Sunday, September 18, 2005

"Good Night and Good Luck"

No, it's not my bedtime yet. Good Night and Good Luck is the title of a new movie about one of my greatest heroes of all time, Edward R. Murrow. Ed Murrow eclipses even George Washington Carver on my list, and I doubt I could have survived childhood without peanut butter.

CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow brought the reality of the Nazi air raids on London home to the living rooms of America. More importantly, though, he stood up to the demagoguery of Joe McCarthy. McCarthy went on a witch-hunt in the government and in the military, looking for "Communist sympathizers." The sad irony is that by his actions, McCarthy moved America much closer to the totalitarian nightmare he claimed to be fighting. Murrow's courage in standing up to McCarthy when most public figures were terrified to oppose him (lest they too be branded unamerican) hastened the end of a dark chapter of American history.

Good Night and Good Luck is scheduled to open in theaters October 7th.