In 1960 there was the famous first debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon held in a TV studio. Don Hewitt of CBS offered both candidates his makeup facilities but Nixon declined and his five o'clock shadow coupled with the heat from the TV lights did him in. JFK looked cool and Nixon looked perspiring. TV viewers thought JFK won the debate but those listening on radio favored Nixon. Such was the power of television even back then.
Some years ago there was a debate in Philadelphia's Town Hall between the then sheriff Austen Meehan a blue collar type and the District Attorney Richardson C. Dilworth a blue blood who always wore double-breasted pinstripe suits custom made in Savile Row in London. They were both candidates for mayor of Philadelphia. Dilworth's wardrobe irritated Meehan and during the heat of the exchange Meehan blurted out "And I still get my suits at Robert Hall"(a discount retailer). Dilworth became our next mayor. The reference to wardrobe reminds me of Pat Nixon's cloth coat.
During the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago - a very difficult time with the VietNam war still in progress - the ABC network telecast a debate between Wm. F. Buckley and Gore Vidal with Howard K. Smith attempting to moderate. The exchange grew very heated and Vidal called Buckley a crypto-Nazi
and Buckley called Vidal a "queer" and threatened to sock him. This was an elevated school yard fight on live TV. (YouTube has a brief clip on the exchange but I witnessed it live.) And then there was Bush 41 in a standup group debate where the camera caught him looking at his wristwatch. This was before he said "Read my lips."
tjs
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