- 9 months ago
Murphy Brown Season 6 Episode 8 All The Life That's Fit To Print
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00:00The book we're talking about is Murphy Brown, The Tragic Untold Story.
00:06So tell us, while you were writing this biography, what did you find out about Murphy?
00:11Well, sadly, I found her to be a deeply conflicted, deeply disturbed woman.
00:16Really? How so?
00:18Where shall I start? Well, look at the name she chose for her son.
00:24Avery?
00:24Yes. She named him after a mother, a woman, clearly expressing the desire that her boy be a girl.
00:32To me, this reflects a confusion over her own sexual identity.
00:36Very interesting. You're not suggesting that Murphy might secretly be a transsexual?
00:42Well, I wasn't able to get her medical records, but it wouldn't surprise me if they showed some chromosomal abnormalities.
00:49But keep in mind, we are dealing with a delusional, manic-depressive sociopath with eating disorders.
00:57And you're basing that on...
00:59Her handwriting and her table manners. Very telling.
01:04Wow. Well, there you have it.
01:07Murphy Brown, The Tragic Untold Story.
01:10Murphy, and Murphy, if you are watching at home, please, please get some help.
01:19Or please come on the show and share your pain with us.
01:23With us?
01:23With us?
01:24And that's exactly why I don't want to do one of those books.
01:27You're just setting yourself up for public humiliation.
01:30You don't know that, Murph.
01:31It sounds to me like this guy wants to write a perfectly legitimate biography of you.
01:36Well, of course he's going to sound legitimate in this letter, Frank.
01:39That's how these guys gain your trust.
01:41So you give them free access to your life, and then one day you come home and find him bouncing up and down on your bed,
01:46wearing a pair of your underpants as a hat.
01:50Sure, that's one of the risks.
01:52Come on!
01:54This is Marshall Corwin we're talking about here.
01:56He wrote that new biography of Robert Oppenheimer, father of the atom bomb.
02:01Excellent book.
02:02Smart book.
02:03Have you read it?
02:04Really thick book.
02:06I read it.
02:08What?
02:08The whole thing?
02:10No, Frank.
02:11My lips got tired after the third chapter.
02:13Yes, I read the whole thing.
02:18I love biographies.
02:20Murphy, if you're lucky, yours can combine the historic scope of Eleanor Roosevelt's
02:25with the bittersweet irony of the Charlene Tilton story.
02:29Imagine they put a lot of pictures in the middle.
02:31Marcel Proust didn't do that.
02:33Made it really boring.
02:35Oh, listen.
02:36Thanks for your advice, guys, but you know how I feel.
02:39The journalist should report the story, not be the story.
02:42The fact is, the public likes knowing something personal about the people who bring them their news.
02:46It humanizes them, makes them more approachable.
02:49Oh, yeah, that's just what I need.
02:50More approachable.
02:52Like, people don't already feel comfortable enough coming up to me on the street to tell me I look bony or in person.
02:58Somebody is going to write a book about you sooner or later, whether you consent to it or not.
03:02At least this way you've got a little input as to how it turns out.
03:05I don't know.
03:07Jim, you've been awfully quiet.
03:09What do you think I should do?
03:11I understand your reluctance, Murphy.
03:13Books of this ilk always strike me as a trifle undignified.
03:16That's why I've turned on offers.
03:18Many offers.
03:18Tempting offers.
03:22Of course, Walter Cronkite's delightful little confessional hit the stands, and lo and behold, apparently, all my best stories happen to Walter and not to me.
03:31Oh, the most trusted man in America, my Aunt Fanny.
03:35Just, you, you watch what you say when you're at his dinner table, and if he offers you a cocktail to loosen you up...
03:41Jim, Jim, Jim, I'm double parked, yes or no?
03:44Do it, Murphy.
03:46Do it before the jackals find a way to steal your life, too.
03:55Hi, Bill.
03:56Hey there, Murphy.
03:59If you're looking for your biographer, I set him at your usual table.
04:03He's not my biographer.
04:04I just agreed to meet with him, that's all.
04:07Besides, so if anybody should do a book, it's a dude.
04:10Oh, I've thought about it.
04:12Someday I may actually do it.
04:15Hell, what I know about the Nixon years alone would put Phyllis and me into that Winnebago we've always dreamed about.
04:22Just the two of us gliding down the highway, miles and miles of open road.
04:30Miles and miles of Phyllis yanking in my ear, mooing at every damn cow we pack.
04:36I'm going to write that book real soon.
04:45Hi, Marshall Corwin.
04:47Murphy Brown.
04:48Thanks for meeting with me.
