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Pat Walsh
Pat's Peeps Podcast
Ep. 76 Today's Peep Features Legendary TV Game Show Announcer Randy West who Shares Behind the Scenes Stories From Hollywood Squares to Bob Barker, Dick Clark, Gene Rayburn and Golden Moments of Game Show Lore, and We'll "Stir It Up" with today's Record S
As I sat under the golden California sun, coffee in hand, I realized the stories we'd share today would be as rich and warm as the brew we were sipping. Our 76th episode brings the incomparable Randy West, a voice that has reverberated through the annals of game show history, right into our conversation. Randy's tales span from the comedic timing needed behind the mic on "Hollywood Squares" to heartfelt moments with icons like Bob Barker and Chuck Woolery. This episode is a patchwork of memories bound by the thread of broadcasting excellence and the wisdom of mentors that continue to guide our careers.
If you've ever wondered what it takes to keep a live audience on the edge of their seats or how a seasoned announcer like Randy West navigates the energetic chaos of a game show set, this is your backstage pass. Randy and I reflect on the laughter and challenges that pepper our journey, from the unscripted banter that spices up shows like "The Newlywed Game" to the precision and keen business sense embodied by legends like Dick Clark. This episode is not just a look back at the gilded age of television; it's a masterclass in the passion and professionalism that drives the heart of show business.
Join us as we honor the longevity and evolution of game show hosting, with a nod to Pat Sajak's record-breaking tenure and the resonant voice of Don Pardo. Here, between anecdotes and reflections, we find the essence of broadcasting – a field where every word counts, every second is gold, and relationships built over coffee can last a lifetime. Whether you're a game show enthusiast or simply intrigued by the power of mentorship and legacy, tune in for an episode that celebrates the voices and moments that have made television history.
Okay, yeah.
Speaker 2:Hey, welcome. I'm going to put a little applause in there this morning. I never do that. Welcome, my friends to the Back to Pat's Peeps. That's right. That's right, pat's Peeps Today we're at number 76. I can't believe it. Last week of Pat's Peeps before I head back to Italy where I do plan on continuing the Pat's Peeps podcast. But I'm just really proud that we're at number 76 already. And here we are. This is now the second day of April 2024. And as I look out the studio window here, out to the foothills of Northern California, it's absolutely gorgeous. Thank you, we have some sunshine today. Like I always say, it's good for the soul. I'm going to go out and get a little vitamin D today through the sunshine and have a great day. But you know what? We're going to have a great day here on podcast Pat's Peeps podcast number 76, because we have a guest. I'm just going to bring our guest right in to the podcast. Please welcome right here to the Pat's Peeps podcast, randy West, legendary announcer. Randy, welcome to my podcast. How are you, randy?
Speaker 1:Pat, I'm honored to be 76, because that's the spirit of 76. It feels good to be with you, pat, and I love your energy. This is great. We're going to have a lot of fun here. I need one more coffee to catch up to you, but it's going to be a good time. I feel the sunshine too down here in Southern California, but the problem is everyone now who's listening? Where there's a tornado, when apparently there are some somewhere in the country, is going to be running to California. Well, listen, folks, the freeways are already crowded.
Speaker 1:So, just put that idea aside.
Speaker 2:Stay away. Please stay away. I'm enjoying my coffee, right.
Speaker 1:I do have a good cup of coffee right here.
Speaker 2:I'm a big coffee guy, Randy. I like to grind my own beans there, do a little pour over and make it really nice. You are a barrister.
Speaker 1:I'll tell you how much I love coffee. I don't make any of it at home, but I have a gold card from Starbucks. At one point they said you've earned the gold status. I had no idea. I had no idea there was a gold card. And if you buy a coffee, listen to this. It's freaking out. This is going to kill me. My heart will be beating for a week after I'm dead, because if you have a gold card, all refills are free. So you go in, you order a coffee and let me get one more coffee. It's free. You just keep refilling and you get the same store. You know you can't be going all over town. Sit there and drink all day long until your, you know, your, your, your anus are vibrating and then it's like probably time to leave.
Speaker 2:They always look at me funny. You know I'm, I'm. I don't have a gold card, randy. I, I'm the guy that barely. I rarely go there and and and. When I rarely go there. And when I do go there I'm looking up at the sign or I'm looking at the. You know, someone will give me a gift card is the reason I'll go in there. I'll look at the sign. I'll go. The grande latte, frappuccino, whatever I'm like, I don't even know. Just give me a French roast, I'll get up to the counter, I go. Yeah, can you guys just do a French roast?
Speaker 1:And they look at you like you're some kind of an alien, like do what now? You want what you want coffee. You don't want the creamy caramel frappuccino, whatever you know. I said I just want some coffee.
Speaker 2:I want some strong coffee, but, um, yeah, this, um, yeah, you know, randy, it's great to talk to you again. You know, rand, you've been on my radio show. I'm also the host of the pat wall show on radio, but but we talked, randy, uh, right after we lost Bob Barker, which we'll get into that. But you know one of the guys I'm curious about something before we really kind of get so, randy West, let's, I mean, if we give you some background about the gentleman I'm talking to right now. I admire this guy because this guy you are a, I mean geez. You've been an announcer, one of the top announcers in the country for years and years. You've worked with people that I respect. You know Bob Barker, I mean, the list goes on and on.
Speaker 2:I would love at some point we have to talk about Chuck Woolery, because I know I think you spent a little time working with Chuck Woolery back in two and two. You know the guy. I always loved that guy, but you started in radio. I wouldn't mind talking about that. Randy was the voice of the Price is Right, and, as I understand it, you really and I want to get into this a little bit, but you kind of you know, when Johnny Olsen, you met Johnny Olsen, he kind of didn't, he kind of take you under his wing and you kind of learned from him. Or how did that go with Johnny Olsen? Because everyone knows Johnny Olsen and everyone knows you. I mean, tell us how that kind of works.
Speaker 1:Well, I wouldn't go that far. I was 14 years old. I used to cut classes in New York and go down to 30 Rockefeller Plaza and watch these TV shows tape and there was this hysterically funny guy doing the audience warm-up and that fantastic announce you know, the price is right, come on down. He had all that energy in his voice and he encouraged me to get into the business and I got into radio, which was the entry point for most of us, and lo and behold, a 40-year journey. But later I'm standing in his footsteps at the Price is Right.
Speaker 1:At the show he was most famous for working with Bob Barker and that's just like it's a Twilight Zone episode. But yes, it was the thrill of all thrills to be able to do what I saw that guy doing when I was 14 years old. And as far as being a guy on a Price is Right, just to satisfy this, now the show's been on the air for 52 years, so I'm one of those guys. There's a half a dozen, so you know, just don't put it all on me. Well, listen you. We respect, obviously. You know, just don't put it all on me.
Speaker 2:Well, listen, you we respect. Obviously you've had this incredible career. I mean geez. I mean, look at all the stuff that you've done. There's some shows in there that I look at, like Supermarket Sweep, and some of these shows I'm like geez, you know, I remembered all of this stuff. People like Gene Rayburn on the Match Game, which was one of my favorite shows, you know you talked about tom kennedy we were talking off air tom kennedy, who was a great, uh, you know, a bill colin. Talk about, like some, what are some of the great you know game show hosts that you worked with, randy?
Speaker 1:well, oh my god, the list is incredible. Yeah, I mean, if you loiter in show business long enough, your paths will cross with pretty much everybody else, because it kind of is a small, small little town in the sense that people want to hire and work with people who are established. You know, you know them, you know they're reliable and they're going to be good and they're not going to cause a second take or going to keep the crew there longer into overtime, so you can work with the same folks over and over. So for me and I'm working off the top of my head I should probably put a list down. But Dick Clark, chuck Woolery, gene Rayburn, bob Eubanks, wade Martindale and I have done a half a dozen shows together over the years.
Speaker 1:And now you know, now that I'm halfway down this road, I'm going to start forgetting or leaving people out of the thing, but if it's somebody that you've seen on as a game show host at one time or another, I pretty much work with. I worked with Alex Trebek doing uh, not jeopardy, but uh, he used to co-host with uh, my, my, my, my sitcom actress. Uh, oh it, we'll get back to it From the Brady Bunch. What was her name? Oh, my goodness.
Speaker 2:Florence Henderson. Oh, Florence Henderson.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, alex and Florence used to co-host the Daytime Emmy Awards and I was the announcer. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome three-time Emmy winners. So-and-so and so-and-so for the you know whatever, and I would do that. You know backstage voice of you know introducing. So we used to share dressing room suite, so to speak. It was like one big room with three little you know closets off of it and we spend the day there because there's rehearsal and crew walkthroughs and stuff like that.
Speaker 1:So you know, even though I didn't necessarily work, these people like in Alex Trebek's case, their signature show, you know spent the day with them on several occasions working all these various different things that come across. So, if you can, you know I never worked with Bill Cullen. I mean, he was a generation older than I was. So there's some of the names that may come to mind that I didn't work with. But most of the other folks that you've seen doing this stuff I was thrilled to have an opportunity with, and just magic Monty Hall, I mean, I keep thinking names will come flying from the back of my cerebellum here, but there's a lot of people.
Speaker 2:Togo and Randy West, longtime announcer of TV. I mean just so many platforms, so many things. I'm really honored to talk to you. You know, gene Rayburn, I remember Match Game like Match Game, 75. Gene Rayburn, it would be like Fanny Flagg and Charles Nelson Riley what's the guy I can't think of the guy, brett Summers. Brett Summers, richard Dawson, of course. Right, gene Rayburn, he had that long, skinny microphone. It was this long, thin microphone. He always seemed like this was my impression of him like he's one of my all-time favorites, like maybe in between, maybe went, had a martini or something tuned up a little bit, came out, oh yeah, and he was having fun man.
Speaker 1:He was having fun he was a kind of a pecs. Bad boy is an old expression, but you know he was a rascal might be a better word for it. You know he would like to get the press press the edges of. You know what the boss wants, like a good disc jockey. You know the program director wants to keep them, you know, in format and a good disc jockey will be creative and kind of stretch the rules a little bit and Gene loved to do that when they started doing the match game.
Speaker 1:Originally, mark Woodson, who produced the show, wanted him to stand behind a podium like most game show hosts. Do you know you stand at your podium and he said no, I like to walk around. Mark Goodson didn't like the idea but you had to admire the way he would talk to the contestants and he'd walk across and talk to the panel of six celebrities. It worked so beautifully but it was not the way it was first envisioned. He made the show his own and got grief in some cases for Mark Goodson who used to leave him memos saying now listen, this is a show with six professional funny people that I'm paying to be funny. We don't need a host to be funny.
Speaker 1:Celebrated his 98th birthday two or three days ago, still in great health. He came through COVID in his 90s and is doing spectacularly at 98. He just comes to mind because Mark Goodson referred to Peter Marshall. Now here's a guy who's straight man to nine celebrities. Peter Marshall on the Hollywood Squares for all those years really never said anything funny. You know, he was just a catalyst and a straight man and kept the game moving forward.
