Mike Douglas: Moments & Memories

He was the “nice guy” of his era…a host that was not too brainy, not too funny, and not too slick, but his talk show lasted two decades and his guests and audience loved him.

Mike Douglas is remembered in this one-hour special, by his wife Genevieve Purnell, who recalls how he launched his career and approached his interviews.  Guests such as Della Reese, Billy Crystal, Gene Simmons and Bill Cosby talk about how much they enjoyed their appearances  on his show.  An impressive array of clips, including the Rolling Stones performing “Not Fade Away,” take viewers back to a bygone era filled with the look and feel of the 60s and 70s. Mike Douglas: Moments & Memories airs Monday, March 14, 2011 at 9 p.m. on Eight, Arizona PBS.

Mike Douglas influenced many of today’s biggest stars, including Barbara Walters, Jay Leno, Regis Philbin, and Rosie O’Donnell.  He ruled daytime talk from 1961 to 1982, reaching as many as 15 million viewers with a single show.  Although he liked to croon old-fashioned tunes himself, he was open to the new and controversial.  In 1972, John Lennon and Yoko Ono co-hosted a week of his programs.  George Carlin, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jerry Rubin, and Bobby Seale joined the likes of Bob Hope, Jimmy Stewart, David Letterman and Marlin Brando as examples of the broad appeal Douglas held for celebrities and audiences  alike.

Mike Douglas: Moments and Memories is steeped in American pop culture, showcasing the icons of the era.

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