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Frederick Blassie |
Frederick Blassie's Experiences with Regis Philbin
Frederick Blassie was already an established performer in the Southern California area, when an up and coming talk show host, Regis Philbin was looking for a ratings boost. Blassie had been on television before, but never on a talk show and was initially hesitant. Philbin was insistent, showing up backstage at all of Blassie's performances, begging and pleading with him to be a guest on his show. Finally, the reluctant Blassie agreed, “Regis let me do whatever I wanted. Or, more specifically, I did whatever I wanted, and Regis stood there, looking like a goof. I destroyed furniture on his set. I'd insult the other guests and physically intimidate them. The people who worked for the show couldn't believe that anyone would act like this on live TV.” Blassie quickly became a weekly fixture on the San Diego-based KGTV, “On Saturday nights I had a regular performance gig in San Bernardino. Then I'd run to the airport and catch a small, chartered plane to San Diego. A limo would pick me up at the airport, and I'd change into my clothes during the ride to the studio. I want to go on the record by stating that Regis Philbin was nothing until he met Frederick Blassie.”
In the summer of 1961, after having been a regular guest on Philbin's show for a couple years, Blassie participated in one of the most memorable moments in television history. Blassie had been working on a performance called “The King of Men,” where he would challenge anyone who would listen, yelling, “I'll do anything you want. I can do anything!” Philbin decided to take up up on this boast and had a throne in the center of his stage with a crown on the seat. Blassie sat down and put the crown on his head, looking regal and confident. Philbin walked off stage and wheeled out a large pot with a dozen giant lobsters and put it right in front of Blassie, challenging him, “Okay, King, put your feet in that!” Blassie pontificated, trying to talk his way out of having to fulfill his end of the deal, quickly dipping his toe in the water and pulling it out claiming that it was too cold. Regis egged him on until he finally burst out of his chair and threw the crown on the ground. By this point Blassie had taken up more time than he was supposed to and the next guest, Martha Raye, a comic actress, was waiting in the wings. As Blassie's crown bounced toward he she came out and started yelling at him. Blassie, completely in character, yelled back, starting a heated argument. This went on for a couple minutes until the typically mild-mannered Raye gave him the finger on the air and stormed off. This was the first time this action had ever occurred on American television. A few years later, in 1964, Philbin had moved on the greener pastures and was filling in for Mike Douglas on his talk show. “When I was asked who I wanted for my guest, there was only one answer: Frederick Blassie. The production people wanted to know what we were going to talk about so they could figure out how long the segments would be and write up some cue cards. I said, “No, not with Blassie, just bring this guy out. I don't know what's going to happen but something will!”” Blassie came out, dressed to kill, like “The Hollywood Fashion Plate” always was. They had a brief discussion about clothes until Philbin ran his hand through Blassie's perennially bleached blond hair and messed it up. Philbin took off running with Blassie close behind, they ran into the audience and all over the studio as Blassie yelled, “I'm going to break your arm,”until Blassie grabbed Philbin's jacket and started to tear it. Regis whipped around and they had a brief tug-of-war with Philbin pleading how it was his favorite jacket and couldn't be replaced. The scuffle ended with a torn jacket, Philbin's right middle finger being broken, and the highest ratings the Mike Douglas show ever received.
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