Speaker 1:And Mark Goodson's idea was that Gene Rayburn shouldn't be getting laughs because that's what these professional funny people are for. And of course that idea went right out the window because Gene was hysterical, so he was kind of a bad boy, rascal kind of thing. But oh, he was so smart, so quick and so so funny. And when television started he was among the very first people to move from radio into television and you know, and made himself a home at it. And I'll tell you a sad story about Gene. You know we all get to a certain age when you know you're no longer telegenic or the research among the audience, oh, he's too old, or the viewers won't relate to him because he's at a certain age. Well, gene Rayburn spent his whole life on television, from when the TV camera first blinked on and he was very hurt when they brought the match game back in 1990 and didn't ask him to do it Now.
Speaker 1:Gina and I had the same agent. So the agent called the Goodson people and said well, you don't understand. He's so associated with the show, you want to at least have him on the panel. For goodness sakes. If you don't want him to host, all right, have him on the panel. He's funny, he's quick, he knows this game. It'll be great and people who remember the match game will love to see him again. No, well, let him come on to the first episode. At least hand the tall, skinny microphone to the new host, and that way there'll be some continuity. And you know no. So it really broke his heart and I had closed its front door to his ability to walk in and wave and say hello and feel at home and it really crushed him and there was a lesson for me there.
Speaker 2:Was that based, as you said, how you appear on television? He was advanced age. Was it that just disrespectful? That disrespectful to this man who wanted to be on television? He wanted to do this and yet they disrespected him in my opinion, whereas a guy like Dick Clark God bless Dick Clark, um, you know, who went on to do the rockin New Year's Eve after he'd had a stroke and everything, and I felt bad for him, um, and I even felt worse for anyone who made and poked fun at him, because anyone who did that um should be taking a look at themselves in the mirror. Because in my estimation, I'm kind of kind of getting away from gene for a second, but I don't mean to, because I think gene rayburn is the guy the straw that stirred the drink in match game with him standing behind a podium, would have been not even close to what he did on that show. To made that, because he's the guy that made it a little party, a little half-hour party. Sure, it was a game show, but there was an underlying feeling of a little bit of a party, like a relationship between him and the people that were on there. They knew each other really well.
Speaker 2:Peter Marshall is a guy you brought up, peter Marshall. I'd love to have Peter Marshall on my show. You know Peter Marshall was a guy. He on my show. You know Peter Marshall was a guy he might. He was sitting there Hollywood Squares. He wasn't necessarily trying to be the funny guy, but yet Peter Marshall had a way about him, randy, that what he was very pleasant in the way he handled that show and he could be very funny.
Speaker 2:Just I mean he wasn't really trying to be funny, but he could be very funny.
Speaker 1:He. First of all, he's the classiest guy you would ever want to meet on or off the air, a gentleman, and always seems to have the right thing to say and put people at ease. But he is a very funny guy. He was part of a comedy team Before we knew him as a game show host or a Broadway actor. His beginning of show business was half of a comedy team. He was the straight man actually, so it was sort of like Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. He had a Jerry Lewis type, you know, kind of crazy, and he was a straight man to a guy named Tommy Noonan who was his partner. So there was a lot of comedy in Peter's background.
Speaker 1:But the job, you know, you got all these people with prepared jokes and now you're going to try to top them, or, you know? Just let it be simple. You know, here's your question. They tell the celebrity, tell their joke, you repeat, you laugh and then you repeat the question. The celebrity gives an answer, not a joke, and then the contestant agrees or disagrees. Period, end of story. Rinse, rather repeat. And that's the television show. Because if you spent you know three minutes with any of these players trying to win the square, you know, and out-joking each other and stuff like that, you lose the flow of the game and suddenly the tic-tac-toe element to it goes away and you're lost in a bunch of silliness. And that's frankly why people like Milton Berle wasn't invited back the one week that he did the original Hollywood Squares.
Speaker 2:Milton Berle did the original.
Speaker 1:Hollywood Squares. Well, pretty much everybody, and the show was on for over a dozen years. Well, pretty much everybody, and the show was on for over a dozen years. It was like everybody had a shot there, but some were not invited back because they, you know, like I said, they tell the joke, everybody laughs, give the answer, they disagree or agree, and then it's, you know.
Speaker 1:But milton wants to do, you know, a half an hour, because that's who milton is, and it's funny if you're seeing him in concert or on television. But it didn't work there, you know. So a game show seemed to be very loosey, goosey, whatever happens happens, kind of thing. But really, behind it all there's a great deal of science, you know, and I don't mean it's like brain surgery, you know, but things that work work and things that don't don't, and producers are constantly trying to hone the uh presentation, let's say it should be most pleasing to the audience. Because it's a, it's a battle, you know.
Speaker 1:You think, if you're in a competitive situation in a radio market, you know, you got, you got your morning show and someone else is doing another show and oh my god, you know we're battling for the ratings every time the book comes out. Well, that's true. But in television, just supersize that, because the advertising rates are so high, the production value is so high. Radio guys, we go in a studio, we push a couple of buttons, maybe we have a sidekick, and that's it. So what does that cost to produce? You know? $100? Sure.
Speaker 1:But if you've got a crew of 100 people, you know. And the production value isn't just audio, you know, you've got all this equipment and the studio rental is so much more than a guy with a microphone and two turntables, you know. So the stakes are so high that there's a lot of thought and consideration, because it's big business, you know. And show business is not show business, it's the business of show, if you know what I'm saying, the business part of it. There are great people who are hysterical, wonderfully talented, go on and on and on and on. But it's not about the show, it's about the business. Is it dollars and cents or is it taking, you know, a gain or a loss, profit or a losing proposition?
Speaker 2:Talking with Randy West, legendary announcer in my book. So many, so many shows, so many things you've done. I'm so. I've got so many questions, randy, that I probably won't even get to them. But uh, just, I just kind of want to follow up too. On the Hollywood Squares, you know, when you're Peter Marshall or whoever you're trying to be, even Milton Berle, which, like you said, that doesn't work. It's not, it's not the Milton Berle show, but, um, it's kind of hard to out funny as someone like Paul Lynn. You know, you got the center square, you got Paul Lynn, who is one of the greatest comics of our time. And then here's some of the other memories that I have of that show. Wally Cox was always on that show. Wally Cox was like the voice of Underdog. I remember he was on there and there was a guy and maybe you could tell me, because this has always been a mystery to me. You're gonna ask about charlie weaver. How did you?
Speaker 1:know it was like the bottom left square.
Speaker 2:He was like how did you know I was gonna ask about charlie weaver, my only thing about charlie weaver is that I saw him on the show and there used to be, when I was a little kid, randy, there was like this little, what would you say like a toy, and it was like a bartender thing and I think he kind of wound it up and he looked just like Charlie Weaver. Maybe he was Charlie Weaver, I don't know. But I'm like, who is Charlie Weaver? Who is this?
Speaker 1:dude. Yeah, that's so funny. I'm coughing because he's had me laughing.
Speaker 2:I can't believe. You asked me to say Charlie Weaver. Oh my God.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, you know who is this guy after all. I mean, he's a guy with a funny hat. He goes by a. He's Charlie Weaver, but he's also Cliff Arquette. I mean, which are you? You know he was more of a vaudeville act. You know it predated all of us kids who were watching that show. But he, you know he had a a career before uh hollywood squares, as did rose marie and some, and wally cox and wally was doing underdog, as you say. But he was on a very early television sitcom that, mr peepers and uh was very successful, you know. So some of these folks, their moment had come and gone, the height of their popularity, but they found, uh you, a great chemistry in that, you know square grid, if you will, of nine squares. It was a wonderful show and everyone who worked it had the ball there.
Speaker 1:Rose Marie and I were friends. Before she passed away. There was, incidentally, the person with the longest show business career ever. She was on radio at age three with a baby Rosemary show. She was a radio star at age three. She was in movies at age five and she passed away well into her nineties. And one of the people who produces uh cartoons out here cast her at age 97. I think it was in a oh gosh, what was it in a I'm forgetting the cartoons that he did, but you know one of a series of a character that we know and cast her just to see you know if she still had it. And she did. So she, her career, from age three to something like 97 is the longest career that ever existed.
Speaker 1:But Rose would talk about going in there on a Saturday and they would do their five shows. And, as you said a few minutes ago about the party atmosphere on Match Game, it was true for all these shows, because when you do five a day, well, you break for lunch. Of course. I mean, nobody's going to. You know you've got to have a lunch. Sure, and lunch was catered because they didn't want people leaving the set, leaving the building, going to some restaurant and coming back late. And we could talk about that in a minute, that's another story. So they would cater in these meals and, you know, just keep everybody there. So when the hour is up, the crew needs an hour break or whatever the number of minutes is. You know, let's get back to work. You know people are out at restaurants, the service is slow or whatever you know. So there was always wine at both the Hollywood Squares and Match Game, and you could always tell the Thursday and Friday show from the Monday, tuesday and Wednesday show.
Speaker 2:A little looser, a little looser.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. Brett Summers would be all over the place. He'd be outspoken and carrying on. Absolutely Brett Summers would be all over the place. She'd be outspoken and carrying on. And Paul Lynn would be much looser because he, frankly, was a drinker whether he was taping or not.
Speaker 2:Fanny Flagg trying to start trouble and fights right there. Look at her, fanny Flagg.
Speaker 1:That's right. Rose said these were the finest days of anyone's career because you go in there, you're with friends, there's no, there's no lines to memorize. You know, there's nothing to do, to sit there and be, you know, be charming, and uh, you know I don't mean to ruin anyone's uh uh concept here, but those jokes in hollywood squares were prepared and, uh, you know, delivered by a professional. It all seemed very ad lib and it worked beautifully.
Speaker 2:Which is really remarkable, because it's not easy to do and come off that funny when you already have prepared material that you have to read off of a card. If it comes naturally and spontaneous, it's one thing. So it really takes a gifted person to be able to come off of that card or that line that was created for you and delivered the way they did. And you talked about Rosemarie, my gosh, rose marie from, uh, the dick van dyke show. Right, as most most people remember her from the dick van dyke show. I love how a lot of these people started in radio. You know one thing, one we're talking with randy west, one person I want to talk about that I learned something. This person was one of my all-time favorites and because you you mentioned him, I want to ask you about this guy. But I thought he had a great sense of humor. I think he's still with us.
Speaker 2:There's another guy I'd love to talk to, but Bobby Eubanks. I'm watching the newlywed game. There was something about Bobby Eubanks that my read on him when I was a kid watching this show. I'm just a kid, you know, and we're just kids and we're watching it, you know. But again, just like um, just like with Gene Rayburn, there was underlying feeling and, um, I felt like Bob Eubanks was very I don't know, hip is the right word. If you're using the word hip, you're not hip, but I'm using it anyhow. But he had an underlying coolness and hipness to it, if you will, great sense of humor, and I don't know if this is true, but recently, randy, one thing I heard about Bob Eubanks is that he wasn't just this talk show, I mean this game show host, magnificent as he was, but is it true that he also managed musicians like Dolly Parton, barbara Mandrell, marty Robbins?
Speaker 2:Bob Eubanks is the only person Merle Haggard to have promoted the Beatles concerts for three years that they toured America.
