A. Brad Schwartz

@abradschwartz

Historian of Media, Fake News, and Propaganda. Author/Co-Author of BROADCAST HYSTERIA; SCARFACE AND THE UNTOUCHABLE; ELIOT NESS AND THE MAD BUTCHER. Michigan Wolverine with a Princeton PhD.

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A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· 28d

Revisiting one of those extraordinary films that’s not only great, but somehow saw it all coming…

POWER! He loved it!
He took it raw in big gulpfuls... he liked the taste, the way it mixed with the bourbon and the sin in his blood!
AN ELIA KAZAN PRODUCTION
BUDD SCHULBERG'S
a Face in the Crowd
ANDY GRIFFITH... PATRICIA NEAL
MAURO ANTHOWY FRANCIOSA • WALTER MATTHAU LOC AZMICA
Sory and Screen Ay ty BUDD SCHULBER - Sore ly TOM GLAZER aN BUDO SCHULBERO
Oncted ty UA KAZAN A NEWTOWN Prostetian • Presented by WARNER BROS.

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· Jul 5

Who needs fireworks when you have Orson Welles giving voice to what Independence Day is all about?

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· Jun 7

"The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you." – Edward R. Murrow reads Gen. Eisenhower's Order of the Day on D-Day, 3:37am Eastern time, June 6, 1944 (As heard on NBC, because CBS only picked up the transmission halfway through.) 🗃️

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· Jun 1

Post a poster you used to have in your room, apartment, or house (Still got it, somewhere…)

The final scene of BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· May 31

No Saturfish for me, I guess…

Google
how many days of the week have a fish in them
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Al Overview
Two days of the week have a fish in them:
• Tuesday
• Thursday
They are the only two day-names in English that contain the word "fish" hidden inside their spelling.
Show more v
opus.ing
https://opus.ing• google-ai-really-confused-about-fish-...
Google's Al Is Really Confused About Fish and the Days of the .. 8 hours ago - Only once did I get the right response, that no day of the week contains the word
"fish" in its name. But other times, that question was... Read more

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· May 27

“Our voice should be loud, clear, and listenable. In vast areas of the world, it isn’t any of those things. … “This isn’t just broadcasting that’s involved. It’s the sum total of what we can do to present our case to those who thirst for truth…” —Edward R. Murrow, on the Voice of America, 1951

Edward R. Murrow broadcasting over the Voice of America

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· May 25

Some words to live by from Pope Leo: www.vatican.va/content/leo-...

public communication depends directly on social trust and, in turn, shapes it. At the same time, truthful information does not arise from
centralized or automated control. In public discourse, the truth of facts has a rational dimension, as it requires verification, cross-checking of sources and responsible
argumentation. Moreover, it is deeply relational, built through bonds of trust and shared practices, as well as an honest exchange with others and with the world. Only the shared pursuit of the veracity of facts, perceived as a common good, can provide a solid foundation for just communication.

134. The search for truth is an essential element of democracy,
which is itself a means of
contributing to the common good.
When questions about what is true lose their appeal, and a pragmatism takes hold that is content with what
appears useful or effective, then democratic life is weakened. After all, democracy does not consist of rules and procedures alone, but above all of a solid concordance with the facts
and a genuine commitment to the good of individuals and society as a whole. Indifference to the truth
leads, slowly but surely, to a descent into totalitarianism. As the

137. Our first task is neither to demonize nor idolize technological
tools, but to utilize them on the basis of a fundamental principle, namely that truth is a common good and not the property of those with power or influence. We must therefore promote an ecology of communication. On the level of public policy, this entails establishing norms so that the decision-making behind content selection and its
development becomes more transparent and protects personal data. Regarding social and cultural aspects, this requires a strengthening of intermediary

strengthening of intermediary organizations, serious journalism and forums for debate, where reasoned argumentation and verification carry greater weight than immediate reaction. For families and schools, there is a growing need for new educational awareness and for
formation concerning the proper and critical use of digital tools, Al and online commercial and financial
platforms. In universities, the principal challenge lies in the integration of knowledge, cultivating both the capacity to connect and synthesize knowledge in order to grasp complexity, and the skills necessary to verify facts.

