Andy Rooney
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Andrew Aitken Rooney (January 14, 1919 – November 4, 2011) was an American radio and television writer who was best known for his weekly broadcast "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney", a part of the CBS News program ''
60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who distinguished it from other news programs by using a unique style o ...
'' from 1978 to 2011. His final regular appearance on ''60 Minutes'' aired on October 2, 2011; he died a month later at the age of 92.


Early life and education

Andrew Aitken Rooney was born in
Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...
, the son of Walter Scott Rooney (1888–1959) and Ellinor (Reynolds) Rooney (1886–1980). He attended The Albany Academy, and later attended
Colgate University Colgate University is a Private university, private college in Hamilton, New York, United States. The Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York ...
in Hamilton in central New York, where he was initiated into the
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fraternity, before he was drafted into the
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in August 1941.


World War II

Rooney began his career in newspapers in 1942 while in the Army where he began writing for '' Stars and Stripes'' in London. He was one of six correspondents who flew on the second American bombing raid over Germany in February 1943, flying with the
Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Forces S ...
. He was the first journalist to reach the
Ludendorff Bridge The Ludendorff Bridge, also known as the Bridge at Remagen, was a bridge across the river Rhine in Germany which was captured by United States Army forces in early March 1945 during the Battle of Remagen, in the closing weeks of World War I ...
after the 9th Armored Division captured it on March 7, 1945. He was to the west when he heard that the bridge had been captured. "It was a reporter's dream," he wrote. "One of the great stories of the war had fallen into my lap." The bridge capture was front-page news in America. Rooney rated the capture of the bridge as one of the top five events of the entire European war, alongside
D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
. He was one of the first American journalists to visit the
Nazi concentration camps From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps (), including subcamp (SS), subcamps on its own territory and in parts of German-occupied Europe. The first camps were established in March 1933 immediately af ...
near the end of World War II, and one of the first to write about them. During a segment on
Tom Brokaw Thomas John Brokaw (; born February 6, 1940) is an American author and retired network television journalist. He first served as the co-anchor of Today (American TV program), ''The Today Show'' from 1976 to 1981 with Jane Pauley, then as the anch ...
's '' The Greatest Generation'', Rooney stated that he had been opposed to World War II because he was a pacifist. He recounted that what he saw in those concentration camps made him ashamed that he had opposed the war and permanently changed his opinions about whether "just wars" exist. Rooney was decorated with the
Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious a ...
and
Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establi ...
for his service as a war correspondent in combat zones during the war. His 1995 memoir ''My War'' chronicles his war reporting and recounts several notable historical events and people from a first-hand view, including the entry into Paris and the Nazi concentration camps. He describes how it shaped his experience both as a writer and reporter.


Career

Rooney joined CBS in 1949 as a writer for ''
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts ''Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts'' (also known as ''Talent Scouts'') is an American radio and television variety show that ran on CBS from 1946 until 1958. Sponsored by Lipton Tea, it starred Arthur Godfrey, who was also hosting '' Arthur God ...
'', when Godfrey was at his peak on CBS radio and TV. It opened the show up to a variety of viewers. The program was a hit, reaching number one in 1952 during Rooney's tenure. It was the beginning of a close lifelong friendship between Rooney and Godfrey. He wrote for Godfrey's daytime radio and TV show ''Arthur Godfrey Time''. He later moved on to '' The Garry Moore Show'' which became a hit program. During the same period, he wrote public affairs programs for CBS News, such as '' The Twentieth Century''. Rooney wrote his first television essay in 1964 called "An Essay on Doors", "a longer-length precursor of the type" that he did on ''60 Minutes'', according to CBS News's biography of him. From 1962 to 1968, he collaborated with CBS News correspondent
Harry Reasoner Harry Reasoner (April 17, 1923 – August 6, 1991) was an American journalist for CBS and American Broadcasting Company, ABC ABC News (United States), News, known for his adroit use of language as a television commentator and as one of the origin ...
, Rooney writing and producing and Reasoner narrating. They wrote on CBS News specials such as "An Essay on Bridges" (1965), "An Essay on Hotels" (1966), "An Essay on Women" (1967), and "The Strange Case of the English Language" (1968). In 1968, he wrote two episodes of the CBS News documentary series ''Of Black America'', and his script for "Black History: Lost, Stolen, or Strayed" won him his first Emmy. CBS refused to broadcast his World War II memoir titled "An Essay on War" in 1970, so Rooney quit CBS and read the opinion himself on PBS, which was his first appearance on television.Bauden, David
"'60 Minutes' commentator Andy Rooney dies"
Today, November 5, 2011
That show in 1971 won him his third Writers Guild Award. He rejoined CBS in 1973 to write and produce special programs. He also wrote the script for the 1975 documentary ''FDR: The Man Who Changed America''. After his return to the network, Rooney wrote and appeared in several primetime specials for CBS, including ''In Praise of New York City'' (1974), the Peabody Award-winning ''Mr. Rooney Goes to Washington'' (1975), ''Mr. Rooney Goes to Dinner'' (1978), and ''Mr. Rooney Goes to Work'' (1977). Transcripts of these specials are contained in the book ''A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney'', as well as of some of the earlier collaborations with Reasoner.


