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{{Infobox_Celebrity
{{Short description|American radio and television journalist, commentator, and author (1919–2011)}}
| name = Andy Rooney
{{Infobox writer
<!--Important note: As per [[Wikipedia:Fair_use#Policy]] item #1: free images are preferable to copyrighted images used under a fair use assertion. The sole purpose of the image here in this infobox is to merely identify the subject of this article.-->
| image = Andy-rooney_on_60_minutes.jpg
| image = Andy Rooney (cropped).jpg
| caption = Andy Rooney on ''[[60 Minutes]]''
| imagesize =
| caption = Rooney in June 2008
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1919|01|14}}
| name = Andy Rooney
| birth_place = {{flagicon|USA}} {{flagicon|USA-NY}} [[Albany, New York]]
| pseudonym =
| occupation = [[Commentator]], [[Journalist]]
| birth_name = Andrew Aitken Rooney
| birth_date = {{birth date|1919|01|14}}
| birth_place = [[Albany, New York]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2011|11|04|1919|01|14}}
| death_place = New York City, U.S.
{{Infobox person |child=yes|}}
| education = [[Colgate University]]
| years active = 1942–2011
| party =
| notableworks = The weekly broadcast "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney" on ''[[60 Minutes]]''
| spouse = {{marriage|Marguerite Rooney|1942|2004|end=died}}
| children = 4, including [[Emily Rooney|Emily]]
| relatives = |<!-- [[Harry Reasoner]], [[Mike Wallace (journalist)|Mike Wallace]], [[E. B. White]] -->
| awards = {{awd|[[Emmy Award|Emmy]]| year=2003 |title=Lifetime Achievement
| year2 = 1980| title2 = "Tanks"
| year3 = 1980| title3 = "Grain"
| year4 = 1978| title4 = "Who Owns What in America"
| year5 = 1968| title5 = "Black History: Lost, Stolen, or Strayed"}}
| signature =
| website =
| portaldisp =
}}
}}


'''Andrew Aitken Rooney''' (born [[January 14]], [[1919]]) is an [[United States|American]] [[radio]] and [[television]] writer. He became most famous as a [[humorist]] and [[commentator]] with his weekly broadcast ''A Few Minutes With Andy Rooney'', a part of the [[CBS]] news program ''[[60 Minutes]]'' since 1979.
'''Andrew Aitken Rooney''' (January 14, 1919 – November 4, 2011) was an American radio and television writer who was best known for his weekly broadcast "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney", a part of the CBS News program ''[[60 Minutes]]'' from 1978 to 2011. His final regular appearance on ''60 Minutes'' aired on October 2, 2011; he died a month later at the age of 92.
==Background==


==Early life and education==
Rooney attended [[The Albany Academy]] in [[Albany, New York]], and later attended [[Colgate University]] in [[Hamilton (village), New York|Hamilton]] in upstate [[New York]], where he was initiated into the [[Sigma Chi]] fraternity, until he was drafted into the [[Army]] in August 1941. He began his career in newspapers there, writing for ''[[Stars and Stripes (newspaper)|Stars and Stripes]]'' in the [[European Theater]] during [[World War II]]. He later published a memoir, ''My War'' (1997) about this war reporting. In addition to recounting firsthand several notable historical events and people (like the entry into Paris, the concentration camps, etc), Rooney describes how it shaped his experience both as a writer and reporter.
Andrew Aitken Rooney was born in [[Albany, New York]], the son of Walter Scott Rooney (1888–1959) and Ellinor (Reynolds) Rooney (1886–1980).<ref name="mahalo">{{cite web|url=http://www.mahalo.com/andy-rooney|publisher=[[Mahalo.com]]|title=Andy Rooney}}</ref> He attended [[The Albany Academy]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://readme.readmedia.com/Andy-Rooney-To-Kick-Off-The-Albany-Academies-Alumni-ae-Speaker-Series-On-September-19/287079 |title=Andy Rooney To Kick Off The Albany Academies' Alumni/ae Speaker Series On September 19 |publisher=Readme.readmedia.com |access-date=November 14, 2011}}</ref> and later attended [[Colgate University]] in Hamilton in central New York,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.colgate.edu/news/blog/archives/archivedisplay?nwID=2053 |title=Colgate alumni play important roles in variety of fields |publisher=Colgate.edu |date=June 2, 2005 |access-date=November 14, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224071917/http://www.colgate.edu/news/blog/archives/archivedisplay?nwID=2053 |archive-date=February 24, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> where he was initiated into the [[Sigma Chi]] fraternity, before he was drafted into the [[United States Army]] in August 1941.


== World War II ==
In February 1943, flying with the [[Eighth Air Force]], he was one of six correspondents who flew on the first American [[bombing raid]] over [[Germany]]. Later, he was one of the first American journalists to visit the German [[concentration camps]] as World War II wound down, and one of the first to write about them.
Rooney began his career in newspapers in 1942 while in the Army where he began writing for ''[[Stars and Stripes (newspaper)|Stars and Stripes]]'' in London.<ref>Rooney, Andy. [https://www.pbs.org/weta/reportingamericaatwar/reporters/rooney/wilhelmshaven.html How it Feels to Bomb Germany&nbsp;...], PBS.org</ref> He was one of six correspondents who flew on the second American bombing raid over Germany in February 1943, flying with the Eighth Air Force.<ref name="USA" /> He was the first journalist to reach the [[Ludendorff Bridge]] after the 9th Armored Division [[Battle of Remagen|captured it]] on March 7, 1945. He was {{convert|32|km|abbr=on}} to the west when he heard that the bridge had been captured.<ref name=rooney>{{cite book|last1=Rooney|first1=Andy|title=My War|date=October 15, 2002|publisher=Public Affairs|location=New York|isbn=978-1586481599 |pages=251–253}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Gay|first1=Timothy|title=Writing for Stripes defined Rooney's life|url=http://www.stripes.com/writing-for-stripes-defined-rooney-s-life-1.177478|access-date=November 20, 2014|publisher=Stars and Stripes|date=May 17, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Rooney |first=Andy |author-link=Andy Rooney |title=Bridge a Blow to Jerry |journal=Stars & Stripes |edition=London |date=March 13, 1945}}</ref> "It was a reporter's dream," he wrote. "One of the great stories of the war had fallen into my lap."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Rooney|first1=Andy|title=Recalling The Ludendorff Bridge|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1985/03/07/recalling-the-ludendorff-bridge/|access-date=November 25, 2014|agency=Chicago Tribune|date=March 7, 1985}}</ref> The bridge capture was front-page news in America.<ref>{{cite web|title=Yanks Open Bridgehead Drive|url=http://www.wjcash.org/WJCash13/Charlotte.News.Articles/3-12-45-front.pdf|publisher=The Charlotte News|access-date=November 26, 2014 |date=March 12, 1945}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Long|first1=James|title=First Bolsters Bridgehead Across Rhine|url=http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2011/Gloversville%20NY%20Leader%20Republican/Gloversville%20NY%20Leader%20Republican%201945%20Grayscale/Gloversville%20NY%20Leader%20Republican%201945%20Grayscale%20-%200702.pdf|publisher=The Leader-Republican|access-date=November 26, 2014}}</ref> Rooney rated the capture of the bridge as one of the top five events of the entire European war, alongside [[Normandy landings|D-Day]].<ref name=rooney/>


