THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 3, 1996 TAG: 9610030355
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY BONKO, TELEVISION WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 57 lines
That Barbara Walters has some memory. Not only does she recall most of the interviews she's done in 35 years on television, including 20 with ABC, she doesn't forget what she was wearing, either.
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in 1987?
``Pink knit suit.''
Walters, of ``20/20,'' appeared before more than 2,600 at Chrysler Hall Wednesday night as The Norfolk Forum launched its new season, delivering an address that was a stroll down memory lane (``Anwar Sadat was so charming. He has a very special place in my heart.'') and a peek into her private life.
But only a little peek.
Her black French poodle died last year. She misses the dog.
Her daughter, 28, wed not long ago. Early in her career, Walters wondered if it was right to leave her at home with a nanny while she pursued a career in TV news. ``It was such a torment. I asked myself, `Am I doing the right thing?' ''
Her friends are her family, she said.
``I expect them to be with me long after I'm off the TV screen.''
Mostly, it was the TV Walters as opposed to the private Walters who appeared in Chrysler Hall.
She looked great. Expensive black dressy dress. Perfectly coiffed hair. A cover-girl figure in her 60s.
She works hard in preparing for interviews. It puzzles her that rival Larry King of CNN doesn't prepare.
``He likes to be spontaneous. I get nervous if I don't do a lot of homework. I like to be in command of an interview.''
She's interviewed 32 heads of state. Her favorite interviewee? Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, who was later assassinated. Her favorite interview? The first of three with actress Katharine Hepburn - the tree thing.
Walters said it was Hepburn - not her interviewer - who first brought up this business of describing what kind of a tree she would like to be. White oak. It was the first and only time the subject came up in an interview, Walters said.
``And I'm haunted by it to this day.''
While Walters is a commanding presence on the TV screen, she's no powerhouse in a large hall. Many in the theater had to strain to hear what she was saying as she softly recited a litany of quotes.
Sample: ``The Christopher Reeve interview was so moving. His mind and spirit have taken over where his body has failed.''
Walters also said she is not feuding with Diane Sawyer of ABC, no matter what the tabloids say. And she thinks actress Juila Roberts got too famous too young. And she believes the secret of success is to work longer and harder than anybody else. She did. And still does.
She took questions from the audience. Nobody asked what kind of a tree she would like to be. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
At Chrysler Hall, Barbara Walters spoke on topics such as family,
interviewing and Katharine Hepburn. by CNB