I was surprised and delighted to learn that ‘THE legendary Larry King’, is more than he gets a chance to show on his CNN television show. Larry is truly a very funny, story telling, kind of guy. On a dare from Steve Wynn, he accepted a one night gig to prove just that on stage at the Encore Theater on Friday, June 19. Mr. Wynn I must say, that was a bad bet on your part. King, at this stage of the game, has nothing to lose. I am sure Mr. Wynn knew he would take the dare and be a huge hit as well! The rare and exciting performance benefited the Larry King Cardiac Foundation, which provides funding for life saving cardiac procedures for individuals who, due to limited means and no insurance, would be otherwise unable to receive treatment. Kudos to you Larry! You are a king!
As one would expect, that after an unprecedented 50 years in broadcasting and more than 40,000 interviews, political debates, and topical discussions, Larry King has countless amazing stories to tell…and he did! What an amazing opportunity to be a part of this icons life, to laugh with his audience and hear Larry recount tales and anecdotes from some of his more notorious guests and legendary experiences, which have spanned his career.
Some of the shows highlights (and there were many) were:
Larry, sporting his famous suspenders that were blue this time, with a blue shirt and jeans tells about Marlin Brando kissing him on the lips… He stated, “I have never been kissed on the lips by a man before… I can’t stop thinking about him, some nights I wake up screaming STELLA!” The audience roared.
He spoke openly about such topics as crime, school days with his pals, his beginnings in radio in Florida, dating, pranks as a kid, the mafia, and his two favorite interviews that were with Sinatra (he explains that Jackie Gleason got this rare interview for him as a favor that Sinatra owed Gleason) and Nelson Mandela.
He closed the show with an audience question and answer period where he was very candid and honest. The audience loved this section of the show…
He was asked, what was his worst interview experience? His answered very quickly. “That would have to be with Robert Mitchum. It was 20 minutes that felt like 2 hours. It was the worst. His answered every question with a yep, nope, maybe, yes, no, maybe, nope, yep”…….
When asked, if he gets nervous, he answered, “I never get nervous. I did the first time I went on radio and handled it by being honest telling my listeners that I was nervous, scared, and that it was my first time on the air. Once you are open with your audience they are with you. I have never been nervous since.”
When asked, how he feels about being so candid asking questions on his show he replied, “I’m not out to embarrass my guests or hurt them in any way. I think they can feel this in me. I am curious. I have been since I was a child. I love asking questions. I am the guy you would hate to sit next to on a plane. I think my guests know that I am genuinely interested in what they have to say and that I listen. I want them to feel comfortable and know the interview is about them, and not me.”
It was quite surreal sitting in his audience listening to Larry King speak instead of my couch for a change… I have to interject some personal observations about the KING.
What I personally feel makes him one of the greatest interview hosts of our time is that he does listen to his guests. Most talk show personalities today ask their guest a question and before they can answer it, they interrupt repeatedly with their opinions, views and life experiences. Larry asks a question and then gives his guest the opportunity to answer it completely. He also pushes the envelope to get his viewers answers, but doesn’t really cross the line. He treats his guests with respect even If he personally doesn’t agree with them or even like them for that matter.
Shawn King, country music vocalist and Larry King’s wife, performed as the opening act. She recently released a new album titled “In My Own Backyard” on Lofton Creek Records.
