I had the honor of working for Bill as an illustrator for National Review while I was still in art school in NYC it paid my way when I was really a starving artist. A very kind interesting person who I will never forget.
@@drm9979 I knew Bill met him in 1978 and he was very kind to a hard leftist like myself---one of my students was interning for him. I said "Bill I have been trying to turn this student into a Red and look what happened! He smiled and replied "Keep up the good work" :) RIP Bill.
agreed..because they were not afraid to offend..this PC world that we live in is counterproductive to free thought and free speech....gee!!!! i hope i didn't offend anyone with an eggshell skin
I really like the way Allen handled this. Even after doing a joke like 'they should sell it back' he followed up with Buckley for a more serious point of view
In addition, it's so nice to see such a well dressed, well spoken young audience. And not yelling WOOOOOO after every point they agree with like today's moronic audiences.
See how polite the young people are, how respectful, how nicely dressed. How well spoken. Woody and Bill Buckley...when wit and intellect and charm ruled..Oh yes, the last year before it all unwound..........the last year of civilization as we knew it. Then came horrible 1968, and it's been all downward from there. I was the age of these kids age during the time of this clip and as a witness to the way it was, it was absolutely glorious...........we have lost much. Most people don't realize it. Ignorance is bliss.
Beth Virginia Phillips yeah this was going on while the United States was bombing a third world country back to the Stone Age. By 1968 enough draftees had returned home and we're telling everybody how fucked up shit was too, and the anti-war movement kicked into full gear
Yes, 1968 really was a terrible year. Assassinations, resignations, cities burning, newscasters lying, en mass, about Tet. Felt like everything was fall apart. People think it was all about love and peace and cool music.
@@TheArtimusMaximus Your understanding of the Vietnam War is horribly flawed. You've clearly took one too many sips of kool aid. We were there standing up for a country that was defending itself against communist aggression, bankrolled by the Soviet Union. No different than the situation now in the Ukraine. Bullies should be stood up to and challenged. Most of the protestors back then were pawns, useful idiots exploited by the left.
Woody was quite the wit. He took his lead from Groucho Marx, famous for writing sophisticate d and witty letters to the famous. Someone asked Woody: "So, do you think sex is dirty?" Woody answered, "It is if you're doing it right". Another one..."Woody, do you smoke after sex?" Woody: "I never really looked". Fabulous.
Without getting into the personal politics of both men, the reason why this works so well is that there is a basic respect for opposing positions, a rare thing in this day and age.
As an extremely liberal person, I could watch these William F Buckley videos all day. There was such a rawness to television in those days compared to now where everything is more scripted and polished. No conservatives on TV today could carry Buckley's water.
I wouldn't say I'm extremely liberal. But I am liberal. And, I agree with you. But, what scares me is the nature of the network news. The last newscasters I trusted were Walter Cronkite & Frank Reynolds. The news has become entertainment. The other source of information, the internet, is subject to quick to the trigger misinformation. Even textbooks in schools are subject to the powers that be. The objective search for the truth seems to be the casualty.
As #conservative as #WilliamFBuckley was, he had a damn quick and good off the cuff sense of humor. And I think #WoddyAllen understood this, which is why this interview worked.
YawnGod If someone gave that answer today he'd be resigning from public life in disgrace the next day, holding a tearful press conference and promising to be a better man in future.
i love the way Buckley's eyes genuinely react when he truly likes someone, as he does through this session with Woody! WHAT A PLEASANT DIFFERENCE IT MAKES!!!
This is fascinating...never seen this clip before. The collective brain power in that studio was positively staggering. Allen and Buckley, diametric opposites philosophically, equally engaging and charming. A cocktail party hosts dream come true.
I just happened across this little treasure and loved it. Whatever his differences with Buckley, Allen comported himself with good humor and treated his guest with respect. I would have loved to watch Woody on "Firing Line."
