Categories: OLD Media Moves

I always hated Jimmy Stewart

Those who know me know that I am a sucker for dryÂ and sarcastic humor, as well as parodies. I’ve always had an attraction to the music of Wierd Al Yankovic.

So I am sucked in when Brian O’Connor, the money and life editor at the Detroit News, writes a spoof of the old Christmas movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” to explain the current subprime mortgage mess.

O’Connor wrote, “Zuzu gasped. Maybe her father’s crackpot story was more than just a Christmas fable.

“‘Your name isn’t Clarence by any chance?’ she asked.

“‘No,’ said the angel. ‘I’m Ben Bernanke, Federal Reserve board chairman, second class.’

“‘Second class?’

“‘Hey — YOU try following Alan Greenspan!’ the angel snapped. ‘Smug old codger ignored all these dangerous mortgages and abusive lending, but everybody still loves him. Now he’s retired and still making trouble, yakking about recession and pointing the finger for the mortgage crisis at everyone but him. He’s retired! He should be playing canasta and stealing Sweet’N Low at the early-bird specials!'”

Read more here.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.