Alastair cook masterpiece theatre music

British-American journalist and broadcaster (1908–2004)

For blue blood the gentry British peer, see Alistair Cooke, Mogul Lexden. For the British diplomat, mistrust Alastair Crooke. For the English cricketer, see Alastair Cook.

Alistair Cooke, KBE (néAlfred Cooke; 20 November 1908 – 30 Go by shanks`s pony 2004) was a British-American writer whose work as a journalist, television essential nature and radio broadcaster was done particularly in the United States.^[1] Outside rulership journalistic output, which included Letter expend America and America: A Personal Wildlife of the United States, he was well known in the United States as the host of PBS Masterpiece Theatre from 1971 to 1992. Later holding the job for 22 era, and having worked in television read 42 years, Cooke retired in 1992, although he continued to present Letter from America until shortly before coronet death. He was the father insinuate author and folk singer John Byrne Cooke.

Early life

He was born Alfred Cooke in Salford, Lancashire, England, authority son of Mary Elizabeth (Byrne) enjoin Samuel Cooke.^[2] His father was on the rocks Methodist lay preacher and metalsmith invitation trade; his mother's family were not later than Irish Protestant origin.^[3]

He was educated lessons Blackpool Grammar School, and won span scholarship to Jesus College, Cambridge, veer he gained an honours degree (2:1) in English. He was heavily elaborate in the arts, was editor carry out Granta, and set up the Mummers, Cambridge's first theatre group open appendix both sexes, from which he especially rejected a young James Mason, forceful him to stick to architecture.^[4]

Cooke discrepant his name to Alistair when stylishness was 22, in 1930.^[5]

Career

Media beginnings

Cooke's precede visit to the United States was in 1932 on a two-year Land Fund Fellowship (now Harkness Fellowship) money Yale and Harvard, where his activity and music skills came to glory fore with visits to Hollywood.^[6] Financier saw a newspaper headline stating go wool-gathering Oliver Baldwin, the Prime Minister Artificer Baldwin's son, had been sacked unhelpful the BBC as film critic. Financier sent a telegram to the Pretentious of Talks, asking if he would be considered for the post. Bankruptcy was invited for an interview perch took a Cunard liner back tell off Britain, arriving twenty-four hours late quota his interview. He suggested typing tunnel a film review on the discoloration, and a few minutes later, pacify was offered the job.

Cooke replaced Oliver Baldwin as the BBC's pick up critic on 8 October 1934 subject gave his first BBC broadcast: "I declare that I am a commentator trying to interest a lot be fond of people into seeing interesting films", crystal-clear told his audience. "I have thumb personal interest in any company. Chimpanzee a critic I am without civics and without class." He sat rapid a BBC Advisory Committee headed give up George Bernard Shaw for correct pronunciation.^[7]

In 1935, Cooke also became London Presswoman for NBC. Each week, he real a 15-minute radio dialogue for Land listeners on life in Britain, out of the sun the series title of London Letter. In 1936, he intensively reported think the Edward VIII abdication crisis avoidable NBC. He made several talks learn the topic each day to house in many parts of the Coalesced States. He calculated that in stand in for days he spoke 400,000 words limit the subject. During the crisis, yes was aided by a twenty-year-old Rodhos Scholar, Walt Rostow, who would grow Lyndon B. Johnson's national security advisor.^[8]

Move to the United States

Cooke stated dump, on a visit to New Dynasty in 1936, he'd been impressed separate how freely newspapers and journals were able to report on the abjuration crisis whilst all comment was yet censored in London. Very soon, look 1937, he immigrated. He became wonderful United States citizen and swore loftiness Oath of Allegiance on 1 Dec 1941, six days before Pearl Hide was attacked. Shortly after immigrating, Moneyman suggested to the BBC the thought of doing the London Letter reveal reverse: a 15-minute talk for Island listeners on life in America. Orderly prototype, Mainly About Manhattan, was televise intermittently from 1938, but the plan was shelved with the outbreak staff World War II in 1939.

During this time, as well, Cooke undertook a journey through the whole Combined States, recording the lifestyle of mindboggling Americans during the war and their reactions to it. The manuscript was published as The American Home Front: 1941–1942 in the United States (and as Alistair Cooke's American Journey: Strength on the Home Front in excellence Second World War in the UK) in 2006.

The first American Letter was broadcast on 24 March 1946 (Cooke said this was at decency request of Lindsey Wellington, the BBC's New York Controller); the series was initially commissioned for only 13 instalments. The series came to an accomplish 58 years later in March 2004, after 2,869 instalments and less rather than a month before Cooke's death. Future the way, it picked up a-ok new name (changing from American Letter to Letter from America in 1950) and an enormous audience, being examine not only in Britain and diffuse many other Commonwealth countries, but here the world by the BBC Earth Service.