Speaker 1:Right, where can I start with you? You're absolutely right. He was as hip as could be. He was a disc jockey at KRLA Radio top 40. Right, that's amazing. With the ABC executives and he was just hired to come in and run the show and the executives bought the show based on that run through and he said great, where do you meet the host? Chuck Barris says he says well, no, this guy, we want this guy. He said, well, this guy's just a disc jockey, he's never been on television. He's never been on television, you don't want him, you want the guy. He says said no, we want him. And and and and you want to sell the show, we want him. So it turned out that this was his first television gig.
Speaker 1:Bob tells the story that chuck went up to him during the first commercial break of the first episode. He said bob, you're, you've done something. I've never seen another television host ever do watch that. He says you just did six minutes and you didn't blink once. He was like a deer in the headlights. Deer in the headlights Because he'd never been on TV. But you're right, he was hip, he was a disc jockey and he was the youngest game show host ever at that time. So he was as hip as they come and very, very glib and, yes, he came from country music and loved that world and more than anything else, he was a businessman. When concerts were going town to town, they were usually, you know, a promotion company and your city to, you know, so-and-so productions presents, you know, and it would be just one or two bookers who would promote concerts in these various cities and the Beatles were unheard of, unheard of by the establishment people.
Speaker 1:But Bob knew of the Beatles because he was a disc jockey and they were just becoming popular, just breaking. Beatlemania was just about to explode. So when the Beatles became available, none of the two bookers, neither of them, wanted to be like I don't know what to do with that. How popular are they? Have they sold other tickets and other venues? I don't want to take a chance on that. So Bob says yes, I will take the Beatles. And he had a couple of rental properties with a partner, a business partner, and they mortgaged the rental property and put his house up to get the loan to book the Beatles. And he bought the Hollywood Bowl because Brian Epstein said if Brian Epstein said the Beatles told me, if they play Los Angeles if they play, because no one was buying them at the moment. They really want to do the Hollywood Bowl because it's such a famous venue. And Bob said yeah, fine, okay, whatever. Because Bob knew he could fill the place and they did.
Speaker 1:But what Bob didn't know as a first-time promoter he'd never done any of this before was that you just don't buy the group. You have to buy security. You have to buy all manner of things in addition to just putting down money to get the group there. All manner of things in addition to just putting down money to get the group. There is all manner of fees and costs and expenses and percentages. They go to all sorts of layers of people.
Speaker 1:When it all got over, you know, he came in one day ready to do the show, early, I should say, in the morning of the day that the Beatles were going to play the Hollywood Bowl for the first time, and there's all these cops there. He says well, what are you all doing here? Was there a problem? He says no, we're. We're here to be here for the day. He says really. He says yeah, because the Beatles are, you know, potentially going to be a problematic, because the neighbors are concerned because it's a rock and roll group and this is the Hollywood bowl, which is normally classical music. So the neighbors are all upset. So they demanded the police presence and Bob said well, that's interesting, who's paying? You guys, you are. Every word of this is true, every word is true.
Speaker 1:So when Bob got through the first year doing the Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl, he made about $4. I mean, that's his joke, but he made very little in profit. He barely met his expenses, which was not what was anticipated. But he learned what it meant to be a concert promoter. And the next year he had them back at the Bowl and then the year after he had them in another venue in LA. And of course in those dates he made money because he knew what he was up against. But and of course in those dates he made money because he knew what he was up against. But it's fascinating. So then he started managing these country people and he tells the story of being backstage with Dolly Parton, who sang with, who was her partner.
Speaker 2:Oh, gosh, she was not Porter Wagner. No, no, no, yes, porter Wagner. Thank you, yes, yeah.
Speaker 1:Porter Wagner hired Dolly to be part of his act. The two of them worked together and while Porter was on alone on stage, dolly said hey, I know you do, merle Hager, you manage. Merle, will you get me out of this thing with Porter? I'll get killed. She said no, I'm responsible for it, I will leave him, I will tell him I'm gone, I will be responsible for any contractual thing that he and I have, and but I want to come. If I do that, I want to be able to come to you. So he said, if you can clear yourself at Porter and not get me killed for you know, stealing you, so to speak, yeah, I would love to manage you. So that's how that came to be. With that, he managed the Dolly among other great concert acts, and he's a big fan of country music and he's a hell of a guy. He's just done so many things in his life.
Speaker 2:She wanted to get away from Porter Wagner as her manager. I guess Is that what he was doing Well, managing and onstage partner.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean because he kind of owned her, you know, discovered her quote unquote, we're all discovered. My mother discovered me I don't know who gets discovered, you know but in a sense that he had made her a viable act or something, so felt that there should be more loyalty. But she reached the point where she felt that she stagnated. You know, it's not for me to speak about her, you know, but she felt she wanted to go out on her own and Bob said yeah, if you can do it cleanly, where I'm not. The guy that came in and, you know, convinced you to leave, yeah, sure. So he goes back with a lot of these folks and Bob and I are going to be May, the last weekend in May I think it's May 30th and 31st at a thing called Game Show I'm sorry, quiz Show Expo in Burbank, california, you're going to be with Bob Eubanks.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm with him all the time. Yes, I'll be with him again in May, the end of May. Yeah, we see each other often at various different functions and I work with him.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, he's one of my TV.
Speaker 1:I love the guy Well get on a plane and get out here at the end of may to burbank, california, and I will introduce you to all these jabonis jabonis is just the funny word.
Speaker 2:I'll be there. I'll be there, okay. I mean, I don't even know what a jabonis is.
Speaker 1:We're not going to go, we're not going to dinner with all of them, but you know, I was going to introduce you to all these people, sure, sure?
Speaker 2:I'll just ask him to dinner once you grab a pizza or something you know talking about. I'm just going to go a couple of more of, uh, of these hosts. They come to mind when I got into the business, when I got into radio and I've done some tv. I'm just a guy that I prefer radio. I like, I love the flexibility of radio, I like audio. That's just the way I am when I was.
Speaker 2:You know, like anyone else, you have a, you have nerves as you're getting into the business, and there was one person who was I was getting into the business of radio that I looked at and I admired so much because of the their ability to stay so perfectly calm and so natural and wonderful. And to this day I look up to Dick Clark, whether it was American Bandstand, but particularly like if you look at the what was it? The $25,000 pyramid, then it went to like the $100,000 pyramid or whatever, and so I would look at Dick Clark. This man would be over there and and so the contestants would go in the middle circle there and they would be trying to guess what's up on the board on the pyramid and like at the end of it, dick clark would just casually walk up to the couch, the little chair, he'd put his arm up there and he'd he'd just start naming a couple of clues.
Speaker 2:It's just so calm and relaxed. He was never jittery, he was never hyper. He was so calm and so natural that I thought this is the man that I want to. Whether or not I'm scared inside, whether or not I have the nerves I want to treat because I'm sure he does, even though he's been doing it a long time, I'm sure they're still there at times I want to. I want to be like this gentleman and try to handle myself the way that he, that Dick Clark, did.
Speaker 1:He was so perfect in so many ways when that camera ran. How could I begin to start? First of all, he understood that white bread is the best selling bread in the world. It's not pumpernickel and rye and the sourdough white bread. And if you get the analogy I'm making for you here, it's. It's not about being wild and crazy and an interesting character, necessarily. He was white bread. He was plain, always reliable and down the middle. You didn't never knew his politics. You never saw him try to be hysterically funny. You never saw. You know, it was just.
Speaker 1:He knew how to be a constant and a warm, friendly person and he could walk. How can I say this? You know you're looking into a camera. It's a lot of cold stainless steel equipment and wires and lights and people standing around. But when he looked at you at home it went right through all of that mechanism, no-transcript. You know you felt like he was talking directly to you and that's, as you know as a radio person, a true art. And within television it's even tougher because there's all this other stuff going on. He had that one-to-one thing beautifully. He was calm. He never got as you say, never got rumbled and shuffled. You never heard him stammering and stuttering and he had the most amazing thing, which is a clock in his head. He had the most amazing thing, which is a clock in his head.
Speaker 1:Now, between episodes or at the end of a tape day of shows, a host will often be doing promos for the stations that carry the show. If you're on a network or syndicated to many individual stations, you will often hear these things. Hi, this is Dick Clark. Join me tonight on Channel 6 after the 5 o'clock news, and we'll be playing the Pyramid. It's not fun without you, so join us here on channel 29. You know, you've heard those kinds of things, absolutely.
Speaker 1:He would be able to mill those out. He knew what 10 seconds felt like without a clock, nobody counting with their fingers for him, which is most people use. You know he would just stand there and tick talk in the back of head and everything came out in nine and a half seconds. It was just never long and if it was short he'd just sit there for that extra beat, that little heartbeat, he'd just be smiling. So it was just beautiful and he could go through these things. They would hold up cards. I mean, nobody has all this in their head, so it was written on cards. But occasionally he would say that's not KCAL, they call it KCAL, let's do it as KCAL. Put a hyphen between the K and the C-A-L. Oh, okay, how did he know that? Or sometimes it would be like after the 5 o'clock news he would add after the 5 o'clock news with Jim Hart of 5 o'clock news with Jim Hart. Huh, what, how?
Speaker 2:do you know? Wow, wow. He gave me that personal touch. He did his homework. Kcal News KCAL, let's not go K-C-A-L, it's not K-C-A-L, it's KCAL, let's do it the way. I mean. That is just attention to detail, brilliant.
Speaker 1:He produced a lot of the show not Pyramid, but he produced most of the other things he appeared on. That's why he appeared on the New Year's Eve thing after his stroke, because it was his decision. He owned the show. He created it and owned it and sold it and ran it. So that was his decision and he took heat for that because some people thought it was I don't know uncomfortable of other people to walk around spend their whole lives having after having a stroke. So you know this is part of our culture and society. So I pass no judgment. But you know it was. He was there because it was his decision. If gene rayburn got too old, he was gone because he didn't own the show right. You know it's a different kind of a different, different element there. But yes, dick Clark was masterful Now off air he was not necessarily the same guy you saw on camera.
Speaker 1:I can attest to that because I worked with him and he was multitasking. He was often got 17 things going on in his head and trying to balance everything because he produced these shows. He's responsible for payroll and deadlines and all the things that a producer is responsible for. So he would approach things differently when the camera was off, because he's looking at this, he's looking at that, and I used to do the audience warm up. Hi everybody, how y'all doing, ready to have a good time today? Oh, we got a big show for you. You know, you welcome the people in to get them all cheered up and excited, and that was my job on a Dick Clark show. And, uh, you know, some days he didn't like something I said, cause he was the production, he was the guy, you know, uh, so I would get a word afterwards.
Speaker 1:Now, you know, randy, when you said that, uh, dick wasn't very high, oh, okay, cause he's not just a talent, he's, he's a boss also. So he was responsible for a lot of stuff. So when the camera was off, you know, his mind was taken away as the owner of the company, so to speak. You know, and uh, what, what you saw on camera?
