In 40+ years, I've never heard anyone talk about the particular Merv Griffin episode from February 16, 1976.
I remember it well, because Starsky & Hutch had been pre-empted for two weeks, due to the Winter Olympics. Such trauma for an obsessed 14yo! But oh so exciting when I saw in TV Guide that they were going to be on the Merv Grffin Show -- together! The moment finally arrived, and I was frantically scribbling notes as I watched (no way to record it back then).
The follow is from the journal I kept at the time. (Hey, give me a break -- I was 14yo!) It picks up after the first two guests had been on.
The first thing they talked about was the ratings, and how MASH was going to hurt them. David went into an unnecessarily long lecture of why certain shows are switched to different time slots when they are doing just fine with their initial programming.
Merv then asked if they got along well, and Paul replied "Yes" without a bit of hesitation. Then David gave him a short, friendly slap on the leg and gave a positive "Oh, sure!"
Paul went on to say that the directors and producers gave them a lot of freedom on the set; ie, letting them do certain scenes the way they wanted to.
Merv asked if they were liked by real policemen, and Paul said they definitely were.
The next thing Merv discussed was real live arrests. David said that he had once been arrested for throwing rotten peaches and tomatoes at a school bus. Paul said when he was twelve, he once threw an egg at a teacher's car. Both mentioned their parents, but neither mentioned any disciplinarian action.
Next on the list: romance.
Merv: You're both bachelors, aren't you?
Paul: Yes, we're both bachelors.
David (shifting in his chair): No.
Paul: I'm sorry, I'm a bachelor.
David was suddenly faced with a terrific amount of indecision, and after a long while of hesitation, he finally said, "Well, bachelorhood comes in varying degrees, and I'm sort of a bachelor. I am 'in' with a girl, and I love her very much."
Merv: What about you, Paul? Are you 'taken"?
Now it was Paul's turn to hesitate. When he couldn't find an answer, Merv said, "David, do you want to answer for him?"
Paul: "Yeah, you answer for me."
David proceeded to make a joke out of it by naming three girls Paul was in love with.
Paul didn't seem to think it was too funny and finally said, "Well, I'm in love with two girls. One is a dog, a German Shepherd--Doberman mix, and she's fantastic. My other love, a homosapien, is named -- " and I forget what the name was.
Paul must really love that dog (and that's nice) if he names her right up beside his longtime girlfriend.
I was surprised that David didn't mention anything about being divorced.
The final subject covered was David's singing career. He plays a guitar, has recorded lots of singles, will be recording his first album in the near future, most of his songs are written by himself, and are about his own personal experiences. Most of his songs are happy, because he believes life is something to be happy about.
Paul mentioned that David was well-received in Mexico, and he was called "El Rubio" -- The Blondie. (Paul found that quite funny.) He also said that while most people were writing songs like "I Love You", David was writing "Black Bean Soup"! But, in the end, Paul was greatly complimentary and recommending David's work. (I wonder if the latter sings on the "Starsky and Hutch" set?!)
All in all, I was very impressed with them. They both smoked, which marred my respect for them to the slightest degree. David didn't seem nervous, but I couldn't help but notice how much he fiddled with his fingernails, and how he was constantly pulling loose threads off his sweater.
On the series, Hutch slightly dominates Starsky, but on the Merv Griffin show, they both clearly stood on the same ground. I also noticed that Paul's voice was much louder than on the show, and had more authority.
They were 100% a team, never interrupted each other, got along superbly, and I was, well, TURNED ON!
Comments