Baby Movies Peter Imber 2022-05-01 | A movie theater does matinees for parents with babies because there was a crying need for somebody to do it.
SAT Preps Peter Imber 2022-05-01 | A program in California that subsidized SAT preparation courses for students whose families couldn't afford them.
Teacher House Calls Peter Imber 2022-05-01 | Teachers in California who go the extra mile to visit the homes of their students after school.
Retired Doctors Peter Imber 2022-05-01 | A story about doctors who decided to come out of retirement to practice voluntarily. Something that was impressive when this story was done in 2000 but two decades later I wonder if it's even still happening.
Clayton Moore:The Lone Ranger Peter Imber 2022-04-30 | Obituary for the actor who played the Lone Ranger on TV... Short but sweet.
Menahem Golan in Hollywood Peter Imber 2022-02-21 | I made this documentary about Menahem Golan in 1981 when I was a film student at UCLA. Golan and his cousin Yoram Globus had bought a Hollywood studio-- Cannon Films --several years earlier and allowed me to shoot for a week in their offices. Golan was a charismatic personality and died some time ago without achieving the goal he told me he most desired. Although he directed many of his own films and was responsible for producing many others made by others, he most wanted to direct a movie that would be admired by critics and audiences as a work of art. Nevertheless he left his mark on Hollywood.
Sarah Palin Peter Imber 2022-02-01 | In 2008 after John McCain selected Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin to be his Vice Presidential running mate on the Republican ticket I was sent to Palin's hometown of Wasilla to do a profile of her for Nightline.Just as we got there we learned that Palin's 17-year-old daughter was pregnant and unmarried. That didn't become a campaign issue and within our story you'll hear the Democratic candidate for president, Barak Obama, immediately make that clear.Imagine at that time if the shoe had been on the other foot. Would the Republicans have taken the high road if it had been Obama's daughter? I can't imagine that.What's truly disheartening is that 14 years later our country has abandoned almost any semblance of civility in politics and often in our daily lives.
Iron Capital of the World Peter Imber 2022-01-07 | Forty years ago I made a documentary about a factory closing that turned out to be one of the early, if not the first time a factory in the United States was shuttered to send its jobs overseas despite the fact that it was making a profit.I was student in the film school at UCLA at the time and had read about the General Electric clothes iron plant in Ontario, California and the hundreds of workers who lost their jobs when GE made the decision to stop making "metal" clothes irons there and switch to producing "plastic" irons in Singapore.Forty years later the voices of the workers you will hear from then predicted precisely what I believe has been the impact of such plant closings on America and especially, what was its middle class. Please watch "Ontario, California-- Iron Capital of the World" and draw your own conclusions.
A Look Back at American Lives Lost in Iraq Peter Imber 2021-08-17 | Sometimes when I found a story for an ABC News broadcast and a correspondent didn't participate in its shooting, I'd write and edit a version of it and voice it myself.In 2004 during the United States' military involvement in Iraq I went to a beach in Santa Barbara, California and was moved and saddened by what I saw. It was a Sunday and a local carpenter was laying out crosses in the sand-- one for each American soldier who had been killed in the war. He had been doing this for months and each week he had to make and then plant more crosses.I interviewed a man whose nephew had died in Iraq just months before and what he said then has haunted me ever since..."If we don't finish what we do now, this is all in vain. And we don't want any of these boys lives to be lost in vain."Today, thousands upon thousands of parents, husbands and wives, bothers and sisters and children of the dead we lost in Afghanistan are asking themselves if their loved ones' sacrifice was indeed for naught.
El Nino Peter Imber 2021-07-29 | In1998 El Nino-- in Spanish The Little Boy --created a weather pattern that affected nature across the United States from the birds and the bees to the flowers and the trees. The unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean produced some surprising impacts.
