Nov. 30, 2010
Leslie Nielsen Idolized Clarence Darrow
Fought Heightened TV Censorship Following Infamous ‘Wardrobe Malfunction’
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Entertainment Editor
[ Editor’s Note: When Nielsen appeared at Marshall in 2004, the TV environment had a cautious and regressive period that followed the much publicized “wardrobe malfunction” by Janet Jackson during a live performance at the Super Bowl. It should also be noted that then Gov. Manchin made the actor an honorary West Virginian in 2002. ]
Internationally known for at least 116 movies and television series, Leslie Nielsen loves acting jokes, but whether in wacko comedy or dark drama a performers credibility in front of the camera determines the production’s value.
Nielsen’s most recent repertoire have been comedic spoofs, but he has also performed a one-man show built on the words of one of the men he idolizes --- Clarence Darrow, a famed attorney with a gift for extraordinary words. Darrow stood against the death penalty. He argued 104 capital cases, not one of the defendants were hung.
“He was not trying to impress,” Nielsen said, “everything was simple.” Yet following a Darrow closing argument one judge was in tears proclaiming: “I have just seen Darrow at his best; he’s the most Christ-like man I know.”
Nielsen wishes that Mr. Darrow was still alive to stand up for freedom of expression.
Answering a question related to the media crack down on indecency, Nielsen feels the ACLU or a person with Darrow’s principles should “rush to the floor to defend these incredible intrusions on our freedoms,” particularly the administration’s tone that “its in the name of doing something for us…for our benefit.”
He continued, “You have to let people find out for themselves…you can’t just step in and put a big X there and say avoid this guy, even [Howard] Stern has the ACLU wanting to defend him.”
Reacting to proposals to tighten indecency standards on cable and premium channels, Nielsen adamantly said, “I don’t think you can legislate a thing like that. You don't really have the right to stand up and say "I want it this way meaning my way so that people will watch what I want to watch when I want to watch it.” The solution: Turn the channel or turn off the media . His suggestion for concerns about children watching inappropriate material extends to something other than a v-chip. “They'll find a way to try to block [the chip] .... we found lots of ways to see our xmas presents before they got under the tree and my father was a cop.” But you don’t allow children total freedom either. “You try to guide them.”
Restriction on expression potentially impacts spontaneous shows like “Saturday Night Live” where the cast doesn’t see the material until shortly before air time and thus “shoots from the hip.”
During his discussion with Marshall Theatre students, he told about how he enhanced flatulence jokes with a gimmick aide, even on the golf course with Prince Rainier. Students remembered a few lines from the “Naked Gun” films involving a “penis.”
The current censorship environment following the “wardrobe malfunction” might label those jokes as leaning toward incorrectness. Nielson admitted someone could find those jokes offensive, but he said a little tongue in cheek that you try "to leave [an audience's] psyche intact” so they won’t “hit you.”
Although censorship activism tends to be cyclic, Nielsen seriously questions the lack of frankness by the Bush administration. “I’d be happy for it to be proved otherwise,” he said, “but I don’t feel the current administration has been leveling with us. I feel they had an agenda and went ahead and pursued it” because you won’t have to tell the people now and “they’re better off anyway.” His bottom line --- what begins as limitations on speech lead to government restricting media in reporting news, i.e. the showing of the flag draped caskets arriving at Dover.
Still, the actor philosophically questions 21st Century society’s fascination with state-of-the-art explosive effects, destructive ray guns and huge body counts on screen. He asked, “What is it that we need as a society that we need this [imagery]?
Neilsen has questioned the fickleness of American restrictions on performance. We condone gory blood and guts depictions, but they run for the scissors when “obscenities” are spoken and go more ballistic over a brief (so-called) wardrobe malfunction? In European “art,” making love on screen passes the “censors,” but American made scenes of torture and blood fall to the cutting room floor.
The ultimate enforcer of a show’s suitability for children belongs to parents, not the F.C.C. Or do lazy time stressed parents prefer that the government “babysitter” make choices for them? The President , Attorney General or chief of the FCC should not be seeking through the excuse of a ‘wardrobe malfunction’ remove freedom of expression in the arts. In fact, we shouldn’t be seeing court cases over the writings of young adults that imaginatively (but worrisomely) express feelings --- not threats --- concerning school violence.
Nielson has it correct. The appropriate method for expressing dissatisfaction with an entertainment product is to --- turn off the channel, don’t buy a ticket, and choose what types of entertainment YOU and your family will support. But ,don’t tell me that I have to abide by YOUR decision.
Humm….that's what Mr. Nielsen also said about the current handling of the “release” of “information” about the War in Iraq. right?