"A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney"

Rooney's "end-of-show" segment on ''60 Minutes'', "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney" (originally "Three Minutes or So With Andy Rooney"), began in 1978, as a summer replacement for the debate segment "Point/Counterpoint" featuring Shana Alexander and James Kilpatrick. The segment proved popular enough with viewers that beginning in the fall of 1978, it was seen in alternate weeks with the debate segment. At the end of the 1978–1979 season, "Point/Counterpoint" was dropped altogether. In the segment, Rooney typically offered satire on a trivial everyday issue, such as the cost of groceries, annoying relatives, or faulty Christmas presents. Rooney's appearances on "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney" often included whimsical lists, such as types of milk, bottled water brands, car brands, and sports mascots. In later years, his segments became more political as well. Despite being best known for his television presence on ''60 Minutes'', Rooney always considered himself a writer who incidentally appeared on television behind his famous walnut table, which he had made himself.


Controversies

Rooney made a number of comments which elicited strong reactions from fans and producers alike.


Comments on race

In February 1990, CBS's ''60 Minutes'' suspended Rooney for three months in part because it was alleged that he had suggested that black people were less intelligent because they "watered down their genes". After the program's ratings dropped significantly, Rooney was let back on in March. Rooney vehemently disputed this in a 1999 interview, claiming he was instead referring to lower-income people more broadly. Rooney wrote a column in 1992 that posited that it was "silly" for Native Americans to complain about team names like the Redskins, saying, in part, "The real problem is, we took the country away from the Indians, they want it back and we're not going to give it to them. We feel guilty and we'll do what we can for them within reason, but they can't have their country back. Next question." After receiving many letters from Native Americans, he wrote, "when so many people complain about one thing, you have to assume you may have been wrong." In a 2007 column for ''Tribune'' media services, he wrote, "I know all about
Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional Baseball in the United States, baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nickna ...
and
Lou Gehrig Henry Louis Gehrig ( ; June 19, 1903June 2, 1941), also known as Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig, was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig was ...
, but today's baseball stars are all guys named Rodriguez to me." Rooney later commented, "Yeah, I probably shouldn't have said it, utit's a name that seems common in baseball now. I certainly didn't think of it in any derogatory sense."


Comments on same-sex unions

In 1990, Rooney was suspended without pay for three months by then-CBS News President David Burke, because of the negative publicity around his saying that "too much alcohol, too much food, drugs, homosexual unions, cigarettes reall known to lead to premature death." He wrote an explanatory letter to a gay organization after being ordered not to do so. After only four weeks without Rooney, ''60 Minutes'' lost 20% of its audience. CBS management then decided that it was in the best interest of the network to have Rooney return immediately. After Rooney's reinstatement, he made his remorse public:


Remarks on Kurt Cobain's suicide

In a 1994 segment, Rooney attracted controversy with his remarks on Kurt Cobain's suicide. He expressed his dismay that the death of Richard Nixon was overshadowed by Cobain's suicide, stating that he had never heard of Cobain or his band,
Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...
. He went on to say that Cobain's suicide made him angry. "A lot of people would like to have the years left that he threw away," Rooney said. "What's all this nonsense about how terrible life is?" he asked, adding rhetorically to a young woman who had wept at the suicide, "I'd love to relieve the pain you're going through by switching my age for yours." In addition, he asked "What would all these young people be doing if they had real problems like a Depression,
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, or
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
?" and commented, "If obainapplied the same brain to his music that he applied to his drug-infested life, it's reasonable to think that his music may not have made much sense, either." On the following Sunday's show, he apologized on the air, saying he should have taken Cobain's depression into account. He also read only critical feedback from listeners without interjecting any commentary of his own.


Collections and retirement

Rooney's shorter television essays have been archived in numerous books, such as ''Common Nonsense'', which came out in 2002, and '' Years of Minutes'', probably his best-known work, released in 2003. He penned a regular syndicated column for
Tribune Media Services Tribune Content Agency (TCA) is a syndication company owned by Tribune Publishing. TCA had previously been known as the Chicago Tribune Syndicate, the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate (CTNYNS), Tribune Company Syndicate, and Tribune Media ...
that ran in many newspapers in the United States, and which has been collected in book form. He won three
Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
for his essays, which numbered over 1,000. He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 2003. Rooney's renown made him a frequent target of parodies and impersonations by a diverse group of comic figures, including Frank Caliendo, Rich Little and Beavis. In 1993, CBS released a two-volume VHS tape set of the best of Rooney's commentaries and field reports, called "The Andy Rooney Television Collection — His Best Minutes." In 2006, CBS released three DVDs of his more recent commentaries, ''Andy Rooney On Almost Everything, Things That Bother Andy Rooney,'' and ''Andy Rooney's Solutions''. Rooney's final regular appearance on ''60 Minutes'' was on October 2, 2011, after 33 years on the show. It was his 1,097th commentary.