He was one of the first American journalists to visit the [[Nazi concentration camps]] near the end of World War II, and one of the first to write about them. During a segment on [[Tom Brokaw]]'s ''[[The Greatest Generation (book)|The Greatest Generation]]'', Rooney stated that he had been opposed to World War II because he was a pacifist. He recounted that what he saw in those concentration camps made him ashamed that he had opposed the war and permanently changed his opinions about whether "just wars" exist.<!-- Someone objects to this being included, but has not added a CN flag. I expect to restore it if removed again. If an interested editor thinks it needs an additional citation other than these already in the article... perhaps they will add a CN flag.--><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.historynet.com/war-correspondent-andy-rooney.htm|title=The War Correspondent Andy Rooney|date=August 17, 2018}}</ref>
==CBS Career==


Rooney was decorated with the [[Bronze Star Medal]] and [[Air Medal]] for his service as a war correspondent in combat zones during the war.<ref>{{cite news|title=Medals of Honor|author=Andy Rooney|date=September 1, 1987|publisher=The Hour|location=Norwalk, CN|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1916&dat=19870901&id=u_ggAAAAIBAJ&pg=1135,25679}}</ref> His 1995 memoir ''My War'' chronicles his war reporting and recounts several notable historical events and people from a first-hand view, including the entry into Paris and the Nazi concentration camps. He describes how it shaped his experience both as a writer and reporter.<ref name="USA">{{cite news| url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2010-01-14-rooney14_CV_N.htm | work=USA Today | title='A few minutes' with Andy Rooney becomes 91 years | first=Bob | last=Minzesheimer | date=January 19, 2010}}</ref>
Rooney joined CBS in 1949, as a writer for ''[[Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts]]'', when [[Arthur Godfrey|Godfrey]] was at his peak on CBS radio and TV. The program was a hit, reaching number one in 1952, during Rooney's tenure with the program. He also wrote for Godfrey's daytime radio and TV show [[Arthur Godfrey Time]]. He later moved on to ''[[The Garry Moore Show]]'', which also became a hit program. During the same period, he also wrote for [[CBS News]] public affairs programs such as ''[[The 20th Century]]''.


==Career==
According to CBS News's biography of him, Rooney wrote his first television essay, a longer-length precursor of the type he does on 60 Minutes, in 1964, “An Essay on Doors”. From 1962 to 1968, he collaborated with the late CBS News Correspondent [[Harry Reasoner]] —Rooney writing and producing, Reasoner narrating — on such notable CBS News specials as “An Essay on Bridges” (1965), “An Essay on Hotels” (1966), “An Essay on Women” (1967), and “The Strange Case of the English Language” (1968). “An Essay on War” (1971) won Rooney his third Writers Guild Award. In 1968, he wrote two CBS News specials in the series “Of Black America”, and his script for “Black History: Lost, Stolen, or Strayed” won him his first Emmy.
Rooney joined CBS in 1949 as a writer for ''[[Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts]]'',<ref name="USA"/> when [[Arthur Godfrey|Godfrey]] was at his peak on CBS radio and TV. It opened the show up to a variety of viewers. The program was a hit, reaching number one in 1952 during Rooney's tenure. It was the beginning of a close lifelong friendship between Rooney and Godfrey. He wrote for Godfrey's daytime radio and TV show ''Arthur Godfrey Time''. He later moved on to ''[[The Garry Moore Show]]''<ref name="Film"/> which became a hit program. During the same period, he wrote public affairs programs for CBS News, such as ''[[The Twentieth Century (TV series)|The Twentieth Century]]''.


Rooney wrote his first television essay in 1964 called "An Essay on Doors", "a longer-length precursor of the type" that he did on ''60 Minutes'', according to CBS News's biography of him.<ref name="CBS">{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/stories/1998/07/08/60minutes/bios/main13495.shtml |work=CBS News |title=Andy Rooney |date=July 8, 1998 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080103174630/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/1998/07/08/60minutes/bios/main13495.shtml |archive-date=January 3, 2008 }}</ref> From 1962 to 1968, he collaborated with CBS News correspondent [[Harry Reasoner]], Rooney writing and producing and Reasoner narrating. They wrote on CBS News specials such as "An Essay on Bridges" (1965),<ref name="CBS"/> "An Essay on Hotels" (1966),<ref name="CBS"/> "An Essay on Women" (1967),<ref name="CBS"/> and "The Strange Case of the English Language" (1968).<ref name="CBS"/> In 1968, he wrote two episodes of the CBS News documentary series ''Of Black America'',<ref name="CBS"/> and his script for "Black History: Lost, Stolen, or Strayed" won him his first Emmy.<ref name=essays>{{cite news|title=Andy Rooney |work=CBS News |date=September 21, 2005 |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/stories/1998/07/08/60minutes/main13495.shtml |access-date=October 28, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081018174703/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/1998/07/08/60minutes/main13495.shtml |archive-date=October 18, 2008 }}</ref>
==''A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney''==


CBS refused to broadcast his World War II memoir titled "An Essay on War" in 1970, so Rooney quit CBS and read the opinion himself on PBS, which was his first appearance on television.<ref name=TODAY>Bauden, David: [https://web.archive.org/web/20111106065438/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45173371 "'60 Minutes' commentator Andy Rooney dies"] Today, November 5, 2011</ref> That show in 1971 won him his third Writers Guild Award.<ref name="CBS"/> He rejoined CBS in 1973 to write and produce special programs.<ref name=TODAY/> He also wrote the script for the 1975 documentary ''FDR: The Man Who Changed America''.
Though originally a regular correspondent, Rooney now has his own "end-of-show" segment, ''A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney'', in which he offers satire on a trivial everyday issue, such as the cost of groceries, annoying relatives, or faulty Christmas presents. Rooney's appearances on ''A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney'' often include the inclusion of whimsical lists (e.g., types of milk <ref name=milklist>{{cite web | title=CBSnews | work=What Have They Done To Milk?, Andy Rooney Wonders What They Have Done To Dairy - CBS News | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/11/03/60minutes/rooney/main1007432.shtml | accessdate=2007-07-11}}</ref>, bottled water brands <ref name=bottledwater>{{cite web | title=CBSnews | work=Andy Bottles Eau De Rooney, Andy Rooney May Get Into The Bottled Water Business. - CBS News | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/13/60minutes/rooney/main939291.shtml | accessdate=2007-07-11}}</ref> , car brands <ref name=carlist>{{cite web | title=CBSnews | work=Andy's Trip To The Auto Show, Andy Rooney Checks Out The New Rides At The Auto Show - CBS News | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/12/60minutes/rooney/main2677598.shtml | accessdate=2007-07-11}}</ref>, sports mascots <ref name=mascot>{{cite web | title=CBSnews | work=What's In A Team Name?, Andy Rooney Takes A Closer Look At The Names Of Sports Teams - CBS News | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/12/60minutes/rooney/main2355874.shtml | accessdate=2007-07-11}}</ref>, etc.) for which Rooney is particularily skilled and talented at delivering.


After his return to the network, Rooney wrote and appeared in several primetime specials for CBS, including ''In Praise of New York City'' (1974),<ref name="Film">{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/12/Andy-Rooney.html |title=Andy Rooney Biography |publisher=Film Reference |access-date=November 14, 2011}}</ref> the Peabody Award-winning ''Mr. Rooney Goes to Washington'' (1975),<ref name="Film" /> ''Mr. Rooney Goes to Dinner'' (1978),<ref name="Film" /> and ''Mr. Rooney Goes to Work'' (1977).<ref name="Film" /> Transcripts of these specials are contained in the book ''A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney'', as well as of some of the earlier collaborations with Reasoner.
In recent years his segments have become more political, as well. For example, Rooney has become quite critical of [[George W. Bush]] and the [[2003 Iraq War]]. Despite being known best for these segments, Rooney has always considered himself a writer who appears on television.


