>> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." >> welcome to the "overnight news." i'm elaine quijano. the democratic candidates made last-minute appeals to new hampshire voters this weeken ahead of tuesday's crucial primary. a new cbs news battleground tracker poll shows a tight race. like iowa, bernie sanders and pete buttigieg share the top spots. but the primary is still up for grabs. only 4 in 10 say they definitely made up their mind. nikole killion is in manchester. >> hello, concord! >> reporter: with the countdown on in new hampshire -- >> it's the heat of competition, throwing elbows, making contrasts. >> reporter: the democratic presidential candidates are feeling the squeeze. >> no, we're not here to denigrate pete. he is running a good campaign. but our views are different. >> reporter: bernie sanders and joe biden on defense. >> i didn't attack pete. pete's been attacking me. he has completely misunderstood or misrepresented my record. >> reporter: against a surging pete buttigieg, now diggin into the former vice president's moderate support. >> i'm not barack obama. and neither is he. neither is anyone running for president right now. >> reporter: with all the attention on the top tier, those vying to move up not giving up yet. >> when you constantly hear names like buttigieg, sanders, biden, warren, how do you break out? >> they are very good people. they have all of them great policy proposals, but unlike them, i have results. and i think that matters to the people of new hampshire. >> reporter: just a few days out from the primary, the granite state insists there will be no repeat of iowa. >> look, all i can say about iowa is it was an embarrassment. it was a disgrace. >> i'm frustrated. i'm mad as hell. everybody is. >> reporter: democratic national committee chairman tom perez says the process will be reviewed. >> is iowa about to lose its first in the nation status? >> that's a conversation that will happen after this election cycle. >> reporter: at least one presidential candidate tulsi gabbard has called on chairman perez to resign. he says he has absolutely no intention of stepping down. elaine? nikole, thank you. his first rally since impeachment acquittal. natalie brand is at the white house. >> reporter: good evening, elaine. this is a strategy we also saw ahead of the iowa caucuses. the trump campaign is trying to steal the spotlight from democratic hopefuls and bolster its base using impeachment as a rallying cry. a rapid-fire series of sunday tweets makes clear the president is preoccupied with politics targeting those who voted to convict him and calling democrats crazed and badly wounded. thinking president is only getting more emboldened. >> reporter: while the president's impeachment inquiry may be over, but democratic and republican lawmakers have promised investigations will continue. >> the whistle-blower episode needs to be investigated by richard burr. but if rudy giuliani has any information coming out of the ukraine, he needs to turn it over to the department of justice because it could be propaganda. >> reporter: lindsey graham speaking to "face the nation" issued a firm warning not only to the president's personal attorney, but all u.s. politicians. >> after talking to the attorney general and the intelligence chairman that any documents coming out of the ukraine against any american, republican or democrat need to be looked at by the intelligence services who has expertise i don't because russia is playing us all like a fiddle. >> reporter: senator graham defended the administration's removal of impeachment witnesses eu ambassador gordon sondland and lund colonel alexander vindman from the national security council. >> i think his reassignment is justified. i don't think he can be effective at the nsc. >> reporter: but some gop senators discouraged the president from taking action against those who testified. >> i obviously am not in favor of any kind of retribution against anyone who came forward with evidence. >> reporter: a senior administration official confirms to cbs news that some republican senators called the white house and said it would be wiser if ambassador sondland was allowed to resign quietly in a few weeks. elaine? >> natalie, thanks. the defense department today identified two american soldiers killed in afghanistan. sergeant first class javier gutierrez of san antonio, texas and sergeant first class antonio rodriguez of las cruces, new mexico were killed in gang nangahar province. the two were shot when dressed in a army uniform opened fire with a handgun. chaos erupted when a gunman opened fire on strangers in a shopping mall. at least 29 people were killed. nearly 60 others were wounded. the gunman described as a disgruntled soldier was killed by police. people around the world are celebrating the chinese lunar new year today. many turned out in san francisco for the festivities, despite fears about the spreading coronavirus. tonight a team of world health organization experts is headed to beijing to