NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Alistair Cooke

Alistair Cooke KBE (November 20, 1908 – March 30, 2004) was a British-American journalist and broadcaster. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2489x3762, 1187 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Alistair Cooke ... is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... For other uses, see Salford (disambiguation). ... Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... is the 89th day of the year (90th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic - President George Walker Bush (R) - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... For other uses, see Journalist (disambiguation). ... Note: broadcasting is also the old term for hand sowing. ... This article is about the English as an ethnic group and nation. ... Letter from America was a weekly 15 minute radio series on BBC Radio 4, previously called the Home Service, which ran for 2,869 shows from March 24, 1946 to February 20, 2004, making it the longest-running speech radio programme in history. ... A 13 part series on America presented by Alistair Cooke broadcast by the BBC in 1973. ... Alastair Cook should not be confused with Alistair Cooke, journalist and broadcaster. ... The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... is the 89th day of the year (90th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... British Americans are Americans whose ancestry stems, either wholly or in part, from one of the four constituent nations of the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see Journalist (disambiguation). ... Note: broadcasting is also the old term for hand sowing. ...

Born in England, he became a naturalized American citizen, and lived in New York City with his family for most of his adult life. For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Naturalization is the process whereby a person becomes a national of a nation, or a citizen of a country, other than the one of his birth. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

Early life

Born in Salford, in Lancashire, England to a Methodist father and an Irish mother, as Alfred Cooke, he legally added the name "Alistair" at age 22. He was educated at Blackpool Grammar School and was awarded a scholarship to study at Jesus College, Cambridge, where he gained an honours degree (2:1) in English. He was heavily involved in the arts of the college, becoming the editor of The Granta, the student magazine, and setting up the Mummers, the first co-sex theatre group, from which he notably rejected a young James Mason, telling him to stick to architecture. For other uses, see Salford (disambiguation). ... Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... College name The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge Named after The Virgin Mary Saint John the Evangelist Saint Radegund Jesus Lane and Jesus Parish Established 1496 Location Jesus Lane Admittance Men and women Master Prof. ... James Neville Mason (May 15, 1909 â€“ July 27, 1984) was a three-time Academy Award nominated English actor who attained stardom in both British and American films. ...

While still in England, Cooke became engaged to Henrietta Riddle, the daughter of actor Henry Ainley and the novelist Bettina Riddle, also known as the Baroness von Hutten; but as a graduate student, he went to Yale University and Harvard University in the United States for two years on a Commonwealth Fund Fellowship, and his fiancée was to desert him while he was away on this trip, in January 1933. However at the end of this year he met Ruth Emerson, who was the grand-niece of Ralph Waldo Emerson. They were married the next year. Originally Charlie Chaplin, whom Cooke had befriended in Hollywood, was supposed to be his best man, but the mercurial actor vanished at the last minute. Having divorced Ruth (by whom he had a son, John) in 1944, he married Jane Hawkes White, a portrait painter and daughter of a New Jersey senator, thereby acquiring two stepchildren (Holly and Stephen) and subsequently a new daughter (Susie). Henry Ainley early in his career Henry Hinchliffe Ainley (21 August 1879 - 31 October 1945) was an English Shakespearean stage and screen actor, father of actors Richard and Anthony Ainley, and Sam Ainley, who was not an actor. ... Yale redirects here. ... Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and a member of the Ivy League. ... Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803 â€“ April 27, 1882) was an American essayist, poet, and leader of the Transcendentalist movement in the early nineteenth century. ... Charles Chaplin redirects here. ...

Media beginnings

In 1934, at the end of his study fellowship, Cooke saw a newspaper headline that Baldwin, the prime minister's son, had been fired by the BBC as film critic. Cooke sent a telegraph to the so-called "Director of Talks" asking if he could be considered for the post. He was invited for interview and took the Cunard back to England, arriving four hours late for his interview. He suggested typing out a critique on the spot, and a few minutes later, he was offered the job. In October 1934, Cooke became a film critic for the BBC. He was also London correspondent for NBC. Each week, he recorded a 15-minute talk for American listeners on life in Britain, under the series title of London Letter. He also sat on a committee for the BBC headed by George Bernard Shaw on correct pronunciation. The fact that Shaw spoke with a strong Dublin accent caused him some amusement. This article is about the television network. ... George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856â€“2 November 1950) was an Irish dramatist, literary critic, and socialist. ... For other uses, see Dublin (disambiguation). ...

In 1936 Cooke intensively reported on the Edward VIII abdication crisis for NBC. He made several talks on the topic each day to listeners in several parts of the United States. He calculated that in ten days he spoke 400,000 words on the subject. During the crisis he was aided by a twenty year old Rhodes Scholar, Walt Rostow, who would become Lyndon B. Johnson's national security advisor. The Instrument of Abdication signed by Edward VIII and his three brothers The Edward VIII abdication crisis refers to events which occurred in 1936, when King-Emperor Edward VIII of the British Empire precipitated a constitutional crisis throughout his realms by his desire to marry his mistress, Mrs. ... Rhodes House in Oxford, designed by Sir Herbert Baker. ... Walt Whitman Rostow showing President Lyndon B. Johnson a model of the Khe Sanh area, 1968 Walt Whitman Rostow, October 7th, 1968 Walt Whitman Rostow (also known as Walt Rostow or W.W. Rostow) (October 7, 1916 â€“ February 13, 2003) was an American economist and political theorist who served as... â€œLBJâ€ redirects here. ...