=="A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney"==
His shorter television essays have been archived in numerous books, such as ''Common Nonsense'', which came out in 2002, and ''Years of Minutes'', released in 2003. He also has a regular syndicated newspaper column that runs in many newspapers in the United States. He has won three [[Emmy Awards]] for his essays, which now number close to 1,000. He was also awarded a Lifetime Achievement Emmy.
Rooney's "end-of-show" segment on ''60 Minutes'', "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney" (originally "Three Minutes or So With Andy Rooney"<ref name="USA" />), began in 1978, as a summer replacement for the debate segment "Point/Counterpoint"<ref name="USA" /> featuring [[Shana Alexander]] and [[James Kilpatrick]]. The segment proved popular enough with viewers that beginning in the fall of 1978, it was seen in alternate weeks with the debate segment. At the end of the 1978–1979 season, "Point/Counterpoint" was dropped altogether.<ref name="USA" />


In the segment, Rooney typically offered satire on a trivial everyday issue, such as the cost of groceries, annoying relatives, or faulty Christmas presents. Rooney's appearances on "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney" often included whimsical lists, such as types of milk,<ref name=milklist>{{cite news| last = Rooney | first = Andy | title = What Have They Done to Milk? | work=[[60 Minutes]]| publisher = [[CBS News]] | date = November 6, 2005| url = https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-have-they-done-to-milk/ | access-date =October 27, 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081008073033/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/11/03/60minutes/rooney/main1007432.shtml| archive-date= October 8, 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> bottled water brands,<ref name=bottledwater>{{cite news | last = Rooney | first = Andy | title = Andy Bottles Eau De Rooney |work=60 Minutes| publisher = CBS News | date = October 16, 2005| url = https://www.cbsnews.com/news/andy-bottles-eau-de-rooney/| access-date = October 27, 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081009012505/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/13/60minutes/rooney/main939291.shtml| archive-date= October 9, 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> car brands,<ref name=carlist>{{cite news | last = Rooney | first = Andy | title = Andy Checks Out The New Rides At The Auto Show |work=60 Minutes| publisher =CBS News | date = April 15, 2007| url = https://www.cbsnews.com/news/andys-trip-to-the-auto-show/ | access-date = October 27, 2008}}</ref> and sports mascots.<ref name=mascot>{{cite news | last = Rooney | first = Andy | title = What's In A Team Name? |work=60 Minutes| publisher = CBS News| date = January 14, 2007| url = https://www.cbsnews.com/news/whats-in-a-team-name/ | access-date =October 27, 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081005203343/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/12/60minutes/rooney/main2355874.shtml| archive-date= October 5, 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> In later years, his segments became more political as well. Despite being best known for his television presence on ''60 Minutes'', Rooney always considered himself a writer who incidentally appeared on television behind his famous walnut table, which he had made himself.
Rooney's often irritable and formulaic delivery of observations are frequently parodied.


==Family Life==
==Controversies==
Rooney made a number of comments which elicited strong reactions from fans and producers alike.


===Comments on race===
He has four children, including a daughter, [[Emily Rooney]], who is also a journalist and former [[ABC News]] producer; she currently hosts a nightly [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]]-area public affairs program, ''Greater Boston'', on [[WGBH]]. His son Brian Rooney has been a correspondent for ABC since the 1980s. Another daughter, Ellen, is a photographer based in London. His wife of 62 years, Marguerite, died in 2004. He currently lives in the [[Rowayton, Connecticut|Rowayton]] section of [[Norwalk, Connecticut|Norwalk]], [[Connecticut]].
In February 1990, CBS's ''60 Minutes'' suspended Rooney for three months in part because it was alleged that he had suggested that black people were less intelligent because they "watered down their genes". After the program's ratings dropped significantly, Rooney was let back on in March.<ref>{{cite news |last=Henzel, Jan & Stanley, Alessandra |title=1990: The Agony and the Ecstacy |work=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 30, 1990|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/30/arts/1990-the-agony-and-the-ecstasy.html |access-date=April 22, 2020}}</ref> Rooney vehemently disputed this in a 1999 interview, claiming he was instead referring to lower-income people more broadly.<ref>{{cite AV media|date= June 22, 1999|title= Andy Rooney discusses the "60 Minutes" piece he regrets|language=English|url=https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/andy-rooney?clip=96367#interview-clips|access-date= March 13, 2022|location=New York City, New York, USA}}</ref>


Rooney wrote a column in 1992 that posited that it was "silly" for [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]]s to complain about team names like the [[Washington Redskins|Redskins]], in which he wrote in part, "The real problem is, we took the country away from the Indians, they want it back and we're not going to give it to them. We feel guilty and we'll do what we can for them within reason, but they can't have their country back. Next question." After receiving many letters from Native Americans he wrote, "when so many people complain about one thing, you have to assume you may have been wrong".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1916&dat=19920416&id=vQghAAAAIBAJ&pg=1489,2362788|title=An Apology to Indians... Sort of|author=Andy Rooney|newspaper=The Hour|date=April 16, 1992|access-date=November 2, 2013}}</ref>
==Trivia==
{{Trivia|date=July 2007}}
*He has claimed on ''[[Larry King Live]]'' to have a [[liberal bias]], stating, "There is just no question that I, among others, have a liberal bias. I mean, I'm consistently liberal in my opinions."[http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0207/28/lklw.00.html]


In a 2007 column for ''Tribune'' media services, he wrote, "I know all about [[Babe Ruth]] and [[Lou Gehrig]], but today's baseball stars are all guys named Rodriguez to me." Rooney later commented, "Yeah, I probably shouldn't have said it, [but] it's a name that seems common in baseball now. I certainly didn't think of it in any derogatory sense."<ref name="asma807">{{cite news |last=Aspan |first=Maria |author-link=Maria Aspan |title=Andy Rooney Regrets a Racist Comment in a Recent Column |work=[[The New York Times]]|date=August 27, 2007|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/27/business/media/27rooney.html |access-date=October 28, 2008}}</ref>
*Rooney has been rumored to be an [[atheist]] for several years. Over the years many of his editorials have poked fun at the concept of [[God]] and organized religion. Increased speculation on this was brought to a head by a series of comments he made regarding Mel Gibson's film ''[[The Passion of the Christ]]'' (2004). In public comments he has described himself as an [[agnostic]] and as an atheist. [http://media.www.tuftsdaily.com/media/storage/paper856/news/2004/11/19/News/Rooney.Offers.His.Opinion-1489558.shtml]


===Comments on same-sex unions===
*In 2003, an e-mail purporting to be a ''60 Minutes'' transcript began circulating on the Internet. The e-mail assigns numerous political opinions to Rooney. Rooney claimed the remarks were not his, stating, "There's a collection of racist and sexist remarks on the Internet under a picture of me with the caption ‘ANDY ROONEY SAID ON 60 MINUTES.’ If I could find the person who did write it using my name I would sue him." [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/20/60minutes/rooney/main958151.shtml]
In 1990, Rooney was suspended without pay for three months by then-CBS News President David Burke, because of the negative publicity around his saying that "too much alcohol, too much food, drugs, homosexual unions, cigarettes [are] all known to lead to premature death."<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/andy-rooney-dead-at-92/ | work=CBS News | title=Andy Rooney Dead at 92 | date=November 5, 2011}}</ref> He wrote an explanatory letter to a gay organization after being ordered not to do so. After only four weeks without Rooney, ''60 Minutes'' lost 20% of its audience. CBS management then decided that it was in the best interest of the network to have Rooney return immediately.<ref>{{cite magazine | last = Zoglin | first = Richard | author-link = Richard Zoglin | author2 = Leslie Whitaker| title = The Return of a Curmudgeon | magazine = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | date = March 12, 1990 | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,969591,00.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080308021607/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,969591,00.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = March 8, 2008 | access-date = October 29, 2008}}</ref>


After Rooney's reinstatement, he made his remorse public:<ref name=YoM_pp151-152>{{cite book |last=Rooney |first=Andy|title=Years of Minutes|url=https://archive.org/details/yearsofminutes00roon |url-access=registration |year=2003|pages= 151–152|publisher=PublicAffairs |isbn=9781586482114}}</ref>
*Though Rooney is considered by some to be 'Irish-American', he once said ''"I'm proud of my Irish heritage, but I'm not Irish. I'm not even Irish-American. I am American, period."''


