Columnists back in the day...

**65memories** · February-14-11, 05:30 PM

The recent threads concerning Mitch Albom and George Stark made me think back to many of the noted journalists/colulmnists who once graced our city's newspapers. My favorites were Doc Greene [[Detroit News), Jim Fitzgerald [[Detroit Free Press) and Al Stark, who wrote a column titled "The Real Detroit." I also enjoyed Pete Waldmeir in his sports-writing days. There were others...Bob Talbert, Charlie Manos, Betty DeRamus, June Brown, Malcolm Bingay, Edgar Guest, H.L Salsinger, etc. Neal Shine and Doc Greene were legendary. They constantly picked at our prejudices and provoked changes of thought. Most people on this forum are too young to have read these individuals. As newspapers downsize and exemplary journalism becomes a thing of the past, do we have anyone that comes close to any of them? Any memories? Anyone I left out?

**xphillipjrx** · February-14-11, 09:47 PM

Freep Sportswriter George Puscas.

**missn** · February-14-11, 10:00 PM

Out of my head on a Monday moanin' ... loved Bob Talbert ...

**Hardhat** · February-14-11, 10:42 PM

[[Mike) Downey does Detroit. A talented sportswriter I thought. Wasn't he at the Freep just prior to Mitch?

**Lowell** · February-14-11, 10:49 PM

Bill McGraw "Motor City Journal"!

**jackie5275** · February-15-11, 09:43 AM

Susan Watson???

**65memories** · February-15-11, 12:09 PM

Forgot about Susan Watson, who was an excellent columnist. I was upset when Mike Downey left the Freep...his columns always had a certain edge to them. Eclectic writer.

**preserve** · February-15-11, 12:16 PM

Susan Stark for movie reviews and interviews with who ever was appearing in town, BettyLou Peterson for TV - I always enjoyed Mike Royko and Jimmy Breslin too.

**daddeeo** · February-15-11, 03:30 PM

Downey was great.
Doc Greene used to say he never drank on New Year's eve
because it was the night for amateurs. He also always
referred to his wife as "the woman I live with."
He took a hit when he offered to get Ali a fight here when he was
fighting his draft board.

**terryh** · February-15-11, 04:50 PM

Lou Gordon; Jim Ingram; Jim Dygert and Alan Kroker wrote for Detroit Scope magazine.......'The magazine that tells it the way it really is.' Detroit Scope is a must read for Detroit social history and crime enthusiasts...

**Vic_doucette** · February-15-11, 07:39 PM

Kathy Huffjines, a movie reviewer for the Detroit Free Press who was killed when a tree fell on the car she was riding in.
Her reviews -- always clever -- ran with boxed information that described features in the movie that might make them unsuitable for a particular audience. I recall one review box that cautioned sensitive viewers about "violence done to a couch."

**EMG** · February-15-11, 10:04 PM

I always enjoyed Bob Talbert, especially his Monday Moanin', and Jim Fitzgerald, who did "sitting marathons" through fall football games. I remember being really disappointed when Fitzgerald retired. I kept hoping he would at least make a guest appearance once in a while, but he just took right off into the woodwork of retirement never to return. I also remember Shine and Waldmeir.

Another favorite of mine was Sydney J. Harris - the newspapers' own resident English professor. And then there was the guy [[was his name Arnett?) who used his columns to depict conversations with himself - "The Innerman vs the Outerman."

I don't remember most of the other ones mentioned in this thread. I think I can picture Mike Royko now that he's been mentioned but I don't remember too much about his columns. Wasn't he more of a sports writer? I was never one to follow sports much.

And then there was the guy whose column in semi-fake French was printed religiously every Thanksgiving - Art Buchwald. I actually drew a blank on his name and only was able to retrieve it by Googling "Kilometres Deboutish" and finding the following link to a copy of that favorite column:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...112302056.html

**65memories** · February-15-11, 10:22 PM

The Arnett was Judd Arnett and he used to write about the happenings at his home on Grandmont.

**eno** · February-15-11, 10:33 PM

Neal Shine and Bill Brown commenting on the weeks events in Detroit on WTVS-channel 56.

**turkeycall** · February-23-11, 07:33 PM

There was an Episcopal bishop who had a column in the Detroit News - back in the late 50s and 60s. Can't remember his name, though. Does anyone remember who it was?