Predicting When Surfs Up Peter Imber 2021-07-26 | 1998 was an El Nino year and the West Coast felt the effects in interesting ways. One of them had a big impact on surfing and I was surprised to olearn one person had figured out a reliable way to predict when the big waves in the Pacific were going to come rolling in.
Chuck Yeager Peter Imber 2021-07-26 | On the 50th anniversary of Chuck Yeager being the first person to have ever broken to sound barrier I produced a story about the milestone and watched Yeager break the sound barrier again, this time with another pilot beside him in the cockpit.Brian Rooney and I interviewed Yeager at the time. I had read a biography of him and learned he had been a fighter pilot and was shot down over France in World War II. He managed to evade the Nazis and flew more missions-- heroic stuff.But Yeager's fame was being first man to travel at the speed of sound and during the 50 years since the feat he had his answers to any questions he might have been asked about it sewn on to his tongue like the air force insignias on his uniform. Anything he said to us he had said countless times before and I'm afraid none of it was insightful.
Caboose Peter Imber 2021-07-26 | Sometimes you find a story when you're waiting for something to end. In this case it was at a railroad crossing while my son and I were sitting in the car watching a freight train pass in front of us. When the last car rolled by my son noticed something I hadn't-- there was no caboose.When he asked me why I had no answer and so that's how I ended up spending a day on one of the few remaining cabooses still in service. It was in Oregon in 1997. Even well before then nearly all of them had been replaced by something called an ETD which stands for End of Train Device-- a piece of technology that keeps its electronic eyes on the train's slack, air brake pressure and other things the engineer used to be made aware of by the person sitting in a caboose.I forgot to ask why cabooses were traditionally painted red but just discovered that they were because red happened to be the cheapest paint to buy-- who knew?
Telescopes Peter Imber 2021-07-25 | The Mt. Wilson observatory houses one of the great telescopes in history. It was used by Edwin Hubble (Yes, that Hubble) to prove two fundamental ideas which changed man's understanding of the Universe. In the 1920s Hubble concluded that the universe extends beyond the Milky Way galaxy, and that it was expanding. Our reason for going up the mountain for this story was to report on efforts to update it and make it a useful tool for exploring space again.
Fires in the West Part 2 Peter Imber 2021-07-25 | Efforts to deal with the increasing number of wildfires in the United States and particularly in the West began in earnest a quarter of a century ago. Since that time conditions have gotten worse and I imagine more sophisticated technologically means of predicting and fighting them have been employed than what I was able to report 25 years ago but preventing them hasn't been very successful.
Fires in the West Part 1 Peter Imber 2021-07-25 | In 1996 wildfires in the west were already on the rise and climate change wasn't being blamed for them. The U. S. Forest Service's century long practice of putting out all fires as quickly as possible was now understood to be the culprit. Wildfires that had in the past had burned themselves out had thinned the forests of lower combustible growths while preserving larger trees. Reversing the course of forest management has come too late and exacerbated by people building homes in areas likely to burn along with devastating droughts have all led to the current precarious fire conditions.
Poet Bus Driver Peter Imber 2021-07-25 | I produced a story about Vicky Lindsey in 1995. It was to be about her being a bus driver who wrote poetry about the harshness of life for so many in South Central Los Angeles. I had already started work on it, riding the bus with her one day and recording her reading her poetry at her home when I received a phone call from one of her friends.Vicky's son had just been shot and killed in an act of gang violence. Needless to say her life and our story were now shaped by tragedy. In the years afterward Lindsey became a comforter to other bereaved families and and source of assistance to them.Vicky Lindsey succumbed to breast cancer in August of 2020
Movie Anniversary Peter Imber 2021-07-25 | The 100th anniversary of the first public screening of a movie occurred in Paris and the Motion Picture Academy in Hollywood celebrated the milestone with a "recreation" of the event. Legend has it that when the audience saw film of a train pulling into a station a century before some of them were so shocked that they bolted from their seats in fear of being struck. It makes a good story but it's never actually been corroborated. However, it didn't take long for cinema to find other ways to frighten as well as dazzle movie goers.