Speaker 1:He was flawless and seamless in his ability to be charming and warm, and he did one other thing other than those promos that impressed the hell out of everybody, which is he's the only person ever in the history of game shows to be able to do 10 episodes in a day. He did 10 pyramids in a day. Then, as was Saturday, he came back and did five on Sunday. He would have done 10, but he had to catch an early plane to go back East. So 10 on Saturday, five on Sunday, the plane, and he was gone for a few weeks and then he'd come back and repeat that and you could watch those pyramid shows and nobody can tell you whether it's show one in the morning or show 10. After a long 10-hour day he's still as fresh as out of all of them. It's amazing, wow, it's funny. Consummate broadcaster.
Speaker 2:It's really interesting behind the scenes, the way you imagine things and you know, because of his persona, we see the persona that he's always going to be calm and cool and collective, but yet he's a boss and you know, there's certain things that are very surprising because, you're right, I've never noticed a difference in any of the shows. They all seem, like you say, fresh and new, and it's remarkable. That is a hard work ethic in terms of being able to do it a couple of days and then, of course, taking some time to go do whatever else you're doing. But just because you're not on the show doesn't mean you're. Of course you're still running things and you know you're still working the business. Can I want to? Um, I want to also bring up chuck woolery, you know. Just going back to the newlywed game, the thing that always cracked me up, brandy, is at the end they'd go couple. Number two you are our winners and they would go.
Speaker 2:You're getting a brand. It was cracking me up because they'd go a brand new, all new, and I'm like, well, of course it's new, they're not going to get our used refrigerator here. What are you going to do? Used refrigerator here. What are you going to?
Speaker 1:do Go. Number two you received a used refrigerator.
Speaker 2:We plucked off the green badges after the penny saver. It's always brand new.
Speaker 1:Well, the other cool thing about it. I know I'm interrupting you, but I just got to tell you this. If you remember the line, it was like a grand prize selected especially for you. Do you remember that line? I asked Bob so these people want a trip, these people want a refrigerator. How do you know who's going to win? Because it's a prize selected especially for them. You know what are you? Are you changing the prize? He's no, you idiot. You would get four people that want to wash her and dry her and put them on the same show.
Speaker 2:All right, see, okay, that's so funny because I always wondered that. Here's what I always in fact I've said this a number of times, like when they I. It's so funny you brought this up because I always thought that like somehow they had, oh, this is, I am so ignorant. Okay, ignorance is bliss, as they say. I'm figuring they got like four little things on our track or something and when they go, and the long opening line of couple numbers this especially for you gave them time to push you know the recliner out in front from Dunhill and move the washer dryer in the back. It's so funny, oh my God.
Speaker 1:We put four people to want the same. They want a living room set, they want a sofa. All right, we give four people a living room set, you know, this one wants a sofa, that one wants a massage chair. All right, they all want a living room, you know. So they could just group it together and that was it. I mean, how many things are there, his appliances, furniture or a trip Name anything? I mean, they're not giving away cars at that show, so that's it. It was pretty easy to do, but it was so funny. Grand prize was selected especially for you. Oh, wow.
Speaker 2:That's wonderful. Hey, I'm going to ask you a couple more guys, if you don't mind. I'm just having so fun. You know, talking to Randy West. Randy, I just I love tell, and you know, if you're listening right now which I definitely appreciate, everyone who's listening but, randy, you should tell us also about your website, because you've got a great website. You know you're doing all kinds of really cool stuff. Tell us some of the things that you're up to right now before I move on to a couple of other people I'd like to ask you about.
Speaker 1:Well, the biggest thing that's going on for me now is Johnny Olson was the mentor to brought me into the business and he left a lot of notes that I inherited because I was his mentee I guess is the word and I wrote a book about Johnny Olson and it sold and it's been quite a success for people who were interested in how game shows came to be, because Johnny was there at the birth of television and worked all these great game shows. Price is Right. What's my Line? To Tell the Truth, I've Got a Seeker. Go on and on and on. He did all those.
Speaker 1:I wrote this book and the next thing I know is the publisher calls me. It says write another book. And I'm like I'm not a writer. He says, yes, you are.
Speaker 1:So I am currently having tremendous success with a book called TV Inside Out Flukes, flakes, feuds, felonies. So this is a 500 page book that is the culmination of decades that I've spent in this business, with the stories that we're telling here and a few more that are a little more risque. Let us say you know of people that you're talking about here and others who are very well-known stars, who have been in our living rooms, and these are the backstage stories that nobody has ever talked about and they are even more fascinating than the stuff I'm giving you here now, because this is a rated G audience and it's not meaning that I'm telling people. You know the sexual exploits, but this stuff that I'm telling people, you know the sexual exploits, but this stuff that goes on, that's, you know, a little more controversial and that's within this book flukes, flakes, huge felonies, and the book is called TV inside out. Tremendously successful for me there as a surprise, because I don't consider myself a writer, but it's unbelievable.
Speaker 1:It's selling like crazy, you know, like four and three-quarter stars or whatever, on Amazon, and the bottom line on this is if you get it from me, I can inscribe it to you. Oh nice, I can send it to you. You know, or thanks for listening, or thanks for watching, or hey, I know you're a big fan, so am I. Best of luck, have a good life. Whatever you want, said Fed Randy West, I can send it to you.
Speaker 1:It's been a thrill for a lot of people. It's a perfect gift, not just for other people on their birthdays Folks who love TV, you get this book, you freak out but even for themselves I'm a TV fan and this book has stories that I will never hear anywhere else. This is the great gift for myself, in addition to other folks who love TV. So that's the big pitch. It's available at TVRandyWestcom TVRandyWest one word, tvrandywestcom and the book is TV Inside Out.
Speaker 1:And there you go, and that's the most significant thing I'm doing now. I mean, I still do voices for television and radio commercials and imaging and all that stuff, but to me this is a thrill because it's a whole new world for me and more people are fascinated by what goes on behind the scenes in television than anything else in the world, it seems. You know, our conversation today is full of things like oh wow, I never knew that. And most people have that same thirst, that same thirst for the backstage stories. So that's TV Inside Out and that's what I'm very, very proud of at the moment. Thank you for asking.
Speaker 2:Are you enjoying being a writer?
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, it's like. I was with a professional writer last night at an event and I said he said when are you writing the next book? I said, said when you're writing the next book? I said, oh god, the next book? I said it's like giving a birth. It's like giving birth. It's like it's it's you know because I? I said I'm not a writer. She says, yes, you are. I've read your book. It's fantastic. I said, but you're a real writer.
Speaker 1:He's wrote uh, six million dollar man and love, bow down. Lots of television, lots and lots of television. He says you know what it's like giving birth to me too. And he also said something it's like cleaning up after your dog. Your hands smell at the end of it. You don't want to. You see it. You look at it in the, you look at it in the carpet in the living room and you don't want to clean it up. He says that's how I feel sometimes, going to the computer to write. I says you too, you've been doing it for half a century, this older guy who's been writing all this great TV. He says, yes, nobody likes to write.
Speaker 1:So yeah, it's like giving birth to me, because you know you're squeezing out the words and trying to get them the way you want it to sound. You know it's like a jigsaw putting a sentence or a paragraph together. Sort of like a jigsaw puzzle in two ways. One you want it to be fun for the reader. You want it to be revelatory. When they get to the kicker part of the story, oh wow. You want an oh wow at the end.
Speaker 1:So the way you arrange the sentences and the words are significant and it's a jigsaw puzzle. So you're not supposed to know that as a reader. It flows so gently and easily and calmly, like we're talking about a good professional on camera or on radio. It just seems to flow effortlessly. But in reality, putting words together in a way that really reaches somebody and has them go, oh wow, I want to read that paragraph again. Wow, did I hear that right? You know it's an art and I'm new at it, but when I'm looking at the end of the second chapter I'm like damn, that's good, I impressed myself.
Speaker 1:So, it's it's. It's a new experience for me, but apparently it's appreciated by a lot of readers, so I'll leave it at that. Tv Inside Out at TV Randy West dot com.
Speaker 2:So, not to steal anything from the book, I'm going to lead into this by saying if you can, no pressure. If you don't, that's fine, I get it. Give me an oh wow about one of my favorite guys to do a, and I don't even know what you call it, because it really isn't a game show, it isn't a talk show, it isn't a variety show. It isn't a talk show. It isn't a variety show, it's a matchmaking show. We'll be back in two and two. Chuck Woolery, oh wow.
Speaker 1:Chuck Woolery. I worked with Chuck on several shows. He had a talk show for 13 weeks, 65 episodes. It didn't really go so well as far as ratings, but he was fun to work with. We also did the Price is Right live together. Now, when I did the Price is Right in 2003, 2004, like that, they started a live traveling version of the Price is Right. We played Vegas, atlantic City, and they're still going now today, 20-plus years later, and Chuck came on the road with us to, you know, host a week or two, because the hosts come in and out, you know when we've had a lot of big names doing it.
Speaker 1:So Chuck and I got really, really friendly. You know he's a sweet, open, warm guy. He'll tell you about his family, he'll tell you about his marriages, he'll tell you about his kids. He'll tell you about everything. Then he starts telling you about his politics and that's when you want to shut up. He's very opinionated. I'm not going to go either way. You and I are not having a political talk, but he's very fervent in his belief in politics and how the country should be run. So he's not the totally gentle, easygoing guy that we see. He is very opinionated and has his ideas of a lot of different things, you know, on issues like, you know, women's rights and you know go down the whole list of public political things. But if you're not talking about that, he is such a charmer and so open and so generous and you know what you see is what you get. He's just marvelous.
Speaker 1:And the greatest skill Chuck has, first of all, he's very empathetic. I mean, you get along with him so well. He feels you know, he knows what it is you're doing in your job and he respects that. You know what I mean. We talk about these hosts and, wow, you know, dick Clark is so good at that and Gene Rayburn's so good at that and Chuck Willery's so good at what he does. But he also looks back the other direction and says, randy, you know the way you did. That was interesting. I don't think I could have done that. You know different things. So that's very warm and wonderful to work with somebody who appreciates you know what someone else is doing, even though he's the star, so to speak. He appreciates those who are contributing, which is wonderful. But oh gosh, you know he's just such an open book. But on the other hand also he's a naive country boy.
Speaker 1:You know he came to television as a singer. He was growing up in you know country music area there, memphis and Nashville, and he had a guitar and he was looking to get into show business as a singer. He came to Los Angeles and it was Jonathan Winters comedian Jonathan Winters who first saw him perform at a party. Chuck was on the party circuit because he's such an easygoing, warm, wonderful guy as I was saying a moment ago so open and friendly and easy to talk with, so he was invited to a whole bunch of Hollywood parties. Jonathan Winters saw him at a party. He said you know he was playing guitar, that's another reason to invite him because you know it's entertainment. And Winters said I'll get John Merv Griffin because you're that good, you're that good, you're so funny, you're great. So put him on Merv Griffin.
Speaker 1:And the next thing you know Merv is calling him to run through a game show that he's developing where you solve word puzzles and buy prizes, and it was called Shopper's Bazaar. Shopper's Bazaar that was the original name of Wheel of Fortune. And Chuck did the run throughs when they were still honing the format of the show. And Chuck did the run-throughs when they were still honing the format of the show. And Chuck said you know, merv, I think I could do this on air. And Merv said yeah, I think so too. And that's how Chuck got his first television game show. It was Wheel of Fortune at its birth, which is now well 50 years ago, and you know, he was great and kept with the show for a long time.