investigate the deadly outbreak. in china, nearly 40,000 people have been infected. more than 900 have died. outside china, there have been more than 300 confirmed cases. here's debora patta. >> reporter: japan is scrambling to prevent the 70 cases of coronavirus on the princess diamond cruise ship from becoming a far bigger outbreak there is a lot at stake. the country is preparing to welcome visitors to the olympic games in tokyo this summer and needs to show it can contain the infection. at least 13 americans are among the confirmed cases on board. all passengers are confined to their rooms. >> we're certainly prepared to do the 14 days, but i don't think it's even safe to be here. >> reporter: hong kong is also taking no chances at its borders. now travelers not only from wuhan but anywhere in mainland china will have to submit to a 14-day quarantne monitored by gps enabled wristbands. pcrisis epicenter, over 50 he million people remain under siege. china is being criticized for failing to respond to early warnings about the coronavirus. dr. lee wen yung who died when we sounded the alarm was silenced about a virulent new virus infecting people late last year. chinese ambassador wei on "face the nation." >> i don't know who tried to silence him, but there was certainly disagreement. people were not able to reach agreement on what exactly the virus is. >> reporter: and now what is clear is that it's not only the virus but the this is the "cbs overnight news." >> across the united states, officials urge people to turn out for lunar new year celebrations. but as mola lenghi reports, the outbreak is taking a costly toll. >> reporter: hundreds of americans remain under a two-week quarantine on military bases in omaha, san antonio, and fairfield, california. more than 500 u.s. citizens have been transported from wuhan, china back to the u.s., where they were greeted by virus response teams in hazmat suits. dr. henry walk of the cdc leads the team at travis air force base in california. >> certainly it's concerning. >> reporter: dr. walk says only a handful of evacuees displayed symptoms, and are being monitored to make sure they don't have the virus, which appears so far to be having an impact on the health of u.s. businesses. it's asian american communities like l.a.'s chinatown here that are really feeling the fallout from the outbreak. business owners with spoke with say they are combatting the fear of the virus as much a they are the virus itself. with united, delta and american airlines suspending all travel to and from china, tourism officials in l.a. estimate a $920 million loss in chinese tourism to the city this year. all this happening during the chinese lunar new year, what is typically peak season for so many chinese style businesses in the u.s. in recent weeks, other cities, including alhambra, califoria have canceled their lunar new year celebrations amid concerns of low turnout due to fears of the coronavirus. the show went on in san francisco's chinatown after health officials in the city decided the risk of contracting the virus was low. >> we are safe and we are healthy here. so don't worry about whatever the rumor is saying. >>. >> reporter: new york city mayor bill de blasio and senator chuck schumer kicked off lunar new year's celebrations in chinatown with most saying they saw little impact from the virus. >> some people warned us not to come down, but it seems fine. >> reporter: mola lenghi, cbs news, los angeles. two new york city police officers were shot and wounded in separate ambushes that authorities are calling assassination attempts. this morning, a gunman walked into a bronx police station and opened fire, hitting one officer. police charge he is the same man who wounded another officer sitting in an nypd van saturday night. both officers are expected to make full recoveries. actor robert conrad has died. heis best known for his role as james west in the 1960s cbs hit "the wild, wild west." >> you are formidable. >> i drink a lot of milk. >> conrad starred and did his own stunts. he called it james bond as a cowboy. in the '70s, conrad starred in "baba black sheep." robert conrad was 84 years old. straight ahead on cbs weekend news, while failing to pay medical bills could land you behind bars. what propelled a 747 to the fastest ever new york to london flight? and he is the golden retriever with a nose for politics. we'll introduce you to mayor max. everything was so fresh in the beginning... but that plug quickly faded. luckily there's febreze plug. it cleans away odors and freshens for 1200 hours. breathe happy with febreze plug. there is at least one issue a divide electorate can agree on this election year. a recent poll finds 90% of those surveyed agreed on the importance of making health care more affordable. millions of americans remain uninsured, and as meg oliver reports in partnership with propublica, some people are even going to jail because they're squeezed by a system that's putting new demands on overburdened incomes. >> amen. >> amen. >> reporter: tris and heather's big son lane was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 5 years old. at the same time heather suffered seizures from lyme disease. >> we had so many multiple health issues in our family at the same time, it put us in a bracket that made insurance unattainable. it would have made no sense. we would have had to have not eaten, not had a home. >> reporter: biggs was working two jobs, but they fell behind on their bills. then the unthinkable happened. >> you wouldn't think you would go to jail over a medical bill. >> reporter: tres biggs went to jail over failure to appear in court over unpaid medical bills. what was that like? >> scary. scared to death, because i'm a country kid. i had to strip down and get hosed and put a jumpsuit on. >> reporter: bail was $500. how much money did you have at that time? >> maybe 50 to $100. >> reporter: in rural coffeyville, kansas, where the poverty rate is twice the national average, attorneys like michael had built successful businesses representing medical providers to collect debt owed by their neighbors. >> i'm just doing my job. they want the money collected. i'm trying to do my job as best i can by following the law. >> reporter: that law was put in place at his own recommendation to the local judge. the attorney uses that law by asking the court to direct people with unpaid medical bills to appear in court every three months and state they are too poor to pay in what is called a debtor's exam. if two hearings are missed, the judge issues an arrest warrant for contempt of court. bail is set at $500. and how do you get paid? >> i get paid on what's collected. >> reporter: from the bail money? >> well, if the bail money is applied to the judgment, yes, i get a portion of that. >> reporter: are you sending them to jail for collection then and not contempt? >> no. we're sending them to jail for contempt of court, for failure to appear. >> reporter: in most courts bail money is returned when defendants appear in court. but in almost every case in coffeyville, that money goes to pay attorneys like hassenplug and the medical debt his clients are owed. this raises serious constitutional concerns. >> rr: a deputy director at the ac. that is the criminalization of private debt. >> reporter: in a recent report, the aclu found tens of thousands of these warrants are issued annually, sometimes to collect as little as $28. >> i mean, it wasn't like we were not paying any of our medical bills. that was the problem. we couldn't afford to pay all of them. >> reporter: is jail the answer? >> no. >> reporter: we went to court on debt collection day. they wouldn't allow our cameras in, but we watched more than 60 people swear they didn't have enough money to pay. only one of them had an attorney representing them. elaine? >> such an important story. meg oliver, thank you. coming up, the floodwaters are gone, and it's time for carnival in venice. ♪ ♪wild thing, you make my heart sing.♪ ♪you make everything... groovy...♪ done yet? yeah, yeah, sorry, sorry. you sure? hmm.mmm. ♪come on, come on, wild thing. if you ride, you get it. geico motorcycle. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. - oh.- oh, darn! - wha- let me help. lift and push and push! there... it's up there. hey joshie... wrinkles send the wrong message. help prevent them before they start with downy wrinkleguard. nyquifor your worst cold andrful relieflu symptoms, on sunday night and every night. cougng, aching, stuffy head, best sleep with a cold, medicine. today in venice, italy, boats and gondolas paraded down the grand canal in style, ferrying people dressed in elaborate costumes and masks celebrating the city's annual carnival. the party, dating to the 11th century, guess on until ash wednesday and the 40 days of lent. a new speed record in the air. a british airways 747 recorded the fastest ever subsonic flight from new york to london last night. the plane flew at more than 800 miles per hour, pushed along by a jet stream powered up by a big storm. total flying time, 4 hours and 56 minutes. headwinds made the return flight back nearly three hours longer. a zoo in mexico is celebrating new arrivals, three of them. the lion cubs, two males and one female made their on-camera debut this weekend. they were born in january at the park and laurel zoo in puebla. the cubs will eventually find homes in other zoos to help conservative their species. adorable. next, news from cute cubs to a handsome old pup. they say he is a stand-up fellow, though he is known to roll over on some issues. if you want a candidate who knows how to fetch votes and sniff out corruption, look no further than a small town in southern california. that's where mireya villarreal met the friendliest politician in america. >> yay, max! >> reporter: one of the most popular tourist attractions in idyllwild, california is mayor max. max is a golden retriever. >> my favorite politician. >> reporter: he has won three consecutive elections in this small picturesque town. >> if it's