Billionaires today are weird (Elon Musk) and creepy (Jeff Bezos), but there was a time when we settled for eccentric, and that was Ted Turner for decades. Now turning 86 years old, this new documentary recounts his eventful life in an appealing, though too lengthy docu-series.
Call Me Ted refers to Ted Turner, the media titan and larger than life southerner whose Georgia drawl and fat stogies made him one of the most identifiable moguls in the country.
In the first of six episodes, his childhood is told through stylized images and his own voice (or someone who sounds just like him, as was done on the recent Hitchcock doc). Like a lot of successful adults, Turner was driven to please his tough father and prove his worth in the business, which, back then, was outdoor advertising-Turner billboards.
The entire second episode is chock full of Turner’s love, and eventual triumphs as a yacht sailor-a bit too much coverage for my taste, but the exhaustive series aims to illustrate all of his highs, as well as all of his many missteps, from serial cheating on spouses to making bad deals that cost him millions.
Turner’s narration is laced with interviews from his children, close associates and his ex-wife, Jane Fonda, who offers a lot of good insight into his psyche. They were married ten years.
Of course, this history wouldn’t be complete without the trailblazing story of CNN, TNT, TBS, and other media. Not to mention his ownership of the Atlanta Braves baseball team, who’s many, many losses were beamed by satellite into cable homes across the country, making them “America’s Team.”
It would have been nice to hear more from CNN’s anchors. Alas, only Christiane Amanpour speaks from that group, though old guys like me will recognize a lot of footage, though no interview, with former Anchor Bill Tush. One of the very earliest in the Turner stable.
I binged this, and for that reason, the flaws stand out—the number one being repetition. We see the exact same short clips multiple times throughout the various episodes. It’s almost like there weren’t enough colorful soundbites from Turner to avoid repeating them so often. That seems unlikely.
It’s also a little inside baseball, no pun intended, for people who don’t care about the America’s Cup or the stock values of mergers, etc., but I personally was down for the whole shebang.
Call Me Ted debuts on Max today, Wednesday, November 13th. 3 out of 4 stars.
Kyle Osborne | Critics Choice Association