Today with Guest Co-Host Carol Marin: January 16, 1984

A taped broadcast of NBC's Today featuring Carol Marin as a guest co-host alongside Bryant Gumbel on January 16, 1984.

0:18Copy video clip URL Camera opens on a live shot of The White House. Today Host Bryant Gumbel (voice) announces that President Ronald Reagan will deliver a speech later that day on “US-Soviet relations” and that the tone will be “more conciliatory” than in the past. Footage of Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko deplaning and meeting US Secretary of State George Schultz. Gumbel reports that Soviet officials are dismissing President Reagan’s softer tone as “politically motivated” as the Today logo and the day’s date appear on screen. 

0:49Copy video clip URL NBC News Today title sequence.

0:59Copy video clip URL Gumbel introduces Guest Host Carol Marin, who will be filling in for Host Jane Pauley for the next two weeks while the latter is on maternity leave. Gumbel teases the next half hour of programming, which will include a preview of President Reagan’s speech later that day. Marin teases an interview with the head of the EPA regarding dangerous pesticides. Gumbel teases programming from entertainment and health correspondents, then introduces NBC News Anchor John Palmer.

1:53Copy video clip URL Palmer reports that President Reagan’s speech will call on the Soviet Union to “return to arms control talks.” Palmer introduces NBC News Correspondent Andrea Mitchell.

2:14Copy video clip URL Shot of Mitchell live at The White House, who reports on the details of President Reagan’s upcoming speech and the intentions behind the softer tone. 

3:28Copy video clip URL Palmer reports that Secretary Schultz will arrive in Stockholm that morning for an “East-West security conference” as well as a meeting with Minister Gromyko the next day. Palmer introduces NBC News Correspondent Fred Francis.

3:56Copy video clip URL Footage of Secretary Schultz speaking with UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Francis reports that Secretary Schultz told British leaders that the US is seeking “a broad and open dialogue” with the Soviet Union but President Reagan will not “make concessions” in order to achieve this. Footage of Secretary Schultz at a press conference. Secretary Schultz speaks about the responsibilities of US-Soviet relations going forward. Francis reports that while the US has new proposals to table, Soviet officials have said publicly that this is part of President Reagan’s re-election efforts and that they “want no part of it.” 

5:01Copy video clip URL Palmer reports that police in West Germany are searching for alleged “anti-nuclear” kidnappers of an American Soldier, Corporal Liam Fowler. Palmer introduces NBC News Correspondent Phil Bremen. 

5:20Copy video clip URL Footage of Fowler walking down a staircase towards journalists. Bremen reports on the skepticism regarding Fowler’s story, the army’s guarded response to the alleged kidnapping, as well as Fowler’s history of “emotional and disciplinary problems.” Intercut with footage of soldiers marching at a military base, the barn where Fowler was found, as well as the highway where Fowler claims to have been commandeered. Bremen reports that some GIs and their families are scared of terrorism. Footage of a soldier who says “it don’t bother me” and “it’s a job, that’s all it is.” Footage of anti-missile activists sitting on a panel. Bremen reports that the activists condemned kidnapping as a form of protest. Footage of a medical truck and facility. Bremen reports that Fowler’s condition is good but he is under close observation.

6:41Copy video clip URL Palmer reports on the 1984 Democratic presidential debates and introduces NBC Political Editor Ken Bode.

6:56Copy video clip URL Footage of Democratic presidential debates. Bode reports that the majority of the candidates attacked the frontrunner Walter Mondale. Footage of John Glenn accusing Mondale of promising “everything to everybody” followed by Mondale accusing Glenn of speaking “baloney.” Footage of Rev. Jesse Jackson chastising Phil Donahue. Bode reports that there is only a month until the first caucuses. 

8:00Copy video clip URL Palmer reports on newly invented battery powered roller skates. Palmer jokes that Gumbel “can be the first” on his block to own a pair.