a black tie event, he has a bunch of black ties. >> reporter: phyllis mueller, max's chief of staff funds and runs the mayor's office out of her house. >> he is like immortalized. >> when you refer to the mayor and tell people he is a golden retriever, do you get only in california? >> there are some people that do that and think that's funny. but a lot of people say it's a better alternative. >> reporter: idyllwild doesn't have a local government, so residents here elect a ceremonial mayor. how did this even become a thing? >> our animal rescue group came up with the idea to have it be a fundraiser where you paid a dollar to vote and you were encouraged to buy the election and vote as much as you can. >> reporter: the only time you can actually buy an election? >> that's right. >> reporter: like most successful mayors, max has a nose for politics. do you guys know he has to wear a tie? >> because he is the mayor. >> reporter: oh, and the mayors have to wear ties? >> yes. >> reporter: uniting people with different political ties is max's mission. >> a lot of people say that they like the break from the divisiveness of politics and they appreciate the lightheartedness of it. >> reporter: no bones about it. mireya villarreal, cbs news, idyllwild, california. >> and that's the "overnight news" for this monday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back with us a little later for the morning news and "cbs this morning." from the broadcast center in new york city, i'm elaine quijano. ♪ >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." >> welcome to the "overnight news." i'm elaine quijano. the democratic candidates made last-minute appeals to new hampshire voters this weekend ahead of tuesday's crucial primary. a new cbs news battleground tracker poll shows a tight race. like iowa, bernie sanders and pete buttigieg share the top spots, but the primary is still up for grabs. only four in ten say they've definitely made up their mind. nikole killion is in manchester. >> hello, concord! in new hampshire -- >> it's the heat of competition, throwing elbows, making contrasts. >> reporter: the democratic presidential candidates are feeling the squeeze. >> no, we're not here to denigrate pete. joe bin on defense.d >> i didn't attack pete. pete's been attacking me. he has completely misunderstood or misrepresented my record. >> reporter: against a surging pete buttigieg, now digging into the former vice president's moderate support. >> i'm not barack obama. and neither is he. neither is anyone running for president right now. >> reporter: with all the attention on the top tier, those vying to move up not giving up yet. >> when you constantly hear names like buttigieg, sanders, biden, warren, how do you break out? >> they are very good people. they have all of them great policy proposals, but unlike them, i have results. and i think that matters to the people of new hampshire. >> reporter: just a few days out from the primary, the granite state insists there will be no repeat of iowa. oo allayut wa is it was an embarrassment. it was a disgrace. >> i'm frustrated. i'm mad as hell. everybody is. >> reporter: democratic national committee chairman tom perez says the process will be reviewed. >> is iowa about to lose its first in the nation status? >> that's a conversation that will happen after this election cycle. >> reporter: at least one presidential candidate tulsi gabbard has called on chairman perez to resign. he says he has absolutely no intention of stepping down. elaine? >> all right, nikole, thank you. president trump returns to the campaign trail tomorrow in new hampshire. it's his first rally since his impeachment acquittal. natalie brand is at the white house. natalie, good evening. >> good evening, elaine. this is a strategy we also saw ahead of the iowa caucuses. the trump campaign is trying to steal the spotlight from democratic hopefuls and bolster its base using impeachment as a rallying cry. a rapid-fire series of sunday tweets makes clear the president is preoccupied with politics post-impeachment and acquittal, targeting those who voted to convict him, and calling democrats crazed and badly wounded. >> this president is only getting more emboldened. >> reporter: while the president's impeachment inquiry may be over, but democratic and republican lawmakers have promised investigations will continue. >> the whistle-blower episode needs to be investigated by richard burr. but if rudy giuliani has any information coming out of the ukraine, he needs to turn it over to the department of justice because it could be russian propaganda. >> reporter: lindsey graham speaking to "face the nation" issued a firm warning not only to the president's personal attorney, but all u.s. politicians. >> after talking to the attorney general and the intelligence chairman that any documents coming out of the ukraine against any american, republican or democrat need to be looked at by the intelligence services who has expertise i don't because russia is playing us all like a