{{blockquote|There was never a writer who didn't hope that in some small way he was doing good with the words he put down on paper, and while I know it's presumptuous, I've always had in my mind that I was doing some little bit of good. Now, I was to be known for having done, not good, but bad. I'd be known for the rest of my life as a racist bigot and as someone who had made life a little more difficult for homosexuals. I felt terrible about that and I've learned a lot.|Andy Rooney|Years of Minutes}}
*Andy Rooney was briefly interviewed on HBO's [[Da Ali G Show]], where he became one of the only guests to be so annoyed by the character of [[Ali G]] that he furiously ended the interview several minutes into it.


===Remarks on Kurt Cobain's suicide===
*The real question though is, why isn't he dead yet?
In a 1994 segment, Rooney attracted controversy with his remarks on [[Death of Kurt Cobain|Kurt Cobain's suicide]]. He expressed his dismay that the [[Death and state funeral of Richard Nixon|death of Richard Nixon]] was overshadowed by Cobain's suicide, stating that he had never heard of Cobain or his band, [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]]. He went on to say that Cobain's suicide made him angry. "A lot of people would like to have the years left that he threw away," Rooney said. "What's all this nonsense about how terrible life is?" he asked, adding rhetorically to a young woman who had wept at the suicide, "I'd love to relieve the pain you're going through by switching my age for yours." In addition, he asked "What would all these young people be doing if they had real problems like a [[Great Depression|Depression]], [[World War II]], or [[Vietnam War|Vietnam]]?" and commented, "If [Cobain] applied the same brain to his music that he applied to his drug-infested life, it's reasonable to think that his music may not have made much sense, either."<ref>{{cite episode | title=April 17, 1994|network=CBS | series= 60 Minutes | airdate=April 17, 1994}}</ref>

On the following Sunday's show, he apologized on the air, saying he should have taken Cobain's depression into account. He also read only critical feedback from listeners without interjecting any commentary of his own.<ref>{{cite episode | title=April 24, 1994|network=CBS | series= 60 Minutes | airdate=April 24, 1994}}</ref><ref name=YoM_pp266-268>{{cite book |last=Rooney |first=Andy |title=Years of Minutes |url=https://archive.org/details/yearsofminutes00roon |url-access=registration |year=2003 |pages= [https://archive.org/details/yearsofminutes00roon/page/266 266–268]|publisher=PublicAffairs |isbn=9781586482114 }}</ref>

==Collections and retirement==
Rooney's shorter television essays have been archived in numerous books, such as ''Common Nonsense'', which came out in 2002,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/176238.Common_Nonsense |title=Common Nonsense by Andy Rooney |publisher=Goodreads.com |access-date=November 14, 2011}}</ref> and ''[[Years of Minutes]]'', probably his best-known work, released in 2003.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rooney |first=Andy |url=https://www.amazon.com/Years-Minutes-Andy-Rooney/dp/B000BZ99TC |title=Years Of Minutes |access-date=November 14, 2011}}</ref> He penned a regular syndicated column for [[Tribune Media Services]] that ran in many newspapers in the United States, and which has been collected in book form. He won three [[Emmy Awards]] for his essays,<ref name=VarietyProfile>{{cite news|access-date=November 16, 2008 |url=https://www.variety.com/profiles/people/main/884311/Andy+Rooney.html |title=Variety Profiles: Andy Rooney |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091211073036/http://www.variety.com/profiles/people/main/884311/Andy%20Rooney.html |archive-date=December 11, 2009 }}</ref> which numbered over 1,000. He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emmyonline.tv/emmy/docu1.html |title=News & Documentary Emmy Awards — 60 Minutes Receives Lifetime Achievement |publisher=Emmyonline.tv |access-date=November 14, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005162319/http://www.emmyonline.tv/emmy/docu1.html |archive-date=October 5, 2011 }}</ref> Rooney's renown made him a frequent target of parodies and impersonations by a diverse group of comic figures, including [[Frank Caliendo]], [[Rich Little]] and [[Beavis]].

In 1993, CBS released a two-volume VHS tape set of the best of Rooney's commentaries and field reports, called "The Andy Rooney Television Collection&nbsp;— His Best Minutes." In 2006, CBS released three DVDs of his more recent commentaries, ''Andy Rooney On Almost Everything, Things That Bother Andy Rooney,'' and ''Andy Rooney's Solutions''.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}

Rooney's final regular appearance on ''60 Minutes'' was on October 2, 2011,<ref>{{cite episode |series=60 Minutes |title=My Lucky Life |network=CBS |airdate=October 2, 2011 |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7383154n}}</ref> after 33 years on the show.<ref>[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/andy-rooney-to-step-down-from-his-60-minutes-role/ "Andy Rooney to step down from his '60 Minutes' role], CBS News, September 27, 2011.</ref> It was his 1,097th commentary.<ref>Pelley, Scott. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110929090917/http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/andy-rooney-ends-his-regular-role-on-60-minutes/2011/09/28/gIQA0BcX4K_video.html "Andy Rooney ends his regular role on '60 Minutes'"], ''[[The Washington Post]]'', September 28, 2011.</ref>

==Views==
Rooney claimed on ''[[Larry King Live]]'' to have a liberal bias, stating, "There is just no question that I, among others, have a liberal bias. I mean, I'm consistently liberal in my opinions."<ref>{{cite episode | title = Interview with Andy Rooney | series = Larry King Live | series-link = Larry King Live | airdate = July 28, 2002}}</ref> In a controversial 1999 book, Rooney self-identified as agnostic,<ref name=SAR_p313>{{cite book|last=Rooney|first=Andy|title=Sincerely, Andy Rooney|url=https://archive.org/details/sincerelyandyroo00roon|url-access=registration|year=1999|pages=[https://archive.org/details/sincerelyandyroo00roon/page/3 3–13]|publisher=PublicAffairs |isbn=9781891620348}}</ref> but by 2004 he was calling himself an atheist.<ref>{{cite news|last=Barry|first=Keith|url=http://www.tuftsdaily.com/2.5511/rooney-offers-his-opinion-1.598950|title=Rooney offers his opinion|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807065601/http://www.tuftsdaily.com/2.5511/rooney-offers-his-opinion-1.598950 |archive-date=August 7, 2011 |publisher=The Tufts Daily|date=November 19, 2004}}</ref> He reaffirmed this in 2008.<ref>{{cite web | title = Humanist Network News #35: Andy Rooney on Atheism | publisher = Humanist Network News | date = September 24, 2008 | url = http://podcast.thehumanist.org/2008/09/humanist-network-news-35-andy-rooney-on-atheism/ | access-date = April 8, 2013}}</ref> Over the years, many of his editorials poked fun at the concept of God and organized religion. Increased speculation on this was brought to a head by a series of comments he made regarding [[Mel Gibson]]'s film ''[[The Passion of the Christ]]'' (2004).<ref>{{cite news| agency = Associated Press| title = Rooney draws ire of 'Passion' fans| publisher = [[Today.com]] | date = February 24, 2004| url = https://www.today.com/popculture/rooney-draws-ire-passion-fans-wbna4355043 | access-date = November 7, 2008}}</ref>

