1968-1989
“The
Mike Douglas Show” was
a daytime television talk
show that
was hosted by Mike
Douglas.
Initially, it aired only in Cleveland during
much of its first two years, followed by expansion
to Philadelphia and
nationwide.
It went into syndication in
1963 and remained on television until 1981. For much of its run, it
originated from TV stations in Cleveland and Philadelphia.
The
show helped introduce entertainers such as Barbra
Streisand and Aretha
Franklin.
After the move to Philadelphia, Douglas also attempted to revive his
own singing career, logging his lone Top 40 single as a solo artist,
“The Men In My Little Girl’s Life” in 1966. By 1967, “The
Mike Douglas Show” was
broadcast to 171 markets and 6,000,000 viewers each day, mostly women
at home. In
July 1978, the show’s home base was transferred to Los
Angeles,
where it remained until finally going off the air in 1981. The
show earned four Emmy Awards over its many years, both in Daytime and
Primetime.
Michael
Delaney Dowd Jr.
aka
Mike Douglas (1920-2006)
was
a big band singer, entertainer,
talk show host, and actor. Douglas joined the big band of Kay
Kyser as
a singer making his screen debut with them in 1944.
In 1950 he was the singing voice of Prince Charming in Disney’s
animated feature Cinderella
(“So This Is Love”). Douglas died on his 81st birthday in 2006. He was married to Genevieve Purnell from 1943 to
his death. They had three children.
March 29, 1968
Ozzie
& Harriet Nelson (co-hosts), Vivian Vance, Neil Diamond, Pearce
Sisters
Two
weeks earlier, “The Lucy Show” ended after six seasons on the
air. Ball was busy re-formatting her show as “Here’s Lucy” for
the fall.
May 6, 1968
“Salute
to the Armed Forces Week”
Peter
Dawkins (co-host), Omar Bradley (on telephone), Lt. General Stanley
Larsen
Less
than two weeks later, Lucille Ball was seen at the 20th Annual Emmy Awards, where she won Best Actress in a Comedy for “The
Lucy Show.” The show itself lost to “Get Smart.”
January 29, 1970
Tony
Sandler and Ralph Young (co-hosts), Allen Funt
Three
days earlier, Vivian Vance returned to work with Lucy on “Lucy and
Viv Visit Tijuana” (HL S2;E19). Allen Funt made an appearance as
himself and his evil impostor on “Lucy and Candid Camera” (HL
S4;E14) airing December 13, 1971.
November
6, 1975
Robert
Blake, Michael Caine, Roger Moore, War (musical guest)
Three
days earlier, Lucy and Jackie Gleason starred in “Three for Two,”
one of the Lucille Ball specials.
November
19, 1976
Marvin
Hamlisch (co-host), Arte Johnson, Glenda Jackson, Tom Waits (musical
guest), taped interview with Lucy and Gary Morton
Ten
days after this appearance CBS feted Ball with “Lucy and CBS: The
First 25 Years” marking a quarter century since the premiere of “I
Love Lucy.” Douglas’s interview with Lucy and Gary was videotaped,
not in the studio. Arte Johnson appeared in “Lucy is a Bird-Sitter”
(HL S6;E15) in 1974.
December 9, 1976
Kevin
Dobson (co-host), Billy Fellows, Donny Most, Sam Summerlin, Joe
Dispenza, Blue Magic (musical guest)
That
evening, Lucille Ball guest-starred on Dick Van Dyke’s short-lived
variety show “Van Dyke and Company.”
October 4, 1978
James
Stewart (co-host), Billy Crystal, Joyce DeWitt, David Copperfield, A
Taste of Honey (musical guest)
A
week earlier, Ball had appeared on “General Electric’s All-Star
Anniversary” (above) on ABC. Joyce DeWitt was the star of one of Lucille
Ball’s favorite sitcoms, “Three’s Company.” She hosted the
show’s best-of retrospective in 1982. Although
Stewart was Ball’s friend and neighbor, the two never acted
opposite each other on film or television. They appeared together on
many award shows and specials. He presents Lucy with a plaque at the
end of “Lucy
and CBS: The First 25 Years.”
October 30–November 3, 1978
Lucille
Ball (week-long co-host)
- October
30 – Desi Arnaz Jr., Natalie Wood, Dick Van Patten, Katherine
Helmond, Roger & Roger - October
31 – Sally Struthers, Senor Wences, Jan & Dean (musical guest) - November
1 – Gale Gordon, Gavin MacLeod, Bob Williams & Louis the Dog,
Florence Henderson - November
2 – Lucie Arnaz, Arthur Hill, Guy Hovis, Ralna English (musical
guest) - November
3 – Gary Morton, Bob Hope, Dick Martin, Joe Namath, Susan Anton,
Melissa Sue Anderson
In
addition to her husband (Gary Morton, not Garry Moore as the above ad asserts!) and children (Lucie and Desi
Arnaz Jr.), co-host Lucille Ball also recruits her frequent TV
co-star Gale Gordon, and friend and movie co-star Bob Hope. Dick
Martin was also a friend of Ball’s, having played Harry, Lucy
Carmichael’s boyfriend in the first season of “The Lucy Show.”
He would also frequently partner with her on “Password.” Joe
Namath made a guest appearance as himself on “Here’s Lucy” in
1972. Bob Williams and Louis the Dog also appeared on “Here’s
Lucy,” in a 1973 episode where Lucy Carter takes over a dog
grooming boutique.
“The
Mary Tyler Moore Hour” – March 4, 1979
Mary
tries to get Lucille Ball to appear on her show on short notice when
her scheduled guest suddenly becomes ill. Although Lucy wants to do
the show, she must first get talk-show host Mike Douglas’ permission
to be absent the following day, as she is contracted to be his
co-host for the week. Mary and Lucy decide to ask Douglas for his
consent on live television. [This sitcom / variety show was taped
during Ball’s co-hosting gig on “The Mike Douglas Show” (above).]
February 7, 1980
Mariette
Hartley (co-host), Jim Bailey, David Letterman, Victoria Principal,
Patrick Boyriven, Morris Katz, Freda Payne (musical guest)
Ball
was busy promoting “Lucy Moves To NBC” which aired the following
day. Jim Bailey appeared on “Here’s Lucy” as himself and as
Phyllis Diller on a 1972 episode.
July 2, 1980
Erik
Estrada (co-host), Gary Morton, Brodie Greer, Paul Linke, Randi
Oakes, Todd Rundgren & Utopia (musical guest), The Whispers
(musical guest)
Lucy
appears with her husband Gary. During this period, Lucy was under
contract to NBC, but not doing very much. The photo above was taken one month later in Los Angeles.
Papermoon Loves Lucy 
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