fiddle. >> reporter: senator graham defended the administration's removal of impeachment witnesses eu ambassador gordon sondland and lieutenant colonel alexander vindman from the national security council. >> i think his reassignment is justified. i don't think he can be effective at the nsc. >> reporter: but some gop senators discouraged the president from taking action against those who testified. >> i obviously am not in favor of any kind of retribution against anyone who came forward with evidence. >> reporter: a senior administration official confirms to cbs news that some republican senators called the white house and said it would be wiser if ambassador sondland was allowed to resign quietly in a few weeks. elaine? >> natalie, thanks. the defense department today identified two american soldiers killed in afghanistan. sergeant first class javier gutierrez of san antonio, texas and sergeant first class antonio rodriguez of las cruces, new mexico were killed in gang nangarhar province on saturday. the two were shot when an afghan dressed in an army uniform opened fire with a machine gun. thailand is a country in mourning following its worst mass shooting. chaos erupted when a gunman opened fire on strangers in a shopping mall. at least 29 people were killed. nearly 60 others were wounded. the gunman described as a disgruntled soldier was killed by police. people around the world are celebrating the chinese lunar new year today. many turned out in san francisco for the festivities, despite fears about the spreading coroavirus. tonight a team of world health organization experts is headed to beijing to investigate the deadly outbreak. in china, nearly 40,000 people have been infected. more than 900 have died. outside china, there have been more than 300 confirmed cases. here's debora patta. >> reporter: japan is scramblin diamond cruise ship from becoming a far bigger outbreak there is a lot at stake. the country is preparing to welcome visitors to the olympic games in tokyo this summer and needs to show it can contain the infection. at least 13 americans are among the confirmed cases on board. all passengers are confined to their rooms. >> we're certainly prepared to do the 14 days, but i don't think it's even safe to be here. >> reporter: hong kong is also taking no chances at its borders. now travelers not only from wuhan but anywhere in mainland china will have to submit to a 14-day quarantine monitored by gps enabled wristbands. in hubei province, china, the crisis epicenter, over 50 million people remain under siege. china is being criticized for failing to respond to early warnings about the coronavirus. dr. li wenliang who died was silenced when he sounded the alarm about a virulent new virus infecting people late la year. chinese ambassador cui on "face the nation." >> i don't know who tried to silence him, but there was certainly disagreement. people were not able to reach agreement on what exactly the virus is. >> reporter: and now what is clear is that it's not only the virus but the fear of it that's spreading so rapidly. this is the "cbs overnight news." >> debora patta, hong kong. two new york city police officers are shot and wounded that authorities are calling assassination attempts. this morning walked into a bronx substation and opened fire, hitting one officer. it's the same man who targeted an officer sitting in a city van wednesday night. both officers are expected to make full recoveries. the "cbs overnight news" will be right back. little theo's nose had cause for alarm. his ordinary tissues were causing it harm. they left his nose raw, with each wiping motion. so dad extinguished the problem, with new puffs plus lotion. puffs now have more lotion to soothe through the blows... and more pillowy softness, to cushion your nose. don't get burned by ordinary tissues. a nose in need, deserves puffs, indeed. whether your beauty routine and nails step one.ty hain it's the number one brand uniquely formulated for silky hair, glowing skin and healthy nails. nature's bounty, because you're better off healthy. discover a new world ♪ discover what's good - pantene nutrient blends ♪ >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." >> welcome back to the "overnight news." i'm elaine quijano. president trump has been promoting the use of coal since before he took office. his head of the environmental protection agency is even a former coal industry lobbyist, but some of the policies the president has put in place are beginning to draw criticism, like coal ash. this by-product of burning coal is linked to cancer and other diseases, but the white house has loosened restrictions on coal ash so much that it's now being imported into the u.s. mainland. cbs news tracked one massive payload being shipped from puerto rico to jacksonville, florida. cbs news chief investigative correspondent jim axelrod is on the case. >> reporter: the cargo, this ship heading towards the port of jacksonville, florida is hauling is coal ash, a toxic by-product when coal is burned to generate