Posted on 08/11/2006 10:03:08 AM PDT by 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.
I didn't look at this video from 1974 but this was one of the great things about his show, a weird mix of guests. Totie Fields and Gene Simmons of KISS. They were the musical guests that day, so Gene's in full costume.
One of Gene Simmons's first interviews. Gene is with Mike Douglas and guest Totie Fields.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eEjq7XrSik
hmm. I figured him for a pipesmoker.
Mike Douglas was the epitome of class. As opposed to your post.
For your information, he referred frequently to his wife and family on the show. He seemed very proud of them.
Shaking my head at some of the rabid rattlesnake mentality on here of late.
I blame whoever decided to take Mike Douglas off and put John Davidson in. That was a sad day, but I am glad he was able to enjoy his life. He was a sweetheart...
Back in Mike Douglas' day, "society" was primarily the Greatest Generation. Today, "society" is primarily Baby Boomer Sixties Brats, and their undisciplined children.
...and Rob and Laura Petrie slept in separate beds.
Maybe because all of them were laughing together at something funny, or maybe because Mike Douglas had such a blend of guests all together on one sound stage.
In the Bond movie "The Spy Who Loved Me", he (actually a stunt double) skied off a 3000' cliff and parachuted to the bottom. As a kid, I was fascinated when they interviewed the stunt double guy who actually did the jump.
Those days are gone. Now you get subject matter that would get this post pulled if I even named the subject, much less the content.
I guess I was in a different time zone - I only saw his show if I was sick from school, because it was on mid-day or early afternoon in my town. Liked the show, by I associate it with handkerchiefs and cough medicine.
Totie Fields. BIG woman.
I used to watch the show after school too!
Don't remember a single chair ever being thrown.
One episode stands out for me. I loved Star Trek, and back then conventions were just starting to get really popular--one day MD had William Shatner on and this new singer I'd never seen before...the new singer was this nervous, skinny kid with a funny New York accent, and when Shatner came out he freaked out, pulling a bunch of Star Trek stuff out and exclaiming how much he loved the show, to
Shatner's quite reserved reaction, while MD was delighted.
The singer? Barry Manilow, who went on to become one of my favorite singers. :-)
RIP, Mikey. We liked ya. Wish there were more on tv like you nowadays.
That was Griffin.
I like this one with Gene Simmons, really bizarre as hell.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3B590zDEcE
Gone are the days when celebrities tried to appear cultured and intelligent. End of an era, RIP Mike.
Mike Who?
Wasn't he, um, a movie star or something? Son of Kirk Douglas, right?
He used to have this earthy vitamin guy on all the time...Dirk something or other. I wish I could remember his last name. Be neat to see if all that vitamin pop'n in the 70's extended his life.Any way, you're right. It was a friendly show.
Haley Mills had it all over Patty Duke (IMHO). Both played twins didn't they?
I don't much care for Mike Douglas-type entertainment--the comedians who make me laugh, when they're on, are Eddie Murphy, George Carlin, and more modern comedians--but no one has ever made me laugh as hard as that total loon Rip Taylor.
. . .
TV defies the most obvious fact about its customers -- their prodigal and efflorescent diversity. people perform scores of thousands of different jobs; pursue multifarious hobbies; read hundreds of thousands of different publications. TV ignores the reality that people are not inherently couch potatoes; given a chance, they talk back and interact. People have little in common except their prurient interests and morbid fears and anxieties. Necessarily aiming its fare at this lowest-common-denominator target, television gets worse and worse every year.
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