This one piece changed my view of Woody Allen completely. ANYONE who can sit mano y mano with William F Buckley and not be intimidated, and on top of that, make him laugh and insult him in a wonderful way, incredible. Diffusing ultra conservatism with ultra humor. This was a genuinely gentlemanly encounter.
This is why I was a great fan of William F. Buckley, Jr since I was in High School in the late 70's. I did not have his views but I found that he expressed them with great honestly and his use of an examiner during his debates and conversations. He was not averse to making fun of himself. I still am a fan of his and have every one of his books. I think he and the Kennedys are now sailing in heaven.
Buckley's comments about Israel illustrate just how foolish the man could be. He failed to understand Israel's true intentions. Allen, a classic PEP (Progressive Except for Palestine) was at least hilarious. His quip about his mother scribbling "soul brother" on the side of a synagogue is priceless, as is his definition of "liberal."
Maurice Jones Maurice, I don't doubt your intentions. However, Buckley through his magazine was a very strong advocate of segregation. He thought Whites, especially elite whites were superior. He fought tooth and nail to prevent desegregation. Right wing authoritarians, tend to be bigoted, and agressive. He also wanted to nuke North Vietnam. He and his brother published a book defending and eulogising McCarthy and McCarthyism. He was sickened by gays, and hated Gore Vidal. Buckley was able to put sentences together, unlike many now, however he displayed no knowledge. He was against research and facts. He was certain in his ideas. In interviews, he was very passive aggressive, and acted very smug. I am not impressed with his knowledge at all.
Wow! I am about half-way thru this vid and what an interesting upload. Lyndon Johnson had yet to announce his wasn't running for re-election also Robert Kennedy and Charles De Gaulle were still alive. Wow, this is an interesting bit of history here.
Just goes to show what kind of horrific people we're willing to put on a stage as long as they can hide their filthy actions and nastiness behind a veneer of charisma.
White supremacy being handled with care. The white liberal really has no skin in the game of liberating minorities from systemic racism. Nothing of substance was said here and the white supremacist has a great public relations as being civil. SMH
@@saladingrant4604 just curious... Where are you getting your standards for morality from? I'm assuming that you would say that you do have moral standards?
Regardless of one's opinion of his personal life, Woody Allen is unquestionably a comic genius. His humor is, of course, NOT for every taste any more than George Carlin or Rodney Dangerfield. Perhaps he shot his wad by the mid-90s, but there is no disputing that the comedy he wrote for others as well as performed in movies and onstage from the late 50s through the mid-80s is superb on numerous levels. People may not like his form of satire and social commentary but it sure is funny.
Agreed,Woody has cracked me up more than I can count,especially his early comedies like Take the Money and run,Bananas,and my personal favorite Play it again Sam...
@@jamesmack3314 That scene in Bananas where they're all trying to figure out who needs to pay what for the lunch bill is so stupid it's hilarious. Just like the parents being interviewed in Take the Money and Run wearing the "disguises" -- so dumb, but you can't help laugh your ass off at it.
Think about not just the level of discource, but the sheer humour and good-faith between all parties present. What a time it was to be alive, back then in the 50s 60s and 70s.
People seem to have been so civil and polite- even their barbs had a wonderful subtlety. No ad hominem. Respectful despite contrary beliefs. Enjoying each other's humor and wit. This is America to me.
I think the murder of MLK was pretty disagreeable, among many other crimes that happened back then. I know that it SEEMS very nice when we look at these clips from chat shows, but the times were turbulent, violent, and "disagreeable".
For everyone curious: Buckley's accent was very prevalent amongst a certain social class from the mid-Atlantic. Listen to old speeches by FDR, movies with stage trained actors from the 30's-50's. It is a throughly American accent which is largely faded. (If you listen to Mayor Bloomberg, it is residually there).
I sometimes regret not having heard mid-Atlantic speech when I was a child. I could've adopted it as my own and by the time I grew up, it wouldn't have been affectation. :))
This is what Make America Great Again was About . Many of us are old enough to remember when America WAS like this , when people of different opinions were CIVIL , dignified and polite .