electricity. it arrives in florida with its boatload of coal ash begins its journey here in guayama, puerto rico. this is a conveyor belt loading the ash from a coal-powered power plant half a mile away on to the boat. the plant generates 3,000 tons of coal ash each year, and there is no disposal facility on the island. the people of puerto rico don't want the coal ash, so they passed a law that it cannot be stored here. >> the coal ash waste overflows out of the conveyor system. >> reporter: lawyer and activist ruth santiago has been battling aes to provide better safeguards in disposing its coal ash. you see this barge full of this stuff that everybody says is toxic, and it's pulling into florida. and then going to other communities for disposal. what's your warning to them? >> they should not allow the import of the toxic coal ash to their communities. >> reporter: exposure to coal ash is what concerns dr. elario, a professional of elemental chemistry. coal ash, how dangerous? >> it's full of toxic material -- arsenic, selenium, chromium 6. you'll begin seeing respiratory problems, higher levels of cancer. >> reporter: multiple studies show that exposure to coal ash is hazardous. plenty of people in tennessee will agree with that. on december 22nd, 2008, a dike ruptured at the tennessee valley authority power plant in the town of kingston, spilling more than a billion gallons of coal ash. before the spill in december of 2008, were you healthy? >> yes. i was in perfect health. i didn't have no medical problems. >> reporter: he spent two years as a cleanup worker without the necessary gear to prevent him from breathing in the coal ash, says his wife don. that he is part of an ongoing lawsuit against the company that hired him. what did he look like when he would come in the front door? >> it looked like it was white and it was clay and it was nasty mud, but it wasn't mud. it was the coal ash on him. >> reporter: lao went from an active and healthy man to suffering from addison's disease, lupus, arthritis, gout, asthma and an enlarged prostate. the obama administration in 2015 established new federal legislati regulations for coal ash storage, including monitoring of nearby groundwater as well as its disposal. >> we have ended the war o beautiful clean coal. >> reporter: regulations the trump administration's epa, headed by former coal industry lobbyist andrew wheeler. >> and i'm not at all ashame to have had work i did for the coal company. >> reporter: is in the process of weakening. when i tell you there are tens of thousands of tons, maybe even more of coal ash coming in to the mainland united states from puerto rico, does that concern you? >> it sure does. >> my nominee, gina mccarthy. >> reporter: gina mccarthy was the epa administrator when the 2015 regulations were implemented. >> rule making is supposed to protect people. what i would call a rollback and a weakening of protections is focused more on making the industrial pollutant not have to pay to clean up their pollution and much less about the protecting the disadvantaged communities that government is supposed to protect. >> reporter: the epa said in a statement, quote, a majority of 2015 rules remain in place and are being implemented on schedule. andrew wheeler declined our request for an on-camera interview. and aes said in a statement, quote, we comply with all local and federal regulations, and furthermore, the epa classifies coal ash as a nonhazardous material. you can read the full statement on our website, cbsnews.com. the "cbs overnight news" will be right back. hi, i'm jonathan, a manager here at colonial penn life insurance company. and with coverage options starting at just $9.95 a month, you can get a whole life insurance plan to help close that gap with a benefit check paid directly to your beneficiary. if you're between age 50 and 85, coverage options start at just $9.95 a month. and the rate is locked in. and it comes with two lifetime guarantees. one, your coverage can never be cancelled, and two, your rate can never go up. call for free information and you'll also get this beneficiary planner free just for calling. use it to record important information and helpful direction for your loved ones. so don't wait, call now. (announcer) and when you call right now, you'll also get this free prescription savings card that can help you save up to 80% on prescription drugs. a lot of folks ask me why their dishwasher doesn't get everything clean. i tell them, it may be your detergent... that's why more dishwasher brands recommend cascade platinum... ...with the soaking, scrubbing and rinsing built right in. for sparkling-clean dishes, the first time. cascade platinum. how fast does dove dry spray actually dry? dry spray dries in an instant. leaving these men with nothing to do in this ad. thankfully, we've got something to fill the time, instantly putting these guys back into their comfort zone. dove dry spray dries instantly and keeps you protected for 48 hours. ♪when you have nausea, heartburn, indigestion,♪ ♪upset stomach, diarrhea. try pepto liquicaps for fast relief and ultra-coating. ♪nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea.