Ben Hecht, who billed himself as an iconoclast, helped teach me the importance of thinking independently, and not abandoning rational thought in the face of authority figures of all stripes.
Hecht was a newspaper reporter who became a novelist, playwright and iconic screenwriter long before his TV show. He was an outspoken Jewish activist who attacked FDR and AmericanJews for their failure to help European Jews (during WW II) long before his television show. His show remains the most provocative and entertaining "talk show" ever seen.
His outspoken views on such issues as politics, society and religion made him so controversial a figure in the 1950's that his talk show was cancelled after only twenty two weeks despite its popularity.
Hecht interviewed leading intellectuals of the day including Jack Kerouac, Dorothy Parker, Preston Sturges and Alexander King.
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