Views

Rooney claimed on ''
Larry King Live ''Larry King Live'' is an American television talk show broadcast by CNN from June 3, 1985 to December 16, 2010. Hosted by Larry King, it was the network's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly. Ma ...
'' to have a liberal bias, stating, "There is just no question that I, among others, have a liberal bias. I mean, I'm consistently liberal in my opinions." In a controversial 1999 book, Rooney self-identified as agnostic, but by 2004 he was calling himself an atheist. He reaffirmed this in 2008. Over the years, many of his editorials poked fun at the concept of God and organized religion. Increased speculation on this was brought to a head by a series of comments he made regarding
Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Mel Gibson, multiple accolades, he is known for directing historical films as well for his act ...
's film ''
The Passion of the Christ ''The Passion of the Christ'' is a 2004 American epic biblical drama film co-produced and directed by Mel Gibson from a screenplay he wrote with Benedict Fitzgerald. It stars Jim Caviezel as Jesus of Nazareth, Maia Morgenstern as the Bl ...
'' (2004). Though Rooney has been called Irish-American, he once said "I'm proud of my Irish heritage, but I'm not Irish. I'm not even Irish-American. I am American, period." In 2005, when four people were fired at CBS News perhaps because of the Killian documents controversy, Rooney said, "The people on the front lines got fired while the people most instrumental in getting the broadcast on escaped." Others at CBS had "kept mum" about the controversy.


Personal life

Rooney was married to Marguerite "Margie" Rooney (née Howard) for 62 years, until she died of heart failure in 2004. He later wrote, "her name does not appear as often as it originally did n my essaysbecause it hurts too much to write it." They had four children: Ellen, Emily, Martha, and Brian. His daughter Emily Rooney is a TV talk show host and former
ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to: * ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation * ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company ABC News may a ...
producer who went on to host a nightly Boston-area public affairs program, ''Greater Boston'', on WGBH. Emily's identical twin, Martha Fishel, became chief of the Public Services Division at the National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland; her son Justin works as a producer for ABC News. His first daughter, Ellen Rooney, is a former film editor at ABC News and is now a travel and garden photographer based in London. His son, Brian Rooney, has been a correspondent for ABC since the 1980s and lives in Los Angeles. Rooney also had a sister, Nancy Reynolds Rooney (1915–2007). Rooney lived in the Rowayton section of
Norwalk, Connecticut Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The city, part of the New York metropolitan area, New York Metropolitan Area, is the List of municipalities of Connecticut by population, sixth-most populous city in Connecticut ...
, and in
Rensselaerville, New York Rensselaerville () is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Albany County, New York, Albany County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 1,826 at the 2020 census.2020 Census, US Census Bureau, Rensselaervil ...
, and was a longtime season ticket holder for the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
.


Death

Rooney was hospitalized on October 25, 2011, after developing postoperative complications from an undisclosed surgical procedure, and died on November 4, 2011, at the age of 92, fewer than five weeks after his last appearance on ''60 Minutes''.


Awards

* 2001 – Emperor Has No Clothes Award from the
Freedom From Religion Foundation The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) is an American nonprofit organization that advocates for atheism, atheists, agnosticism, agnostics, and nontheism, nontheists. Formed in 1976, FFRF promotes the separation of church and state, and ch ...
. * 2003 – Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism.


Books

Books written by Rooney: * ''Conquerors' Peace; report to the American stockholders'', by Oram C. Hutton and Andrew A. Rooney. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1947. ()
''The Fortunes of War: Four Great Battles of World War II''
1962 ()
''A Few Minutes With Andy Rooney''
1981 ()
''And More by Andy Rooney''
1979 () * ''Pieces of My Mind'', 1984 () * ''The Most of Andy Rooney'', 1986 () * ''Word for Word'', 1988 () * ''Not That You Asked ...'', 1989 () * ''Most of Andy Rooney'', 1990 () * ''Sweet and Sour'', 1992 () * ''My War'', 1995 () * ''Sincerely, Andy Rooney'', 1999 () * ''The Complete Andy Rooney'', 2000 () * ''Common Nonsense'', 2002, () * ''Years of Minutes'', 2003 () * ''Out of My Mind'', 2006 () * ''60 Years of Wisdom and Wit'', 2009 ()


See also

* Rooney (surname)


References


External links

* * *
Andy Rooney
in the series ''Television in America: An Autobiography'' by CUNY TV (via
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
) *
Finding aid to Andy Rooney Papers, 1922-2011
Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin (Collection is stored remotely)
Andy Rooney Papers (digital collection, with watermarks, currently just one record available)
Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin
Andy Rooney on Andy Rooney (2003)
Episode 1624 of The Open Mind, available on the
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rooney, Andy 1919 births 2011 deaths American humorists American broadcast news analysts American television journalists American war correspondents of World War II American commentators American male journalists CBS News people American memoirists Recipients of the Air Medal United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army soldiers Writers from Norwalk, Connecticut American atheists Colgate University alumni Writers from Albany, New York People from Rensselaerville, New York 20th-century American journalists 21st-century American journalists Journalists from New York (state) The Albany Academy alumni