February ?, 1964 Cleveland, OH

The Mike Douglas Show

Tuesday, February 18, 1964

Mike Douglas was a popular singer in the 1940's and 1950's who later became one of the country’s best-known daytime talk show hosts, long before Phil Donahue or Oprah Winfrey came along. His first show was a local program on WGN-TV in Chicago called Hi, Ladies! but it did not last very long. (Douglas met Sam during his stint in Chicago and he makes reference to this fact during the program.) Later, he was selected to be the host of a new afternoon program which aired locally on Cleveland, Ohio station KYW-TV, debuting on December 11, 1961. In less than a year the show was syndicated nationally and by 1964 it was the country’s #1 daytime program.

Sam left New York on Saturday, February 8, and flew to Cleveland for the taping of The Mike Douglas Show. It is not clear on what day the show was actually filmed, but its original air date is either February 18 or 25, depending on locale and source. Sam appeared on the show along with Broadway singer/actor Howard Keel and comedienne Eleanor Harris. Douglas introduces Sam, who opens his segment with “Ain’t That Good News,” accompanied only by the show’s small ensemble of musicians, making the Top Ten pop song sound more like a blues club number that belonged on the Night Beat LP. Sam then joins Douglas and the other guests for a brief chat, where he provides the “capsule version” of his life story. A lengthy chat ensues when Sam explains that he appeared at the Copa and “bombed.” Harris asks Sam why he thinks he bombed and Sam responds, “because I wasn’t ready!” Sam then returns to the stage and performs the combo “For Sentimental Reasons/You Send Me.” Finally, at the trademark “sing-a-long” conclusion of the show, Sam leads the group into “Basin Street Blues,” with Keel punctuating the performance with “yeahs” throughout, and even resting his elbow on Sam’s shoulder while he is singing.

In reading his autobiography, I’ll Be Right Back (Simon & Schuster 2000), it becomes clear how likable a man Douglas was and why his talk show was the highest rated daytime program for many years. This quality certainly comes through on the film footage from this program as Douglas appears genuinely interested in and appreciative of Sam. Other than PM East, it is one of Sam’s lengthiest performances on any television show, and it is thoroughly delightful and charming. A brief portion of the interview segment can be seen on the Sam Cooke: Legend DVD.