04:50Oh, it's a pleasure.
04:51You've done some very impressive work, especially that Oppenheimer biography.
04:55Oh, you read that, did you?
04:56Well...
04:57No, of course you didn't.
04:58It was too long.
05:00I told my editor to cut me.
05:01Cut me till I bleed.
05:02But did she listen?
05:03No.
05:04Oh, who cares?
05:05It was on the bestseller list for 12 weeks.
05:07It could have gone 14, 15 weeks.
05:09Easy.
05:10But another one of those damn Garfield books came out.
05:13What do you think?
05:16Have you succumbed to my charms yet?
05:19Are you going to let me do the book?
05:21Oh, you're an effy guy, aren't you?
05:25Why should I be?
05:26I'm in the presence of a television news legend whose life story demands to be written.
05:31I'm very flattered, Marshall, but I have to be straight with you.
05:33I really don't know if I want...
05:35You don't know if you want to have this book written at all, all right?
05:37I know, and I can tell you why.
05:39You don't need the publicity.
05:40You don't want your privacy in, David.
05:43You're afraid it might be a hatchet job.
05:45And you don't feel it's a place of a journalist to be the story.
05:49Well, that's pretty much it in a nutshell.
05:53I was right.
05:55This is so exciting.
05:57You know, you have a hunch, you take a shot, you try to get into your subject's mind.
06:02But before you all, all my subjects have been dead.
06:07You're a real character, Marshall.
06:08So you're saying that I'm going to be able to do the book?
06:11No, I'm saying you're a real character, Marshall.
06:14So, we both know the reasons why I shouldn't cooperate with the book, but we still don't know any...
06:18Maybe compelling reasons why you should.
06:20Boy, you live ones are tough.
06:22Let me just put it this way.
06:25For you, the book is not so much an indulgence as it is an obligation.
06:31And how do you figure that?
06:32The kids.
06:34What sort of role models are there for kids coming up today in broadcast journalism?
06:38The people who pass for reporters on hard copy in the current affair?
06:42You were the first person who ever interviewed Nixon after his resignation.
06:46You were the one who brought the SNL scandal to national attention.
06:51You, Murphy Brown, you're someone who in a different era would have been referred to as a real broad.
06:57It's a hard-hitting woman who entered the male-dominated field of television journalism
07:05and rose to the top without making any compromises.
07:08That's the story I want to tell.
07:10Well, you're not trying to snow me, and I respect that.
07:13So, what do you say?
07:17I don't know.
07:18You're asking me to put my trust in you.
07:20That's not something I do easily.
07:22I mean, you're looking at someone who marks the inside of the ice cream containers
07:26before the cleaning lady comes.
07:29I understand your fears.
07:30I can't dismiss them.
07:32But I can promise you whatever I write will be fair, honest, and unbiased.
07:37Yeah, well, that still doesn't make you want to see your life dissected on Sally Jesse Raphael.
07:43Who's Sally Jesse Raphael?
07:46Congratulations, Marshall.
07:47You got yourself a book.
07:48The deadline pressure was intense, and as a female, I knew I had to do twice as well as a guy to get any respect.
07:57Then I found out that the hot chocolate desk next to me was going after the same story.
08:02So, I did the only thing I could.
08:04I marched into the school library and checked out all five copies of Tom Edison, Boy Genius.
08:10That old weasel was stuck doing his book report on Squanto, the first Thanksgiving.
08:15You getting all this, Marshall?
08:16Oh, every word.
08:18But I think I'm going to have to run down to Radio Shack and get some more cassettes.
08:23I'm guessing my 12-pack won't even get us to puberty.
08:27October 2nd, 1961.
08:29But we'll get to that.
08:31I can't wait.
08:32You know, I do have to check with my editor, though.
08:35Oh, here, why don't you use my phone?
08:38Then when you get back, you can move on to the fourth grade.
08:40Let's see.
08:41Won a jello slurping contest and bloodied Bobby Zorwell's nose.
08:44That was a big year.
08:45Hey, guys, friendly piece of advice, get someone to write a book about you.
08:52This is so great, I'm remembering things I haven't thought about in years.
08:55Unless I wish my guest, this is Murphy's way of thanking us for convincing her to do the book.
09:01Of course, being Murphy, she's managed to do that without using the words thank or you.
09:05That is where you're wrong, Frank.
09:10Thank you all.
09:11Oh, my God!
09:12She said it!
09:14Murphy said thank you!
09:16I win!
09:17I had the 1990s in the office pool!
09:19Yes!
09:22Good news, Miss Brown.
09:24My editor's cleared me for another hundred pages.