Though Rooney has been called Irish-American, he once said "I'm proud of my Irish heritage, but I'm not Irish. I'm not even Irish-American. I am American, period."{{cn|date=November 2024}}

In 2005, when four people were fired at CBS News perhaps because of the [[Killian documents controversy]], Rooney said, "The people on the front lines got fired while the people most instrumental in getting the broadcast on escaped." Others at CBS had "kept mum" about the controversy.<ref>{{cite news| last = Johnson| first = Peter| author2 = Mark Memmott| title = CBS firings should go higher up, critics say| work = [[USA Today]]| date = January 10, 2005 | url = https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2005-01-10-cbs-reaction_x.htm| access-date = November 12, 2008}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Rooney was married to Marguerite "Margie" Rooney (née Howard) for 62 years, until she died of heart failure in 2004. He later wrote, "her name does not appear as often as it originally did [in my essays] because it hurts too much to write it."<ref>{{cite book|last=Rooney |first=Andy|title=Out of My Mind|year=2006|pages= xiv}}</ref> They had four children: Ellen, Emily, Martha, and Brian. His daughter [[Emily Rooney]] is a TV talk show host and former [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] producer who went on to host a nightly Boston-area public affairs program, ''Greater Boston'', on [[WGBH-TV|WGBH]]. Emily's identical twin, Martha Fishel, became chief of the Public Services Division at the National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland; her son Justin works as a producer for ABC News. His first daughter, Ellen Rooney, is a former film editor at ABC News and is now a travel and garden photographer based in London. His son, Brian Rooney, has been a correspondent for ABC since the 1980s and lives in Los Angeles.{{Citation needed|date=March 2014}}

Rooney also had a sister, Nancy Reynolds Rooney (1915–2007).

Rooney lived in the [[Rowayton, Connecticut|Rowayton]] section of [[Norwalk, Connecticut]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.coastalliving.com/lifestyle/so-you-want-to-live-in/want-live-rowayton-connecticut-00400000000556/ |title=So You Want to Live in ... Rowayton, Connecticut |publisher=Coastalliving.com |access-date=November 14, 2011}}</ref> and in [[Rensselaerville, New York]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehour.com/story/463217 |title=Andy Rooney celebrates big day in big way |publisher=Thehour.com |date=January 13, 2009 |access-date=November 14, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930063158/http://www.thehour.com/story/463217 |archive-date=September 30, 2011 }}</ref> and was a longtime season ticket holder for the [[New York Giants]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/andy-knows-how-to-save/ | work=CBS News | title=Andy Knows How To Save | date=November 25, 2008}}</ref>

==Death==
Rooney was hospitalized on October 25, 2011, after developing postoperative complications from an undisclosed surgical procedure,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/25/showbiz/andy-rooney-hospitalized/index.html | work=CNN|date=October 26, 2011 |access-date=October 27, 2011 |title=Longtime CBS newsman Andy Rooney hospitalized}}</ref> and died on November 4, 2011, at the age of 92, less than five weeks after his last appearance on ''60 Minutes''.<ref>DAVID BAUDER - AP Television, Writer. "Former '60 Minutes' Commentator Andy Rooney Dies." ''AP Top News Package'' November 5, 2011: ''Newspaper Source Plus''. Web. December 9, 2011.</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Andy Rooney Remains Hospitalized After Surgery |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/andy-rooney-surgery-60-minutes-hospitalized-253190 |author= Sofia M. Fernandez | date=October 25, 2011 |access-date=November 5, 2011 |work=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref>

==Awards==
* 2001 – [[Emperor Has No Clothes Award]] from the [[Freedom From Religion Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ffrf.org/outreach/awards/emperor-has-no-clothes-award/andy-rooney/ |title=Emperor Has No Clothes Award |publisher=Ffrf.org |access-date=November 14, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111110034719/http://www.ffrf.org/outreach/awards/emperor-has-no-clothes-award/andy-rooney/ |archive-date=November 10, 2011}}</ref>
* 2003 – [[Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Arizona State University|title=Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication |url=https://cronkite.asu.edu/about/walter-cronkite-and-asu/walter-cronkite-award|access-date=November 23, 2016}}</ref>


==Books==
==Books==
Books written by Rooney:
*''Out of My Mind'', 2006 (ISBN 1-58648-416-8)
* ''Conquerors' Peace; report to the American stockholders'', by Oram C. Hutton and Andrew A. Rooney. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1947. ({{OCLC|3625849}})
*''[[Years of Minutes]]'', 2003 (ISBN 1-58648-211-4)
* [https://archive.org/details/fortunesofwar0000unse ''The Fortunes of War: Four Great Battles of World War II''], 1962 ({{OCLC|1350148}})
*''Common Nonsense'', 2002, (ISBN 1-58648-144-4)
*''Sincerely, Andy Rooney'', 1999 (ISBN 1-891620-34-7)
* [https://archive.org/details/fewminuteswithanroon00roon ''A Few Minutes With Andy Rooney''], 1981 ({{ISBN|0-689-11194-0}})
* [https://archive.org/details/andmorebyandyroo0000roon_c8q6 ''And More by Andy Rooney''], 1979 ({{ISBN|0-517-40622-5}})
*''My War'', 1997 (ISBN 0-517-17986-5)
*''Sweet and Sour'', 1992 (ISBN 0-399-13774-2)
* ''Pieces of My Mind'', 1984 ({{ISBN|0-689-11492-3}})
*''Most of Andy Rooney'', 1990 (ISBN 0-88365-765-1)
* ''The Most of Andy Rooney'', 1986 ({{ISBN|0-689-11864-3}})
*''Not That You Asked...'', 1989 (ISBN 0-394-57837-6)
* ''Word for Word'', 1988 ({{ISBN|0-399-13200-7}})
*''Word for Word'', 1988 (ISBN 0-399-13200-7)
* ''Not That You Asked&nbsp;...'', 1989 ({{ISBN|0-394-57837-6}})
*''The Most of Andy Rooney'', 1986 (ISBN 0-689-11864-3)
* ''Most of Andy Rooney'', 1990 ({{ISBN|0-88365-765-1}})
*''Pieces of My Mind'', 1986 (ISBN 0-689-11492-3)
* ''Sweet and Sour'', 1992 ({{ISBN|0-399-13774-2}})
*''And More by Andy Rooney'', 1985 (ISBN 0-517-40622-5)
* ''My War'', 1995 ({{ISBN|0-517-17986-5}})
*''The Complete Andy Rooney'', 1983 (ISBN 0-446-11219-4)
* ''Sincerely, Andy Rooney'', 1999 ({{ISBN|1-891620-34-7}})
*''A Few Minutes With Andy Rooney'', 1981 (ISBN 0-689-11194-0)
* ''The Complete Andy Rooney'', 2000 ({{ISBN|0-446-11219-4}})
* ''Common Nonsense'', 2002, ({{ISBN|1-586482-00-9}})
* ''Years of Minutes'', 2003 ({{ISBN|1-58648-211-4}})
* ''Out of My Mind'', 2006 ({{ISBN|1-58648-416-8}})
* ''60 Years of Wisdom and Wit'', 2009 ({{ISBN|1-58648-773-6}})

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* [[Rooney (surname)]]


==References==
==References==
{{clear}}
<references/>
{{Reflist|30em}}
[[Category:Television Personality]]

*[http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20061206/rooney-internet-hoax.htm Andy Rooney Is Internet Hoax Victim]


