Actor Jack Bannon, who had a major supporting role on the “Lou Grant” television series, visited the
University of Idaho on Feb. 6.
Bannon, who now lives in
Coeur d’Alene, spoke to our “Hollywood Portrayals of Journalists” about his five-year stint (1977-1982) on the city desk of the fictional
Los Angeles Tribune.
Bannon portrayed Art Donovan, the suave assistant city editor, who was a counterpoint to the gruff city editor, Lou Grant (Ed Asner).
This is the second time that Glenn Mosley (pictured above, with Jack) and I have teamed up to teach this seminar. Our goal is to show how the entertainment media help to shape public perceptions of journalism. We showed two episodes of the program: the pilot, called “Copshop,” which introduced the major characters and depicted a police reporter’s ethical dilemma, and a show from the second season in which Donovan’s mother Peggy (Geraldine Fitzgerald) was diagnosed with a terminal illness.
Bannon told how the directors and cast worked to create a realistic depiction of the newsroom, including several evenings spent observing the city desk of the Los Angeles Times. “Jack was down to earth, friendly and open with the students,” Glenn said. “He shared with them a genuine love for work done well, which is always a valuable lesson for young people.”
Nearly 30 years after CBS first broadcast the show, “Lou Grant” still has devoted fans and a Web site that includes a guide to all 114 episodes. Douglass K. Daniel, a former faculty member at Kansas State University, wrote a book about the series published in 1996. “The impact of Lou Grant on viewer’s perceptions of journalists and their profession cannot be measured, only surmised,” Daniel wrote. The book is available in paperback from Syracuse University Press.
We’re grateful to Bannon for his willingness to take us behind the scenes of this program that inspired many journalists of my generation.
<< Home