Speaker 1:But you know, underneath it all, as skillful and as warm and wonderful as he is, his two great talents are his ability to laugh at himself he's not the brightest light bulb in the store and he will often in a format go is it your turn now? I'm so confused and his ability to make fun of himself. And you know, I don't know how I got this job, I'm so confused. You know he would be able to put himself down and that's something so wonderful about somebody who doesn't take themselves so seriously and he's marvelous. That's his great skill. And the other thing is well, this is the kind of thing that's in the book, the stories that don't get told, and I'll share with you here, since you're talking about Chuck.
Speaker 1:Chuck felt one day that when Wheel of Fortune had become so manically profitable and successful and high-rated, he was doing an NBC show and thank God we had the number one show in the time period, blah, blah, blah. And he found out what people like Dick Dawson, richard Dawson, was making over a family feud. And he found out what Bob Barker was making at Price is Right. And he went to Merv Griffin, his boss, and demanded a raise. So Merv gave him a few bucks. And then he's at a party with NBC executives and he starts to talk about his salary.
Speaker 1:Now, you don't do that, okay, but Chuck is just an open, open guy. So he says you know, I know that Dawson's making this and Barker's making that and I'm only making this. And I brought it up to Merv and Merv gave me this much more. But it really isn't parody. It isn't, you know, equal to what these guys are making. So these NBC executives.
Speaker 1:Here's the guy who's hosting the big, big-ass show and he's talking about money. So the network says well, we'll give you more money. You know, what are you going to do? Piss the guy off. You know he's bothering to talk about it. You must figure it's bothering him, you know. So, yeah, well, no problem at all, we'll get you more money. So Merv finds out that Chuck went behind his back. In Merv's opinion, it's behind his back. See, chuck is just a simple guy. He's just talking at a party to the guys you know, hey, no big deal. But to Merv is a businessman. So wait a minute, wait. You took our private money concerns and brought it to the network.
Speaker 1:Let me tell you something. If there's something to be said to the network, I'm the one that talks to the network. I sold the show to the network. This is my show, and you don don't own it, you don't have a piece of it and you don't get to talk to the network. I sold it. If there's more money to be had from this network, you know who should get it Me. And if I want to send some of it to you, great. And if not, that's good too. That's my choice. How dare you go around me?
Speaker 1:And the two of them got into a fight about it and Chuck Woolery was fired because he refused to say I'm sorry or, let me put it this way, didn't see how he was at fault. Let's put it that way To Merv, and you can understand both sides of this To Merv wait a minute. You went to the buyer of the show. Who's paying? I'm the one who negotiates that fee and I'm the one who should benefit from the higher rating, and that's my position. You don't go talking to the network, especially since the network's afraid of the whole. Oh my God, is he going to walk? You know you don't play hardball, so yeah. So if there's more money to be, who the hell are you to be taking more money? And the other side, of course, is equally understandable. Well, you know, I'm the guy doing that and I'm concerned. And Merv gave me more money. I'm just talking, we're having a drink at a party and I'm making small talk. So there's two ways to look at that and neither of them looked at it the other ways, the other guy's way. You know what I mean. And that was the falling down.
Speaker 1:And that's where Chuck lost Wheel of Fortune and then enter Pat Sajak. Pat Sajak was a local weatherman and NBC didn't want to hire him because he's quote unquote a local act. He was in LA only and NBC said no, if you want to get rid of Chuck, that's your prerogative, but we want to have approval of the host and we don't approve of uh, of a passage act. Who the hell was past? A Jack? And Merv said because he had this number one massive hit show. He says well, I know who he is, and the folks at CBS and ABC know who he is. So if you want to have Wheel of Fortune, this is who's going to be hosting it, and if you don't want to have that, that's fine. That's your prerogative. You run the network. So he threatened basically about taking the show elsewhere, and that's how Pat Sajak got his job. And Pat Sajak, on Friday, three days from now, is taping his last of 41 years of Wheel of Fortune and I'll be there on Friday for the goodbye party.
Speaker 2:You're going to be there for 41 years, so he's going away.
Speaker 1:Yeah, final show.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 1:He's retiring. He wanted to retire earlier, frankly, but they kept backing up the money truck to his home. But now he's done and done and done. I mean after 41 years it's enough. So the Friday's his last taping of his last show. It'll run sometime in the day.
Speaker 2:Is that the longest tenure for a game show host? You think 41 years?
Speaker 1:Sure is, it has to be Because Barker had only 35 on the Price is Right. So yeah, this is the longest tenure for a single host.
Speaker 2:Hey, we're talking with Randy West, great, legendary announcer, all of this. I'm loving the stories. I just before we get to Bob Barker, because I know you worked with him and I really want to talk about him for a couple of minutes here as well. You know what just came to mind Because, let me, oh God, I had another question I was going to bring up, but you just reminded me of this and you might have looked up to this guy. Maybe you knew him, maybe you didn't look up to him, maybe you didn't know him, whatever. But you know, I'm thinking about the show Jeopardy. Okay, alex Trebek, but I'm thinking about when I was a kid.
Speaker 2:Jeopardy used to be Art Fleming was the host, art Fleming. Art Fleming was the host, art Fleming, art Fleming, and you're doing Don Pardo, because Don Pardo is one of the great announcers. He went from Jeopardy this is in my mind. He goes from Jeopardy and, like you said, art Fleming, and the next thing you know he's on NBC Saturday night when that show first came out, and then now he's a household name. And what about Don Pardo and Jeopardy and all that stuff?
Speaker 1:Don Pardo was a staff announcer. He was employed full-time by NBC and they would send him whatever they needed doing. Do a commercial here, go do that show there, sit in the newsroom and read this. You know that was what the staff announcer did. When you're on salary, do a station break. This is NBC. That's all you said. And then you had 28 and a half minutes to do nothing.
Speaker 2:You know what a job, what a wonderful job yeah, it doesn't exist anymore, that's for sure.
Speaker 1:But when they started to phase that out, don was one of the handful of people who got a lifetime contract, meaning, through the networks you're able to fire this large staff of people, but you're going to have to keep a few people who have seniority than that where the union said so yes, ok, the times are changing, we'll allow you to not have staff announcers everywhere all time, 24-7. But these guys with seniority need to stay until they die or retire. And that was how it was. So Don was one of a handful of people and his wife wanted him to leave at one point because Mark Goodson offered him a lot of money to go to ABC. He said he and his wife didn't agree on that for the longest time. His wife thought he should go where the bigger money was. But in reality he stayed because he knew he could be there for life. And it turned out he was right because he got sent to Saturday Night Live and suddenly he's a star and everyone knows his name now.
Speaker 1:But when he was doing Jeopardy, it was just another of a bunch of game shows that he was announcing that came and went over time. He would do his little audience warm-up thing. Hi, I'd like you all for coming. That sign over there that says applesauce, no, it says applause. We're going to have a good time. Today when I introduced Art Fleming, everybody a big applause. It was kind of that style of talking. It's the kind of way he was. It was a kind of formal throwback to a different era. Now, as we're in the studio, today's contestants, mrs and Mrs Pat Walls from Cleveland Ohio. These three people will compete for cash prizes today on Jeopardy. And here's the star of Jeopardy, art Levin. You know he had this big boisterous delivery.
Speaker 2:Gosh, I just went on a trip back to 1970. Wow.
Speaker 1:Well for the younger people in the audience. For the younger people in the audience, saturday Night Live musical guest Sheryl Crow, and they're not ready for primetime players. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Oh man, you're so good, randy, you are so good man. I'm telling you you do a great Don Pardo. I love that. You know it's funny because, don Pardo, you say it's that old-fashioned kind of a style but yet, for whatever reason, that old-fashioned style was so perfect. I mean, you know, you have the old-fashioned like. You know football, I'm the gridiron, you know those old times.
Speaker 2:But Don Pardo was somewhere in the middle and his voice could be used A for Jeopardy, which you took him seriously. But also there was a sense of humor in his voice and I even remember him. Boy, you did a great SNL right there. Well, nbc Saturday, Saturday night. I still like to call when. It was actually funny in my opinion, but you did a great there. But I, I really honestly remember him as you did that Jeopardy. That just really really brought me back. How about a guy that many people maybe, if they're not outside of a certain, if you're outside of a certain market, maybe you don't know this person, but I'm going to ask you about him anyway, because if it weren't for this man, randy, who happens to be a very good friend of both of ours, as I understand it, maybe you'll tell me no, he's not. Please don't ever call that guy my friend. Again, tony Cox introduced us. Tony Cox, who was a longtime radio guy, you know Sacramento radio guy, went to Chicago, was on KRY the station. How do you know, tony, what's your?
Speaker 1:relationship with Tony. You know we're just acquaintances, we're, you know, pals, because it's one small business, as you know, we all go from station to station to station in the radio days and you end up meeting or working with somebody that you know you later find is over there. Or, if you didn't work with them, your best buddy now worked with them when they were at KROI or whatever. So it's a small little community and some folks you don't even meet you know of and then you end up talking on the phone with them. You may remember Big Ron O'Brien.
Speaker 1:Big Ron O'Brien was one of the great jocks of, let's say, the 80s and 90s, I think. I think that was his heyday worked every frigging major radio station Americans, you know CFL, wrko, uh, uh, out here, uh, kiss FM, and I started naming major call letters. The guy was everywhere. Well, he was just the sweetest guy. Before I ever met him we used to just talk on the radio. I'd be on the air and he'd be on the air and we'd have an open telephone. Yeah, radio, I'd be on the air and he'd be on the air and we'd have an open telephone yeah hold on a minute, I gotta do this record, and you know.
Speaker 1:And then you pick up the phone again. Hey, how you doing all right, it's off for a couple of minutes and his record is ending and it's like a yeah, hold on, randy, and he come back on the phone. I've been there.
Speaker 2:That's so great man. A radio guy would know that. You know, a radio guy knows that situation very well. I'm going to ask you about Bob Barker you worked with for a long time but you know, who I'm going to ask you about.
Speaker 2:first. I'm going to ask you about Randy West. Randy West, you talk about all of these people. You're such a good storyteller. You bring all these great details and all these. I just love listening to you talk about Randy West. What about this guy? What about this guy who grew up and and in this, like I always say, people who are living their dream? I mean, some people are doing that and you are doing that. You started out radio and then tell us about you and I just want to know about you for a minute here, randy I knew what I wanted to do with my life from age three, although I didn't dare to dream about it.
Speaker 1:I was watching a, an nbc broadcast of mary martin in peter pan. It was a big popular live broadcast way back in the day and I was maybe three years old. And peter pan, you know flies. I'm flying, look at me. And they, you know all that. And the show ended, they rolled the credits and I jumped off the chair and tried to fly. It seems so real to me. And that box in the living room, that TV with the screen and the glass. Everybody on the other side of the glass was happy. Now think about it. Jugglers, singers, dancers, comedians, game show hosts everybody's happy. Kids don't watch soaps, you know. So everybody's freaking happy. And I want to be in that happy land. And what's behind that glass? Even as an infant, I want to be in there. That's a great place. Wait a minute. There is a place behind the glass and it's the studio where they shoot these things and it's a subway ride away.
