Jim Gardner = Ron Burgundy?

[Jess 1115]

So yeah, there was a screening of Anchorman 2 tonight in Philly, with Adam McKay there.

 

Apparently, the inspiration, or one of the inspirations, for Ron Burgundy was none other than Jim Gardner himself.

 

I'm actually surprised, because I always figured Harold Greene was the inspiration. Certainly I have a KABC broadcast where he looks like a dead ringer for Ron Burgundy, hair and suit and stache and all. But if you consider the way Gardner used to deliver the news (he is much mellower now), delivery-wise I can see the resemblance.

 

Of course, last night he had a teleprompter moment for the ages:

 

[yt]PTNsVm-zVUg[/yt]

[24994J 5669]

Does J-Gard have an affinity for scotchy-scotch-scotch?

[MorningNews 1543]

Lol I can totally see that!

[Jess 1115]

 

Does J-Gard have an affinity for scotchy-scotch-scotch?

 

Sometimes I do wonder.

 

I know Roger Grimsby was more of a gin man, at least according to Lou Young's obituary report. Bill Beutel smoked on the set (there's some Gloria coverage floating around coming from the studio master, so we do see Beutel light up a few times.

 

...and I tivoed tonight. Oh man... of all the guests they had to have on the show it had to be BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH. Jim really emphasized that during his close.

[24994J 5669]

 

Sometimes I do wonder.

 

I know Roger Grimsby was more of a gin man, at least according to Lou Young's obituary report. Bill Beutel smoked on the set (there's some Gloria coverage floating around coming from the studio master, so we do see Beutel light up a few times.

 

...and I tivoed tonight. Oh man... of all the guests they had to have on the show it had to be BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH. Jim really emphasized that during his close.

 

No joke, Jerry Taft on WLS cracked up at Kathy Brock's pronunciation of Cumberbatch tonight, as well.

[rah6448 21]

While Gardner may have inspired the delivery style, there is a well-supported theory that KNBC's former Paul Moyer could've been the inspiration for the moods of Ron Burgundy. The cornerstone of this argument is the frictioned interaction between Burgundy and Veronica Corningstone the first half of the first film. It is believed that this was derived from similar attitudes between Moyer and former co-anchor Ann Martin, which culminated in that infamous taped exchange while they were both at KABC.

[24994J 5669]

So, no matter what McKay says, it's fair to say...

 

- Gardner's delivery

- Greene's appearance

- Moyer's personality

 

I could get behind that. Frankly, I'm mainly seeing the movie because of Bill Kurtis.

[radioinactive 7]

Actually it was based on Mort Crim.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/12/04/detroit-news-personality-mort-crim-inspiration-for-anchorman-movies/

[Jess 1115]

 

Actually it was based on Mort Crim.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/12/04/detroit-news-personality-mort-crim-inspiration-for-anchorman-movies/

 

Yeah, I read that. Adam McKay hails from the Philadelphia suburbs, so I'm sure there's some Jim Gardner in there somewhere, but I can see the Mort Crim. That'd also mean that Veronica Corningstone is very much based on Jessica Savitch, though without her personal demons and tragic end...