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 The museum about news and the First Amendment has opened
"Anchorman: The Exhibit," featuring costumes and props from Will
Ferrell's 2004 movie "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy." The
story of a fictional news team's sexist reaction to the arrival of
an ambitious female reporter was a parody of real tumult in the
1970s TV business.
For the exhibition created with Paramount Pictures, Newseum curators
paired more than 60 costumes and props from the movie with real
stories about TV news and the struggle for women to achieve equality
in the newsroom.
"In any parody, there's a kernel of truth, right?" said Cathy Trost,
the Newseum's vice president of exhibits. "There really was a time
in news history when men owned the anchor chair and women were a
novelty in the newsroom. The movie gets that right, though in a very
over-the-top way, and we wanted to show the reality behind the
humor."
In addition to Burgundy's suit, displayed in a revolving case, the
museum also exhibits his flute, mustache brush and a reporter's "Sex
Panther" cologne. Costumes in the exhibit include those worn by
Veronica Corningstone, the ambitious reporter played by Christina
Applegate. There's also a replica of the "Anchorman" news desk.
For each detail from the movie, there's also a dose of reality. The
Newseum pulled together stories of women who broke down barriers in
television, including a Kansas City news anchor who sued her station
after she was demoted for being "too old" and "too unattractive." In
1972, only 11 percent of news anchors were women.
That began to change, though, with the advent of the "Eyewitness
News" format pioneered by WABC-TV in New York City and many others.
The format opened doors for women and minorities in TV as stations
used news teams and marketing gimmicks to win over viewers by
presenting one big happy family on air.
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"News teams replaced anchors and became more like the communities
they covered," Trost said.
Ads promoted news shows with such slogans as "Eyewitness News:
People like us because we like us." Curators pulled together clips
and marketing reels from local TV history. In San Francisco, one
news team dressed up like cowboys in a Western to showcase their
folksy charm.
The pop culture phenomenon of TV news has been parodied by "Saturday
Night Live," ''Murphy Brown," ''The Simpsons," and other shows, and
that's captured in the exhibit as well.
The exhibit coincides with the release of the sequel "Anchorman 2:
The Legend Continues," which opens in theaters in December. On Dec.
17, the Newseum will open a new section with costumes and props from
the newest movie.
"Anchorman: The Exhibit" will be on view in Washington through
August 2014.
Curator Carrie Christoffersen said the movie partnership will give
visitors a good mix of serious and light-hearted stories about the
news. She said she hadn't yet considered whether the museum should
acquire any of the Ron Burgundy artifacts for its permanent
collection.
"Maybe our ruby slippers are Ron Burgundy's suit," she said. "I
don't know. We'll have to see."
___
Newseum: http://newseum.org/
[Associated
Press; BRETT ZONGKER]
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