To commemorate Larry King’s 50 years in broadcasting, CNN is releasing a three-DVD set filled with clips from Larry King Live, which premiered in 1985. The packaging makes claims that King is the greatest TV talk show host and an influential interviewer. I don’t agree with either one, but there’s no denying the program has provided a fabulous pop cultural snapshot of America and the world over the last 20-plus years. His interview style is relaxed and conversational. He comes across like a regular guy, not a well-researched reporter with an agenda or someone who wants to outshine the guest. The guests are put at ease, making it easy to reveal themselves.
Disc One presents “Hollywood Film Stars & Legends.” It runs over two hours long and features the biggest stars in show business over the past three decades. The disc’s chapters group together the stars’ answers over a wide range of subjects. King focuses less on the work, and more on the person behind it, discussing the roller coaster that is fame and the trappings that come with it. There is some discussion about acting, but King appears more interested in how people made ends meet and dealt with lulls in their career. Most likely one of his favorites, Liz Taylor got her own segment.
The bonus material is 24 minutes of King’s reflections of off-camera and off-mike moments with the likes of Marlon Brando, George Burns, Frank Sinatra, Jackie Gleason, Lenny Bruce, and Jackie Robinson.
Disc Two is “Presidents & First Ladies, News Events & Scandals.” Seventy-five minutes that feature every President since Nixon, and every first lady since Betty Ford. King gets surprising candid moments from the Presidents about mistakes they made, the effect on their marriages, dealing with the media, being commander-in-chief, and their legacies.
“News Events & Scandals” is 100 minutes of the biggest stories during King’s tenure on television. Being part of CNN was certainly beneficial to obtaining amazing news footage and access to guests. The disc covers 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, “Deep Throat” Revealed, The Waco Tragedy, and the South Asian Tsunami, the Gulf War, and the War in Iraq. The most powerful footage is when King interviews the people personally affected. In 1993 King got his largest audience, and the largest on ad-supported cable until a game on ESPN's Monday Night Football last season, when H. Ross Perot and Vice President Gore debated NAFTA.
Article comments
1 - Robert Leu
But does it come with a free pair of suspenders?