Too Many Awards Shows Peter Imber 2021-02-09 | A story that never was broadcast! Why? Because ABC aired a lot of innane award shows and they attracted enough of an audience to make it profitable.
The Rodney King Beating: The Other Story Peter Imber 2021-01-22 | Seven years after the Rodney King Beating I produced an ABC News Nightline broadcast that took a close look at what happened and who it happened to. Obviously, first and foremost we interviewed the beating's victim Rodney King but we also focused on one of the four Los Angeles police officers who was involved and captured on the infamous videotape. What we found was a more complicated story than what many of us thought.
Yakutat, Alaska! Peter Imber 2021-01-03 | Getting away from it all isn't hard when you know where to go. Take Yakutat, Alaska for example...
Alaska Glacier Part ll Peter Imber 2021-01-03 | After being trapped by an ice dam created by the movement of the Hubbard glacier harbor seals figure out by instinct how to escape over land back to the sea.
Alaska Glacier Part 1 Peter Imber 2021-01-03 | In 1986 a piece of the Hubbard Glacier broke off and blocked the sea mammals living in what had become a freshwater lake in place of a sea water fjord. It appeared the mammals were doomed and a rescue effort was mobilized by man...
The Copy or the Original Peter Imber 2020-12-13 | In 1999 I was given an assignment at ABC News that took me to Toronto and a warehouse full of art. Only these weren't original masterpieces by famous painters, this was a factory for their reproductions. The copies even had actual brushstrokes added to them to give them the same relief as the real works and a studio full of people applying them. The copies were not falsely claimed to be originals. The customer knew what he was buying and the businessman whose idea this was hoped that people would look at these "fakes" as the next best thing to having the real thing. The venture never caught on however and who knows perhaps the "fakes" that are out there have become collector's items on their own merits.
The Titanic Resurfaces Peter Imber 2020-11-17 | The Titanic may have sunk in 1912 but ever since it has resurfaced numerous times-- as historical research, popular entertainment and even a prophetic warning. James Cameron's movie Titanic in 1997 was awarded 11 Academy Awards and initially earned nearly $2 billion.I got to see the movie before it was released publicly and this piece, although too short to achieve anything close to an in-depth look at our fascination with this mother of all nautical disasters, was at least an attempt.Something James Cameron said in his interview with us didn't get into our story but was chilling. He stated that our unconstrained reliance and blind faith in technology is the equivalent of our sailing on the Titanic. What do you think?
John Updike on the Golf Course Peter Imber 2020-05-25 | This is a segment from a 1994 Nightline broadcast that I produced called Golf Stories.
Iron Capital of the World (excerpt) Peter Imber 2020-05-20 | "Ontario, CA: Iron Capital of the World" is a documentary I made as a film student at U.C.L.A. in 1982. A General Electric factory outside of Los Angeles was closed by GE and its 600 jobs sent to Singapore.The GE factory was by all accounts profitable but the company saw an opportunity to make greater profits by moving it elsewhere.This marked the beginning of thousands of plant closings in the U.S. that have happened in the years since and have resulted in millions of American jobs being sent overseas.I have edited down my film to this excerpt and hope you'll take just a few minutes to listen to these workers from nearly 40 years ago predict pretty much what has been the fate of many who comprised America's middle class.What took place in Ontario was the beginning of the dismantling of American manufacturing that has continued to this day and unquestionably harmed the United States.History has now shown it's not only who we have put on top that has created our decline as a nation, it's who and how many we left behind who have.---Peter Imber
The Munchkins Peter Imber 2020-05-17 | It took nearly 70 years from the premier of The Wizard of Oz for a beloved group of the movie's performers to finally get their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Meeting the surviving Munchkins in 2007 was a kick. The still had it!
