Shana Alexander
Encyclopedia
Shana Alexander was an American
journalist
, born Shana Ager in New York City on October 6, 1925. Although she became the first woman staff writer and columnist for Life
magazine, she was best known for her participation in the "Point-Counterpoint" debate segments of 60 Minutes
with conservative James J. Kilpatrick
. She was a daughter of Tin Pan Alley
composer Milton Ager
, who composed the song "Happy Days Are Here Again
," and his wife, columnist Cecelia Ager.
in 1945, majoring in anthropology
. She fell into writing when she took a summer job as a copy clerk at the New York
newspaper PM
, where her mother worked. She worked as a freelance writer for Junior Bazaar and Mademoiselle
magazines before becoming a researcher at Life for $65 a week in 1951. During the 1960s she wrote "The Feminine Eye" column for Life.
In 1962 she wrote an article for Life Magazine entitled “They Decide Who Lives, Who Dies: Medical miracle puts moral burden on small committee,” which sparked a national debate on the allocation of scarce dialysis machine resources.
Another Life magazine article, about a suicide hot line worker's efforts to keep a caller from killing herself, was turned into the 1965 film, The Slender Thread
, which starred Sidney Poitier
and Anne Bancroft
.
, but quit in 1971, complaining that it was a token job in a sexist environment. She was writing a column for Newsweek
in 1975 when she replaced Nicholas von Hoffman
on 60 Minutes, and debated Kilpatrick for the next four years. She played down this part of her career, commenting in 1979 that prior to that she "had been a writer, a columnist for Life magazine and for Newsweek -- that was about as high as you could get in column writing. I care about my writing. I'm not a quack-quack TV journalist." Still, the debates Alexander had with Kilpatrick were so prominent in American culture that they were famously satirized on Saturday Night Live
, with Jane Curtin
taking Alexander's role on "Weekend Update
" opposite Dan Aykroyd
's version of Kilpatrick – "Jane, you ignorant slut."
She also wrote a number of non-fiction books, including Anyone's Daughter, a biography of kidnapped heiress Patricia Hearst. Her book Nutcracker, about Frances Schreuder, the convicted socialite who persuaded her son to kill her millionaire father, was made into a 1987 TV miniseries. Schreuder was played by actress Lee Remick
.
She had long been rumoured to have had an affair with the late Eugene McCarthy
, but this was disputed by McCarthy's biographer, Dominic Sandbrook
, in his 2005 book, Eugene McCarthy and The Rise and Fall of American Liberalism.
, on June 23, 2005. She was 79 and had lived in Manhattan and Wainscott, New York
, for many years. Reportedly, she had been in an assisted living facility. Alexander was survived by a sister, Laurel Bentley, and a niece.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, born Shana Ager in New York City on October 6, 1925. Although she became the first woman staff writer and columnist for Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
magazine, she was best known for her participation in the "Point-Counterpoint" debate segments of 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
with conservative James J. Kilpatrick
James J. Kilpatrick
James Jackson Kilpatrick was an American editorial columnist and grammarian. He was a legal abstractionist, a social conservative, and an economic libertarian according to Harvard ....
. She was a daughter of Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century...
composer Milton Ager
Milton Ager
Milton Ager was an American composer.Ager was born in Chicago, Illinois, the sixth of nine children. Leaving school with only three years of formal high-school education, he taught himself to play the piano and embarked on a career as a musician. After spending time as an accompanist to silent...
, who composed the song "Happy Days Are Here Again
Happy Days Are Here Again
"Happy Days Are Here Again" is a song copyrighted in 1929 by Milton Ager and Jack Yellen and published by EMI Robbins Catalog, Inc./Advanced Music Corp...
," and his wife, columnist Cecelia Ager.
Early journalism career
Alexander graduated from Vassar CollegeVassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
in 1945, majoring in anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
. She fell into writing when she took a summer job as a copy clerk at the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
newspaper PM
PM (newspaper)
PM was a leftist New York City daily newspaper published by Ralph Ingersoll from June 1940 to June 1948 and bankrolled by the eccentric Chicago millionaire Marshall Field III....
, where her mother worked. She worked as a freelance writer for Junior Bazaar and Mademoiselle
Mademoiselle (magazine)
Mademoiselle was an influential women's magazine first published in 1935 by Street and Smith and later acquired by Condé Nast Publications....
magazines before becoming a researcher at Life for $65 a week in 1951. During the 1960s she wrote "The Feminine Eye" column for Life.
In 1962 she wrote an article for Life Magazine entitled “They Decide Who Lives, Who Dies: Medical miracle puts moral burden on small committee,” which sparked a national debate on the allocation of scarce dialysis machine resources.
Another Life magazine article, about a suicide hot line worker's efforts to keep a caller from killing herself, was turned into the 1965 film, The Slender Thread
The Slender Thread
The Slender Thread is a 1965 film starring Anne Bancroft and Sidney Poitier. It was the first feature length film directed by Academy Award-winning director, producer & actor Sydney Pollack....