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Leslie Nielsen Idolized Clarence Darrow
Fought Heightened TV Censorship Following Infamous ‘Wardrobe Malfunction’
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Entertainment Editor
[ Editor’s Note: When Nielsen appeared at Marshall in 2004, the TV environment had a cautious and regressive period that followed the much publicized “wardrobe malfunction” by Janet Jackson during a live performance at the Super Bowl. It should also be noted that then Gov. Manchin made the actor an honorary West Virginian in 2002. ]
Internationally known for at least 116 movies and television series, Leslie Nielsen loves acting jokes, but whether in wacko comedy or dark drama a performers credibility in front of the camera determines the production’s value.
Nielsen’s most recent repertoire have been comedic spoofs, but he has also performed a one-man show built on the words of one of the men he idolizes --- Clarence Darrow, a famed attorney with a gift for extraordinary words. Darrow stood against the death penalty. He argued 104 capital cases, not one of the defendants were hung.
“He was not trying to impress,” Nielsen said, “everything was simple.” Yet following a Darrow closing argument one judge was in tears proclaiming: “I have just seen Darrow at his best; he’s the most Christ-like man I know.”
Nielsen wishes that Mr. Darrow was still alive to stand up for freedom of expression.
Answering a question related to the media crack down on indecency, Nielsen feels the ACLU or a person with Darrow’s principles should “rush to the floor to defend these incredible intrusions on our freedoms,” particularly the administration’s tone that “its in the name of doing something for us…for our benefit.”
He continued, “You have to let people find out for themselves…you can’t just step in and put a big X there and say avoid this guy, even [Howard] Stern has the ACLU wanting to defend him.”
Reacting to proposals to tighten indecency standards on cable and premium channels, Nielsen adamantly said, “I don’t think you can legislate a thing like that. You don't really have the right to stand up and say "I want it this way meaning my way so that people will watch what I want to watch when I want to watch it.” The solution: Turn the channel or turn off the media . His suggestion for concerns about children watching inappropriate material extends to something other than a v-chip. “They'll find a way to try to block [the chip] .... we found lots of ways to see our xmas presents before they got under the tree and my father was a cop.” But you don’t allow children total freedom either. “You try to guide them.”
Restriction on expression potentially impacts spontaneous shows like “Saturday Night Live” where the cast doesn’t see the material until shortly before air time and thus “shoots from the hip.”
During his discussion with Marshall Theatre students, he told about how he enhanced flatulence jokes with a gimmick aide, even on the golf course with Prince Rainier. Students remembered a few lines from the “Naked Gun” films involving a “penis.”
The current censorship environment following the “wardrobe malfunction” might label those jokes as leaning toward incorrectness. Nielson admitted someone could find those jokes offensive, but he said a little tongue in cheek that you try "to leave [an audience's] psyche intact” so they won’t “hit you.”
Although censorship activism tends to be cyclic, Nielsen seriously questions the lack of frankness by the Bush administration. “I’d be happy for it to be proved otherwise,” he said, “but I don’t feel the current administration has been leveling with us. I feel they had an agenda and went ahead and pursued it” because you won’t have to tell the people now and “they’re better off anyway.” His bottom line --- what begins as limitations on speech lead to government restricting media in reporting news, i.e. the showing of the flag draped caskets arriving at Dover.
Still, the actor philosophically questions 21st Century society’s fascination with state-of-the-art explosive effects, destructive ray guns and huge body counts on screen. He asked, “What is it that we need as a society that we need this [imagery]?
Neilsen has questioned the fickleness of American restrictions on performance. We condone gory blood and guts depictions, but they run for the scissors when “obscenities” are spoken and go more ballistic over a brief (so-called) wardrobe malfunction? In European “art,” making love on screen passes the “censors,” but American made scenes of torture and blood fall to the cutting room floor.
The ultimate enforcer of a show’s suitability for children belongs to parents, not the F.C.C. Or do lazy time stressed parents prefer that the government “babysitter” make choices for them? The President , Attorney General or chief of the FCC should not be seeking through the excuse of a ‘wardrobe malfunction’ remove freedom of expression in the arts. In fact, we shouldn’t be seeing court cases over the writings of young adults that imaginatively (but worrisomely) express feelings --- not threats --- concerning school violence.
Nielson has it correct. The appropriate method for expressing dissatisfaction with an entertainment product is to --- turn off the channel, don’t buy a ticket, and choose what types of entertainment YOU and your family will support. But ,don’t tell me that I have to abide by YOUR decision.
Humm….that's what Mr. Nielsen also said about the current handling of the “release” of “information” about the War in Iraq. right?
Share This Story:
Make HNN Your Homepage (IE Users Only)