This is so classic. Much less about political debate than seeing who has the fastest wit. There is nothing out there today (???) than can compare to this level of social fencing.
A gem, and for humor and civility, it rivals Allen's similar conversation on another show with Billy Graham. (Bill Buckley's ability to think on his feet is as profound as Allen's.)
The average Joe did not speak like this in the 50s, 60s, 70s and onward. Woody Allen and William F. Buckley are likely intellectual outliers in relation to the general population.
Scott Lynch Those were times when you needed to speak Latin just to understand mass at a Catholic Church. The poor honest Joe that you speak of just went along with what he was told.
@ Roky... sounds like you've been there... as an "altar boy" I had to start learning Latin at the ripe old age of 7... when I became a full fledged altar boy at the beginning of 3rd grade I had to be able to read and recite all prayers for mass in Latin... but I was lucky since I was raised in an Italian home where we spoke our native tongue on a regular basis... so learning Latin wasn't that far of a "leap".
Why I admire Mr. Buckley: 1. He was obviously smart, articulate, and charming. 2. He respected liberals and could debate them without resorting to ignoring their arguments, yelling over them, or name-calling. 3. He realized how hypocritical it was for conservatives to embrace both Christian values and Ayn Rand's atheism-based objectivism. 4. He was a true conservative. His end goal wasn't to get members of a party elected, and he knew when to criticize Republicans.
This was a delight. I love the intellectual debates of old. Allen not only held his own, but it's the first time I've ever seen Buckley not really have the upper hand, even with his usual verbal prowess. Allen was stunning. I could've watched this for hours. Incredible.
I remember seeing William F. Buckley Jr. back in the 1990s at Messiah College in central Pennsylvania. His address was extremely entertaining, both to me as a shameless conservative and to my fellow attendee, who can only be described as a shameless liberal. I probably agreed with nearly everything Buckley said that night, while my fellow attendee probably agreed with almost nothing Buckley said that night. But we both came away with a feeling that we had witnessed someone that night who could be passionate and articulate without being crass and disagreeable.
This clip shows the great gains if even just for comedy in this instance, that can be accomplished by people of opposing views collaborating together. Something sorely missing these days. By some of the comments here, it looks like it's still a long way off... Thanks for posting the video though, great fun!
Well, he did say 'eventually' not 'by 2016'. Also, remember, this conversation took place in 1967. A war just ended. A very bloody war. I'm sure you're aware of the history. There has not been a ground war involving Israel and Arab nations since then. That's amazing in itself. As a Jewish person (judging by your name) you must know this fact. Also, you must know that US support of Israel has floundered in the last two decades and this has exacerbated tensions in the region. Normally, weakening support of allies has this effect not restricted to the middle east. In comparison, I'd say it's a more stable today in 2016 than it was in June of 1967 when a ground and air war was being waged.
I understand that William F. Buckley was regarded as a superior intellect, a champion of the Conservative Party, a renowned author and political commentator who loved sailing and Bach. However, he also believed that Joseph McCarthy, the Senator who was the catylist for the Blacklist and the destruction of people's lives and careers, and was ultimately discredited by Edward R. Murrow { see George Clooney's film Good Night and Good Luck} was a wonderful guy and that his crusade was completely admirable. He also espoused the U.S. involvement into the Vietnam War during the 60s and the escalation of that conflict. Those positions ultimately led to the famous confrontation during the 1968 Democratic Convention with the novelist Gore Vidal on television.
Of course you may not want to get your news from Geo Clooney movies. Common knowledge isn't always right: www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400081068/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1400081068&linkCode=as2
Paul G No, that's just the beginning, and hopefully where your brain comes into play. Of course, entertaining ideas contrary to what you've assumed to be the truth can be uncomfortable - at first.