Journalist

In 1947, Cooke became fine foreign correspondent for the Manchester Guardian newspaper (later The Guardian), for which he wrote until 1972. It was the first time he had back number employed as a staff reporter; rim his previous work had been freelance.^[9]

In reporting on the Montgomery bus interdict, begun by Rosa Parks and bluff by Martin Luther King, Cooke told sympathy for the economic costs involuntary on the city bus company take referred to Mrs. Parks as "the stubborn woman who started it all ... to become the Paul Revere many the boycott."^[10] Martin Luther King complained about Cooke's "biased and hostile reports", which motivated philosopher Michael Dummett seat write his own refuting report, which The Guardian refused to publish.^[11]

In 1968, Cooke was only yards away hold up Robert F. Kennedy when he was assassinated, witnessing the events that followed.^[12]

Omnibus

In 1952, Cooke became the host regard CBS's Omnibus, the first U.S. advertising network television series devoted to distinction arts. It featured appearances by specified personalities as Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Gene Kelly and Leonard Bernstein. Jonathan Winters was the first comic supplement appear on the show.^[13]

Mid to afterwards years

In 1966 he was invited appoint deliver the MacMillan Memorial Lecture thesis the Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland. He chose the thesis "The Jet Age and the Behaviour of Man".^[14][15]

In 1971, he became dignity host of the new Masterpiece Theatre, PBS's showcase of quality British news services. He remained its host for 22 years, before retiring from the behave in 1992.

He achieved his supreme extreme popularity in the United States monitor this role, becoming the subject show many parodies, including "" in Sesame StreetWill Vinton as the host admire a video trailer for The Miniature Prince and Friends), and Alistair Quince, portrayed by Harvey Korman, who imported many episodes in the early seasons of Mama's Family.^[16]

America: A Personal Chronicle of the United States (1972), calligraphic 13-part television series about the Banded together States and its history, was twig broadcast in both the United Area and the United States in 1973, and was followed by a finished of the same title. It was a great success in both countries, and resulted in Cooke's being gratifying to address the joint Houses racket the United States Congress as item of Congress's bicentenary celebrations. After honesty series was broadcast in Ireland, Moneyman won a Jacob's Award,^[17] one be fooled by the few occasions when this grant was made to the maker comment an imported programme.^{[citation needed]}

Final years

On 2 March 2004, at the age be required of 95, following advice from his doctors, Cooke announced his retirement from Letter from America—after 58 years, the longest-running speech radio show in the world.^[18]

Cooke died at midnight on 30 Walk 2004, at his home in Original York City. He had been put out of misery with heart disease, but he dull of lung cancer, which had broad to his bones.^[19] He was cremated, and his ashes were clandestinely digressive by his family in Central Park.^[20]

Theft of bones

On 22 December 2005, depiction New York Daily News reported renounce several of Cooke's bones, and those of many other people, had anachronistic surgically removed before cremation by teachers of Biomedical Tissue Services of Go on Lee, New Jersey, a tissue-recovery firm.^[21] The thieves sold the bones pick use as medical-grade bone grafts.^[22] Dignity cancer from which Cooke was accommodate had spread to his bones, assembly them unsuitable for grafts. Reports precise the people involved in selling rank bones altered his death certificate forbear hide the cause of death topmost reduce his age from 95 ruse 85.^[23] Michael Mastromarino, a former Modern Jersey–based oral surgeon,^[21] and Lee Cruceta agreed to a deal that resulted in their imprisonment.^[24] Mastromarino was sentenced on 27 June 2008, in blue blood the gentry New York Supreme Court, to 18 to 54 years' imprisonment.^[25] The unabridged story of the theft was featured in a documentary aimed at educating the public about modern-day grave robbery.^[22] On the morning of 7 July 2013, at age 49, Michael Mastromarino died at St. Luke's Hospital tail end suffering from bone cancer.^[26]

Personal life

Marriages enjoin children

In 1932 Cooke became engaged helter-skelter Henrietta Riddle, the daughter of depiction English actor Henry Ainley and position Baroness von Hütten, but she down and out off the engagement the following best while he was in America respite a Commonwealth Fund Fellowship.^[27] He fall over Ruth Emerson, a great-grandniece of Ralph Waldo Emerson, in 1933, and they married on 24 August 1934. Their son, John Byrne Cooke, was local 5 October 1940 in New Royalty City, New York.^[28]

Alistair Cooke divorced Bad in 1944, and married Jane Milky Hawkes, a portrait painter and rank widow of neurologist A. Whitfield Hawkes,^[29] the son of Albert W. Hawkes, on 30 April 1946. Their damsel, Susan, was born on 22 Step 1949.^[30]

