Mili Lerner Bonsignori

News Editor

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About

About this interview

In her three-hour Archive interview, Mili Lerner Bonsignori describes her transition from ballet dancer to television editor. She speaks of her work as an editor on the celebrated CBS documentary series See It Now, and details the benchmark shows "The Case Against Milo Radulovich AO589839," "A Report on Senator Joseph R. McCarthy," and "A Conversation with Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer." She shares her opinions on co-producers Edward R. Murrow (who also served as host) and Fred W. Friendly, and talks of the program's production schedule. Bonsignori then outlines her work editing Small World and CBS Reports, and discusses editing the CBS Reports program "Hunger in America." She describes her later freelance work with Charles Kuralt, and comments on the two documentaries for which she won Emmy Awards, ...But What About the Children? and CBS Reports: The Defense of the United States: A Call to Arms. She also discusses how the advent of video tape affected the field of editing. Michael Rosen conducted the interview on December 11, 1998 in Kissimmee, FL.

"Edward R. Murrow was the greatest exponent of the Bill of Rights I have ever met. Everything we did had to do with the rights of the individual under our Constitution. Every show we ever did, if you examine it carefully, you will find within it the Bill of Rights. That was his function. And we were able to do it because we were independent."

Highlights

Mili Lerner Bonsignori on meeting See It Now host Edward R. Murrow ("a man of words") and producer Fred Friendly

02:55

Mili Lerner Bonsignori on the See It Now episode "The Case Against Milo Radulovich A0589839"

05:34

Mili Lerner Bonsignori on the See It Now episode on Senator McCarthy - aired March 9, 1954 - and McCarthy's response

03:59

Full Interview

Chapter 1

On her childhood and early influences; on growing up in New York City during the Depression; on her talent for ballet and modern dance

On going to movies and to the theater; on teaching dance for the WPA; on moving to California and attending UCLA for two years

On hitchhiking through California and working for a cannery; on moving back to New York and becoming a script girl during World War II

Chapter 2

On women wanting to continue to work when World War II ended; on becoming one of four female editors in New York; on the first editing room she worked in during the late 1940s

On her first job in television on a Betty Crocker cooking show; on her early memories of television

On getting a job on Edward R. Murrow's new show, See It Now; on how to edit optical track; on being a member of the IATSE union

On her first day on See It Now; on meeting host Edward R. Murrow and producer Fred Friendly

Chapter 3

On the first piece she edited for See It Now - "Trieste: A Divided City"; on the editing room and editing schedule on See It Now

On the use of jump cuts on See It Now; on the film tracks used on the show; on how Murrow recorded narration

On her recollections of specific pieces on See It Now; on field producers Joseph Wershba and Ed Scott

On the footage shot for See It Now; on Alcoa, the show's sponsor; on the See It Now workspace, which wasn't at CBS studios

Chapter 4

On Edward R. Murrow and Fred Friendly's unique partnership on See It Now; on reactions to the show

On no scripts on See It Now; on not always being treated as an equal to the men on See It Now

On "The Case Against Milo Radulovich A0589839" episode of See It Now

On the "A Report on Senator Joseph R. McCarthy" episode of See It Now and McCarthy's response

On the Annie Lee Moss episode of See It Now

Chapter 5

Full Chapter Five

Chapter 6

On editing Small World and CBS Reports; on getting fired from CBS Reports and Murrow leaving CBS; on memorable episodes of CBS Reports

On Fred Friendly resigning as President of CBS News; on getting asked to edit the pilot of 60 Minutes and editing The Charles Kuralt Show

On how video tape affected documentary editing; on her Emmy nominations

Chapter 7

On being a freelance editor; on her Emmy wins

On agesim in Hollywood; on changes in TV news since she started in the industry; on TV at its best and worst

On her thoughts on people with whom she's worked

Shows

60 Minutes

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Mili Lerner Bonsignori on Don Hewitt asking her to edit the pilot of 60 Minutes

01:29

CBS Reports

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Mili Lerner Bonsignori on editing "Hunger in America" for CBS Reports