@@spakktron Well, the Blacklist (1948) was the product of Hollywood studios protecting their products from the Communists who controlled the Screen Writers' Guild. Which happened before Joe McCarthy made his appearance on the national stage (1950). And, McCarthy didn't ruin anyone's life. At least not anyone who didn't deserve it. He was correct in nearly 100% of his targets,.
I would say "Regional Culture" at least in my experiences. I was just looking at my company's graduation photo from basic training, c.1981 And there were 50+ guys from all over the U.S. and Puerto Rico, and all of varying backgrounds and economics etc.= Culture Only TWO were "gangsta", or "wannabe gangsta". If you took that photo today; over half would be, both Black and White.
So nice to see talented people with very different views be gracious and entertaining. We need to bring back entertainment tempered with civility in discourse. At the end of the show it was clear that regardless of opinion they were both united as fellow countrymen.
+blblblblb blblbblblbl but he was also a conservative, in the sixties, think about it. That was an unconventional and unexpected answer, and the way he said that line is classic.
WFB was always balanced He rarely became emotional. This gave him a tremendous advantage, or rather better vantage point during interviews, debates, speeches, and his first love, editorializing. He always knew the salient points of the "other" view. He was often dismissive, because many times he knew more about the "other" view, than its proponents. Johnny Carson once called his speaking style, "Verbal pyrotechnics". A Genius.
Gosh, I see those videos and I almost cry because can hardly believe that that time ever existed. Look at those proeminent and passionate political opposites debating cordially and even having fun. And some people say the 60s and 70s were polarized! The other amazing video is of Milton Friedman giving a speech in the 70s to an audience full of communist students - not liberal, communists - and they having a civilized debate!! I WANT THAT TIME BACK.
Buckley, all by himself, was a brain trust. Amazing man. A good man. Sharp, witty, self-disciplined but not nasty like a Limbaugh. And Rush could not begin to approach Bill's intellect. Bill was smart to start with and then accepted rigorous training. // Buckley had the ability to contest with someone and not despise them. He could and did respect those with whom he completely disagreed. The majority of conservative types, Michael Medved being an exception, are completely unwilling to exercise that kind of grace in their exchanges with their opposition. Consequently, they cede any usefulness they might otherwise exert.
***** Tuesday Aug 12 2014, Michelle Obama advocates healthy eating, Rush calls her fat. The same day he said that Robin Williams killed himself because leftists are full of darkness. Earlier that week he claimed that blacks are opposed to immigration because they do not want competition for democrats social spending. In May El Rushbo, in commentary on the NFL drafting openly gay athlete Michael Sam, said that America is being chickified. Yep he's a prince all right.
***** This exchange is completely unrelated to your "brain". It is your spine that is in question here. And it is in question. More to the point your integrity. // If you really believe what you just wrote then you are delusional. Remember, arrogance is blinding. You are blind.
Robert Willey I believe Woody did a TV special that only aired once, this might be it, given the quality of the video it almost seems like a bootleg copy
One of the best political videos I've seen. Two people on opposite sides of the coin being respectful to one another. Depressing to see how people behave now.
Indeed. I think that point is a profound lesson to us, we have no idea what is coming down the road. No one would've suspected the events of '68 even year earlier.
news4usunshine good point. Coen brothers have done masterpiece films. I think of No Country for old men, raising Arizona, Barton fink was incredible, Fargo is one of the best films Ive seen. Along with Inside Lewis. You make a good point. Ill admit
My what different times we live in now. People conducted themselves with a lot more class back then, well, at least on television they did. People these days have no kooth, or any kind of social graces..
enndubful Wrong. Couth is very much a word. It is an adjective meaning sophisticated, polished, cultured, refined. It was back-formed from the word "uncouth," and dates back to sometime in the 19th century. Since then it has been commonly used and its meaning commonly recognized. That makes it a word.
Amazing how well spoken, dressed, and presentable everyone was. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. As our culture has deteriorated, as the general education standards have hit rock bottom, we as a nation loom above a precipice of our own design.
