I fondly (or not so fondly) remember this from "60 Minutes" about two years before Fiedler died, and it shattered all my illusions of him as a happy, friendly "Santa Claus," as he put it. In reality, he was disappointed because he wanted to be taken more seriously as a conductor; his idol was Toscanini (whose temperamental disposition he had, too). But it's good to get a balanced view of celebrities so we don't fall into the trap of worshipping them as gods. Many thanks for bringing this back - I've been looking for this for years!
GREAT profile. I just tripped over it while searching for a particular Fiedler/Pops recording. I came away from Morley Safer's report with a real understanding of Fiedler the man, Fiedler the artist AND Fiedler the inner fireman! :-)
Wow! I’ve been looking for this piece for years! My Uncle used to do camera work for WGBH and had so many stories about doing those Evening at Pops telecasts. He said that Fiedler was a real character back in the day who could be your favorite Grandpa one minute then the neighborhood grouch the next! That really would’ve been something if he’d done that album with Elvis.
Evening at Pops with Arthur Fiedler were exceptional TV broadcasts (1970-1979). Sadly only a few of these complete shows are accessible to view or listen at the major entertainment museums or on the internet. There is one resource exception, Archival Television Audio which has archived 115 of these broadcasts audio recorded off the air, direct line for pristine sound, on 1/4” reel to reel tape. A goldmine of listening nostalgia, which seems long forgotten by todays contemporary musical eclectic society.
Fiedler was a real pop star when this profile was produced. Today, the culture has gotten to be such woke trash and so dumbed down that if Fiedler came back to life, he'd be relegated to performing for an aging niche market.
Great video
Thank you for sharing
I fondly (or not so fondly) remember this from "60 Minutes" about two years before Fiedler died, and it shattered all my illusions of him as a happy, friendly "Santa Claus," as he put it. In reality, he was disappointed because he wanted to be taken more seriously as a conductor; his idol was Toscanini (whose temperamental disposition he had, too). But it's good to get a balanced view of celebrities so we don't fall into the trap of worshipping them as gods. Many thanks for bringing this back - I've been looking for this for years!
History is replete with prima donnas and tyrants in the performing arts.
GREAT profile. I just tripped over it while searching for a particular Fiedler/Pops recording. I came away from Morley Safer's report with a real understanding of Fiedler the man, Fiedler the artist AND Fiedler the inner fireman! :-)
Morley Safer is an annoying, intrusive, and boorish moron.....they should have sent someone with more Class to interview the Great Fiedler....
I remember after this aired viewer had written in “ if you ever plan on interviewing Santa Claus wait until after Christmas “
Wow! I’ve been looking for this piece for years! My Uncle used to do camera work for WGBH and had so many stories about doing those Evening at Pops telecasts. He said that Fiedler was a real character back in the day who could be your favorite Grandpa one minute then the neighborhood grouch the next!
That really would’ve been something if he’d done that album with Elvis.
I used to listen to his albums when I was little. Never saw video of his before. Thank you for posting this!
I found his vinyl records at goodwill and bought them all before anyone else could get them.
Evening at Pops with Arthur Fiedler were exceptional TV broadcasts (1970-1979). Sadly only a few of these complete shows are accessible to view or listen at the major entertainment museums or on the internet. There is one resource exception, Archival Television Audio which has archived 115 of these broadcasts audio recorded off the air, direct line for pristine sound, on 1/4” reel to reel tape. A goldmine of listening nostalgia, which seems long forgotten by todays contemporary musical eclectic society.
Thanks so much for the tip. The Archival Television Audio website is as you've described - a goldmine of delights.
Fiedler was a real pop star when this profile was produced. Today, the culture has gotten to be such woke trash and so dumbed down that if Fiedler came back to life, he'd be relegated to performing for an aging niche market.