Background
McMullen was born on April 8, 1921 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio.
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Jay McMullen
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He briefly attended Dartmouth College. After the war, he completed his undergraduate degree at Columbia University (Bachelor of Science in 1948).
Career
World World War II
In 1941, McMullen served with the Volunteer Ambulance Corps. In 1943, he enlisted with the United States Army for World World War II, with whom he served two years as an Army correspondent for the National Broadcasting Company Radio program, "Army Hour."
Columbia Broadcasting System
He joined Columbia Broadcasting System Radio in 1949 and later switched to television with Columbia Broadcasting System News. Edward R. Murrow was the narrator.
In 1961, McMullen made an undercover film, "Biography of a Bookie Joint," which led to the demotion of some high-ranking Boston Police officers.
Concealed in a lunchbox, an 8-mm camera recorded bets being taken in the back room of a key shop and a camera in an apartment window across the street filmed police officers entering and leaving the premises. McMullen and Walter Cronkite were the narrators.
The 1964 Columbia Broadcasting System Evening News ran a story on illegal mail-order traffic in amphetamines and barbiturates which, in turn, spurred the creation of the Drug Control Acting of 1965. In 1967, he was the recipient of The Hillman Prize for "The Tenement."
Posing as a prospective drug buyer, he spent eight months in Mexico documenting how marijuana and opium were smuggled by airplane into the United States., and was able to capture a deal with his hidden camera and microphone.
He retired from Columbia Broadcasting System News in 1984.
McMullen died on March 10, 2012, at the age of 90 in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Achievements
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In 1954, McMullen was honored with an award for a radio piece on adoption entitled "Babies, Cause Of Death" In 1958, he received the George Polk Award for a story, "Who Killed Michael Farmer," about the murder of a disabled boy by a gang. McMullen"s 1972 undercover film, "The Mexican Connection," was a dangerous investigation that won an Emmy.
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Born
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Died
March 10, 2012 (aged 90) -
Nationality
United States