Remembering Louis Rukeyser

AP photo/Playboy Magazine

Louis Rukeyser, who attracted millions of Americans to Wall Street and investing, died five years ago this week. Though widely popular, his less-than-solemn treatment of the stock market on TV was not to every taste. See this Joe Nocera column. From my summers working on Wall Street, I recognized where Rukeyser found the program's distinctive, bantering voice. Brokers and analysts used it themselves as they tried out research recommendations and sales pitches (not mutually exclusive) on each other.

Too young to remember Wall Street Week? See the appreciation of Lou that Jonathan Hoenig offered last year. It includes a video clip where you can glimpse Lou chatting with that young hotshot, Peter Lynch.

Update: Let the record show that it was a woman, Anne Truax Darlington, who conceived the ridiculous idea that Maryland Public Broadcasting needed a program on … investing.