Move to United States

Cooke began what was to become a permanent emigration in 1937, although his claim for citizenship took over four years to be processed ^{[citation needed]}. He swore the Oath of Allegiance on 1st December 1941, six days before Pearl Harbor was attacked. Shortly after emigrating, Cooke suggested to the BBC the idea of doing the London Letter in reverse: a 15-minute talk for British listeners on life in America. A prototype, Mainly About Manhattan, was broadcast intermittently from 1938, but the idea was shelved with the outbreak of World War II in 1939. During the war, he broadcast a weekly American Commentary on the BBC concerning the war. Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

During this time, as well, Cooke undertook a journey through the whole United States, recording the lifestyle of ordinary Americans during the war – and their reactions to it. The manuscript did not arouse much interest after the war, but it was discovered a few weeks before his death in 2004 and published as The American Home Front: 1941-1942 in the United States (and as Alistair Cooke's American Journey: Life on the Home Front in the Second World War in the UK) in 2006. Accompanied by strong reviews, it stands as the only incisive first-hand journal of the American homefront ever published, even if the account is confined to the early stages of the war.

The first American Letter was broadcast on March 24, 1946 (Cooke said this was at the request of Lindsey Wellington, BBC's New York Controller); the series was initially confirmed for only 13 instalments. The series finally came to an end 58 years (2,869 instalments) later, in March 2004. Along the way, it picked up a new name (changing from American Letter to Letter From America in 1950) and an enormous audience, being broadcast not only in Britain and in many other Commonwealth countries, but throughout the world by the BBC World Service. is the 83rd day of the year (84th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Letter from America was a weekly 15 minute radio series on BBC Radio 4, previously called the Home Service, which ran for 2,869 shows from March 24, 1946 to February 20, 2004, making it the longest-running speech radio programme in history. ... The Commonwealth of Nations as of 2006 Headquarters Marlborough House, London, UK Official languages English Membership 53 sovereign states Leaders - Queen Elizabeth II - Secretary-General Don McKinnon (since 1 April 2000) Establishment - Balfour Declaration 18 November 1926 - Statute of Westminster 11 December 1931 - London Declaration 28 April 1949 Area - Total... The BBC World Service is one of the most widely recognised international broadcasters of radio programming, transmitting in 33 languages to many parts of the world. ...

In 1991, Alistair Cooke received a special BAFTA silver award for his contribution to Anglo-American relations. BAFTA Award The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), is a British organisation that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, childrens film and television, and interactive media. ...

The Staff Reporter

In 1947, Cooke became a foreign correspondent for the Manchester Guardian, for which he wrote until 1972. (It was, incidentally, the first time he had been employed as a staff reporter; all his previous work had been freelance.) He has also served as foreign correspondent for The Times. The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom (and the Kingdom of Great Britain before the United Kingdom existed) since 1788 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. ...

Omnibus

In 1952, Cooke became the host of CBS's Omnibus, the first commercial network television series devoted to the arts. It featured appearances by such personalities as Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Gene Kelly, and Leonard Bernstein. The series marked Bernstein's first-ever television appearances. This article is about the broadcast network. ... Omnibus was a commercially-sponsored educational TV series broadcast in the United States, primarily on Sunday afternoons, from November 9, 1952 to 1961. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Jessie Alice Tandy (June 7, 1909 â€“ September 11, 1994) was a noted Academy Award-winning English/American theatre, film and TV actress. ... For the similarly-named American actress, see Jean Kelly. ... Leonard Bernstein in 1971 Leonard Bernstein (IPA pronunciation: )[1] (August 25, 1918 â€“ October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, and pianist. ...

Mid to Later Years

In 1968, he was yards away from Robert F. Kennedy when he was assassinated, and was a witness to the events that followed. Robert Francis Bobby Kennedy (November 20, 1925 â€“ June 6, 1968), also called RFK, was one of two younger brothers of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and served as United States Attorney General from 1961 to 1964. ...

In 1971, Cooke became the host of the new Masterpiece Theatre, PBS's showcase of quality British television. He remained host for another 22 years, retiring from the role in 1992. He achieved his greatest popularity in this role, and was the subject of many parodies, including "Alistair Cookie" in Sesame Street’s "Monsterpiece Theater" and, arguably, Leonard Pinth-Garnell in Saturday Night Live’s "Bad Conceptual Theater" etc. Masterpiece Theatre is a long-running anthology television series produced by WGBH which premiered on PBS on January 10, 1971. ... â€œPBSâ€ redirects here. ... This article is about the Sesame Street character. ... Sesame Street is an American educational childrens television series for preschoolers and is a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard, combining both education and entertainment. ... Alistair Cookie presents Monsterpiece Theater is a recurring segment on the American version of the internationally acclaimed childrens educational program Sesame Street. ... Leonard Pinth-Garnell was a recurring character played by Dan Aykroyd on the NBC late-night television show Saturday Night Live. ... This article is about the American television series. ...