♪ get powerful relief with pepto bismol liquicaps. millions tuned in around the world to watch last night's oscars. academy awards were given out in two dozen categories. everything from best picture to best visual effects. but there is no reward for the artists who paint those beautiful backdrops, especially now that computers have taken over. john blackstone looks back at the golden era of hollywood backdrops. >> reporter: they're just paint and canvas, but in hollywood's golden age, painted backdrops played a vital role in the magic of movies. ♪ i just met a girl maimed maria ♪ >> reporter: creating cities, sunsets, or anything else that a director could imagine. >> could see the bricks and how they're laid. >> reporter: art instructor karen s. t backdrop extending te world of the set. oftentimes it was just seeing outside windows. >> did i hear you say you were a writer even included the entire world of a set on a soundstage in creating that environment. >> reporter: take "the wizard of oz." >> you open up into that first view of oz to see that entire space shaped by paintings. >> reporter: manis is co-author of the art of the hollywood backdrop, art she says has often gone unappreciated. perspective but -- >> designed to be invisible. >> reporter: why write a book about it? >> because they're some of the largest paintings ever created by exceptionally skilled artists, never recognized, never credited. and part of what makes these films extraordinary. >> reporter: many people may have paintings at home on the wall that family members >> reporter: really big ones. lynn coakley's great grandfather was a scenic artist for mgm in the 1930s. her grandfather and father followed him into the business. they're called in the industry, gave luster to movies like "the sound of music." they painted recreations of on location settings that were sometimes just seen through doors and windows on a soundstage. >> but my grandfather and my father painted this backing along with seven other ones that were used around the gazebo. at the convent. >> reporter: what makes this look so realistic? >> the textures, the details. you've got the correction perspective. it's just a really beautifully painted backing. >> reporter: in 1962, her family founded the jc backs corporation to paint and supply backdrops for movies and tv shows. they bought hundreds of backdrops from mgm, 20th century fox and disney. >> a lot of the studios in the '70s and '80s just were getting rid of all of their backdrops. they just didn't want to have it anymore. >> reporter: one prized acquisition, the famous mt. rushmore backdrop from "north by northwest." from down here, we can believe we're looking up at that mountain. >> yep. >> reporter: at those heads. >> you want to climb it? >> reporter: their backdrop from the 1959 movie "ben hur" features a vista of ancient rome. and in 2015, it was seen again in the cohen brothers movie "hail caesar." >> backings are not happy when they're rolled up in a dark little spot down below in a storage warehouse. >> reporter: then this backdrop must be awfully content. it first appeared in the 1949 film "the fountainhead." then it provided a view of new york city on the jeffersons. >> oh, you shouldn't have, but i'm glad you did. >> reporter: until it wore outi 30 times, and to different tv shows like "felicity", the original roseanne. >> reporter: lynn coakley, the president says that painted backdrops still make up about a third of the company's rentals. with new technology, jc backings also creates photo and vinyl backdrops that can be dazzling. >> and voila, you have night. >> reporter: if done well, a painted backdrop and photographic backdrop should make no difference. >> reporter: production designer tom walsh uses photographic backdrops on the set of the series "deputy." >> this is looking east from the hall of justice building. >> reporter: but the old ways remain his first choice. >> i still prefer always to use a painted backdrop whenever possible because i think they light better and you can interpret the reality as opposed to just take a photograph and what the photograph is what you get. >> as the industry itself ise m feeling the start thinking about preserving the old things. >> reporter: mary mcnamara, culture columnist for "the new york times" first wrote about the efforts to save old backdrops that often were juns thrown away. what's lost when a lot of these backdrops just disappear? >> the tangible history of hollywood. and some of these things are works of art in themselves. >> reporter: even lynn coakley had more painted backdrops than she needed when the company moved to new quarters. >> i had some backs i really didn't need to move. they had never rented or they're so specific. >> reporter: coakley told tom walsh about her dilemma. >> you know, these are to be preserved. and then of course opening my big fat mouth, all right, how