Speaker 1:I grew up in New York. I get from 20 to 15 cents. I get on the subway, I can go down and watch these shows. They're hungry for audience, you know people work it all day long. You know who the hell is going to watch, who's going to sit in the audience.
Speaker 1:I could go down there anytime and this guy, johnny Olsen, used to do this great warm-up. You know people would sit in there. They'd be standing in line for an hour to get in and he'd come out and start telling jokes Dirty car wheels Now, excuse me, he'd be hysterical. So funny. Bottom line is he encouraged me. You know I'd watch him while he's reading his copy and I must have been drooling or something, because there was just something wonderful about him. And I would sit there and come back the next week or a few days later and see him again. So he'd give me his old copy, go home and read this into a microphone and bring me the tape. I brought him some tapes. I don't think he ever listened, it doesn't matter. He encouraged me. He had no kids of his own and he was like, yeah, you could do this. Now I'm 14, I'm 14, I'm 16, I'm still coming back at 18. I'm in college now and he says go to find a college radio station. Every college has one. Go get yourself on the air at the college radio station. That's how you do what you know, lay the foundation for what it is I do here and you can do it. I did it, everybody's done it. You start in radio. So he made it seem like it was an accessible thing for me and, lo and behold, I watched him do his warmup.
Speaker 1:Now he came in 1972 from New York to Los Angeles to announce the prices. Right, I didn't come to Los Angeles in radio. You know, you work this city, you work that city, you go wherever the job is. But I eventually got a job in LA, on the radio in Los Angeles, the place where Johnny Olsen's been for seven years. So I go down to CBS to say hi, remember me. And he remembered me. Oh, wow. So now we're going to lunch.
Speaker 1:This famous announcer who's had a tremendous career. Long before game shows, he was a major star in radio. Seriously, he was a big name just before we knew of him. He had a whole life. So we're going to lunch and he's telling me yeah, you remember when I do that and I say this. Well, you know, that's why I'm doing it.
Speaker 1:See, I call the people in the audience cousin, here's cousin, bob, where are you from, cousin? I call them that because I want them to feel like they're all family, so subtle, silly things like that. But it worked for him and he would tell me why he says what he says and and how to take a bunch of strangers and make them feel like a family. If you go to a movie theater and you're seeing a funny movie, you may be with somebody and you go ha ha ha, you see that that's great and you don't want to talk too loud because people are in the theater, right. But if you watch that same movie at home with your friends and family, you'll go ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha ha, each other on the back, okay.
Speaker 1:So when you're with people you feel comfortable with, you react differently and the idea for an audience warm-up is to get the audience to be exuberant, laughing, applauding, happy, so he makes these strangers feel like family and that breaks down the inhibitions. So that's like you know, one minute of hours and hours and hours of stuff. He told me, okay, one minute of hours, hours and hours and hours of stuff. He told me, okay. So I never did, I never said anything. He said because by the time I got the chance to do this, it was, you know many years later, so I never said what he said, but I understood what made it work, if you follow me.
Speaker 1:So I got to doing warmup. I was pretty good at it, not because I'm particularly talented or anything, but I understood the job and how to wrangle a bunch of people you know like like you're a cowboy and a bunch of livestock you know you're hurting over here, you're hurting over there, getting them to applaud when you want them to and getting bottom lines to have them like you and feel a connection with you and um and with the people they're with. So it came easily for me. The announcing on these shows. I was a disc jockey. I mean, I know how to do that stuff and you do too. So I was able to put the two talents together and had a tremendous career that opened doors for me and the highlight of it was when I got to stand where Johnny Olsen stood years earlier so he's dead in 1985.
Speaker 1:And in 2003, many years later, I finally worked myself into a position where I apply for a job at the price is right, when a guy named rod roddy was ill and passing away and I filled in for rod and um. I mean I'll never forget it, the reason of the show roger dalkin, which says send me a tape. Now you know from radio send me a tape is the great. You know from radio, send me a tape is the great you know, BS answer of all yeah, it sure is.
Speaker 2:Goes in the bottom drawer of their desk. They don't even listen to the thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly. So when he said to me, send me a tape, I was like, oh, I'd be happy to, and I'm like, does he really want me to send him a tape? So at the end of the day, so I saw him, we discussed, we talked, send me a tape. And then I stayed and watched the show, because I'm there anyway, at the end of the day the show's over. It's been hours since he told me send me a tape and I say, hey, thank you, roger. Great talk, we could see him today. Thanks for having me. I don't forget to send me that tape Now, wait a minute. The guy said it a second time Geez, I better make, we'll make a tape. I send it down there.
Speaker 1:And four or five days later I get a phone call Hi, this is Roger Duff. Which is the price is right, oh Jesus, wow, right. He says you know, bob, and I were listening to your tape and I want you to know that I'm in my mind. I'm going Bob, I need anyone named Bob. Who's Bob? Who's this guy Bobby's talking about? And I'm like Bob, bob, and he's still talking, you know, and I'm trying to catch up with him. You know Bob, bob, and I go Bob Barker. He must be talking about Bob Barker and I tuned back into the conversation. You know he's been talking. Hey, bob, and I listened to your tape and we were very impressed with this. I don't know what the hell he said, but the next thing I know he's saying we want you to come down and do a week. I was like Jesus Christ, it's a tryout. You're not going to do the. It's a tryout and I don't want to give you a day because that's not fair to anybody. So come in and do five shows and we'll talk about what's going to be. You're not going to embarrass me. I've heard you do. You've got all these other shows in your resume. It's obviously not going to be embarrassing, but we'll see if you're the right guy for it, how you get along with Parker and how you get along with everybody here.
Speaker 1:So I go down there and I'm on a tryout and I want this gig. So I do the first show. I'm out there doing the audience warm up the way Johnny Olsen taught me. Now they've been working with Johnny down there for 13 years, saying they know his act and how he works and what he does. So I go out there not knowing anything about them. I just go down and do what Johnny taught me to do, right, that's what got me to where I am now. So I'm doing my thing and I turn around, over my shoulder I have 22 minutes.
Speaker 1:Barker starts the show at the top of the hour like you know, the minute and second hand and hit the 12. He steps out, you know. So I've got 22 minutes that time. You understand that to get to the top of the hour. So I'm talking with the audience. I'm down there doing a little dance with the people and doing the stuff that I do. I turn around and there's Roger Dalkovich looking at me from the stage. Oh, that's good. He's watching me. That's great. I want the job. He's evaluating me Great. I talk and do a little more, tell him my stuff, and I turn around and there's two people with him. Oh, that's interesting.
Speaker 1:I'm now 15 minutes into 22 and there's six, seven people standing with him. They're all looking at me and I'm like, holy Jesus, what did I say? Because when you're doing 22 minutes of warm up with strangers, you're talking extemporaneously, you're ad-libbing, like I'm doing with you now. You're just saying what comes to mind. That seems to make sense for the moment. Now we all have our loose lips.
Speaker 1:What might I have said four minutes ago that might've been considered inappropriate? I don't know. You know you're just going by your wits. What might I have said? It's wrong, cause they're all looking at me and I went up to nine people looking at me and I want to stop. I want to stop everything, to go over to say what the hell is going on here. But of course I can.
Speaker 1:I've got an audience and the stage manager says one minute and I start to slowly work my over to the microphone. You know, and I'm still talking and coming down to 30, I'm getting a hand cue and now it's time to slate the show. This is prices right. Show number eight four one three. D tape date you know, october 12, 19 whatever the hell, it is the end of 2026 and take one the air date to be announced.
Speaker 1:Now there's 15 seconds of roll. Now, if I just shut up at that point, the audience will shut up at that point and we'll come to the show with dead silence. So there's 15 seconds that need to be filled there. So I'm still doing stuff the way Johnny taught me Just keep talking to the audience, don't let them get cold. You've worked so hard for 22 minutes, pump them up, don't let it go for 22 minutes. I'll pump them up, don't let it go, you know.
Speaker 1:So I'm like hey, you're all looking good. Now I want you to be excited when Bob comes out here. You know you have kittens, baby I. This is the big moment for us. I want you to look good on camera. Now we're down to about 11, 10 seconds. Fix your hair, adjust your eyebrows, ladies, make that adjustment. You know guys, leave that thing alone, but put it where it needs to be now. Six, five, lick your lips. Four, lick your own lips, sir. Three, two. Here. It comes from the Bob Parker Studio and you're right into the show at the top. The audience is wild because you just had them laughing. They're all excited and that's the way you want to start a show, with the people at their best. And the way to do that is the back time you're at, so you go out on the joke when the second hand hits. One second to go.
Speaker 1:So I'm now so self-conscious in the back of my mind I'm reading all this. You know the announcer on the Price is Right does more talking than the host because all these prize descriptions. It's a big back book every day. That's true, every day, that's true. You've got more of that show than Barker does and he respects that. He knows that Barker's no idiot.
Speaker 1:And so now, it's now going to hour and 20 minutes since these people have been looking at me. All right, go back to that mindset. Now I'm working and I'm being evaluated. Do I have this job or not? And all these people are staring at me, so I go at the end of the show. These people are staring at me, so I go at the end of the show. Thank you all for coming to the audio. Go home straight, I mean, go straight home, and thanks for being here, you know. And I go over to Roger Doppler and say, roger, this was the thrill of a lifetime for me and it was. I'm working with Bob Barker doing the show. I always you know magic, it's magic. Everyone loves the show. This was the moment of my life and career, thank you.
Speaker 1:But I must ask you, everybody was looking at me and I don't know what I might've said or if I owe you an apology. I mean, I was a little nervous and uncertain and perhaps he's. No, no, don't make any excuses. He said you don't understand. We were all up here looking at you and we said to each other you know what he's channeling, johnny, he's channeling Johnny. I almost cried. You get it. You get it.
Speaker 1:I mean, they were just amazed. I said what do you mean? He says well, the whole thing you did was the way Johnny did it. Nothing that he said. But you know, rod Roddy used to do the show from up on the stage and you went down in to the pit and and was with the audience members and when you did this, it reminded us of that and you were channeling Johnny. This was the most amazing thing we'd ever seen. And I said, well, I didn't copy it, just Johnny explained to me what he's. I get it, I get it. You know, you've studied under him, we knew that and, yes, it shows. And it was wonderful to have that energy and that style and that mindset back here again. And they hired you.
Speaker 2:You'll be back tomorrow.
Speaker 1:Oh, I finished the week, yeah, right, but pretty much so. I mean I was locked in at that point.
Speaker 2:It was a great moment. I just want to say that story of you and Johnny Olson sending him, you know, telling you to go to the radio station, a college radio station, which is the same exact advice I give to anyone who wants to be in radio. The fact that this man took you to lunch because of that relationship that you had developed with him, the fact that you then replaced him on the show not that anyone can replace the man doing your own thing in in that job and doing it so well, um, and rod roddy, who did it so well, um, that is an incredible story. And then I was I'm listening to you talk about, because this is this, this is like the dream come true fantasy. To get that phone call to hear, hey, is this, uh, you know, uh, you know, is this Randy, is this Pat? Listen, we're listening to your stuff and it's dynamite and we like what you're doing. That is absolutely, um, just a dream come true. And you know it's funny when you were talking about looking at the TV as a kid and you're seeing, you know, geez, look, how cool it is to be on that side inside that TV and what they're doing, um, doing on, um, just to just that made me think of the fact that it was very similar to me, uh, in that I would watch wkrp in cincinnati, you know, venus flydrab and johnny fever, and these guys, and I used to think, geez, what a great environment that would be to work in, and that's kind of what it's sort of catapulted me, uh, into radio, being interested, which I did.
