Obit:: Tom Snyder TV Host

Subject: BS: Obit - Tom Snyder TV Host
From: Wesley S
Date: 30 Jul 07 - 03:18 PM

New York Times Obit

[link edited to remove restrictive ending-- a clone]

Subject: RE: BS: Obit - Tom Snyder TV Host
From: Jeri
Date: 30 Jul 07 - 03:34 PM

Here's an Obit at Forbes that doesn't require registration.

Subject: RE: BS: Obit - Tom Snyder TV Host
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Jul 07 - 03:52 PM

I had the odd thought this morning that too bad my mother died ten years ago, she'd be so disappointed now that Snyder died. :-/

He was one of her favorites; I'd call home sometimes from work or whatever far-flung place I was living and occasionally I'd get a blow-by-blow laughing account of something Tom Snyder had said the other night.

As long as we still have Dick Cavett for a while. . .

SRS

Subject: RE: Obit:: Tom Snyder TV Host
From: Mickey191
Date: 31 Jul 07 - 01:18 AM

Tom was Top Drawer! Hated to see him quit broadcasting. An interview with Billy Connelley was one of his best.   

Somebody may have Cavett-but he's damn well hidden. Wish he was still around. Year or so ago some of his stellar shows were replayed. Bette Davis & Hepburn. Davis was the epitome of a "Star." Hepburn surprised me--she came across as an egotistical, bossy & rude dame. I was very disappointed by her demeanor.   



I recently bought Merv Griffin's CD of his old show. It was great to see the celebs who were fun & smart & civilized. Welles & Levant were my two favs. Pryor starting out,& Bobby Kennedy speaking of his murdered brother. No great shows like that on now. WHY?

Subject: RE: Obit:: Tom Snyder TV Host
From: BK Lick
Date: 31 Jul 07 - 01:46 AM

Dick Cavett is around and blogging at http://cavett.blogs.nytimes.com/ .

Subject: RE: Obit:: Tom Snyder TV Host
From: BK Lick
Date: 31 Jul 07 - 02:09 AM

DVDs of many of his shows, including the Hepburn and Davis interviews, are available at Amazon. Cavett writes about these reissues in his May 9th blog entry.

Subject: RE: Obit:: Tom Snyder TV Host
From: katlaughing
Date: 31 Jul 07 - 10:46 AM

He's also been doing current interviews on the TVLand channel.

I found this about Snyder:

"I read stories out loud. That's basically what I do," he said in 1982 when he was coming back to local news in New York. "And if I may be immodest, there aren't all that many of us who do it well."

During that same interview, 25 years ago, he lamented the softening of news -- the sacrifice of hard, important information for meaningless celebrity trivia.

Snyder was not the first journalist to register this complaint, nor will he be the last, and it seems safe to speculate he might like to be remembered as an old-school journalist, a man who delivered information.

Maybe he'll get his wish.

Subject: RE: Obit:: Tom Snyder TV Host
From: PoppaGator
Date: 31 Jul 07 - 01:13 PM

I kinda hate to contribute to Obituary Thread Drift ~ a pretty rude development, with sincere apologies to the memory of Tom Snyder ~ but I feel compelled to comment on the Dick Cavett / Kate Hepburn rerun seen recently on TCM.

I didn't find Ms Hepburn's performance disappointing at all. I suppose I already knew something about her aristocratic demeanor and wasn't taken by surprise, but I've always liked her anyway, particularly liked her in that interview, and gladly concede her the right to her admittedly opinionated stance. She certainly earned it.

Subject: RE: Obit:: Tom Snyder TV Host
From: Mickey191
Date: 31 Jul 07 - 03:46 PM

Poppa Gator, Sorry you view my comments as a "pretty rude development" on this thread. I did not realize thread drifts were a form of disrespect. I gave Tom my praise and tangentially referred to his line of work. May the Gods forgive me.

As for Miss Hepburn:   
I still love her work-no one like her. She's always had the tag of being independent & saucy & devoted to her career. She has,indeed, earned all the praise.

However, I don't think anyone has the right to flaunt bad manners, rudely talk over others, and act in such a haughty manner. It ain't cute!

Subject: RE: Obit:: Tom Snyder TV Host
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Jul 07 - 03:50 PM

I learned the word "brouhaha" from Tom. I thought he'd made it up in between puffs of his cigarette.