are you going to follow up on that? >> reporter: so walsh created the backdrop recovery project. with the help of mainus and coakley, they cataloged more than 200 backdrops. >> we didn't know what we were going to get every time we opened up a backdrop. we weren't quite sure what it would be. >> there was an old drop, and no one knew what it was from, really. and we opened it up. i've seen that drop. ♪ >> reporter: it was from the classic musical "singing in the rain." >> it was like seeing an old friend. exhilarating. >> reporter: other backdrops were from a different orbit, like this one from "forbidden planet". >> look at the color of that sky. >> yeah, but i'll still take blue. >> it was my job to go around the world hey, you want a little 90 foot piece of art for your wall? lo and behold it works. >> reporter: some went to museums. some went to institutions like the university of texas at austin where karen mainis uses them to inspire her students. >> it's thrilling to see my students learning from these ghosts. >> reporter: while she is still looking for homes for some 60 backdrops but is pleased with their progress. >> they're f finally this morning, we're taking a look back at the life of basketball legend kobe bryant. although his exploits on the court are well chronicled, his work off the court is less well-known, such as his work for the make a wish foundation. kobe made the wishes of more than 200 youngsters come true. jamie yuccas spoke to one of them. >> reporter: jeffrey mckenzie was born with the blood disorder sickle cell anemia. he wasn't supposed to live past the age of 5. how many times do you think you were in the hospital past the age of 5? >> i don't know. i don't think i could put a number on that. >> reporter: that was your second home? >> first. >> reporter: then the make a wish foundation stepped in. >> you can have three wishes. and i gave them meet kobe bryant, go to a laker game to meet kobe bryant, and meet kobe bryant. >> reporter: you were focused? >> i was focused. he was like my superman. so just had to meet him. >> reporter: 8-year-old jeffrey finally met his idol. >> at first i freaked out. i was just stunned. >> reporter: so he signed the hat. he signed the jacket. he signed the basketball. >> two basketballs, yeah. he had to spend like 20 minutes signing all the stuff i asked him to. >> reporter: bryant was one of their top wish makers, more than 200 of them. >> what is amazing about these kids, he wouldn't meet them in groups. he would meet them one-on-one. >> just to see the joy on my son's face was just incredible. >> reporter: he got to meet bryant a second time when mom sneaked jeffrey out of the hospital. >> three hours before that i was on pain medicine and ivs, and i ripped them out of my arm and i went straight to the dinner. >> reporter: the third time was th arena to pay his respects to bryant and his daughter gianna. had you waited to come today? >> i think i kind of wafted. i think i kind of wted because too much emotions. i literally look at him as one of my fathers. my dad and kobe bryant, those are the top two men in my life. i hope have i all girls now. >> reporter: you want to be a girl dad. >> i want to be a girl dad. i want to be there for my daughters like he was. >> reporter: jeffrey reminds us all that wishes can come true, and legends live on forever. >> a larger than life figure who made life-long connections.s. jamie yuccas reporting. and that's the "overnight news" for this monday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back with us a little later for the morning news and of course "cbs this morning." from the broadcast center in new york city, i'm elaine quijano. it's monday, february 10th, 2020. this is the "cbs morning news". battling for new hampshire. democratic candidate clash ahead of tomorrow's primary. the latest poll numbers show two clear front-runners. combatting the coronavirus. more cases are confirmed around the world, including on a quarantined cruise ship. we'll hear from an american on board who is confined to his room. plus -- >> and the oscar goes to. >> the historic winners and big controversies at this year's academy awards. historic winners and big historic winners and big cont captioning funded by cbs good morning from the studio 57 newsrm

Related Keywords

Afghanistan , United States , United Kingdom , Hong Kong , Puebla , Mexico , Beijing , China , California , Santiago , , Chile , Iowa , Italy , Hollywood , Hampshire , Wuhan , Hubei , New York , Las Cruces , Tokyo , Japan , New Hampshire , Texas , Washington , Laos , Florida , San Antonio , Manchester , Puerto Rico , Tennessee , Thailand , Guangdong , Kansas , Alhambra , Americans , America , Chinese , Lao , British , American , Robert Conrad , Lynn Coakley , Kobe Bryant , Andrew Wheeler , Los Angeles , John Blackstone , Jim Axelrod , Pete , Phyllis Mueller , Mary Mcnamara , Gina Mccarthy , Elaine Quijano , Amen , Barack Obama , Lee Wen , Mireya Villarreal , Meg Oliver , Rudy Giuliani , Whitehouse Natalie , Bernie Sanders ,