Fritz: The Walter Mondale Story

A living reminder of an earlier period in American political history, Walter “Fritz” Mondale is an unapologetic liberal, a “voice of conscience” who was raised to believe that politics is a calling with a mission to help America's less fortunate citizens. Melody Gilbert's documentary Fritz, narrated by Mondale's daughter Eleanor, takes an affectionate look back at Mondale's 50-year career in public life. Growing up in Depression-era Minnesota, the adult Mondale would practice law for a few years before being tapped as Minnesota's attorney general. Like many others, Mondale was inspired by Hubert Humphrey's passionate 1948 speech advocating civil rights at the Democratic Party's national convention, later assuming the happy warrior's Senate seat when Humphrey became Vice President under Lyndon Johnson. For Mondale, the ‘60s were turbulent but exciting years, as he helped shepherd many of LBJ's “Great Society” programs through Congress (including Medicare and Medicaid), as well as legislation related to voting rights and occupational safety. An early and eloquent believer in consumer protection, environmentalism, and equal rights for women, Mondale became Jimmy Carter's running mate in 1976, assuming a key foreign policy role as vice president, particularly on peace issues in the Middle East. By 1980, a new conservative mood was beginning to sweep the country, and Mondale lost his run for the presidency by a landslide in 1984 after he promised to raise taxes. Fritz: The Walter Mondale Story features interviews with Geraldine Ferraro (Mondale's 1984 running mate), former Vice President Al Gore, as well as many family members, who recall Mondale's crusades and accomplishments. Although the documentary occasionally resembles hagiography, overall this is a fine portrait of an interesting figure in American politics. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)