In 1973 Alistair Cooke was awarded an honorary knighthood (KBE). However, he could not be called "Sir Alistair" since he had lost his British nationality during World War II. A statue of an armoured knight of the Middle Ages For the chess piece, see knight (chess). ... The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander...

Alistair Cooke's America, a 13-part television series about the United States and its history, was first broadcast in both Britain and the US in 1973, and was followed by a book of the same title. It was a great success in both countries, and resulted in Cooke being invited to address the joint Houses of the United States Congress as part of Congress's bicentennial celebrations. Following the series' broadcast in the Republic of Ireland, Cooke won a Jacob's Award^[1], one of the few occasions when this award was made to the maker of an imported programme. A 13 part series on America presented by Alistair Cooke broadcast by the BBC in 1973. ... Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives President of the Senate President pro tempore Dick Cheney, (R) since January 20, 2001 Robert C. Byrd, (D) since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political... The Jacobs Awards were instituted in December 1962 as the first Irish television awards. ...

Alistair Cooke said that, of all his work, Alistair Cooke's America was that of which he was most proud; it is the result and expression of his long love of America. (Cooke was once asked how long it took him to make the series. "I do not want to be coy," he replied, "but it took 40 years.")

Later Life and Death

On March 2, 2004, at the age 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. is the 61st day of the year (62nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Cooke died at midnight on March 30, 2004 at his home in New York City. He had been ill with heart disease but died of lung cancer which had spread to his bones.^[2] is the 89th day of the year (90th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the state of New York and the entire United States. ... Lung cancer is the malignant transformation and expansion of lung tissue, and is the most lethal of all cancers worldwide, responsible for 1. ...

Trivia

For more than 50 years Alistair Cooke lived in a rent controlled apartment in Manhattan, easily outliving several property owners and all fellow-tenants. Rent control refers to laws or ordinances that set price controls on the renting of residential housing. ...

On December 22, 2005, the New York Daily News reported that bones of Cooke and many other people had been surgically removed before cremation by bodysnatchers working for a tissue-recovery firm. The thieves allegedly sold the body parts for use in (among other things) dental and bone implants. Ironically, the cancer that Cooke was suffering from prior to his death had spread to his bones, making them unsuitable for transplant and implant therapies. Reports indicated^[3] that the people involved in selling the body parts altered the cause of death and reduced his age from 95 to 85. Soon after, Mr. Timothy O'Brien, the owner of the New York Mortuary, was implicated in involvement of the harvesting of Cooke's bones. is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Body-snatching was the secret disinterment of bodies in churchyards to sell them for dissection or anatomy lectures in medical schools. ... An implant is an artificial device made to replace and act as a missing biological structure. ... â€œTransplantâ€ redirects here. ...

Bibliography

H. L. (Henry Louis) Mencken (September 12, 1880 - January 29, 1956) was a twentieth century journalist and social critic, a cynic and a freethinker, known as the Sage of Baltimore and the American Nietzsche. He is often regarded as one of the most influential American writers of the early 20th... William March (born William Edward Campbell September 18, 1893 in Mobile, Alabama) was an American World War I soldier, short-story writer and novelist cited as being the unrecognized genius of our time. His innovative writing style is characterized by a deep compassion and understanding of suffering. ... Alger Hiss testifying Alger Hiss (November 11, 1904 â€“ November 15, 1996) was a U.S. State Department official involved in the establishment of the United Nations. ...

"America" books

Masterpiece Theatre is a long-running anthology television series produced by WGBH which premiered on PBS on January 10, 1971. ... Russell Wayne Baker (born August 14, 1925) is an American Pulitzer Prize-winning writer known for his satirical commentary and self-critical prose. ...

Media

Alistair Cooke's America, a 13-part series on DVD, with a bonus where Cooke talks about his life.

References

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | 1908 births | 2004 deaths | Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge | American journalists | BBC newsreaders and journalists | British journalists | British radio personalities | Lung cancer deaths | English Americans | English journalists | English radio personalities | Jacob's Award winners | Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire | Naturalized citizens of the United States | Peabody Award winners | People from Salford | Hollywood Walk of Fame | Bone cancer deaths | People of Irish descent in Great Britain The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... Nick Clarke (born 1948 in Godalming, Surrey, UK) is a BBC radio and television presenter and journalist, educated at Bradfield College, Berkshire and Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. ... The Open Directory Project (ODP), also known as dmoz (from , its original domain name), is a multilingual open content directory of World Wide Web links owned by Netscape that is constructed and maintained by a community of volunteer editors. ...

Contents

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