Subject: RE: Obit:: Tom Snyder TV Host
From: PoppaGator
Date: 31 Jul 07 - 05:06 PM

Mickey, nothing personal ~ I really meant to be apologizing for my own continuance of our little on-the-side discussion ~ it wasn't my intention to call you out on that. Of course, I was taking issue with what you had to say, so I certainly understand your reaction, and I apologize.

I "commit" thread drift all the time without hesitation, but felt it might be just a bit out of line in this particular set of circumstances, when discussing the recently departed.

It's been a while since I watched that Kate and Dick show. Next time it airs ("if there is a next time") I'll probably watch with a much more critical eye, thanks to your description. I truly don't recall her rudely interrupting Cavett; perhaps I saw/heard the same as you but interpreted it simply as spirited discussion. And I think that if Dick Cavett felt offended in any way, he masked his feelings pretty effectively. Maybe he was just starstruck and cut the Great Lady more slack than she may have deserved.

You've made me really curious to see the interview again!

Subject: RE: Obit:: Tom Snyder TV Host
From: GUEST,WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 31 Jul 07 - 05:51 PM

I am on vacation and was so sad to pick up a newspaper and read about his passing.

When I worked at CNBC, Snyder started his "comeback" by hosting a show on the cable network. After awhile he was picked up by CBS for the late night program.    At CNBC, Snyder hosted the show from our LA bureau. I always heard good things about him. He came to the East Coast a few times and hosted his show from our studio, and everyone loved working with him.   A kind man, very down to earth and likeable, he was a joy. His programs were always interesting and while his personality came through - he knew to keep the attention on his guests. He was a treasure and a great loss to the industry - an industry that often overlooks such creativity in a quest to make a quick buck. I hope his shows will be preserved so future generations can learn from him. Rest in Peace.

Subject: RE: Obit:: Tom Snyder TV Host
From: Mickey191
Date: 31 Jul 07 - 06:44 PM

Poppa Gator, Thanks for apology-I think thread drift is one of the more interesting aspects of Mudcat. Much to be learned-so little time.

Cavett was most respectful - I maybe wrong, but I do think he was a bit tense. If you recall, Miss H. was not aware that the cameras were running as she directed the set up. That was when I thought she misbehaved. She brooked no interference. I thought Dick had a much better time with Bette! She was funny, truthful & her humor was ever present.

Stranded on an island--would love to be with Bette. Think I'd drown Katie. Maybe we'll both get to see the whole thing again. Did not know D.C. had a blog.

Subject: RE: Obit:: Tom Snyder TV Host
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Jul 07 - 08:25 PM

I introduced the "drift" by naming Cavett as someone of Snyder's caliber who is still here. It happens. Cavett's wife died fairly recently, but there was no obit thread for that, so maybe now is when his name will come up in that context.

Snyder had a natural, witty, engaging approach to interviewing that is similar to Cavett. One could argue the same about Carson, I suppose, but his wit was on a different level. My mother also watched Mike Douglas and Sheila Graham do afternoon interview talk shows when I was a kid, but they didn't have the same energy level.

SRS

Subject: RE: Obit:: Tom Snyder TV Host
From: PoppaGator
Date: 01 Aug 07 - 03:10 PM

Continuing the drift du jour ~ last night, TCM aired another old DIck Cavett rerun, this time his interview with another legendary figure who died this week, Ingmar Bergman.

It was after midnight CST when I started watching, and unfortunately I couldn't stay awake all the way through to the end. (It had undoubedly aired earlier in the evening as well, but I was out of the house, singing and playing.)

Bergman told a particularly touching story about his first memory of ever seeing a motion picture, "Black Beauty."

Subject: RE: Obit:: Tom Snyder TV Host
From: SharonA
Date: 02 Aug 07 - 04:22 AM

RIP Tom Snyder. What a voice, what a personality. This story is particularly poignant for people in my area (Mudcat Central country) because Snyder came here to Philadelphia when KYW moved here from Cleveland in 1965. He anchored the noon news program, and was a pioneer of the broadcasting format that is so familiar to viewers worldwide today -- talking directly into the camera and engaging the viewer, rather than reading from a paper. He was a familiar face to us for many years, as news anchor and host of the Tomorrow show and The Late Late Show. Watching the clips from the local station's archive brought back a lot of memories of a TV age when the news was the news, not an infomercial for the station's evening broadcast schedule!