09:26That means your great-grandfather, O'Casey's struggle against the Tweed Barons, has a chance.
09:31Hey, you know, since I'm in the office, would you mind if I took a little time to talk to some of your peers?
09:37Sure, assuming you can find any.
09:41These guys would be happy to talk to you, right, guys?
09:44Super good, wouldn't we?
09:45Okay, why don't I just run over to Phil's, grab some lunch, and do a little work?
09:52That way you'll feel free to say whatever you want.
09:55Just remember, anyone using the words dazzling, brilliant, and insightful in the same sentence will not be disappointed come Christmas time.
10:02Well, thank you, uh, thank you for taking the time to talk to me.
10:08You know, in the few days I've spent with Murphy, a couple of things have made themselves glaringly obvious.
10:16She's the world's safest driver, and she has the finest singing voice east of the Mississippi.
10:22That was an icebreaker, yeah.
10:32I heard laughing.
10:34Laughing is good, as are the words dazzling, brilliant, and insightful.
10:41Oh, that's lovely.
10:43Well, uh, what qualities would you say make Murphy the journalist she is?
10:48Well, why don't I just start, since I've known Murph the longest and probably know her the best.
10:54I think what makes her so good is that she's tough.
10:58Yes.
10:59Definitely.
11:00Oh, yes, the woman has the tenacity of a pit bull.
11:04Well, that's pretty tough.
11:06Oh, yeah, you get in Murphy's way when she's chasing a story.
11:08She'll run you down.
11:10Then she'll back over you just to make sure you're dead.
11:13Good and dead, oh, yeah, she is tough.
11:16But not too tough.
11:21Not too tough?
11:23No, but not un-tough.
11:25Just the right amount of tough.
11:28Um, normal tough.
11:29Right, guys?
11:30Normal tough.
11:32Well, for the sake of time, uh, we'll just say tough.
11:36Well, what was your first impression of Murphy when you met her?
11:39My first impression of Murphy was that she carried herself with a lot of confidence, which really
11:48impressed me because I was just this wide-eyed girl from Louisiana.
11:51You can imagine my amazement when I saw Murphy firing her third secretary that week.
11:57Three secretaries?
11:58Boy, it must have been some week.
11:59Are you kidding?
12:00That's something you should ask Frank about.
12:03That's all.
12:05He has known her the longest.
12:07Probably knows her the best.
12:09Uh, I wasn't here that day.
12:13Well, thank you.
12:14That's terrific.
12:15Um, tell me, though, you know, she always seems so composed, so professional.
12:20Does she ever lose her cool?
12:22Well, any of us in this pressure cooker of a business we call broadcast journalism is
12:29going to have days or even weeks when our professional demeanor is not as perfect as
12:34we like.
12:35That's interesting.
12:36Can you elaborate?
12:37No.
12:39I really don't think you're getting a full picture.
12:43I mean, there are so many aspects to Murphy we haven't told you about.
12:45Oh, many, many.
12:47Such as?
12:50Her hair.
12:50Oh, my, yes.
12:54She can arrange it in any number of ways.
12:58And let's not forget her fun side.
13:01Good.
13:02Good.
13:02By all means, let's hear about it.
13:04That woman knows how to enjoy the life.
13:09Take the 1980 Republican convention in Detroit.
13:12Oh, man.
13:13That was one wild week.
13:15Murphy gets to the airport around midnight, goes directly to the VIP party at the airport,
13:20the shirt, and after about an hour.
13:23No, wait.
13:24No, no.
13:26I'm wrong.
13:27No.
13:28That wasn't Murphy.
13:29No, that was, um, Connie Chung.
13:33Murphy doesn't have a fun side.
13:34Well, uh, just to shift gears a bit, um, how does Murphy react to criticism?
13:47I'm no car expert.
13:49Hey, guys, how'd the interviews go?
13:51I'm just reading through some of my old journals.
13:55This one's from the summer I interned with Eric Severide.
13:58Listen to this.
13:59August 28, 1969.
14:02Snuck onto the set after everyone had gone home.
14:05Sat in Mr. Severide's chair and did my own version of the commentary.
14:09Memo to myself.
14:10Next time, make sure boss's car has left the parking lot.
14:14Start looking for new internship.
14:15Put fish in Severide's trunk.
14:19That was cute.
14:20Adorable.
14:21You don't think you should do the book.
14:24What?
14:24What are you talking about?
14:26I think what Jim is trying to say is that maybe now is not the best time to do a biography
14:31on Murphy Brown.
14:33Oh.
14:34And when would be a good time?
14:36When you're dead.
14:36When I'm dead.
14:40When we're out there.