8:25Copy video clip URL Gumbel introduces Weatherman Joe Witte.

8:31Copy video clip URL Weather report. 

9:50Copy video clip URL Gumbel introduces a “Close Up” segment on the foreign policy initiatives of The White House. Gumbel introduces former Ambassador to the Soviet Union Malcolm Toon live from Washington. Gumbel and Toon discuss the degree to which President Reagan’s speech will be an “olive branch” to the Soviets, skepticism regarding any immediate easing of tension, the belief among some members of the Soviet Politburo that President Reagan wants to “do them in,” as well as Toon’s position on the rhetoric and potential actions of the Reagan administration for the future.  

14:27Copy video clip URL Gumbel teases an interview with the head of the EPA after a break. Still image bumper of a factory worker with the subtitle “Health Threat.” 

14:45Copy video clip URL Image of a sunset with scrolling weather forecasts set to muzak. Today bumper. 

16:47Copy video clip URL Still image bumper of bread with the subtitle “How Safe?” set to muzak. 

16:40Copy video clip URL Marin describes a growing controversy surrounding the pesticide ethylene dibromide (EDB). Marin introduces EPA Administrator William Ruckelshaus, whom she says is at “the center of the controversy,” live in Washington with NBC News correspondent Robert Hager. Marin, Hager, and Ruckelshaus discuss public questions regarding the risks of EDB as well as state and national responses to the potential contamination of products. Ruckelshaus describes possible next steps for EDB regulation and its impacts. 

21:54Copy video clip URL Today bumper with video preview of Democratic presidential debates and the subtitle “The Great Debate.” 

22:04Copy video clip URL Image of pedestrians in a snowy city with scrolling weather forecasts set to muzak. Today bumper. 

24:05Copy video clip URL Gumbel teases the next segments.

 24:33Copy video clip URL Station break. Teaser for the series premiere of The Master.

25:18Copy video clip URL Marin re-introduces Ruckelshaus and Hager. Ruckelshaus discusses the acid rain problem, particularly in policy and budget during legislative debates, as well as the improving condition of the EPA since he took office.

29:32Copy video clip URL Station break. Today bumper. Teaser for the series premiere of Legmen. 

30:17Copy video clip URL Gumbel and Marin briefly discuss Marin’s position as a political reporter in Chicago and the Democratic presidential debates, as well as tease upcoming programming. 

31:16Copy video clip URL Palmer reports on the “message of moderation” sent by President Reagan’s speech, militia attacks in Beirut preceding a visit by US Envoy Donald Rumsfeld, and the end of Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang’s trip to the US. Footage of a burning building with subtitle “Brookline, Mass.” Palmer reports that this fire in Massachusetts left “an invalid man” and his daughter missing. Palmer introduces NBC Correspondent Keith Miller’s report on Pope John Paul II’s visit to Rome.

32:32Copy video clip URL Footage of the Papal procession and crowds gathering to meet the Pope. Miller reports on the controversy surrounding the Opus Dei group within and outside the Roman Catholic Church as Pope John Paul II attends and speaks at a gathering of members. 

34:02Copy video clip URL Palmer reports on Mobile Oil’s negotiations with unions. Footage of a high speed skier barely keeping their balance. Palmer reports that Phillip Johnson became the first American to win the world cup despite this close-call. Palmer reports on US Representative accusing NASA of improperly using taxpayer money to fly special interest individuals to see a launch.

35:02Copy video clip URL Gumbel jokes with Palmer about the people who were flown out by NASA and teases upcoming programming.

35:26Copy video clip URL Commercial break. 

36:57Copy video clip URL Gumbel and Witte joke more about the people NASA flew with taxpayer money. 

37:19Copy video clip URL Weather report.  

38:43Copy video clip URL Marin introduces Entertainment Correspondent Ron Hendren of “The Hendren Report.” Hendren reports on the battle between free TV and cable networks over rights to air movies, the National Coalition for Television Violence focusing scrutiny on MTV, the Karen Silkwood case and the financial success of the Silkwood film, and Sylvester Stallone trying singing alongside Dolly Parton in Rhinestone.

