[Veeck: A Man For Any Season raw #4]

Raw footage of Bill Veeck being interviewed in his workroom at home. Raw footage for "A Man for Any Season."

00:00Copy video clip URL Bars and tone.

00:50Copy video clip URL Veeck sits in his workroom, talking about his idea to have a national lottery to help Amtrak. He recalls soliciting the head of the AMA to consider this as well. He laments that since then, state lotteries have taken off and much of the lottery has been squandered in many ways, rather than used for something as important as providing health care coverage for everyone.

04:00Copy video clip URL The interviewer asks him about his public life. He comments on how he enjoys talking to people and makes a point to exchange pleasantries with everyone on the street, noting that this makes for a better world. He talks about people’s fear of talking to strangers, theorizing that it’s because peoples’ egos are at risk of being injured for fear of a negative response. He says this is not true, calling it good manners, which he calls the “grease that keeps society moving.” He says that he has more fun in the bleachers or in the park or just by talking to people on the street, saying that it’s a “wonderful gift.” He comments on how we as humans are gregarious by nature.

10:00Copy video clip URL He calls it a two way street, noting that people sometimes ignore your attempts to connect with others, but in general people really respond. He says that it may be due to the fact that he was brought up in the ball park and that he was part of the majority, being white, which made it easier for him.

11:30Copy video clip URL He goes on to tell a story about when he was 10 or 11 years old in the ball park. His dad brought him in the box office to see all the money. His dad asked, “What does that mean? You can’t tell whose money that is. It all looks the same. That’s something you want to remember.” He calls his dad the “nicest man I ever met.”

13:15Copy video clip URL He notices a squirrel trying to get into the bird feeder and points out that it’s an example of determination.

14:40Copy video clip URL Veeck recalls another story of walking with his father, who was shamed by his use of other people’s profanity by his quoting a song for a local newspaper writer. He notes how that was devastating to him and how that was the last piece of profanity that he ever used, over 60 years ago. He calls that decision practical, particularly for someone in the public eye.

17:50Copy video clip URL He goes back to the idea of being around people and how he has learned so much by not choosing to be in a private box. He says he has gotten so many great ideas from people and starts to tell the story of talking with a woman in the bleachers in Comiskey Park. The tape cuts out abruptly as he begins the story.

18:24Copy video clip URL End of tape.