordano, Al (1989-02-25). "Zzzzip It". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
- ^ "365Gay.com". Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
- ^ Talk show host Downey named in defamation suit, Chicago Sun-Times, December 11, 1988
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Matlagning2009 (2009-07-10), 2 Morton Downey JR, retrieved 2018-02-28
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Morton Downey Jr. Scuffles With Television Crew Seeking Interview". LA Times. 1989-04-01.
- ^ Inside Edition segment (6:35). YouTube. Archived from the original on 2020-12-25.
- ^ "BirminghamProSports.com". www.birminghamprosports.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ Palm Springs Walk of Stars by date dedicated Archived 2012-10-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ LEVIN, MYRON (12 July 1996). "Cancer Diagnosis Prompts Downey to Switch Sides". Retrieved 28 February 2019 – via LA Times.
- ^ "Talk-Show Pioneer Morton Downey Jr. Dies". ABC News. 6 January 2006. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ Seattle Post-Intelligencer account of Downey's death
- ^ Barnhard, Aaron (18 January 2011). "Zip it!! New film looks at Morton Downey Jr". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
- ^ "Thankfully, Rev. Al Sharpton No Longer Addresses His Detractors As "Punk Faggot"". The Smoking Gun. 16 December 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
External links
- Official website
- Morton Downey Jr. at IMDb