42:37Copy video clip URL Marin teases upcoming programming. A bumper teasing coverage of the Democratic presidential debates with the subtitle “Making Points.” 

42:50Copy video clip URL Commercial break. 

44:20Copy video clip URL Gumbel introduces Political Reporters Jack Germond and David Broder from WBZ-TV live in Boston in conversation with Bode on the Democratic presidential debates. The four discuss the performance of different candidates such as Mondale, Hart, and Jackson, as well as speculate what effect these debates will have on a run against President Reagan.

49:45Copy video clip URL Gumbel teases upcoming programming. 

49:52Copy video clip URL Bumper featuring stylized family photos with the subtitle “Baby Boomers.” 

49:58Copy video clip URL Station break. Teaser for the premiere of A Matter of Sex. 

50:44Copy video clip URL Today bumper. Bumper with a still image of a Black man and child with the subtitle “New Generations.” Marin interviews author Harvey Wasserman on his book “America Born and Reborn” and discusses the coming dominance of the Baby Boomer generation, whom Wasserman predicts will be more liberal than the current “conservative” era, and that this is a result of a “synthesis” of “Native American” and “Puritan” values. Marin introduces NBC Lifestyle Correspondent Nancy Foreman.

55:40Copy video clip URL Foreman introduces sponsored messages from Folgers Crystals. 

55:49Copy video clip URL Commercial break. 

57:49Copy video clip URL Gumbel and Marin briefly discuss Donahue’s tension with the candidates of the Democratic presidential debate. Gumbel teases upcoming programming.

58:52Copy video clip URL Station break. Teaser for TV’s Bloopers & Practical Jokes.

1:00:17Copy video clip URL A montage of violent film sequences. Gumbel and Marin tease an interview about violence and the media and upcoming programming.

1:01:19Copy video clip URL Palmer reports on President Reagan’s speech and then introduces NBC News Correspondent Henry Champ’s report on an Islamic Summit in Casablanca. 

1:01:51Copy video clip URL Footage of national flags billowing in the wind. Champ reports on the gathering of many Islamic nations, while highlighting the conflict and controversy between nations that underpins the meeting. Intercut with footage of national leaders and pageantry. 

1:03:07Copy video clip URL Palmer reports on fighting in Lebanon and then introduces NBC News Correspondent Martin Fletcher’s report on the death of Lebanese Major Haddad. 

1:03:28Copy video clip URL Footage of Major Haddad’s funeral service in South Lebanon. Fletcher reports on the complex geopolitical significance of the Major’s death, especially between Lebanon and Israel. 

1:04:43Copy video clip URL Palmer reports on Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday not becoming a National Holiday until 1986 and then introduces NBC News Correspondent David Hazinski’s report on tributes to MLK across the country.

1:04:57Copy video clip URL Footage of people gathered at MLK’s gravesite. Hazinski reports on average citizen’s and Civil Rights Movement veteran’s tributes and calls for remembrance on MLK’s birthday. Intercut with footage of parades, speeches, and a service in MLK’s church.

1:06:24Copy video clip URL Palmer reports on the wage discrepancy between American wives and their husbands.

1:06:48Copy video clip URL Gumbel jokes with Palmer about the list of people given free plane rides by NASA, and then introduces Witte for a weather report. 

1:07:21Copy video clip URL Weather report. 

1:08:47Copy video clip URL Marin, standing in a mock bedroom, introduces Ruth Katz, who talks with Marin about various procedures and products one can use to keep their house and themselves warm in the winter. Marin teases an upcoming interview with Brian De Palma.

1:12:30Copy video clip URL Still image bumper of a violent confrontation with the subtitle “Movie Violence.” Still image of mountains and forrest with scrolling weather forecasts set to muzak. Today bumper with title “After Eight.” Still image bumper of a man screaming with the subtitle “Screen Screams.”

