The Crowd

B.W. Cook

Newport resident Harriet Sandhu asked him to name his all-time favorite

guest. The host of the worldwide CNN broadcast “Larry King Live”

answered, “[Don] Rickles is my favorite. We started our careers at about

the same time in Miami, so we go back. I love the guy; he always makes me

laugh.”

King was doing a fine job breaking up the crowd that had come to meet the

master interviewer at a function sponsored by the Big Canyon/Spyglass

Hill Philharmonic Committee of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County.

“I would also have to say that Sinatra was right up there at the top of

the list,” continued King. “Jackie Gleason got him for me.”

King told a story concerning Gleason’s promise that Frank Sinatra would

appear on the show when King was on TV and radio in Miami -- before the

move to CNN.

King had the local crowd on the edge of their seats in the ballroom of

the Irvine Marriott Hotel as the raconteur wove his story of Gleason’s

booking. King naturally told his station manager of the Sinatra

confirmation, and the station promoted the appearance all over town,

including a full-page ad in the Miami Herald at a cost of some $60,000.

The manager came to King pleading for some proof of the booking. King

called Gleason.

“Are you sure he’s coming?” King asked.

Gleason retorted, “You doubt my word?”

The day of the booking, with a minute to air time, King was in studio,

nervous, and a black limo pulled up. Sinatra got out, came upstairs to

the studio and with no seconds to spare sat down, and the interview

began.

King was dumbfounded and asked, “So, why are you here?”

Sinatra told him on air that there was a time some 10 years before when

he was performing at a big-time night club and he was sick and couldn’t

sing. He called his pal Jackie Gleason to go on for him, which Gleason

did. Frank told Jackie that he owed him one.

Fast forward 10 years. Gleason called Sinatra on behalf of King and said,

“Frank, I want you to do Larry King’s show. Remember that you said you

owed me one. This is the one.”

Personal anecdotes ranging from working for the Mafia to political points

of view touching all parties peppered King’s address. Removing his suit

coat to reveal his trademark suspenders, King told the gathering, “Now

you can see that it’s really me.”

In terms of his feelings on the presidential candidates, King was candid.

Even as a Albert Gore supporter, King broke up the audience, telling

them: “Let’s face it, Al Gore is boring. It’s not a bad thing. He’s just

boring. You know, the Secret Service has code names for all of the people

they protect. Al Gore is so boring that his code name is Al Gore.” The

crowd howled.

Giving equal ribs to other candidates, King commented on George W. Bush.

“You know, he is a very intelligent man. At least until you ask him a

question.”

And as for the Reform Party and the possibility of Donald Trump running

for president, King said: “Now there’s a candidate. I like Donald. You

can’t help but like him, in spite of himself. If he goes for the Reform

Party nomination, he’ll be running against a man who is a fan of Hitler.”

Continuing on Trump, King shared a personal moment when the two men were

sharing a limousine ride to Atlantic City from New York.

“After a half hour of talk in the car all about Trump, Donald turned to

me and said: ‘Enough about me, let’s talk about you. So, what do you

think about me?’ ”

Again, the laughter filled the ballroom as guests of the Philharmonic

Society applauded King.

The afternoon with the supreme storyteller was organized by dynamic event

chair Kim Grubman, who happens to be the wife of one of Southern

California’s prominent businessmen, Seymour Grubman of Los Angeles and

Orange County. Grubman was joined by equally dynamic and charming

co-chair Carol Julien, wife of local Newport-based super insurance mogul

Don Julien.

The pair pulled out all the stops, including a very special surprise.

Actually, two surprises. First, following a tribute to the cause of

bringing music back into the public school system by Philharmonic

Committee President Sharon Moore, a young man named Blake Ewing took the

stage and sang like an angel.

Ewing was a winner on “Star Search” at the ripe old age of 6. Then, a

blustering and very familiar voice came over a microphone from the rear

of the ballroom. Ed McMahon burst into the crowd. The former co-host of

“The Tonight Show,” the host of “Star Search” and good friend of Larry

King, McMahon teased the crowd that he’d come with the $10 million

envelope from Publishers Clearing House.

“People in the hotel lobby were fainting,” joked the notable master of

ceremonies.

Larry King was generously underwritten by John and Donna Crean, with

additional support from Jacquelyn Stephenson, Joan Evans, Seymour and Kim

Grubman, David and Elizabeth Martyn, Graziella and Don Quitmans, Joyce

Reaume, Henry Segerstrom, Arthur Voss with his Gina Lolobrigida

look-a-like fiancee, Rebecca, Nancy Burnnett, Gabrielle Chung,Patricia

Lane, Kim Lazarus, Bill and Sharon Moore, Marsha Orlin, Ann Pange,

Christel Schar, Ann Stern and Eye Kornyei.

King closed his appearance by urging the community to support music and

art education in the public schools.

“It’s just as important as science and literature,” he said, quoting

baseball legend Yogi Berra in his final remarks. “A reporter once rushed

Yogi with the news that Irish voters had elected a Jewish man as the new

mayor of Dublin, Ireland. ‘Imagine that,’ responded Berra. ‘Imagine that.

Only In America,’ he said.” Indeed, only in America.B.W. COOK’S column

appears every Thursday and Saturday.