==External links==
==External links==
{{wikiquote|Andy Rooney}}
*[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/1998/07/08/60minutes/main13495.shtml CBS Biography]
{{commons category|Andy Rooney}}
*[http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/60minutes/rooney/main3419.shtml Archive] of previous "A Few Minutes..." segments
* {{IMDb name|0740299}}
*[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/07/06/utility/main706903.shtml Andy Rooney Podcast] among other CBS podcasts
* {{C-SPAN|16790}}
*[http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/rooney4.asp Snopes.com on Rooney E-Mail] Snopes.com's article on false e-mail claims
* {{emmytvlegends name|andy-rooney}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4ASsacAixE&list=PLRqOW3sjwjhOPCcMcnSE6V4fit1ZLmleA Andy Rooney] in the series ''Television in America: An Autobiography'' by [[CUNY TV]] (via [[YouTube]])
* {{Find a Grave|79888344}}
* [https://www.cah.utexas.edu/documents/finding_aids/Rooney_Andy_Papers.pdf Finding aid to Andy Rooney Papers, 1922-2011], [[Dolph Briscoe Center for American History]],[[The University of Texas at Austin]] (Collection is stored remotely)
* [https://digitalcollections.briscoecenter.org/collection/470 Andy Rooney Papers (digital collection, with watermarks, currently just one record available)], [[Dolph Briscoe Center for American History]],[[The University of Texas at Austin]]
* [https://archive.org/details/openmind_ep1624/ Andy Rooney on Andy Rooney (2003)], Episode 1624 of [[The Open Mind (TV series)|The Open Mind]], available on the [[Internet Archive]]



{{60 Minutes}}
[[Category:1919 births|Rooney, Andy]]
{{Evelyn F. Burkey Award}}
[[Category:Living people|Rooney, Andy]]
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Irish-Americans|Rooney, Andy]]
[[Category:American agnostics|Rooney, Andy]]
[[Category:American journalists|Rooney, Andy]]
[[Category:American television journalists|Rooney, Andy]]
[[Category:American military personnel of World War II|Rooney, Andy]]
[[Category:War correspondents|Rooney, Andy]]
[[Category:Broadcast news analysts|Rooney, Andy]]
[[Category:Commentators|Rooney, Andy]]
[[Category:People from Albany, New York|Rooney, Andy]]
[[Category:People from Norwalk, Connecticut|Rooney, Andy]]
[[Category:United States Army soldiers|Rooney, Andy]]
[[Category:Colgate University alumni|Rooney, Andy]]


[[no:Andy Rooney]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rooney, Andy}}
[[Category:1919 births]]
[[Category:2011 deaths]]
[[Category:American humorists]]
[[Category:American broadcast news analysts]]
[[Category:American television journalists]]
[[Category:American war correspondents of World War II]]
[[Category:American commentators]]
[[Category:American male journalists]]
[[Category:CBS News people]]
[[Category:American memoirists]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Air Medal]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:United States Army soldiers]]
[[Category:Writers from Norwalk, Connecticut]]
[[Category:American atheists]]
[[Category:Colgate University alumni]]
[[Category:Writers from Albany, New York]]
[[Category:People from Rensselaerville, New York]]
[[Category:20th-century American journalists]]
[[Category:21st-century American journalists]]
[[Category:Journalists from New York (state)]]
[[Category:The Albany Academy alumni]]

Latest revision as of 16:23, 2 December 2024

Andy Rooney
Rooney in June 2008
Rooney in June 2008
BornAndrew Aitken Rooney
(1919-01-14)January 14, 1919
Albany, New York, U.S.
DiedNovember 4, 2011(2011-11-04) (aged 92)
New York City, U.S.
EducationColgate University
Years active1942–2011
Notable worksThe weekly broadcast "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney" on 60 Minutes
Notable awardsEmmy
2003 Lifetime Achievement
1980 "Tanks"
1980 "Grain"
1978 "Who Owns What in America"
1968 "Black History: Lost, Stolen, or Strayed"
Spouse
Marguerite Rooney
(m. 1942; died 2004)
Children4, including Emily

Andrew Aitken Rooney (January 14, 1919 – November 4, 2011) was an American radio and television writer who was best known for his weekly broadcast "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney", a part of the CBS News program 60 Minutes from 1978 to 2011. His final regular appearance on 60 Minutes aired on October 2, 2011; he died a month later at the age of 92.

Early life and education

[edit]

Andrew Aitken Rooney was born in Albany, New York, the son of Walter Scott Rooney (1888–1959) and Ellinor (Reynolds) Rooney (1886–1980).[1] He attended The Albany Academy,[2] and later attended Colgate University in Hamilton in central New York,[3] where he was initiated into the Sigma Chi fraternity, before he was drafted into the United States Army in August 1941.

World War II

[edit]

Rooney began his career in newspapers in 1942 while in the Army where he began writing for Stars and Stripes in London.[4] He was one of six correspondents who flew on the second American bombing raid over Germany in February 1943, flying with the Eighth Air Force.[5] He was the first journalist to reach the Ludendorff Bridge after the 9th Armored Division captured it on March 7, 1945. He was 32 km (20 mi) to the west when he heard that the bridge had been captured.[6][7][8] "It was a reporter's dream," he wrote. "One of the great stories of the war had fallen into my lap."[9] The bridge capture was front-page news in America.[10][11] Rooney rated the capture of the bridge as one of the top five events of the entire European war, alongside D-Day.[6]

He was one of the first American journalists to visit the Nazi concentration camps near the end of World War II, and one of the first to write about them. During a segment on Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation, Rooney stated that he had been opposed to World War II because he was a pacifist. He recounted that what he saw in those concentration camps made him ashamed that he had opposed the war and permanently changed his opinions about whether "just wars" exist.[12]

Rooney was decorated with the Bronze Star Medal and Air Medal for his service as a war correspondent in combat zones during the war.[13] His 1995 memoir My War chronicles his war reporting and recounts several notable historical events and people from a first-hand view, including the entry into Paris and the Nazi concentration camps. He describes how it shaped his experience both as a writer and reporter.[5]

Career

[edit]

Rooney joined CBS in 1949 as a writer for Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts,[5] when Godfrey was at his peak on CBS radio and TV. It opened the show up to a variety of viewers. The program was a hit, reaching number one in 1952 during Rooney's tenure. It was the beginning of a close lifelong friendship between Rooney and Godfrey. He wrote for Godfrey's daytime radio and TV show Arthur Godfrey Time. He later moved on to The Garry Moore Show[14] which became a hit program. During the same period, he wrote public affairs programs for CBS News, such as The Twentieth Century.

Rooney wrote his first television essay in 1964 called "An Essay on Doors", "a longer-length precursor of the type" that he did on 60 Minutes, according to CBS News's biography of him.[15] From 1962 to 1968, he collaborated with CBS News correspondent Harry Reasoner, Rooney writing and producing and Reasoner narrating. They wrote on CBS News specials such as "An Essay on Bridges" (1965),[15] "An Essay on Hotels" (1966),[15] "An Essay on Women" (1967),[15] and "The Strange Case of the English Language" (1968).[15] In 1968, he wrote two episodes of the CBS News documentary series Of Black America,[15] and his script for "Black History: Lost, Stolen, or Strayed" won him his first Emmy.[16]

CBS refused to broadcast his World War II memoir titled "An Essay on War" in 1970, so Rooney quit CBS and read the opinion himself on PBS, which was his first appearance on television.[17] That show in 1971 won him his third Writers Guild Award.[15] He rejoined CBS in 1973 to write and produce special programs.[17] He also wrote the script for the 1975 documentary FDR: The Man Who Changed America.

After his return to the network, Rooney wrote and appeared in several primetime specials for CBS, including In Praise of New York City (1974),[14] the Peabody Award-winning Mr. Rooney Goes to Washington (1975),[14] Mr. Rooney Goes to Dinner (1978),[14] and Mr. Rooney Goes to Work (1977).[14] Transcripts of these specials are contained in the book A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney, as well as of some of the earlier collaborations with Reasoner.

