I’m going to try to tread lightly on this subject and if I sound flippant I’m sorry. And I too become just as frustrated with the media, with my profession as anyone else. First off, I don’t know much about Harvey Weinstein, all I know is as Red Smith in which this column is named in honor of once wrote about someone, he’s a crumbum.
And I have to admit a major reason in which I’m writing about Weinstein is so I could use the term crumbum.
But I’m just as frustrated with the media who in their infinite wisdom decided to ask Woody Allen about the whole Weinstein thing. Woody Allen? That’s like asking the Kardashians to comment on how our reality TV culture has damaged our society.
Woody Allen, too, is a crumbum. Who in their right mind would say we need somebody to comment on this Weinstein thing so let’s talk to a guy who married his adopted daughter?
And not surprisingly, Allen, made himself look like a crumbum (I can’t use this term enough) by saying the Weinstein thing shouldn’t turn into a witch hunt or something or other.
I have to admit, though, it saddens me I can no longer watch Woody Allen movies, although I convinced myself it was OK to watch movies he made before he married his adopted daughter but not movies he made after his incestual relationship.
I loved the movie “Take the Money And Run” which include scenes in which he played the cello in a marching band and was able to escape from prison after making a gun out of soap only to have it rain.
And “Annie Hall” is an absolute masterpiece, a wonderful commentary on how silly Hollywood had become and an homage to New York City during a time when it was considered a dying city.
But in the end I can’t love anything done by crumbums — even though sometimes the media love crumbums too much.
— Charles Whisnand
