TFTP On This Day: "The Today Show" w/ coverage of shooting of George Wallace, from NBC (May 16, 1972)

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It Was 44 Years Ago Today: On May 15, 1972, an assassination attempt was made on Alabama Governor and '72 presidential candidate George Wallace. This program is the following morning's episode of the "Today" show on NBC, from May 16, 1972--44 years ago today--most of which was given over to coverage of the event.

"Today" celebrated its 20th anniversary in 1972, having pioneered the early-morning news program with its premiere in January 1952. The program moved back and forth in these years from a harder news emphasis and a more varied mix of news and lighter fare; at this point in the early-1970s, "Today" was in one of its newsier phases, even discounting the extra emphasis on hard news in this episode due to the Wallace shooting.

In 1972, "Today" was co-hosted by Frank McGee, a longtime NBC newsman and one of the reasons the show was in a newsier phase at the time, and Barbara Walters, who was still on the upward trajectory of her legendary career but who had been with the "Today" show for about a decade by this point. (We see them in separate locations in this episode due to the ongoing events of the Wallace shooting and Walters' coverage of the '72 presidential primaries.) Frank Blair reads the news--a job he had had since nearly the beginning of "Today" in 1953. The "Today" we see here is vastly different than the "Today" of today. From the sets and the graphics, to the tone of the proceedings and the atmosphere of the program, this is a fascinating look at the "Today" show of 44 years ago today.