Speaker 2:Go to the radio stations, the college radio stations, and I, I did everything that I was told to do, and and, and so I'm, you know, honored to be talking to you. You know, let's go back to prepping that audience and, and I know we're on here for quite a while and I thank you for your time, randy, but I don't know who was doing this, but I do have this memory growing up. Whoever, I don't know what on earth was happening, speaking of bob barker, the first show I remember bob barker on is truth or consequences, and every time this show would come on if anyone remembers this, before the price is right, the audience would be just in stitches. They all look like farsighted characters to me, with appointed glasses. They all be clapping oh, my plaid jackets and all of that, and they were laughing at something randy that I don't know what was happening, but someone was lighting them up before the show there was a guy who invented truth or consequences.
Speaker 1:It was ralph edwards invented this is your life. Yes, okay, yeah well, there was a guy who invented Truth or Consequences.
Speaker 2:His name was Ralph Edwards. I remember Ralph.
Speaker 1:Edwards. He invented this Is your Life. Yes, okay, you're older than I thought. Then I remember, and Ralph is the guy who hired Bob Barker to replace himself at Truth or Consequences. So Ralph invented it and hosted it and then hired Barker because he had other shows to be doing at the same time, including this Is your Life, and the show had started on radio even before television, and when it was on radio. Now we're going back almost a hundred years now Can you imagine?
Speaker 1:They did a thing before the show went on the air that got the audience laughing hysterically and it worked almost a hundred years ago and it worked all the way through the shows that you saw and I saw and America saw. They came on the air with the audience hysterical and you know what? I'm not going to tell you what it was. Oh, how's that? Because it took me 20 years to find out from somebody who worked the show. You didn't want anyone else doing it. You know it was a piece of comedy. You know some psych comedy.
Speaker 1:Some people were doing things that you and I weren't seeing off camera, but the audience was looking at them and it was very funny. Okay, so that's what they were laughing at pointing and laughing at these two people who are doing something. That's just stupid. It's really stupid. But I I I had a respect for Ralph Edwards. I just you, edwards. He wanted to be a secret within the industry, of course, nothing remains a secret but it was very hard for me to find out because everyone respected his wishes on that. So, out of respect not denying you I'll talk to you all day and tell you anything you want to know, but I feel like that's Ralph's business.
Speaker 2:This is beautiful. I'm so glad you just said that. Really I'm glad. I don't even want to know all I know. Okay, it's kind of like carly simon you're so vain. No one knows who the hell she was talking about.
Speaker 1:We don't know that secret's never going to be revealed every week.
Speaker 2:It's like carly simon she finally reveals who's no she. Didn't you just want me to she?
Speaker 2:never did right she's not gonna do that and it makes it better. I don't need to know what was going on. Ralph edwards, god bless him. Whatever he was doing, it absolutely worked. It worked so well, yeah, that it stuck in my mind, you know, because? And then they would have like a marine that you know hadn't seen his wife in a couple of years. He'd been serving in the military, maybe in vietnam or, and then somehow they'd fit him into a skit and the next thing you know, she'd realize, oh my God, it's my husband in the Marine Corps. You know, it was an awesome show.
Speaker 1:That's the skit. What you just said is what gave birth to this Is your Life. Those reunions, unexpected reunions, worked so well on Truth and Consequences consequences. That's what was behind. This is your life. Let's bring in people that you know but you haven't seen and you're shocked and surprised to see them. That's what that was. It came from truth of consequences.
Speaker 1:It was a direct spin off of what you just said. How do we bring a bunch of people this person never saw? Well, we'll tell their life story and all these people will come on stage and so that what you just described about the Marines, you know, that's exactly what gave birth to this is your life. That's the direct spin off from exactly what you said. I'll tell you about Barker, since you love hearing about Barker. Barker did that show. Barker, it was a low budget show, it was a syndicated show and it was not. You know, prizes were not big, production values weren't great. You know, it wasn't like a big dancing girl thing, you know. It was a bunch of people on stage doing silly stuff or flying in a Marine, you know whatever.
Speaker 1:So Barker used to do he was the producer of the show, meaning he would go out before the show and introduce himself to the audience and start making small talk one-on-one. Hi, that's a lovely dress. Where are you from? Oh, really, what does your husband do? Uh-huh, interesting, I know you've lived in town a long time. Oh, that's great. It seems to me you might have had a career before you got married. What were you doing? And he would talk to a bunch of people, knowing in the back of his mind that he needs people who would be interested or this, because that's what we're going to do in 10 minutes and that was what we're going to do in 20 minutes, you know, during the show. So he'd go out and talk to 15, 20, 30 people until in his mind he had cast the show from the people who were available in the audience that day, and that's how that show came to be.
Speaker 1:It wasn't a producer's interviewing people, it wasn't people being. Wasn't people being interviewed weeks in advance? He'd go out there. These are the people here. Let's see, you know, if I have what I need to make this work.
Speaker 1:And what was amazing about Barker many things, but working with Barker was he could take three people up on stage and say, hi, what's your name? And he already heard it. But you know, you don't remember when you talk to 30 people. So she'd say I'm Mary Smith from Pomona oh, that's great. And you, I'm Jesse Schmorg from Vom to the Bull, and you're a vacuum from Ashtabula Well, that's great. Now, an Ashtabula is very similar to what I've seen now at Cleveland. Now, cleveland, you have that downtown statue, don't you? Oh, yes, we do. And an Cleveland, you have that downtown statue, don't you? Oh, yes, we do. And then Ashtabula I understand who's the statue in Ashtabula. So he would like make connections with these people.
Speaker 1:Johnny did this too, incidentally. It's not something that, you know, barker created, but he was the best at it because he could remember these people's name. So now he's got these three people, he's interviewed and we understand as an audience who they are. Oh, that's interesting. She was a school teacher. Now she's married to a marine. Oh, that's fascinating. And this guy here, he's from, uh, ashley b. I knew someone there, okay, so we. That's why they do all these introductions. She's a homemaker and mother from cleveland. You know. They do that because the home audience likes to feel some affinity or some connection with a contestant who's on a television show.
Speaker 1:But bark would do that interview and remember everything that was said. They're not wearing name tags. He would call her now you know, mary Jo, is that how you do it? Back in Shreveport, and he'd remember all this in his head. It's unbelievable, it's a magic trick. Now you know there are people who can do that. You know, meet a hundred people and tell you who their names were. It's a, it's a, it's a. You know, it's a variety act. That used to. You know, people can do. I can't. I can't remember your name, pat. I wrote it down before.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Speaker 1:That's how stupid I am. That's how stupid I am, but watching him do that was phenomenal. The man is brilliant at what he does. And his wife said you know this hosting of this truth of consequences, this is the best thing you've ever done. And he said, really. And she said well, don't get a swelled head. I didn't say you were good at it, I just said it's the best thing you ever did.
Speaker 2:Beats the hell out of that last thing you tried to do in there. Bob, my God, you embarrassed me. I want you to lift the bar there a little bit. You know, and I remember you know I talked before and again, just like Dick Clark and just like you know Merv Griffin. You know we see the persona of these folks and they're beloved people, they're television icons. But you had mentioned to me just kind of in passing and initially when we spoke, that you know Bob Barker, he was also. You know he was a boss. He took it pretty seriously off there, right.
Speaker 1:Oh God, yeah, I mean, if you weren't doing the job. You know he was a boss, he took it pretty seriously off there, right. Oh God, yeah, I mean, if you weren't doing the job, you were gone and I moved to Burbank. Everyone sort of knows Burbank, california, but I used to live in a community that was further away, 20 miles away, and I would have to leave two and a half hours because traffic is bad and you never know what traffic is going to be. I'd leave two and a half hours to get down to CBS because, god forbid, somebody has to tell Bob Barker, oh, the announcer is not here yet. I mean, jesus, that'd be the end of my career. You know. You just don't. You know.
Speaker 1:I'm telling you that the guy, as you say, is responsible for the show. He doesn't want to be sitting around waiting for some idiot, you know. So it's business, and I said this an hour ago. It's not show business, it's the business of show. So it's all about having business acumen. When it's time, when the light goes on and you've got your microphone, the camera's on, it's happy time. But behind it all it's a business.
Speaker 1:And if I were dicking around I wouldn't be in it, you know, and if I never understood that, I'd never be where, where I got, and uh. So yes, your question was about Barker. Yes, he's a businessman and it's business and his time is valuable to him and you know you're expected to be able to read that copy without making a bunch of mistakes and you're expected to be able to answer the question, like you just described the car, the 2024 Taurus, you know whatever. And then the contestant says well, what kind of car is it? And Barker turns to you and says Randy, what kind of car is that? And if you can't say it's the 2024 Taurus with V6 engine or whatever, the hell, if you're not there for that, that's not good.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean. It's business.
Speaker 1:So, yes, so, barker, you know I felt as a viewer that this is just the coolest guy on earth, like we all did. But when I got down there, a couple of people made it clear to me that you know, don't disappoint Bob. You know this is serious and he's got a low threshold for you know the stupidity, for lack of a better term you know or?
Speaker 1:unprofessionalism, if you like, that you know. So I, I was certainly aware of that and he's some people didn't get along with him as well and I'll point to something. This is in the book, so I'll you know, and the kind of story I don't necessarily tell. But you know there were a lot of lawsuits on that show, the model suing him and encounter suing and all that stuff that was going on. It's a pretty nasty bunch of things that were happening and the director was fired and other people were let go and there were wrongful termination suits. So it's not necessarily the happiest place on earth when the cameras aren't on, but the man is certainly a Barker's right. I mean, it's a business and it's got his name on it. So he, there are expectations there. So I was warned that hey, you know it's not all fun and games and I kind of knew that. But I was happy, to happy to hear that just the same. And I was always aware that you know the guy could be crossed. You know it wasn't a cruel man. So I want to be careful not to do that. And I got to tell you I never experienced anybody warmer or nicer to me than this guy who had with some people a reputation. You know, I never saw it. I never saw it. And he would invite me into the dressing room, his room, just to. You know, shoot the crap. You know, spend a little time making small talk and I was thrilled by that.
Speaker 1:You know, one day he comes out on stage and he says, you know, to the audience we go to the first commercial, okay. So he says we've just been six minutes to the show. Did anyone notice? Am I limping? And the audience, no, no. He says well, my foot hurts terribly. I have something called plant or something or other, and I don't even have a garden and I don't understand it. It's not true. So he's talking to me and I don't understand. I don't understand. Bob, I think might have said you have plantar fasciitis, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's it, that's it, yeah, plantar. I said, yeah, bob, I had that. It's terribly painful. Hey, folks, if he's got that, the fact that he's walking and smiling is amazing. He said Randy, you've got to come tell me about what you know about it.
