Joe Tennis
I I think of Phil Donahue when I lose a connection because of static or when someone on the other end of the line is out of reach.
“Caller!” I call. “Caller, are you there?”
This portion is taken from the phone calls of the late talk show host Phil Donahue Fielding on his “Donahue” show.
Both my mother and mother-in-law watched this gray-haired guy with glasses discuss topics ranging from civil rights and women’s issues to interviewing the cast of Under the California Sun.
Donahue came before talk shows became raunchy – and paved the way for Oprah Winfrey, Steve Harvey and many other talk show greats.
“I wish they would do something with this stuff after all the talk on his show,” my mother once said after a particularly rousing discussion on Donahue.
People also read…
This talk show ran from 1967 to 1996.
And it claims to be the first talk show with audience participation.
Donahue was known for running up and down the aisles to get the next contestant to the microphone.
Donahue was born on December 21, 1935 and died on August 18 at the age of 88.
He was married to actress Marlo Thomas since 1980. The couple met on his show.
Thomas was the main character in the TV sitcom “That Girl” (1966-1971) and is a spokeswoman for St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.
And she is the daughter of Danny Thomas (1912-1991).
Interesting fact: Through his connection to Thomas, Phil Donahue became the son-in-law of the man who gave us the mythical Mayberry, North Carolina.
Mayberry was the setting for The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry, RFD, and it all began on February 15, 1960, with a segment in which Griffith appeared as the sheriff on The Danny Thomas Show.
This clip launched the franchise that is still celebrated today.
