Description
Collector's Note – Why This Issue Matters
The March 1999 issue of George magazine featuring Matthew McConaughey and Elizabeth Hurley on the cover — photographed by Ellen von Unwerth — documents one of the publication's most cinematically ambitious cover productions within one of the most politically turbulent months in American political history. March 1999 arrived just weeks after the Senate acquitted President Clinton of impeachment charges on February 12, 1999, following the most consequential constitutional confrontation in American politics since Watergate. The confirmed "Clinton Family Values" portfolio — described as intimate White House photos revealing life with the Clintons before the Monica scandal — and the confirmed Joe Lieberman profile, the Joe Lockhart press secretary feature, and the Mike McCurry interview together constitute one of the most concentrated single-issue primary document records of the Clinton impeachment aftermath available in any political magazine from this specific month. The Jesse Ventura profile by Kermit Pattison, examining the newly elected Minnesota governor's political record versus his professional wrestling persona, adds a second historically specific document: Ventura had been elected governor in November 1998 in one of the most surprising electoral upsets of the decade, and a March 1999 George profile represents some of the earliest sustained political journalism on his governance record. For collectors building archives of vintage George magazine issues, this March 1999 number is among the most historically dense in the publication's run.
The McConaughey and Hurley cover — styled in Versace and Armani respectively, photographed by Ellen von Unwerth in homage to political films to promote EDtv — reflects George's founding editorial concept at its most visually accomplished: using Hollywood celebrity and high-fashion production values to frame a political theme. The confirmed confirmed cover credits are unusually specific and complete — down to the Cartier watch models and Harry Winston ring — providing a primary document of how the publication approached its most elaborate celebrity cover productions. The EDtv promotional hook placed this cover within the spring 1999 release calendar for the Ron Howard film, giving it a specific film-historical placement as a pre-release primary document. The confirmed Oprah-versus-Monica media frenzy piece by Josh Young — documenting how Oprah Winfrey decided she had had enough of the Monica Lewinsky media saturation — is a primary source for researchers of the specific media dynamics of the post-impeachment period, when the Clinton scandal's relationship to entertainment television was being actively renegotiated. Collectors of 1999 magazines will find this issue provides an unusually complete picture of both the political and entertainment cultural landscape of March 1999.
The confirmed Harold Denton "Nightmare at Three Mile Island" piece — a first-person account of the author's role in the 1979 nuclear crisis, published on its twentieth anniversary — adds a further historical layer. The Naomi Wolf reassessment of Betty Friedan, the Paul Wellstone presidential exploration piece, the James Cameron post-Titanic profile, and the Siskel and Ebert "If I Were President" closing feature round out a March 1999 issue whose confirmed content spans impeachment aftermath, celebrity political filmmaking, nuclear energy history, feminist biography, independent political candidacy, and Hollywood Oscar season — a range of subjects that captures George's editorial ambition at a specific and historically well-defined moment.
About the Publication
George magazine was a monthly American political magazine founded by John F. Kennedy Jr. and Michael Berman, published from September 1995 through February 2001 for a total of forty-seven issues. Its editorial concept positioned politics as popular culture, combining political journalism, celebrity interviews, and cultural commentary with the visual language of mainstream lifestyle publishing. By March 1999, the magazine was in its fourth year of publication under Kennedy's editorial direction — he would die in July 1999 — and this issue represents the publication operating at full editorial confidence, with a celebrity cover of genuine production ambition, a post-impeachment political content roster of exceptional historical relevance, and the distinctive blend of entertainment and civic journalism that defined its identity.
Key Highlights Inside
- Matthew McConaughey and Elizabeth Hurley cover — photographed by Ellen von Unwerth, promoting EDtv — A confirmed high-production celebrity cover with complete styling credits, representing George's Hollywood-meets-politics editorial concept at its most visually accomplished.
- "Clinton Family Values" — intimate White House portfolio — A confirmed pre-scandal photo portfolio documenting life with the Clintons, published in the month following the Senate's February 12, 1999 impeachment acquittal — primary documentation of the Clintons' private White House life from the period immediately before the scandal dominated all coverage.
- "Pinning Jesse Down" — Jesse Ventura profile by Kermit Pattison — A confirmed early governance assessment of the newly elected Minnesota governor, published within months of his November 1998 electoral upset — one of the earliest sustained political journalism pieces on his actual record.
- "How Oprah Dumped Monica" — Josh Young — A confirmed piece on Oprah Winfrey's decision to disengage from the Monica Lewinsky media saturation, providing primary documentation of the specific entertainment-political media dynamics of the post-impeachment period.
- "The Battle of the Bulgers" — Peter Maas and Mike Barnicle — A confirmed investigation into the Billy Bulger-Whitey Bulger family dynamic and the FBI's relationship to Whitey Bulger's fugitive status, providing primary documentation of one of the most significant organized crime and law enforcement stories of the Boston region.
- "Nightmare at Three Mile Island" — Harold Denton, twenty-year anniversary account — A confirmed first-person retrospective on the 1979 nuclear crisis by a participant, published on the event's twentieth anniversary — primary source journalism from a named direct witness.
Condition & Rarity
Good condition with moderate signs of age and wear, corner creases, and light surface wear represents an honest mid-grade assessment for a twenty-six-year-old monthly political magazine with the confirmed content depth of this issue. The listing specifically notes corner creases and light surface wear as visible condition factors — these are permanent surface attributes that should be assessed from available photographs for their effect on the Ellen von Unwerth cover image's visual integrity, which is the primary display-grade consideration. Good condition does not impair the research or documentary value of this issue's exceptional confirmed content across the Clinton aftermath, Ventura, Bulger, and Three Mile Island stories. The plastic protective sleeve indicates deliberate preservation.
Looking for More Issues Like This?
A March 1999 George with a confirmed Ellen von Unwerth McConaughey-Hurley cover, a Clinton post-impeachment portfolio, and the Whitey Bulger investigation is one of the most content-rich issues in the publication's entire run — the kind of number where the editorial depth substantially exceeds what the celebrity cover alone would suggest. The broader George magazine archive at OriginalMagazines.com spans the full forty-seven-issue run and is worth exploring carefully for other issues from the magazine's final Kennedy-era years. For collectors focused on the specific political and cultural intensity of 1999, the full 1999 collection documents the post-impeachment year across a range of titles.