Mike Douglas, former TV show host, dies

Yahoo & AP ^ | 11 August 2006

[lunarbicep]

Mike Douglas, who drew on his affable personality and singing talent during 21 years as host of a syndicated television talk show, died Friday on his 81st birthday, his wife said.

The afternoon talk show, which aired from 1961 to 1982, featured Douglas' ballad and big-band singing style, other musicians, comedians, political personalities and sports figures. His interviews included seven men who were then, had been or would become president.

[TET1968]

Totie Fields...a rather large female version of on Don Rickles.
She would have been perfect in "Hair Spray."

[tiredoflaundry]

LMAO!

[brownsfan]

"Not saying that everything should be swept under the rug, but it shows what's happened to TV in a quarter century."

Even my 14 year old groans about TMI in TV commercials today... E.D., bladder control, femminine hygiene, herpes medication, etc. All quite explicit. Just another reason I don't watch much anymore.

I did watch Mike Douglas after school. I didn't much care for the music, but it was kind of like hanging with the adults. :)

[Tallguy]

In 24 years, we've gone from Mike Douglas in the afternoon to Oprah.

I blame Phil Donohue for the change.

[dfwgator]

I just caught on YouTube a clip of Genesis from 1977 performing "Your Own Special Way" on The Mike Douglas Show, they lipsynched and they horribly cut up the song, but it was quite a treat to see just the same.

I grew up with that show and the Merv Griffin Show, of course back then we had only one TV in the house, and what Mom wanted to watch, was what we were stuck with.

[Skooz]

Same here. TV seemed much nicer back then. Mike was like a prime time Johnny.

It was nicer. More polite.

Now, TV has to have "attitude."

[brownsfan]

"I blame Phil Donohue for the change."

I blame the stupid people that lap that stuff up for the change. The coarsening of society is exactly what the masses want.

[Polyxene]

Uh, oh! I think I started something!! Oh, well, it's Friday!

[Tanniker Smith]

I hadn't watched him, even though he was on right after "Match Game" until he had Stan Lee as a guest.
My wife used to watch him daily.
I'm sure we'll be seeing clips of young (young!) Tiger Woods making his Mike Douglas appearance on the local news tonight.

[oh8eleven]

but it shows what's happened to TV in a quarter century.
A quarter century only goes back to 1981. How about the last half century?
I'm so old I can remember when they couldn't say toilet paper on the air.

[Tallguy]

Yeah, but Phil Donohue "boiled the frog" in the sense that his show is the one that shifted the paradigm. His show was half-way decent before he started adding the schlock.

[Charles Martel]

Just the other day, I was wondering what had become of Mike. I hadn't thought about him in years, then was channel-surfing and stopped for a moment to watch a bit of a '70s Burt Reynolds flick, Gator, (the one with Jerry Reed as the very unconvincing bad guy). Mike Douglas had a small part as the governor (of an unnamed Southern state). Wow, what a time-warp.

[Screamname]

Mike Douglas, a show with class rather than trash. Before talk shows became "Oprah-ized" and became an hour of ego-stroking of the host rather than an interview of the guest, a talk show that didn`t exploit people with problems so the host could look like a savior.

[4yearlurker]

Yep, I remember Mike Douglas on the T.V. after school. Then I got to switch to Gene London or Sally Star. Rick Moranis did a funny Mike Douglas on the original Second City T.V.

[Daveinyork]

Todie Field. she subsequently died of cancer

[Lazamataz]

OH NO!

[Darkwolf377]

Top photo: Liberace, Mike Douglas, Sonny James, Agnes Morehead, Red Buttons

I don't know why but I laughed like hell at that picture.

[areafiftyone]

Rest in Peace Mike Douglas. Used to watch his show when I came home from school and did my homework. Loved to watch all the good shows like Merv Griffen, Dinah Shore and Mike Douglas. That was when TV was good.

[My2Cents]

I grew up with that show and the Merv Griffin Show, of course back then we had only one TV in the house, and what Mom wanted to watch

Back in the day when moms were home when the kids got back from school. Not condemning working mothers, but society has changed in that regard since then too.