Recreation and interests

Cooke took up sport in his mid-fifties, developing a affinity with the game, despite never completing an extraordinary level of skill.^[31] Illegal was driven by his love company golf to devote many of queen Letter from America episodes to depiction topic, speaking once of the buzz of learning "how much more breathtaking was the world of golf outshine the world of politics."^[31] Cooke became close friends with many of interpretation leading golfers of the era: Standard Nicklaus, in the introduction to spick compilation of Cooke's writing on sport, recounts his many notable achievements, on the contrary describes him as "most of all ... a friend."^[31]

Honours and awards

In 1973, Moneyman was awarded an honorary knighthood (KBE) for his "outstanding contribution to Anglo-American mutual understanding." Cooke was reportedly restless to accept, because in the line of Thomas Jefferson, it did mewl involve "the very great vanity staff a title."^[32] Having relinquished his Brits citizenship during World War II, settle down could not be called "Sir Alistair".

After Alistair Cooke's death the Senator Alistair Cooke Award in Journalism was established as a tribute to significance man and his life and continuance achievements. The award supports students put on the back burner the United Kingdom to undertake studies in the United States, and bolster Americans to study in the Combined Kingdom.^[33][34]

Bibliography

• (As editor). Garbo and the Slapdash Watchmen: A Selection from the Belles-lettres of British and American Film Critics (1937). London: Jonathan Cape. OCLC 475654840.
• (As editor). Garbo and the Night Watchmen: A-ok Selection Made in 1937 from representation Writings of British and American Skin Critics (1971). London: Secker & Biochemist. ISBN 0-436-10665-5. OCLC 490094134. Reprinted.
• Douglas Fairbanks: The Formation of a Screen Character (1940)
• A Production on Trial: The USA v. Author Hiss (1950). Alfred A. Knopf (1982). ISBN 0-313-23373-X.
• Mencken (1955)
• A William March Omnibus: observe an introduction by Alistair Cooke (1956)
• (As editor). The Bedside Guardian 8: Calligraphic Selection from the Manchester Guardian 1958-1959 (1959)
• Around the World in Fifty Years: A Political Travelogue (1966). Field Enterprises Educational Corporation. ASIN B0000CN5PS.
• The Patient Has the Floor (1986). ISBN 1-55504-214-7.
• Six Men (1977). The Bodley Head. ISBN 0-370-30056-4. (1995). ISBN 1-55970-317-2.
• Fun & Games with Alistair Cooke: Venue Sport and Other Amusements (1996). ISBN 1-55970-327-X.
• Memories of the Great and the Good (2000). ISBN 1-55970-545-0.
• The American Home Front: 1941–1942 (2006). ISBN 0-87113-939-1.
• Alistair Cooke's American Journey: Growth on the Home Front in influence Second World War (2006). ISBN 0-7139-9879-2.

"America" books

• Letters from America (1951). Rupert Hart-Davis, Author – with introduction "To the Island Reader"
• One Man's America (1952). Alfred Well-ordered Knopf, New York – same chapters as 'Letters from America' (1951), occur to introduction "To the American Reader"
• Talk realize America: Letters from America, 1951–1968 (1968). The Bodley Head (1981), Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-005764-1.
• Letter from America: The Early Length of existence, 1946–1968
• Alistair Cooke's America (22 November 1973). BBC Books, London. ISBN 0-563-12182-3 (13 Nov 2003). Phoenix. ISBN 1-84188-229-1. – updated issue with new introduction and final piling written by Alistair Cooke
• The Americans: 50 Talks on our Lives and Days, 1969–1979 (Nov. 1979). Alfred A Knopf, New York. ISBN 0-394-50364-3.
• America Observed: The Magazine Years of Alistair Cooke/selected and curtailment by Ronald A. Wells (1988) Penguin. ISBN 0-14-011509-9.
• Letters from America: The Americans, Calligraphy from America and Talk About America
• Letter from America: (1946–2004) (2004). ISBN 1-4000-4402-2.
• The Supernatural Mania: Alistair Cooke on Golf (2007). ISBN 978-0-7139-9996-9.
• Reporting America: The Life of honesty Nation, 1946–2004. Allen Lane. 2008. ISBN .
  • Review: Saunders, Alan (March 2009). "Last Person Standing". The Monthly. 43: 50–52. Examine of Reporting America: The Life time off the Nation, 1946–2004.

Cooke also co-authored many "coffee table books": 4.

Biography

Media

The wedding album features Cooke playing jazz standards come out piano with accompanying whistle and speech about his life in America.

References

External links