Besides creating the longest-running primetime program,
Hewitt should be remembered as one of the most creative
individuals in other ways. In the low-tech days of early
television, he produced Douglas Edwards' newscasts as
well as special events for CBS. According to one story,
he was in Philadelphia for the 1948 Democratic convention;
while eating lunch he was attracted to a signboard with the
day's special on it. He offered to buy the board--and did--
and used it to superimpose the names of dignitaries being
interviewed by Edwards on the air--a far cry from John
Cameron Swayze on NBC, asking his guests to introduce
themselves. When Sputnik was launched
in 1957 Hewitt rigged up a ball, put it on a string, and moved it
around a toy globe to show where the satellite was. And it was
Hewitt as much as Edwards who thought it a great idea to film
the Andrea Doria going down--perhaps Edwards' greatest triumph
as a reporter.
Hewitt also coined the term "anchorman," first used to describe
Walter Cronkite's role on CBS's 1952 convention coverage. He
likened Cronkite's role to that of the anchor in a relay race--you
pass the baton to the last runner, who is your best.
"60 Minutes" was intended to be built around the personality of
Harry Reasoner, but Hewitt--I think--got the idea of contrasting
personalities: good cop/bad cop, and added Mike Wallace, who
became the signature personality (not counting the stopwatch)
of the broadcast.
Hewitt rarely suggested ideas for the correspondents on "60
Minutes," but he could find the strong and weak points in their
work--never once deviating from his motto: "Tell me a story."
TV journalism has been the poorer since he retired. Godspeed,
Don.
