SARATOGA SPRINGS — Those old enough to remember “The Morton Downey Jr. Show” a syndicated talk (or, more often yelling) show that ran from 1987–1989 recall it either as a populist forum for the working class to vent its frustration or as the beginning of the end of civilization as we know it.
Before Jerry Springer, Bill O’Reilly and Rush Limbaugh and other histrionic shriek fests, there was the chain-smoking, loud-mouthed Downey, blowing smoke in the face of guests and bellowing his catchphrases like “pablum puking liberal” and “zip it!”
During his brief reign, Downey had a rabid cult following, but also earned the title of “Father of Trash TV.” His popularity was short-lived, but his legacy lives on as the Saratoga Film Forum screens Évocateur – an unflinching look at the mercurial Downey, combining interview footage with Herman Cain, Pat Buchanan, Gloria Allred, Sally Jessy Raphael, Alan Dershowitz and Curtis Sliwa with never-before-seen footage that documents Downey’s behind-the-scenes fistfights and foibles.
Was he really like this—or was it an elaborate performance? Was he a TV genius ahead of his time—or a raving lunatic?
Évocateur screens at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 2 at the Saratoga Arts Center, 320 Broadway, Saratoga Springs. General admission is $7, $5 for Film Forum members and students. For more information go to www.saratogafilmforum.org or call (518) 584-FILM.
