Rudy Giuliani

Although former New York mayor and Time magazine's 2001 Man of the Year Rudy Giuliani gained worldwide renown after the terrorist attacks of September 11 pushed his city to the top of concerns of American citizens nationwide, he's no stranger to the spotlight. Hosted by Harry Smith, this episode from A&E's Biography series offers a multi-faceted look at this newfound patriarch of the people, beginning with his early life in Flatbush, NY, where he attended Catholic schools, and was pushed in a mud puddle for wearing a New York Yankees hat in Brooklyn Dodger territory. High school interests for Giuliani included opera, religion, and debating, and he was even named (lo and behold) class politician. Reconsidering his early aspiration to the priesthood, Giuliani instead entered NYU law school, and began working his way up the ladder at New York's justice department, making headlines in 1985 when he headed a bust of a New York Mafia ring that sent seven mob leaders on 100-year vacations to the big house. Combining milestones in his public record along with personal tidbits (including a marriage to a second cousin, a rivalry conflict with NY police commissioner William Bratton, and murmurings about his reputed racial insensitivity and support of profiling), this program paints a most compelling picture of the man referred to as "America's mayor," and includes 9/11 related footage of Giuliani speaking about lost colleagues, showing his more reflective, heroic side. Interesting, informative, and a very nice scene with Giuliani in Marilyn Monroe garb, this is definitely recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (J. Williams)