The logo for the Daily Beast's Obsessed website. It reads: 'Obsessed: What to Watch, Binge, See, & Skip'
DAILY BEAST
Membership call to action crossword iconCrosswordNewsletters
  • Cheat Sheet
  • Obsessed
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Entertainment
  • Media
  • Innovation
  • Opinion
  • Reality TV
  • U.S. News
  • Scouted
CHEAT SHEET
    POLITICS
    • Biden World
    • Elections
    • Opinion
    • National Security
    • Congress
    • Pay Dirt
    • The New Abnormal
    • Trumpland
    MEDIA
    • Confider
    • Daytime Talk
    • Late-Night
    • Fox News
    U.S. NEWS
    • Identities
    • Crime
    • Race
    • LGBT
    • Extremism
    • Coronavirus
    WORLD
    • Russia
    • Europe
    • China
    • Middle East
    INNOVATION
    • Science
    TRAVEL
      ENTERTAINMENT
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Music
      • Comedy
      • Sports
      • Sex
      • TDB's Obsessed
      • Awards Shows
      • The Last Laugh
      CULTURE
      • Power Trip
      • Fashion
      • Books
      • Royalist
      TECH
      • Disinformation
      SCOUTED
      • Clothing
      • Technology
      • Beauty
      • Home
      • Pets
      • Kitchen
      • Fitness
      • I'm Looking For
      BEST PICKS
      • Best VPNs
      • Best Gaming PCs
      • Best Air Fryers
      COUPONS
      • Vistaprint Coupons
      • Ulta Coupons
      • Office Depot Coupons
      • Adidas Promo Codes
      • Walmart Promo Codes
      • H&M Coupons
      • Spanx Promo Codes
      • StubHub Promo Codes
      Products
      NewslettersPodcastsCrosswordsSubscription
      FOLLOW US
      GOT A TIP?

      SEARCH

      HOMEPAGE
      0

      Was Mike Wallace’s Toughest Interview a 12-Year-Old Kid?

      In 1957, Mike Wallace interviewed child prodigy Leonard Ross. Catie Lazarus, Ross’ goddaughter, watches in awe.

      Catie Lazarus

      Catie Lazarus

      Updated Jul. 13, 2017 2:26PM EDT / Published Apr. 14, 2012 4:45AM EDT 

      Mike Wallace’s death last weekend, at 93, got me thinking about my godfather.

      A couple of years ago, a stranger sent me a link to the Dec. 21, 1957, episode of The Mike Wallace Interview. Wallace’s featured guest was Leonard Ross, a 12-year-old prodigy who had recently found fame after winning $164,000 on two quiz shows. Two decades later, Leonard Ross would become my godfather.

      The scene appears to be right out of Leave It to Beaver—Lenny wore a buzz cut and a bow tie, while a young Wallace sat smoking (and shilling for) Marlboros and generally treating a young boy like a hostile foreign dignitary. Again and again, Wallace hits Lenny with questions about whether he has a “freak” memory, whether he spends time with friends or does other “normal” things, even whether he would “die an idiot.”

      The amazing part was that Lenny didn’t flinch. He parried every question and implication that Wallace threw at him with equanimity, humility, politeness, and even humor. Even as Wallace literally blew smoke at him, Lenny spoke fluently about current presidential politics, education policy, and his personal life.

      Wallace had met Lenny when he hosted The Big Surprise, one of the quiz shows he appeared on. Perhaps that’s why Wallace knew the boy could handle his aggressive brand of interviewing. Over the years, as we have been repeatedly reminded this week, countless politicians, celebrities, and power brokers buckled under Wallace’s withering assaults, but for nearly half an hour, Lenny remained poised, genuine and funny. Wallace had met his match in a 12-year-old kid.

      By the time I saw the footage, I already knew some things about Lenny: he’d gotten a ham-radio license at age 7, started college at 14, and Yale Law School three years later. His brilliance was well-regarded throughout his life—in his early 30s he served in the Carter Administration—but as he got older he was engulfed by a struggle with manic depression. When he was 39, he drowned himself in a hotel pool in California.

      In the interview, Wallace didn’t soft-pedal around the possible risks for Lenny in being so smart. He pushed him to address it, even quoting Lenny’s mother as saying, “I can’t help worrying a little bit about him. So many children like him have come to really miserable ends.”

      Lenny was, characteristically, unfazed by this remark, but as it turned out, Wallace’s question was prescient.

      My godfather’s early death prevented me from getting to really know him. Watching the interview with Mike Wallace, who himself struggled greatly with depression and once attempted suicide, gave me a window into him that I’d never had before.

      Catie Lazarus

      Catie Lazarus

      Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.

      READ THIS LIST

      DAILY BEAST
      • Cheat Sheet
      • Politics
      • Entertainment
      • Media
      • World
      • Innovation
      • U.S. News
      • Scouted
      • Travel
      • Subscription
      • Crossword
      • Newsletters
      • Podcasts
      • About
      • Contact
      • Tips
      • Jobs
      • Advertise
      • Help
      • Privacy
      • Code of Ethics & Standards
      • Diversity
      • Terms & Conditions
      • Copyright & Trademark
      • Sitemap
      • Best Picks
      • Coupons
      • Coupons:
      • Dick's Sporting Goods Coupons
      • HP Coupon Codes
      • Chewy Promo Codes
      • Nordstrom Rack Coupons
      • NordVPN Coupons
      • JCPenny Coupons
      • Nordstrom Coupons
      • Samsung Promo Coupons
      • Home Depot Coupons
      • Hotwire Promo Codes
      • eBay Coupons
      • Ashley Furniture Promo Codes
      © 2023 The Daily Beast Company LLC