Throwback Thursday: Roger Grimsby is No. 1!
One of the funniest moments in NYC TV history is on this clip: Fast forward to 8:06.
The Sue Simmons f-bomb fiasco got us to thinking about another New York anchor, who in his day ruled the New York airwaves with his wry wit, knowing smile and no-nonsense delivery.
The name conjures the golden era of Eyewitness News in New York, with Grimsby, Bill Beutel by his side, delivering the news. "Here now the news" he would intone before launching in. His copy was always processed through a "Grimsby filter," and you often knew precisely what he thought of whatever tomfoolery he might be reporting.
The reason we bring up Grimsby this week is his magical handling of a similar on-air goof in the early 1980s. A reporter named Mara Wolynski was about to introduce a story on Black History Month when she was caught on camera -- as a stunned Rose Ann Scamardella looked on -- giving the finger to somebody out of view. Wolynski was totally unaware the New York tri-state area was watching along with Rose Ann.
In Grimsby's world, who needed an on-air apology? He ended a broadcast that night with that classic line: "As Mara Wolynski would say, we're No. 1!" The studio erupted in laughter, as was often the case when Grimsby would end his newscasts with a zinger. (Wolynski's finger and Grimsby's reaction are in the embed above; fast forward to 8:06.)
We offer a few more examples of Roger Grimsby's magic after the jump.
-- Rolando Pujol