1:14:43Copy video clip URL Gumbel introduces Dr. Ed Donnerstein, who has produced research regarding the effects of exposure to violent sexual images, and Brian De Palma, who directed several films Dr. Donnerstein studied. Gumbel, Dr. Donnerstein, and De Palma debate the correlation between violent sexual imagery on film and actual “anti-social” behavior and sexual arousal to violent images.

1:22:05Copy video clip URL Today bumper with a clip of man opening a medicine cabinet with the subtitle “Next Half Hour Medicine Check.” Still image of mountains and forrest with scrolling weather forecasts set to muzak. Today bumper.

1:24:16Copy video clip URL Gumbel teases upcoming programming. 

1:24:32Copy video clip URL Station break. Teaser for coverage of President Reagan’s speech on NBC Nightly News. 

1:25:11Copy video clip URL Marin, Gumbel, and Witte discuss the questions and concerns highlighted by the interview with Dr. Donnerstein and De Palma. Today bumper. 

1:29:17Copy video clip URL Teaser for Days of our Lives. 

1:30:01Copy video clip URL Gumbel and Marin tease upcoming programming. 

1:30:44Copy video clip URL Palmer reports on President Reagan’s speech, fighting in Lebanon, Secretary Schultz’s visit to Stockholm, and Premier Ziyang’s trip to the US. Palmer reports that California will cease sales of all products containing the pesticide 12D, then introduces Hager.

1:32:08Copy video clip URL Hager in the newsroom, who recaps the Ruckelshaus interview from earlier in the program. Intercut with replays of Ruckelshaus’s statements.  

1:33:34Copy video clip URL Gumbel teases upcoming programming. Today’s National Health Month bumper with footage of family jogging that fades to a “Cleaning Out” graphic. 

1:33:57Copy video clip URL Commercial break. 

1:35:47Copy video clip URL Weather report. 

1:37:38Copy video clip URL Foreman introduces sponsored messages from Kellog’s. 

1:37:51Copy video clip URL Gumbel introduces Art Ulene, M.D. for a segment on the importance of paying attention to outdated items in the medicine cabinet. A segment following an elderly couple who takes the contents of their medicine cabinet for review by a pharmacist. Ulene advertises an informational packet available by mail for National Health Month. Gumbel and Ulene briefly discuss the segment and weight loss. 

1:43:08Copy video clip URL Commercial break. 

1:44:10Copy video clip URL Marin interviews the president of Timesavers, Inc. H. David Meyers about his company’s credit card services for those who might normally be considered credit risks. Marin teases upcoming programming. Still image bumper of picketers with the subtitle “Matter of Sex.” 

1:48:02Copy video clip URL Station break. Teaser for “Real People.” 

1:48:48Copy video clip URL Today bumper. Still image bumper of a woman with a picket sign and the subtitle “Fighting Back.” Gumbel recounts the story of the Wilmar 8, a group of 8 women in Wilmar, Minnesota who unionized and fought the bank where they were employed for equal treatment as their male co-workers. Footage of the women picketing and describing their experience. Gumbel introduces Glennis Ter Wisscha, a member of the Wilmar 8, and Lee Grant, a filmmaker who directed The Wilmar 8 and A Matter of Sex. Gumbel, Ter Wisscha, and Grant discuss the strike and how it compelled Grant to make a film about it.

1:55:31Copy video clip URL Foreman introduces sponsored messages from Fixodent. 

1:55:39Copy video clip URL Commercial break. 

1:57:40Copy video clip URL Gumbel and Marin discuss and joke about Marin’s first day on Today. Gumbel teases programming for the next day.

1:58:32Copy video clip URL Today bumper. 

1:58:37Copy video clip URL Teaser for Night Court. 

2:00:02Copy video clip URL This portion of the tape contains duplicate content from the first hour. 

2:02:44Copy video clip URL Tape ends.