Well, maybe not “on” the show as a guest, but during one particular broadcast of the show when it originated from Cleveland her lovely face made it on the screen for several seconds as the show faded out to a commercial break. She was an audience member. During the early 60’s Mom and other ladies from the neighborhood “coffee clutch” would travel 45 minutes north to Cleveland from Orrville, OH and sit in the audience for the show.
I can vividly recall her going there at least three times and one instance remains etched in my memory because Mom and the other ladies went for a show during the summer and my siblings had to go to my Aunt Lois’ that day. Usually they went when school was in session but that particular week Mike Douglas had a hot new rising superstar of stage and screen on the show as co-host that Mom and her buddies HAD to see.
Who was this diva? Why a very young Barbara Streisand that’s who.
It was 1963.
Mom dropped off my older sister, baby sister and younger brother and myself (our oldest brother was working that summer) at Aunt Lois’ and off she went. Of course Aunt Lois wanted to watch the show on TV and as we waited for the show to begin later that morning something else significant happened. My baby sister Karen took her first steps! I also recall that day that our older sister Cheryl tried (in vain) to teach my brother and myself how to roller skate on the sidewalk in front of Aunt Lois’ house on East Oak Street. Needless to say that was my first and last lesson in rolling skating and I never attempted that feat again.
Once the show started Aunt Lois hollered for us to come in and watch although we really had no interest in an old guy like Mike Douglas. But when Aunt Lois commanded, you obeyed!
When Douglas would take a commercial break and say “We’ll be right back after this message!” the cameraman would scan across the applauding audience made up of primarily housewives from across northeast Ohio. On one particular break as they scanned the audience the camera settled on Mom for five or more seconds before going to the commercial. Her whole face was splashed across the TV screen and we literally freaked out! Including Aunt Lois! I think she was more shocked and excited than we were.
Mom was excited once she found out she was shown on TV but nearly as excited when she learned Karen took her first steps, although she was a bit disappointed that she missed out on that event.
I have no recollection of who the guests were that day and over the years Mom forgot too, but it was all about this young upcoming star named Streisand that she and her pals were interested in that day.
Douglas came to Cleveland in 1961 to start that show that eventually aired each weekday for 20 years. The show aired on KYW-TV Channel 3 (now known as WKYC) and by August of ’63 had gone into national syndication before moving to Philadelphia in 1965. The show aired live until one time in ’65 when guest Zsa Zsa Gabor uttered an obscenity over the air which resulted in the show being taped from that point on. Douglas’ first show in Philadelphia was August 30, 1965 and I remember when the move was announced Mom was disappointed that she would be unable to attend any more shows.
As a young kid Mike Douglas was considered an old guy and I usually only watched it when I was home sick from school. It wasn’t until years later that I realized how progressive and hip he was in the guests he had on over the years. In addition to the usual bevy of TV and movie stars he wasn’t shy about booking rock ‘n roll stars and during the run of the show the highest ratings week he had was the week John & Yoko co-hosted (I skipped school one day that week to catch the Lennon’s and Chuck Berry). I also took a half-day off school to catch KISS on his show.
About 12 years ago VH1 reran the week of John & Yoko shows and I still have them on tape.
During the 60’s and 70’s such rock stars as the Turtles, Ringo Starr, Rolling Stones, Frank Zappa, Raspberries, Kinks, Supremes, Animals, Bee Gees, James Brown, Blondie, Sam Cooke, Cowsills, Cass Elliott, Peter Frampton, Marvin Gaye, Moby Grape, Chaka Kahn, Elton John, Little Richard, Wilson Pickett, Patti Smith, Edgar Winter, Vanilla Fudge and many, many more.
Douglas, born on August 11, 1925, passed away on his birthday in 2006.
Tags: Animals, Barbara Streisand, Bee Gees, Blondie, Cass Elliott, Chaka Kahn, Chuck Berry, Cleveland Ohio, Cowsills, Edgar Winter, Elton John, Frank Zappa, James Brown, John * Yoko, John Lennon, Kinks, KISS, KYW-TV Channel 3, Little Richard, Marvin Gaye, Mike Douglas Show, Moby Grape, Orrville Ohio, Patti Smith, Peter Frampton, Raspberries, Ringo Starr, Rolling Stones, Sam Cooke, Supremes, Turtles, Vanilla Fudge, Wilson Pickett, WKYC, Yoko Ono