"A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney"

[edit]

Rooney's "end-of-show" segment on 60 Minutes, "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney" (originally "Three Minutes or So With Andy Rooney"[5]), began in 1978, as a summer replacement for the debate segment "Point/Counterpoint"[5] featuring Shana Alexander and James Kilpatrick. The segment proved popular enough with viewers that beginning in the fall of 1978, it was seen in alternate weeks with the debate segment. At the end of the 1978–1979 season, "Point/Counterpoint" was dropped altogether.[5]

In the segment, Rooney typically offered satire on a trivial everyday issue, such as the cost of groceries, annoying relatives, or faulty Christmas presents. Rooney's appearances on "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney" often included whimsical lists, such as types of milk,[18] bottled water brands,[19] car brands,[20] and sports mascots.[21] In later years, his segments became more political as well. Despite being best known for his television presence on 60 Minutes, Rooney always considered himself a writer who incidentally appeared on television behind his famous walnut table, which he had made himself.

Controversies

[edit]

Rooney made a number of comments which elicited strong reactions from fans and producers alike.

Comments on race

[edit]

In February 1990, CBS's 60 Minutes suspended Rooney for three months in part because it was alleged that he had suggested that black people were less intelligent because they "watered down their genes". After the program's ratings dropped significantly, Rooney was let back on in March.[22] Rooney vehemently disputed this in a 1999 interview, claiming he was instead referring to lower-income people more broadly.[23]

Rooney wrote a column in 1992 that posited that it was "silly" for Native Americans to complain about team names like the Redskins, in which he wrote in part, "The real problem is, we took the country away from the Indians, they want it back and we're not going to give it to them. We feel guilty and we'll do what we can for them within reason, but they can't have their country back. Next question." After receiving many letters from Native Americans he wrote, "when so many people complain about one thing, you have to assume you may have been wrong".[24]

In a 2007 column for Tribune media services, he wrote, "I know all about Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, but today's baseball stars are all guys named Rodriguez to me." Rooney later commented, "Yeah, I probably shouldn't have said it, [but] it's a name that seems common in baseball now. I certainly didn't think of it in any derogatory sense."[25]

Comments on same-sex unions

[edit]

In 1990, Rooney was suspended without pay for three months by then-CBS News President David Burke, because of the negative publicity around his saying that "too much alcohol, too much food, drugs, homosexual unions, cigarettes [are] all known to lead to premature death."[26] He wrote an explanatory letter to a gay organization after being ordered not to do so. After only four weeks without Rooney, 60 Minutes lost 20% of its audience. CBS management then decided that it was in the best interest of the network to have Rooney return immediately.[27]

After Rooney's reinstatement, he made his remorse public:[28]

There was never a writer who didn't hope that in some small way he was doing good with the words he put down on paper, and while I know it's presumptuous, I've always had in my mind that I was doing some little bit of good. Now, I was to be known for having done, not good, but bad. I'd be known for the rest of my life as a racist bigot and as someone who had made life a little more difficult for homosexuals. I felt terrible about that and I've learned a lot.

— Andy Rooney, Years of Minutes

Remarks on Kurt Cobain's suicide

[edit]

In a 1994 segment, Rooney attracted controversy with his remarks on Kurt Cobain's suicide. He expressed his dismay that the death of Richard Nixon was overshadowed by Cobain's suicide, stating that he had never heard of Cobain or his band, Nirvana. He went on to say that Cobain's suicide made him angry. "A lot of people would like to have the years left that he threw away," Rooney said. "What's all this nonsense about how terrible life is?" he asked, adding rhetorically to a young woman who had wept at the suicide, "I'd love to relieve the pain you're going through by switching my age for yours." In addition, he asked "What would all these young people be doing if they had real problems like a Depression, World War II, or Vietnam?" and commented, "If [Cobain] applied the same brain to his music that he applied to his drug-infested life, it's reasonable to think that his music may not have made much sense, either."[29]

On the following Sunday's show, he apologized on the air, saying he should have taken Cobain's depression into account. He also read only critical feedback from listeners without interjecting any commentary of his own.[30][31]

Collections and retirement

[edit]

Rooney's shorter television essays have been archived in numerous books, such as Common Nonsense, which came out in 2002,[32] and Years of Minutes, probably his best-known work, released in 2003.[33] He penned a regular syndicated column for Tribune Media Services that ran in many newspapers in the United States, and which has been collected in book form. He won three Emmy Awards for his essays,[34] which numbered over 1,000. He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 2003.[35] Rooney's renown made him a frequent target of parodies and impersonations by a diverse group of comic figures, including Frank Caliendo, Rich Little and Beavis.

In 1993, CBS released a two-volume VHS tape set of the best of Rooney's commentaries and field reports, called "The Andy Rooney Television Collection — His Best Minutes." In 2006, CBS released three DVDs of his more recent commentaries, Andy Rooney On Almost Everything, Things That Bother Andy Rooney, and Andy Rooney's Solutions.[citation needed]

Rooney's final regular appearance on 60 Minutes was on October 2, 2011,[36] after 33 years on the show.[37] It was his 1,097th commentary.[38]

Views

[edit]

Rooney claimed on Larry King Live to have a liberal bias, stating, "There is just no question that I, among others, have a liberal bias. I mean, I'm consistently liberal in my opinions."[39] In a controversial 1999 book, Rooney self-identified as agnostic,[40] but by 2004 he was calling himself an atheist.[41] He reaffirmed this in 2008.[42] Over the years, many of his editorials poked fun at the concept of God and organized religion. Increased speculation on this was brought to a head by a series of comments he made regarding Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ (2004).[43]

Though Rooney has been called Irish-American, he once said "I'm proud of my Irish heritage, but I'm not Irish. I'm not even Irish-American. I am American, period."[citation needed]

In 2005, when four people were fired at CBS News perhaps because of the Killian documents controversy, Rooney said, "The people on the front lines got fired while the people most instrumental in getting the broadcast on escaped." Others at CBS had "kept mum" about the controversy.[44]

Personal life

[edit]

Rooney was married to Marguerite "Margie" Rooney (née Howard) for 62 years, until she died of heart failure in 2004. He later wrote, "her name does not appear as often as it originally did [in my essays] because it hurts too much to write it."[45] They had four children: Ellen, Emily, Martha, and Brian. His daughter Emily Rooney is a TV talk show host and former ABC News producer who went on to host a nightly Boston-area public affairs program, Greater Boston, on WGBH. Emily's identical twin, Martha Fishel, became chief of the Public Services Division at the National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland; her son Justin works as a producer for ABC News. His first daughter, Ellen Rooney, is a former film editor at ABC News and is now a travel and garden photographer based in London. His son, Brian Rooney, has been a correspondent for ABC since the 1980s and lives in Los Angeles.[citation needed]

Rooney also had a sister, Nancy Reynolds Rooney (1915–2007).

