Dan's Papers - July 4, 2008 - Barbara Walters

Everyone knows Barbara Walters as a TV news personality and, most recently, the host of ABC's "The View." And many know that Walters, who has been in the business since 1960, is more than a daytime host: She was the first woman to co-anchor on "The Today Show" and ABC's "Evening News."

Born in Massachusetts in 1929, Walters was surrounded by celebrities at an early age - her father was a theatrical booking agent and Broadway producer who opened a string of nightclubs in the 1930s. As a result of her exposure to high-profile people throughout her life, she was rarely intimidated. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, Walters worked as a publicist and then a writer at CBS News. She joined "The Today Show" in 1961 as a writer and researcher, became a reporter-at-large and conducted her own interviews. She became the first female co-host of the show in 1974 - an appointment that occurred only after the death of host Frank McGee, who refused to share the limelight with Walters. In the late '70s Walters joined the "Evening News," and many people know of her difficult relationship with Harry Reasoner, who never wanted a co-anchor. She joined "20/20" in 1979, and the rest is 'herstory.' Walters, a pioneer in the news industry, paved the way for all woman journalists worldwide - including me. So it was with great excitement and trepidation that I approached the opportunity to sit down with this true American idol.

One hot Saturday evening in the summer of 2006, I was covering a film premiere at the Southampton theater. I just finished an interview with Adrian Brody when Walters shuffled down the red carpet and sped past a frenzy of photographers and video cameras. I politely approached her, asking kindly if she'd answer a few questions on camera. She smiled and replied, "Not today. Let's try next time."

Fast-forward to the next time: summer 2007, a warm Sunday evening, on the red carpet again for another film premiere in Southampton. (Walters stays at an estate in Southampton which she rents, an arrangement she prefers to owning.) I was told Walters would agree to an interview. Yet again, she shuffled past the press into the theater. Yet again, I politely approached her. "Hello. I've traveled far and I've been waiting several hours just to ask you a few questions. It will only take a few minutes." She paused, smiled, then whispered, "I'm sorry. I'm off today, but I owe ya one."

Fast-forward to a sweltering hot Saturday afternoon, June 2008, inside the Book Revue in Huntington, where Walters was scheduled for a signing of her tell-all memoir, Audition. I was told she had agreed to an interview. As I waited, Walters' press rep informed me that she was running late, coming in from the city, and would not be able to do any interviews.

When Walters arrived, I again approached her and said, "Are you a woman of your word?" I briefly recounted my past attempts to interview her, and how she most recently told me, "I owe ya one." Walters paused, nodded, smiled and said, "Okay!"

Hundreds of Walters' fans were lined up at the front door waiting to meet and get their book autographed by the TV legend turned author. Clearly, I had a limited amount of time, so I led with the question I was burning to have answered. It related to the recent press surrounding her memoir, and how she shared intimate stories about her professional and personal life - including an affair she had in the '70s, when she was in her 50s. The affair was with married U.S. Senator Edward Brooke, whom she remembers as "exciting" and "brilliant." A moderate Republican from Massachusetts who took office in 1967, Brooke was the first African-American to be popularly elected to the Senate. Both he and Walters knew that public knowledge of their affair could have ruined his career as well as hers, she said.

Walters, who will turn 80 next year but has more energy than a woman half her age, recently appeared on "Oprah" to promote her memoir. Winfrey asked if she had been in love with Brooke, who later divorced, and has since remarried.

"I was certainly - I don't know - I was certainly infatuated. I was certainly involved," Walters said. "He was exciting. He was brilliant. It was exciting times in Washington."

In my minutes-long interview, I asked, "Did you regret anything you revealed in the book, including having an affair with a married man?" Walters replied, "I decided when I wrote the book that if people wanted to know my story they had to have the whole package. This is the whole package. I wanted to do it about my life and my career so that it was something people could relate to - the struggles, the good times, the glamorous times, the difficult times from childhood on."

"And, what about the affair?"I asked.

Walters continued, "I know it's very revealing and I know there are things people will learn they didn't know before. But, I didn't see the reason in writing a book if it wasn't going to be honest."

During my meeting, it was clear that Walters was aware she was "on-stage," but certainly not "auditioning" anymore. She moved gracefully, had a calm presence and was totally on her game, never missing a beat as she joked with fans. I asked, "Does your hand ever get tired after signing thousands of books?"

"Somehow, I don't get tired! I really enjoy meeting new people," she said, graciously autographing my copy of her memoir. As the only reporter to interview Walters on that day, I was grateful that, in my case, three was a charm. Of all the many things Walters has accomplished, she is also, indeed, a woman of her word.