Make 'Em Laugh (The Funny Business of America)
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MIKE DOUGLAS SHOW, THE
Air Date/Released | Tuesday, September 11, 1973 |
---|---|
Station/Studio | Syndicated / Group W Prods. |
Host/Star | Mike Douglas |
Featuring | Moe Howard (Solo) |
Long-running (1961 - 1981), syndicated, 90-minute afternoon talk show. Mike Douglas' easy going, homey personality, genuine interest in his guests' careers and lives, and an equal focus on performance as much as talk... combined to make DOUGLAS a hit with television audiences. Produced in Philadelphia for most of the run, away from the entertainment centers of NY and L.A., its popularity still ensured a steady stream of eager guests from film, television, music, radio, publishing and government. A hallmark of the show was the co-host, a celebrity who joined Mike for a week's worth of shows, sometime with a theme, who frequently participated in the selection of guests.
Mike Douglas and co-host Soupy Sales introduce Playboy fashion critic Robert L. Green. As Mike and Soupy fashion display the latest in footwear, Moe Howard makes an unrehearsed entrance, holding his nose and spraying a can of air freshener. British actor Laurence Harvey discusses his latest project, and acting experiences in America (*). Bob Warren & The Creep perform a musical spoof of the ongoing Watergate scandal, "Haldeman, Erlichman, Mitchell and Dean." Ronald J. Fields, grandson of W. C. Fields, talks about his grandfather's legacy, with anecdotes, presenting the (then) rarely seen tooth-pulling sequence from Fields' THE DENTIST (1932). Ron reveals that his grandfather was always afraid to follow Healy & the Stooges' stage act, and Moe reciprocates with the same sentiment. Introduced with a clip from MICRO-PHONIES (1945), Moe Howard tells of his childhood and the invention of his sugar-bowl haircut. Mike, Soupy and Moe perform the Stooges' classic "Maharaja" routine, ending in a pie fight and a surprise appearance by Helen Howard when Moe runs into the audience and pushes a pie in her face!
Two closing segments were taped:
- One with the scheduled guests, and closing credits.
- A second ending with Helen Howard was done to explain that the "woman hit with a pie" was Moe's wife, also with closing credits.
Subscribing stations chose to air either of the two.
* Mr. Harvey is visibly gaunt, and passed away of cancer shortly after this taping.
Cast: Mike Douglas (Host), Soupy Sales (Co-host), Moe Howard, Laurence Harvey, Robert L. Green, Bob Warren & The Creep (Jack Brown, Bob Miller, Jim Farmer, and Keith Boone), Ronald J. Fields, Frank Hunter & The Band, Helen Howard
Crew: Mike Douglas (Executive Producer), Woody Fraser (Producer), Frank Ryan Jr. (Director)
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