Interview of the Day

Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson spoke to Larry Upton, a former minor league shortstop and Boston radio host, for an interview that aired on Oct. 18, 1972, just six days before his death of a heart attack. Robinson discussed The Sporting News’ list of the greatest sports stories of the prior 25 years, which placed his breaking of baseball’s color barrier first.

Robinson called his signing the “day that saved baseball,” but expressed concern that baseball was lagging behind other sports in terms of race relations. “I think baseball is still wallowing around in the 19th century, saying that blacks cannot manage, blacks cannot go to the front office and this kind of thing. I think it is wrong. I think what Mr. Rickey did should be expanded upon.”

Asked about his continuing struggle for civil rights outside of baseball, Robinson said, “When you see blacks and whites at each others throats, and you see the gap widening, you have to be concerned and you have to do whatever you possibly can. Blacks are no longer afraid of situations and it brings on a great deal on controversy, great deal of tragedy in this country. And I think we’ve got to extend ourselves, we’ve got to lend a helping hand wherever we possibly can. So while we may antagonize people in bringing out what’s going on, that’s what has to be done and if people don’t like it, it’s just too bad.”

Additional Interview With Jackie Robinson
Robinson was interviewed for a November 1945 edition of Yank, a weekly magazine put out by the U.S. Army, a month after he signed the contract with Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey that would lead to him breaking the color barrier in April 1947. Robinson spoke of his athletic accomplishments in college, his time in the Army, and his expectations for his baseball career.

“I realize what I’m going into,” he said. “I realize what it mean to me and my race and to baseball, too. I’m very happy for this chance and I can only say that I’ll do my best to make the grade.”

To learn more about Jackie Robinson, read his profile on findingDulcinea.

Barbara Walters

Barbara Walters spoke about her career in broadcasting with Don Carleton of the Archive of American Television on May 23, 2000. She explained her interviewing techniques and philosophies, and recounted many of her famous interviews with world figures.

On her difficult start with ABC, Walters said, “What saved me, if anything did, were letters primarily from women who said, ‘Hang in there. If you can do it, we can do it.’ And one telegram that I got one day, and this was somebody I hadn’t known, and I opened it up and it said, ‘Don’t let the bastards get you down.’ And it was signed ‘John Wayne.’ … But it was a terrible time. But again I say to young people, ‘Sometimes you have to go through something like this to know that it wasn’t all luck. And to know that you can work your way back at whatever it is, because I did, and it took years.’”

To learn more about Barbara Walters, read her profile on findingDulcinea.