you and shirley maclaine.> finally together at last. >> how much fun was that working with her, by the way? >> incredible. i mean, she's shirley maclaine. she's a hero of mine. one of the great actors of all time. and so yeah, it is an honor and a blast. you thought i was going to say privilege. it's an honor and a blast. >> you changed it. it's hard to look at you and not laugh just in general. >> i'm not going to take that as a compliment. >> is that a compliment? you are absurd. >> no, but we should point out this story, it's a serious story, but it is a dark comedy, right? >> yeah. it can't decide what it is. is it a serious thing or is it a comedy? yeah. it's both. we're pushing the envelope. i don't know if you ever saw a little movie called "fargo," but that's the kind of flavor we're going for, which like it's dark, it's scary sometimes but it is also very funny. >> difference here, though, true story. some people in the state of texas, particularly in this town, who say this wasn't so funny at the tim

>> stahl: and then, there's shirley maclaine.ull wallace treatment in 1984. >> wallace: you really believe that you lived lives before. >> shirley maclaine: oh, yes, mike. i do, there's no doubt in my mind about it. >> wallace: and you really believe in extraterrestrial... how, do they come visit you on the porch? "now you're being unpleasant, wallace," is what you're saying. >> maclaine: yes. this is what i was a little afraid of. but you don't have to be that unpleasant. it doesn't become you, you know? >> stahl: but dare we say it-- in his old age, a side of mike emerged that was positively paternal. here he is with actress hilary swank, whose rise to the top in hollywood is a story to soften the heart of even the toughest old crank. >> hilary swank: my mom said that i could do anything that i wanted in life as long as i worked hard enough. and to this day it still makes me... really emotional. >> wallace: yup. >> swank: because... i just never questioned it, you know? she just always believed in me. >> wallace: she was the ge

that weren't with heads of states and crooks and so forth where he would just be smitten with shirley maclaineurner, and let you see it. and he loved vladimir hororowitz. and he let you see it. i thought he just was a guy, and everything was out there. i am who i am. i'm honest in everything i do. >> i also think to have the career and longevity he had in this business was extraordinary. he was working until he was 88. >> 88. >> yeah. i just think that's extraordinary. >> when he started "60 minutes" with don hewitt, he was 50. >> wow. that's amazing. >> of course he'd already had a career in showbiz. he was an actor in radio and commercials. and his son died in greece. and he turned -- he changed. >> that was really for him a major turning point. he decided after that -- his son had been doing writing. i remember him saying that he felt his son might be a reporter. he wanted to be the reporter his son would never be. >> he wanted to become a serious person who made a mark. and he did. and he changed enormously and devoted himself to this. >> he at the same time was a remarkable performer. i d

television and wallace scored 21 emmys with interview subjects as varied as nancy reagan and shirley maclaine know enough about iran-contra. >> you really believe that you lived lives before? >> oh, yes. there is no doubt in my mind about it. >> can you really believe in extraterrestrial, do they come visit you on the porch? now you're being unpleasant, wallace, this is what you're saying. >> this is what i was afraid of. you don't have to be that unpleasant. it doesn't become you. >> you have to establish the context.... >> reporter: but his long tenure at cbs was not without its low points. in 1982 general william west more land sued wallace and the network for libel over their documentary the uncounted enemy, a vietnam deception. it accused the general of deliberately falsifying enemy strength. west moreland dropped his libel suit in 1985 after long trial. in 1996 wallace opened up about the trial and the toll it took on his mental health. >> if there's anything that's important to a reporter, it is integrity. it is credibility. and all of a sudden to sit in a federal courtroom for five mo

shirley maclaine. she's a hero of mine. one of the great actors of all time.changed it. it is hard to look at you and not laugh just in general. >> i'm not going to take that as a compliment. >> is that a compliment? you are absurd. >> but we should point out this story, it is a serious story but it is a dark comedy. right? >> yeah. it can't decide what it is. is it a serious thing or is it a comedy? yeah. it's both. we're pushing the envelope. i don't know if you ever saw little movie called "fargo," but that's the kind of flavor we're going for which like it is dark, it's scary sometimes but it is also very funny. >> difference here -- true story. some people in the state of texas particularly in this town who say this wasn't so funny at the time and there is a little controversy about it. explain the story just a little bit without giving too much away. >> well, it's about a fella named bernie who is a mortician and is the most beloved man in the small town of carthage, texas. he's mostly beloved because the old ladies love him because he gives their husban

oscar winning american actress shirley maclaine, seen her during recent filming. future hold for downton abbey? have you found out what happens? >> no, but i'm really excited. >> reporter: filming begins again here in a couple of weeks. >> i just want to tell people when season three comes on that i've been there. >> and when we see season three we want to be able to visualize it. >> reporter: but at highclere they're giving nothing away. and get this, ann, they say they are already getting almost 2,000 visitors here every day. >> keir simmons, thank you so much. speaking of popular british imports, look who's here. and he dressed up for us as well. wearing his fancy shoes. >> casual wednesday. . 3 o'clock. my daily meeting with a salty snack. and then at 3:15 with my guilt. [ female announcer ] special k cracker chips. 27 crispy chips. 110 delicious calories. mmm. good meeting. same time tomorrow? [ female announcer ] find them in the cracker aisle. i see a bag and think... i could have a chip. yeah right. that's why they're called chipsss. [ female announcer ] s

bernie" about a smalltown funeral director and his relationship with the wealthy widow played by shirley maclainenerve. take a look. >> i can understand 25 times like the chicken fried steak but i don't think you have to chew your refried beans that many times. doesn't really make sense. it's unnecessary additional work for your jaws. think of your muscles. couldn't be good for it. it's inefficient. think about it. you know this drives me crazy. please stop. this is like nails on a chalkboard. go ahead. chew like that. chew like that. oh! >> jack black, good morning. that must have been so fun to shoot that with her. >> it was a blast. we had a great time. yeah. >> her jaw probably started getting sore after awhile. hopefully that was only one take. that did seem like -- >> no, we did it all day. she was chewing the beans all day. but she's a pro, you know. she knows how to pace herself. >> and chewing the beans all day. that could have side effects. but anyway, let's move on, this is a story that basically is based on a true story from the 1990s. your character bernie actually was convicted of m