Camden Conference in the Classroom! Peter Imber 2020-03-25 | After the 2020 Camden Conference I interviewed students from three Midcoast Maine high schools-- Watershed School, Camden Hills Regional and Oceanside. All had attended the February Conference as part of the Camden Conference in the Classroom initiative.Here are some of their thoughts on what the experience of attending the Conference entitled The Media Revolution-- Changing the World" meant to them.
Katrina Evacuees Peter Imber 2019-06-27 | After Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005 ABC News assigned me to cover the evacuees who fled to Baton Rouge. This particular Good Samaritan story had an unhappy ending when some time afterward I learned that the woman and the large extended family she had taken into her home had a falling out over the money viewers of the story had sent to them.
Columbine Memorial Peter Imber 2019-06-27 | In 1990 I covered the Columbine school shooting as a producer for ABC News. I was in Littleton, CO for about two weeks which is longer than the glare from network news cameras needed to be there.
O J Simpson Verdict Reax Peter Imber 2019-06-27 | As a producer in the ABC News Los Angeles Bureau I covered the O.J. Simpson story for a year. For many television news producers this would have been the opportunity of their career. For me it was not. Eventually, I begged off the story but on the day of the verdict I produced s piece about the black and white reactions to the not guilty verdict.
Bears Do a Star Turn on TV Peter Imber 2019-01-06 | TV News likes to do stories about television so when bears started appearing in a bunch of commercials it was time for Brian Rooney cub reporter to explain why.
Guerilla Gardeners Peter Imber 2018-02-07 | A movement to beautify urban spaces without waiting for government red tape.
Victory Gardens Peter Imber 2018-02-07 | Victory Gardens helped America win two World Wars when the country needed citizens to make up for decreased food supplies from farms. More recently, people in urban areas have started growing their own food for a host of other reasons.
California Condors Peter Imber 2018-02-07 | Getting condors to reproduce in captivity probably saved them from extinction but another problem that has them still endangered is hunters who use lead bullets.
Spotted Owl Peter Imber 2018-02-07 | Did a bunch of spotted owl stories over the years. This was the last one and it had a twist. The spotted owl thought to be endangered by man turned out to be at least just as endangered from another owl that invaded its protected space.
Sarah Pallin Peter Imber 2018-02-07 | Went to Alaska to do an early profile of Sarah Pallin for ABC News
Mexican Gas Prices Peter Imber 2018-02-07 | When gas prices were much higher here in the U.S. some Southern Californians were buying their's in Mexico.
Kenny Bell Peter Imber 2018-02-07 | Kenny Bell never made it to the NFL but he's scored a million touchdowns at the very least!
National Parks in Trouble Peter Imber 2018-02-07 | Happy to get to go to a National Park for a story except if it involved a fire or a flood. But this one wasn't a happy one to do either.
McCovey Cove Peter Imber 2018-02-07 | Great one to spend an evening beyond right field in the water that is named McCovey Cove
LA Riots Anniversary Peter Imber 2018-02-07 | Ten years after the LA Riots we returned to the flashpoint at Florence and Normandy with a newspaper photographer who was lucky to have made it out alive at the time.
Carbon Offsets Peter Imber 2018-02-07 | Are they really effective or just a means for people to buy penance for damaging the environment?
Little Miss Sunshine Peter Imber 2018-02-07 | The couple who directed Little Miss Sunshine had a hit and Oscar nomination with their first movie.
Spruce Goose Peter Imber 2018-02-07 | The Aviator was up for Academy Awards so I got ABC News to let me go visit the Spruce Goose.
Adam Morrison Peter Imber 2018-02-07 | A Gonzaga basketball player excels on the court despite diabetes
Don Knotts Obit Peter Imber 2018-02-07 | When comedian Don Knotts died I was happy to get to write his tribute.
Senior Memoirs Peter Imber 2018-02-07 | Documenting one's life for posterity becomes popular and perhaps profitable.