14:41When anyone who might possibly want to read this book is dead.
14:44That would be a good time.
14:45There you go.
14:47Well, this is just great.
14:48One day you're telling me do this.
14:50The next day you're telling me don't.
14:52Throw in a bunch of half-eaten Big Macs and George Stephanopoulos bragging about how chicks
14:56dig his hair.
14:57I swear I was in a White House staff meeting.
14:58Oh, Murphy.
15:00We had no idea he was going to be asking us all sorts of loaded questions.
15:05Like what?
15:05Like what kind of person you are?
15:08What it's like working with you?
15:10What were we supposed to tell him?
15:11Well, how about the truth?
15:13Geez, we're talking about me here, not Ike Turner.
15:17The truth is good in theory, Murphy, but it's a little different when you start picturing
15:21how these things will look in black and white.
15:23Remember the time you threw that coffee mug at my head?
15:26Oh, how we all laughed about that.
15:30Yet in print, that gesture might lose some of its whimsical charm.
15:35Oh, and I missed, didn't I?
15:37Well, unfortunately, there were a lot of stories when you didn't miss.
15:40Murphy, you don't know what it's like.
15:42You'd think because we interview people all the time, we'd know exactly what to say.
15:46But then you hear yourself answering more than you should.
15:50Things start to slip out.
15:51Things like the convention story.
15:54How would you feel about seeing that in print?
15:56Well, I think put in the appropriate context, given the proper spin, told with the right
16:03amount of humor, I'd be fine seeing the convention story in print.
16:07You didn't tell them the convention story, did you?
16:09I mean, that's the point.
16:11It was three hours of not telling stories about you.
16:15Just think what it's going to be like when Marshall interviews other people.
16:18People who don't love you.
16:20People who don't care about you.
16:21People who aren't afraid of you.
16:24You know, you guys are something else.
16:27I mean, sure, Marshall might come across a few people with a score to settle.
16:30And yes, I've done a couple of things I might not do again.
16:33But don't you think I took all that into consideration when I decided to do this?
16:37I have no intention of pulling out of this book.
16:40I'm proud of my life and what I've accomplished.
16:43I have nothing to be ashamed of.
16:45What kind of journalist is Murphy Brown?
16:48Well, she's thorough, resourceful, articulate.
16:52And when it comes to a one-on-one interview, she is almost as good as I am.
16:57Almost.
16:58Murphy's an outstanding reporter.
17:00She's got a good nose for her story, and she's very aggressive.
17:03Very competitive.
17:05She's very competitive.
17:06She's brutally competitive at times.
17:10Competitive?
17:11Try vicious.
17:13The Soviet Union was collapsing, and we found ourselves on the same flight to Moscow,
17:17going after an exclusive interview with Gorbachev.
17:20When we landed, she told the airport security guard I was smuggling in blue jeans and Michael Jackson tapes.
17:25She got Gorbachev, and I got a guard named Mikolai with cold hands and a bad attitude.
17:30I made the mistake once of dozing off next to her on the press bus during the Mondale campaign.
17:37And when I woke up, my taped interview with Geraldine Ferraro had mysteriously turned into two hours of Forrest Sawyer and Britt Hume playing license plate bingo.
17:47Well, she'll do anything for an interview.
17:50She once offered Lech Bowens a free use of her Martha's Vineyard Beach House.
17:55Of course, she doesn't have a Martha's Vineyard Beach House, which is why my grandchildren walked into our place to find the leader of solidarity boiling lobsters wearing nothing but my kiss-the-cook apron.
18:07I saw her pushing non-once.
18:10I'd beaten Murphy out on three stories in a row, so she wasn't speaking to me.
18:15Then I got an interview with Aretha Franklin.
18:18Suddenly, Murphy's my best friend.
18:21She asked me for Aretha's home phone number, and foolishly, I gave it to her.
18:26And guess what?
18:27I haven't heard from Murphy since, which, if you know Murphy, is a blessing.
18:31But I sure heard from Aretha.
18:34I'm sorry, but I make it a policy never to disgust my colleagues.
18:38I'm sure you understand.
18:40I wouldn't give her an interview during the board hearings.
18:43She had pizzas delivered to my house every hour on the hour for three straight days.
18:49Well, I wouldn't give her an interview during the Clarence Thomas hearings.
18:53And she had Chinese food delivered to my house every hour on the hour for three straight days.
19:01I saw her push her non-once.
19:04My wife and I shared a table with her at a White House dinner in the early 80s.
19:09When Elizabeth and I got up to dance, she ate both our sherbets.
19:13Of course she denied it, which was pretty shameless considering how orange her tongue was.