, which starred Sidney Poitier
Sidney Poitier
Sir Sidney Poitier, KBE is a Bahamian American actor, film director, author, and diplomat.In 1963, Poitier became the first black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field...
and Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft was an American actress associated with the Method acting school, which she had studied under Lee Strasberg....
.
60 Minutes and later career
In 1969 she became the first female editor at McCall'sMcCall's
McCall's was a monthly American women's magazine that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. It was established as a small-format magazine called The Queen in 1873...
, but quit in 1971, complaining that it was a token job in a sexist environment. She was writing a column for Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
in 1975 when she replaced Nicholas von Hoffman
Nicholas von Hoffman
Nicholas von Hoffman is an American journalist and author. He wrote for the Washington Post. Later, TV audiences knew him as a "Point-Counterpoint" commentator for CBS's 60 Minutes, from which Don Hewitt fired him in 1974.-Biography:He is of German-Russian extraction, descendant of Melchior...
on 60 Minutes, and debated Kilpatrick for the next four years. She played down this part of her career, commenting in 1979 that prior to that she "had been a writer, a columnist for Life magazine and for Newsweek -- that was about as high as you could get in column writing. I care about my writing. I'm not a quack-quack TV journalist." Still, the debates Alexander had with Kilpatrick were so prominent in American culture that they were famously satirized on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, with Jane Curtin
Jane Curtin
Jane Therese Curtin is an American actress and comedienne. She is commonly referred to as Queen of the Deadpan.First coming to prominence as an original cast member on Saturday Night Live in 1975, she went on to win back-to-back Emmy Awards for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series on the 1980s...
taking Alexander's role on "Weekend Update
Weekend Update
Weekend Update is a Saturday Night Live sketch that comments on and parodies current events. It is the show's longest running recurring sketch, having been on since the show's first broadcast, and is typically presented in the middle of the show immediately after the first musical performance...
" opposite Dan Aykroyd
Dan Aykroyd
Daniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, CM is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, winemaker and ufologist. He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, an originator of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters and has had a long career as a film actor and screenwriter.-Early...
's version of Kilpatrick – "Jane, you ignorant slut."
She also wrote a number of non-fiction books, including Anyone's Daughter, a biography of kidnapped heiress Patricia Hearst. Her book Nutcracker, about Frances Schreuder, the convicted socialite who persuaded her son to kill her millionaire father, was made into a 1987 TV miniseries. Schreuder was played by actress Lee Remick
Lee Remick
Lee Ann Remick was an American film and television actress. Among her best-known films are Anatomy of a Murder , Days of Wine and Roses , and The Omen .-Early life:...
.
Personal life
Alexander had been married and divorced twice. Her only daughter, Kathy, committed suicide in 1987.She had long been rumoured to have had an affair with the late Eugene McCarthy
Eugene McCarthy
Eugene Joseph "Gene" McCarthy was an American politician, poet, and a long-time member of the United States Congress from Minnesota. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1949 to 1959 and the U.S. Senate from 1959 to 1971.In the 1968 presidential election, McCarthy was the first...
, but this was disputed by McCarthy's biographer, Dominic Sandbrook
Dominic Sandbrook
Dominic Sandbrook http://dominicsandbrook.com/wordpress/about/ is a British historian. Born in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, he was educated at Malvern College...
, in his 2005 book, Eugene McCarthy and The Rise and Fall of American Liberalism.
Death
Shana Alexander died of cancer in Hermosa Beach, CaliforniaHermosa Beach, California
Hermosa Beach is a beachfront city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Its population was 19,506 at the 2010 census, up from 18,566 at the 2000 census....
, on June 23, 2005. She was 79 and had lived in Manhattan and Wainscott, New York
Wainscott, New York
Wainscott is a census-designated place that roughly corresponds to the hamlet with the same name in the town of East Hampton in Suffolk County, New York on the South Fork of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the CDP population was 628...
, for many years. Reportedly, she had been in an assisted living facility. Alexander was survived by a sister, Laurel Bentley, and a niece.
Books
- Anyone's Daughter (1979)
- Happy Days: My Mother, My Father, My Sister & MeHappy Days (book)Happy Days: My Mother, My Father, My Sister & Me is an autobiography by American journalist, Shana Alexander, published by Doubleday in 1995.-Subject of the book:...
(1995), autobiography - Very Much a Lady: The Untold Story of Jean Harris and Dr. Herman Tarnower, Edgar AwardEdgar AwardThe Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
, Best Fact Crime book, (1983) - When She Was Bad (1991)
- Nutcracker (1985)
- The Astonishing Elephant (2000)
- The Pizza Connection: Lawyers, Money, Drugs, Mafia (1988)