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· May 24

The Enterprise-D beneath a blue title reading:
"The Schwartz Awakens"

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· May 23

Tuning in CBS Radio (via the historic Detroit station WWJ) one last time… (cc: @samlitzinger.bsky.social)

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· May 22

I will always be grateful to The Daily Show and The Colbert Report for nudging me into a career I truly love. But more than that, I'm thankful for the intellectual armor-the critical eye, the skepticism, the keen sense of the absurd-I picked up from watching those shows from the most impressionable age. Certainly I'm not alone. I may use that toolkit to write books, but other young fans just now establishing themselves will carry it into careers in many different fields. This, perhaps, will be the lasting legacy of what Stewart and Colbert have accomplished over the past 16 years. Topical comedy, as Stewart has frequently pointed out, is ephemeral, but inspiration lasts. Tell someone a joke, and they'll forget it in a day. But teach them to think for themselves, and they'll remember you forever.

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· May 11

THE SHEEP DETECTIVES is both the perfect Mother’s Day movie and the kind of mystery that’s still engaging and delightful even if you immediately figure out whodunnit. 🐑🕵️

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· May 10

Back when I was researching SCARFACE AND THE UNTOUCHABLE, I came across a poem Al Capone sent his mother from prison. Naturally, I made it into a card for my own mother, who did a far better parenting job than Theresa Capone. (I hope I’m a better son too, but Capone did call his mother every day…)

A pink card with a photo of Theresa and Al Capone, which says: “Like mother like son”

The inside of the card, which reads: Dear Mother,
It's just a simple little word But it seems the world to me
For it means the best and noblest word
That anyone can be
I know that God made that little word To stand for all that's true.
I know he called [her] mother
Because he named [her] after you.
All that I am, all that I hope to be, I owe all to you.
Dear Mother, with the passing of years the realization of my debt of gratitude grows more profound and my love ever deeper and stronger.
- Al Capone, May 13, 1933

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· May 10

“Cassius was right: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves. “Swing it, America!”

Ed Murrow looks into the camera on SEE IT NOW

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· May 3

When I studied screenwriting at the University of Michigan, we looked at BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN as one of the best page-to-screen adaptations. I’ve still got (and highly recommend) the book that includes both the original story and the script.

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FROM FOCUS FEATURES
STORY
TO
SCREENPLAY
STORY BY
ANNIE PROULX
SCREENPLAY BY
LARRY McMURTRY AND DIANA OSSANA

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· May 3

Murrow’s official “Garden of Heroes” bio says he “stood up for the rule of law and the rights of the individual during the early years of the Cold War,“ without mentioning a certain “M” word. (But since the “Garden” is also supposed to include Whittaker Chambers, I suppose that’s not surprising.)

Edward R. Murrow (1908-1965)
Edward R. Murrow was a brilliant journalist and a dedicated patriot whose honest reporting helped guide the United States through times of national crisis. He is most famous for his brave broadcasts from London during World War II, where he brought the reality of the struggle for freedom into American living rooms. Murrow believed that the job of a reporter was to tell the truth with integrity and to hold those in power accountable to the Constitution. He was a master of his craft who helped build the foundations of modern television and radio news. He famously stood up for the rule of
law and the rights of the individual during the early years of the Cold War, showing great moral courage. Murrow believed that a free nation requires an informed citizenry that values logic and civil debate. He was a man of high standards who took great pride in his contribution to the American way of life. For his extraordinary service, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the respect of the entire nation.
Murrow's legacy is one of excellence, honesty, and a lifelong devotion to the principles of a free press. He remains a symbol of the seriousness and character required to protect the American Republic.