19:18Nancy Reagan once told me that they wouldn't have had to replace the White House China
19:22if Murphy didn't have such a big purse.
19:26Her personal life?
19:28Oh, boy, where do you begin?
19:29No, I mean it. I don't want to talk about her.
19:33I admire how she's turned her life around.
19:36But in the old days, how should I put this?
19:40Let's just say Murphy never missed a trip to the Punchbowl.
19:44It was hard to get close to Murphy back then.
19:47I mean, let's face it.
19:48There was a time when her three best friends were Jim Beam, Johnny Walker, and old granddad.
19:53I remember one St. Patrick's Day party, she became convinced that Ted Koppel was a leprechaun.
20:01She spent the entire evening following him around, trying to rub his head for luck.
20:06If there's one thing you learn in this business, it's that you don't mess with Koppel's hair.
20:12I saw her push a nun once.
20:15I will not talk about her. You don't know what she's like. She's vindictive. She'll do things.
20:21You can try a restraining order. You can try moving. But she always finds you.
20:26And then there's the convention story. Has anyone else brought that up?
20:54The convention story?
20:56Um, it's really not my place to discuss that.
20:59Oh, yes. The convention story.
21:02Well, as a gentleman, it's not a story I feel comfortable telling.
21:07But then again, she always says the public has a right to know.
21:11How much tape do you have there?
21:13There, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there.
21:18It's one thing to have led a colorful life.
21:20It's another thing to realize that your kid's gonna be old enough to read about it someday.
21:24Hey, I can't do this book.
21:26What was I thinking? Would you tell me that?
21:29You know, I am not buying this silo, Trudy.
21:32I bet you can talk.
21:33Well, I'm guessing I leave here in the morning, you and Eldon have a cup of coffee, read the papers, and just try to let you move on, all right?
21:40Oh, well, it's you.
21:45You know, ever since we started watching 101 Dalmatians, I've been having these dreams that, that Cruella de Vil comes and takes them away.
21:53And at this time of night, I must admit, there's a rather unsettling resemblance.
22:03I got some, some painting I have to finish.
22:05Good night there, little man.
22:07Eldon, wait.
22:09Wait.
22:09You know, this isn't the easiest thing for me to talk about, but, um, well, listen, you, you've done some things in your life you're not exactly proud of, right?
22:21Look, if you're talking about that pair of pantyhose, I only borrowed them.
22:25Just drain a can of very lumpy paint, and I can't believe you were still wearing them anyway.
22:30The entire left foot was gone.
22:32Can you get the pantyhose?
22:34I'm talking about life choices.
22:37You know, things you might have said or done or imbibed when you were younger.
22:42Things you might not be so proud of now.
22:46Well, look, I'm not gonna tell you that I'm thrilled with everything I've ever done, but, uh, the way I look at it, if, if you don't look back with some regrets, it probably wasn't that much of a life to begin with anyway.
22:59Yeah, well, that's easy for you to say.
23:02You weren't stupid enough to agree to a biography.
23:05Your kid's not gonna be standing around at recess while his friends ask if they could come over and see his mother do what's described on page 146.
23:14Look, it's 3 a.m., and little A.V. is not the only one losing interest with this conversation.
23:20So, let me leave you with this thought.
23:23If you do your job right, A.V. is not gonna have to read some book to decide whether or not he likes you.
23:29I guess you have a point.
23:32Besides, at a certain age, kids think everything their parents do is stupid.
23:35And in your case, forget about it.
23:39Mike, it's Murphy.
23:41I'm, I know, I know.
23:42I'm, I'm sorry to wake you up.
23:44I just wanted to tell you, a guy is going to be calling you.
23:47He's doing a book on me.
23:48He has my full cooperation.
23:49So, just, just feel free to tell him whatever you want.
23:53Um, but if you should happen to forget the convention story, I'll make sure that that tape of you singing,
23:59I enjoy being a girl on the press bus, never sees the light of day.
24:03Okay, great.
24:04Thanks.
24:04Go back to sleep.
24:04Leslie, hi.
24:15I'm sorry, I know, it's late.
24:16I'm sorry.
24:17I just wanted to tell you, um, there's a guy who's gonna be calling you.
24:21He's doing a book on me, but he has my phone number.
24:25Morley?
24:26I know you're there, Morley.
24:28Pick up the phone.
24:29Okay, don't test me, Morley.
24:32I can wait all night.
24:34Morley, if you don't pick up the phone, I'm gonna start singing.
24:40Leslie, hi.
24:44I'm sorry, I know, it's late.
24:45Listen, I just wanted to tell you, a guy is...
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