We were a little nervous at the prospect of interviewing Mike Wallace. You know, the “60 Minutes” dude. After all, Wallace, who’ll be the keynote speaker at the Chicago Communications luncheon, at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday in the Chicago Marriott, 540 N. Michigan Ave., knows all the tricks of the muckraking trade. (Tickets are $50 at the door; call 312-663-1124 for reservations.)
But we just wanted the facts. So we ambushed the master ambusher and asked him some hard questions.
Q. Why do you love Chicago so much?
A. Look, it’s where I grew up professionally. And I had good pals and it was a fascinating time in my life. I was in my 20s, for Pete’s sake. What a place to grow up professionally, for a fella from Baaaa-ston.
Q. You told Playboy magazine that you used to smoke pot . . .
A. But not in Chicago. I was very proper then. I haven’t smoked pot in 25 years, at least.
Q. Tell us about your old stomping grounds in Chicago. (Wallace lived in Chicago from 1941 to 1951, taking time off in between for a three-year stint in the Navy.)
A. I don’t know if it still exists, but there was a house called the Actors’ Club. We used to eat and drink, but mainly drink, there. I was a good friend of Kup’s (Sun-Times columnist Irv Kupcinet) back then. I worked free-lance for WGN radio and for WMAQ, and I worked for the Chicago Sun (now the Sun-Times). The other hangout that we used to eat in was Riccardo’s.