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· Apr 30

I wrote quite a bit about THE MARCH OF TIME (& how its fake version of the Hindenburg disaster got on air long before the famous recording) in my book on WAR OF THE WORLDS. WotW sounded so realistic because key creatives (esp. Orson Welles, Frank Readick, & Ora Nichols) had worked on MARCH OF TIME

BROADCAST HYSTERIA Orson Welles’s War of the Worlds and the Art of Fake News

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· Apr 29

Throughout his adult life, Edward R. Murrow smoked three packs of Camels—the vilest unfiltered cigarette of them all—every day, including through a two-part broadcast about the evidence linking tobacco to lung cancer. He died of lung cancer, which spread to his brain, soon after his 57th birthday.

Edward R. Murrow, after smoking for more than 30 years, speaking over the Voice of America in the early 1960s

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· Apr 27

“…we must all share an increasing concern for the preservation of democracy in the United States…There is no decision that America can make that will be without a price, but for a wrong decision in the present, the future will take its inevitable revenge.” —Edward R. Murrow, who died #OTD in 1965 🗃️

Edward R. Murrow (with cigarette) at the typewriter

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· Apr 25

Edward R. Murrow’s birthplace (10 miles south of Greensboro, NC, in Guilford County) fell into ruin decades ago, but the neighboring farm is now an Airbnb. (And yes, I take biographical research seriously enough to have stayed there…)

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· Apr 25

Celebrating 80 years of the Amateur Mendicant Society, Detroit’s own Sherlockian scion, at Cliff Bell’s, where it all began! (When you invite me to a 1940s jazz club, I will come dressed for the occasion…) cc: @scottmonty.com

Me (in a blue suit and fedora), with Rob Musial (in deerstalker), Scott Monty, and Chris Musical

A white cake reading: CELEBRATING 80 YEARS THE AMATEUR MENDICANT SOCIETY
OF DETROIT
1946-2026

The Amateur Mendicant Society listening to Scott Monty inside Cliff Bells

The executive committee of the Amateur Mendicant Society outside Cliff Bell’s in Detroit

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· Apr 25

Sen. Joe “McCarthy can’t hurt me except economically. I was born with an outside toilet, and I can go out the same way.” —Edward R. Murrow, born on this day in a log cabin without electricity or plumbing, at a farm on Polecat Creek, near Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1908. 🗃️

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· Apr 25

I’m lucky to have access to two of the greatest cinemas anywhere.

The Michigan and State theater marquees lit up on a rainy night

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· Apr 25

Nothing goes with a film quite like hot, buttery popcorn and stereoscopic 3D glasses.

Me holding 3D glasses and popcorn in front of a theater screen advertising THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· Apr 22

Salem is something else that’s fascinated me since childhood (and visiting the memorial in Danvers was more emotional than I expected). Maybe I’ll have to write about that someday…

The Salem Witchcraft Hysteria memorial in Danvers

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· Apr 22

How Orson Welles’s WAR OF THE WORLDS broadcast proved that “fake news” posed a grave threat to American democracy. And my honors thesis at the University of Michigan (2012) also served as the basis for a PBS documentary (2013) and my first book (2015).

A radio that looks like an alien in the poster for AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: WAR OF THE WORLDS

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· Apr 9

Fifty years ago, a cheap paperback of a decades-old novel could get stunning artwork like this (just in time for the US bicentennial). I bought a copy (of a book I already owned) for the cover alone.

Bantam paperback cover featuring original artwork of Thomas Paine

THE BLAZING NOVEL
A REVOLUTIONARY
CITIZEN
TOM PAINE
BY HOWARD FAST

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· Apr 6

Did not expect to get teary-eyed looking at the livestream of our only planet from Artemis, but there it is. www.youtube.com/live/z-j1uxB...

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· Mar 28

Not sure how it happened, but I spent some time at the head of the #NoKings march in Chicago. (Felt a bit like Chaplin in that scene from MODERN TIMES…)

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· Mar 28

Pretty sure I’m not the only Wolverine saying #NoKings in Chicago!

A. Brad Schwartz@abradschwartz· Mar 28