Rooney lived in the Rowayton section of Norwalk, Connecticut,[46] and in Rensselaerville, New York,[47] and was a longtime season ticket holder for the New York Giants.[48]

Death

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Rooney was hospitalized on October 25, 2011, after developing postoperative complications from an undisclosed surgical procedure,[49] and died on November 4, 2011, at the age of 92, less than five weeks after his last appearance on 60 Minutes.[50][51]

Awards

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Books

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Books written by Rooney:

  • Conquerors' Peace; report to the American stockholders, by Oram C. Hutton and Andrew A. Rooney. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1947. (OCLC 3625849)
  • The Fortunes of War: Four Great Battles of World War II, 1962 (OCLC 1350148)
  • A Few Minutes With Andy Rooney, 1981 (ISBN 0-689-11194-0)
  • And More by Andy Rooney, 1979 (ISBN 0-517-40622-5)
  • Pieces of My Mind, 1984 (ISBN 0-689-11492-3)
  • The Most of Andy Rooney, 1986 (ISBN 0-689-11864-3)
  • Word for Word, 1988 (ISBN 0-399-13200-7)
  • Not That You Asked ..., 1989 (ISBN 0-394-57837-6)
  • Most of Andy Rooney, 1990 (ISBN 0-88365-765-1)
  • Sweet and Sour, 1992 (ISBN 0-399-13774-2)
  • My War, 1995 (ISBN 0-517-17986-5)
  • Sincerely, Andy Rooney, 1999 (ISBN 1-891620-34-7)
  • The Complete Andy Rooney, 2000 (ISBN 0-446-11219-4)
  • Common Nonsense, 2002, (ISBN 1-586482-00-9)
  • Years of Minutes, 2003 (ISBN 1-58648-211-4)
  • Out of My Mind, 2006 (ISBN 1-58648-416-8)
  • 60 Years of Wisdom and Wit, 2009 (ISBN 1-58648-773-6)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Andy Rooney". Mahalo.com.
  2. ^ "Andy Rooney To Kick Off The Albany Academies' Alumni/ae Speaker Series On September 19". Readme.readmedia.com. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  3. ^ "Colgate alumni play important roles in variety of fields". Colgate.edu. June 2, 2005. Archived from the original on February 24, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  4. ^ Rooney, Andy. How it Feels to Bomb Germany ..., PBS.org
  5. ^ a b c d e f Minzesheimer, Bob (January 19, 2010). "'A few minutes' with Andy Rooney becomes 91 years". USA Today.
  6. ^ a b Rooney, Andy (October 15, 2002). My War. New York: Public Affairs. pp. 251–253. ISBN 978-1586481599.
  7. ^ Gay, Timothy (May 17, 2012). "Writing for Stripes defined Rooney's life". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  8. ^ Rooney, Andy (March 13, 1945). "Bridge a Blow to Jerry". Stars & Stripes (London ed.).
  9. ^ Rooney, Andy (March 7, 1985). "Recalling The Ludendorff Bridge". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  10. ^ "Yanks Open Bridgehead Drive" (PDF). The Charlotte News. March 12, 1945. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
  11. ^ Long, James. "First Bolsters Bridgehead Across Rhine" (PDF). The Leader-Republican. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
  12. ^ "The War Correspondent Andy Rooney". August 17, 2018.
  13. ^ Andy Rooney (September 1, 1987). "Medals of Honor". Norwalk, CN: The Hour.
  14. ^ a b c d e "Andy Rooney Biography". Film Reference. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g "Andy Rooney". CBS News. July 8, 1998. Archived from the original on January 3, 2008.
  16. ^ "Andy Rooney". CBS News. September 21, 2005. Archived from the original on October 18, 2008. Retrieved October 28, 2008.
  17. ^ a b Bauden, David: "'60 Minutes' commentator Andy Rooney dies" Today, November 5, 2011
  18. ^ Rooney, Andy (November 6, 2005). "What Have They Done to Milk?". 60 Minutes. CBS News. Archived from the original on October 8, 2008. Retrieved October 27, 2008.
  19. ^ Rooney, Andy (October 16, 2005). "Andy Bottles Eau De Rooney". 60 Minutes. CBS News. Archived from the original on October 9, 2008. Retrieved October 27, 2008.
  20. ^ Rooney, Andy (April 15, 2007). "Andy Checks Out The New Rides At The Auto Show". 60 Minutes. CBS News. Retrieved October 27, 2008.
  21. ^ Rooney, Andy (January 14, 2007). "What's In A Team Name?". 60 Minutes. CBS News. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. Retrieved October 27, 2008.
  22. ^ Henzel, Jan & Stanley, Alessandra (December 30, 1990). "1990: The Agony and the Ecstacy". The New York Times. Retrieved April 22, 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ Andy Rooney discusses the "60 Minutes" piece he regrets. New York City, New York, USA. June 22, 1999. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  24. ^ Andy Rooney (April 16, 1992). "An Apology to Indians... Sort of". The Hour. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  25. ^ Aspan, Maria (August 27, 2007). "Andy Rooney Regrets a Racist Comment in a Recent Column". The New York Times. Retrieved October 28, 2008.
  26. ^ "Andy Rooney Dead at 92". CBS News. November 5, 2011.
  27. ^ Zoglin, Richard; Leslie Whitaker (March 12, 1990). "The Return of a Curmudgeon". Time. Archived from the original on March 8, 2008. Retrieved October 29, 2008.
  28. ^ Rooney, Andy (2003). Years of Minutes. PublicAffairs. pp. 151–152. ISBN 9781586482114.
  29. ^ "April 17, 1994". 60 Minutes. April 17, 1994. CBS.
  30. ^ "April 24, 1994". 60 Minutes. April 24, 1994. CBS.
  31. ^ Rooney, Andy (2003). Years of Minutes. PublicAffairs. pp. 266–268. ISBN 9781586482114.
  32. ^ "Common Nonsense by Andy Rooney". Goodreads.com. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  33. ^ Rooney, Andy. Years Of Minutes. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  34. ^ "Variety Profiles: Andy Rooney". Variety. Archived from the original on December 11, 2009. Retrieved November 16, 2008.
  35. ^ "News & Documentary Emmy Awards — 60 Minutes Receives Lifetime Achievement". Emmyonline.tv. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  36. ^ "My Lucky Life". 60 Minutes. October 2, 2011. CBS.
  37. ^ "Andy Rooney to step down from his '60 Minutes' role, CBS News, September 27, 2011.
  38. ^ Pelley, Scott. "Andy Rooney ends his regular role on '60 Minutes'", The Washington Post, September 28, 2011.
  39. ^ "Interview with Andy Rooney". Larry King Live. July 28, 2002.
  40. ^ Rooney, Andy (1999). Sincerely, Andy Rooney. PublicAffairs. pp. 3–13. ISBN 9781891620348.
  41. ^ Barry, Keith (November 19, 2004). "Rooney offers his opinion". The Tufts Daily. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011.
  42. ^ "Humanist Network News #35: Andy Rooney on Atheism". Humanist Network News. September 24, 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
  43. ^ "Rooney draws ire of 'Passion' fans". Today.com. Associated Press. February 24, 2004. Retrieved November 7, 2008.
  44. ^ Johnson, Peter; Mark Memmott (January 10, 2005). "CBS firings should go higher up, critics say". USA Today. Retrieved November 12, 2008.
  45. ^ Rooney, Andy (2006). Out of My Mind. pp. xiv.
  46. ^ "So You Want to Live in ... Rowayton, Connecticut". Coastalliving.com. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  47. ^ "Andy Rooney celebrates big day in big way". Thehour.com. January 13, 2009. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  48. ^ "Andy Knows How To Save". CBS News. November 25, 2008.
  49. ^ "Longtime CBS newsman Andy Rooney hospitalized". CNN. October 26, 2011. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
  50. ^ DAVID BAUDER - AP Television, Writer. "Former '60 Minutes' Commentator Andy Rooney Dies." AP Top News Package November 5, 2011: Newspaper Source Plus. Web. December 9, 2011.
  51. ^ Sofia M. Fernandez (October 25, 2011). "Andy Rooney Remains Hospitalized After Surgery". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
  52. ^ "Emperor Has No Clothes Award". Ffrf.org. Archived from the original on November 10, 2011. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  53. ^ Arizona State University. "Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication". Retrieved November 23, 2016.
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