Speaker 1:So at the end of the episode he invites me to the dressing room. He says take your shoes off, let me see what you. You know, and we were comparing feet. And every morning, when I got up in the morning, you know, I stand on the stairs. Picture this. He said I stand on the stairs, facing upstairs, if you will, and I don't put my whole foot on the stair, on the step, I put just my toes and then I do like pushups. You know what I mean. He's got his toes and he's raising and lowering his body on his toes.
Speaker 1:I said, well, that's how you got plantar fasciitis, because that's the wrong thing. That's exactly what you don't want to be doing. He said well, what do you do? And I showed him the exercise that I was taught when I had the same malady and he said oh my God, I never would have thought of that. And then he started doing that, you know, and the next five shows were taping. Randy, thank you, you saved my life, you know, I had no idea. Any doctor could have told you that in 12 seconds, you know. So there was affinity between us. I think he liked me. A because I respected the hell out of him. B, because I'm sort of in the same business. I'm not the same league, but we talk for a living. There's an affinity with what I do and with what he does, not that I'm doing what he does, but I think you get what I'm saying. There's a commonality to that. I'll tell you the other way. That bottom line was he was so sweet and so kind to me when I got the job full time.
Speaker 1:They said before we take today's show, we want to reset all the audio for you. Equalization, limiting, compression, all the audio. Uh, you know terminology that lock in our settings, so to speak, for me. So we uh stand at the microphone, randy, and give us your full volume, which is kind of stupid. You're in an empty room and there's six people standing around scratching themselves and you're going here I come. It's sort of stupid. It's like, randy, you've got to give us performance energy. I'm like, alright, it seems silly because I'm screaming here, because when the audience is in there, that 320 people are loud. They're all yelling and screaming. It's a very loud show and, frankly, you can't hear Bob and Bob can't hear you. I mean, it's more about facial cues to each other. When you get through reading the copy, you look at Bob or you point to him so he knows you're done. He can't hear. It's too freaking loud. People are applauding and carrying on. There's a lot to be said about that.
Speaker 2:I mean the visual signals, the visual cues. For anyone who knows, that's a big way to communicate between a couple of people. It's very important. It's also important in radio. People don't ever see that. They don't see it in TV either.
Speaker 1:Listen, I've had you for an hour and a half here.
Speaker 2:Randy, I don't want to take up your entire day, although I I could, because I could just sit here and talk to you all day long because I'm loving this. Can we do like a little rapid fire round here just to kind of get your reactions to a couple of things? Would that be okay?
Speaker 2:absolutely all right, let's. Let's do this. Number one I would love to. Now, I'm not here, I am putting you on the spot, and if I say well, I don't intend to put you on the spot. The reason I can say that, folks, is because Randy's a professional, and if somebody would put me on the spot in this way, I could do it. So I'm just curious, if you want to, I'd love to hear does there a prize that you remember describing?
Speaker 1:Can you describe a prize for us. Sure, lee Presson nails. Beautiful, high-active hands, instantly with Lee Presson nails, worried about loose ventures. Orifix holds them tight day and night. Orifix, that'll fix them. How about a new car? You know, and I don't have necessarily all the copy in front of me, but you get the idea.
Speaker 2:Randy, as you just said that, not even the new car. The other part, the sponsors, oh my God, you are listen, man, that just boy that takes me to a certain place in my life. You know, at the end people will always say you know, I'm excited. It used to be, they would get the home version of the game show and then you would get like and I don't know if this is true or not, but maybe it's just legendary you know, the runner-ups get, you know, turtle wax and rice-a-roni. Is that a farce, or do people? Do they really give turtle wax, rice-a-roni and all that stuff right?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'll tell you why. And it's not that we're so concerned that you're eating enough rice in your diet. The idea is that every time you describe one of those, the company makes money. Sure, see, those are sold sponsorships. So we describe something, so we give it away, and in addition to that, so why would you be describing a reviewer? Why the hell are you talking about rice? I don't understand. Why are they talking about rice? You sold a commercial for rice to make money, so why don't we give them rice? And that will make sense. Then it's not just out of context. We're talking about rice. Why are you talking about rice? Well, we're giving them rice, oh, oh, oh, well, that makes sense. Sure, yeah, so they get all that. They get $25 worth of whatever the hell it is you're describing, but the company gets a couple of grand or whatever, depending on the viewership, you know. So it's paid advertising.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, you know, rice-a-roni you know or you know whatever, there's a thousand of these banging around in my head. I love those, so that's why yeah they do get those prizes, they do get that crap.
Speaker 2:You know we're talking about announcers. I'm going to ask you about this guy because I have fond memories of we talked about Don Pardo. We've talked about a few announcers.
Speaker 1:What about this? Going back to laughing because you brought up Burbank, I'm Gary Owens. What you beautiful, how silly of you. How silly of you to talk about. How about silly, silly talking about Gary Owens from beautiful downtown Burbank? Gary was the sweetest, funniest. Every day with Gary was like a a cocktail party. You'd see him at an audition place or coming out of wherever you know in one of the studios. Hey, randy, you don't? I got a little cold. I guess I'm battling our overused throat. Thank, thank frankly.
Speaker 1:Yeah so so I pardon me for the coffee. Gary would remember everybody in town by face He'd remember, but then he'd also remember where he saw you last, who you were with and what you talk about. It was an amazing gift. So you say, oh, randy, how are you Haven't seen you since you and Tom Chauvin were together. We met at NBC. Yes, we were talking about the time you did you ever get that job you were discussing? So he would remember all this stuff. He was a parody of himself. You know how silly of you to talk about me. And then he would name drop, name drop. You know I was with Bob and Dolores Hope the other night. They wanted to put my ear in cement. You know the way they do the footsteps they want to have my ear in cement in their front yard. And I said no, bob.
Speaker 2:I can see him holding the hand over his earphone on the one side. I am going to put you on the spot because I know you have other things to do than to sit and talk with me all doggone day. I'm going to put you on the spot. Could you do it? Because I never had anyone do a great liner for my Pat's Peeps. It seems like we're enjoying the conversation. Is there anything you could conjure up with a Pat's Peeps liner? Or maybe you know for those of you who didn't listen, you know any of these prizes that you'll get for listening home version anything?
Speaker 1:you can come up with Gotcha, gotcha, three, two, all listeners of the Pats. Tell me the name of the show again Pats, pats Peeps Podcast. See, it's a tongue twister. Obviously I know it is Pats Peeps Podcast. Yes, sir, you'll be able to hear Pats Peeps Podcast.
Speaker 2:See, I'm putting him on the spot, people, even though he's a professional.
Speaker 1:No, I should be able to get this. I just need a moment to lock it in. Absolutely. Pat's Peeps podcast. Okay, listeners to Pat's Peeps podcast. Wow, listeners to Pat's Peeps podcast. All receive Lee Press On Nails. Beautify active and insistently with Lee Press on Nails. Beautify active and insistently with Lee Press on Nails. And thank you for listening to Pat's Peeps Podcast. Yay, hi, this is Randy West. Go ahead, go ahead, keep rolling. Hi, this is Randy West. Join me and everyone else that you ever wanted to talk to. We all end up on Pat's Peeps Podcast. So join us right here. Wherever you are, if you're listening to the radio, if you're listening to your computer, or if you're listening on the toaster or the microwave, we're here. Thanks for joining us, god bless you, randy West.
Speaker 2:You're the best Pat.
Speaker 1:Great time talking with you, man.
Speaker 2:I really have enjoyed it so much. Randy, I will stay in touch with you and I will take you up on your offer. I'll come down there in May. I would love to meet you. I'll take you up on that offer, but as of today, sir, I really, really tremendously appreciate your time and, on behalf of all the listeners to Pat's Peeps podcast, we all appreciate you, your wonderful career and your time here today and I thank you.
Speaker 1:I thank you and if any of the stories I'm telling you are of an interest, you really ought to get the book. I mean, if this is stuff that interests you, if it doesn't, that's fine.
Speaker 2:Change the channel. Tell us about the book again. It's the stuff.
Speaker 1:I'm talking about here. Tell us about the book TV Inside Out. Tv Inside Out Flukes, flakes, feuds, felonies TV InsideOut available at TVRandyWestcom. And if you don't like any chapter, you rip it out, mail it to me and I'll eat it on camera for you.
Speaker 2:How's that, randy? Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a guest, wonderful guest, on my Pat's Peeps. Thank you, randy, we'll talk soon, okay.
Speaker 1:Thank you, buddy, bottom of my heart for being a guest, wonderful guest on my Pat's Peeps. Thank you, randy, we'll talk soon, okay? Thank you, buddy, great talking with you, appreciate it. Pat, have a great day.
Speaker 2:All right, randy, be good. Randy West oh my gosh, Wow, fantastic, fantastic. I could talk to him for another two hours. This is our longest podcast and I could go for another two hours easily with him. I have all these questions, but you know what. We're going to leave it at that and I hope you've enjoyed Randy and our conversation today.
Speaker 2:Pat's Peeps number 76, our longest so far. We're at an hour and 40. We're going to take a couple of more minutes here because I have my record to play. As I pull a record I should have. Next time I'll ask Randy about music because I know he's into music as well. So I pulled it up. I mean, I pulled out a record from my 45 collection and this is a very upbeat song which really fits my mood today, with the sunshine and having Randy West on and all of that Absolutely wonderful. So I'm looking at this which I just dropped. It Hold on. I hate to drop my rare records In this particular record. There's actually two of them in there. This is one. Like I say, I have duplicates on a lot of these records. This is in mint condition. This is an orange label. It is on Epic Records.
Speaker 2:I remember this song, again, very positive. It was a song composed by Bob Marley in 1967. First recorded by Bob Marley and the Wailers that year, issued as a single, later covered by this artist on his 1972 album, and you'll get it. As soon as I say this name, because this was another great song, top 40 hit, top 10 hit by this artist, I can see clearly. Now, the following year, bob Marley and the Wailers re-recorded the song for their album Catch Fire, but this was recorded in 1971, released in March of 72, went to number 15 in the US, did really well, number seven in Canada, even went to AC, went to number four in Canada, number 13 in the UK, number 12 overall in the US Billboard Hot 100. This guy also sang the theme to Hercules. Hercules, remember that the cartoon. Johnny Nash is the artist. It's a song called Steer it Up, let's go. Yeah, yeah, yeah, steer it up. Little darling, it's been a long, long time since I had you on my mind.
Speaker 1:Now you are here. It's so very clear. There's so much we could do, just me and you.
Speaker 2:Come on, steer it up, little darling, steer it up. This song was the first Marley written song to be successful outside of Jamaica. Another tune written by Bob Marley I Shot the Sheriff, of course, covered by Eric Clapton on the album 461 Ocean Boulevard, july 74. But great song, johnny Nash. Of course I can see clearly now, another great song by Johnny. Perhaps we'll get up to that record at some point someday. But hey, thank you to you for listening. Thank you to Randy West, our great guest today. And here we are, pat's Peeps podcast, number 76, number 77 tomorrow. We'll see you then. See you on the radio tonight on the Pat Walsh Show. Oh yeah, steer it up, little darling.
