Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast - GGACP Classic: Al Roker

Episode Date: August 22, 2024

GGACP celebrates the birthday (August 20th) of Emmy-winning TV host (and native New Yorker) Al Roker by revisiting this funny, freewheeling conversation about local kiddie show hosts, the lost art of ventriloquism, the complicated genius of Charles M. Schulz and Al’s book “You Look So Much Better in Person.” Also, Fred Flintstone enjoys a smoke, Red Buttons leads a double life, Willard Scott becomes the original Ronald McDonald and Gilbert and Al co-star in “Sharknado 5: Global Swarming.” PLUS: Willie Tyler & Lester! “The Dick Tracy Show”! “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”! Frank shares his favorite roast joke! And Al and Gilbert cover the hits of Soupy Sales! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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We've never smelled so good. Shop Old Spice Total Body Deodorant now. TV comics, movie stars, hit singles and some toys Trivia and dirty jokes, an evening with the boys Once is never good enough for something so fantastic So here's another Gilbert and Franks. Here's another Gilbert and Franks. Colossal classic. Hi, this is Gilbert Gottfried and this is Gilbert Gottfried's amazing colossal podcast with our co-host Frank Santopadre. And our guest this week is a weather forecaster, TV host, sometimes actor, producer, writer, occasional cartoonist,

author of over a dozen books, a New York Times bestselling author, in fact, and a pop culture fixture who seems to have been on TV since I was 11 years old. You've seen him in feature films like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, the Sharknado series, Robot, Zombieland, Double, Zombieland, Double Tap and on the hit TV shows like Seinfeld, Will and Grace, 30 Rock, The Simpsons, and The Black Lips, just to name a few. He also holds the record for guest appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. 43rd year at NBC. And on December 14th, 2018,

episode of Today, he was honored for 40 years at the network when the Today Plaza was officially named Roka Fela Plaza in his honor. He's also the winner of 10 Emmy Awards for his decades of television work as well as his terrific interviews of icons and legends like Carl Reiner, Stan Lee, Betty White, William Shatner, and his hero Charles M. Schulz. His new memoir is called, You Look So Much Better in Person, True Stories of Absurdity and Success.

And we're excited to have him here with us. Please welcome to the show an individual of many talents and a man who says he plays the theme from the tv show the A-Team every morning. The pride of St. Alvin's New York, the one, the only Al Roker. Well thank you guys guys. It's awfully nice. Hello, Al. My gosh, it's a... I'm ready to just lay down and just have people put dirt on me now. It's pretty much, it's all over.

Yeah, yeah, the only thing missing was found dead in his New York apartment. That's right. My wife is waiting to read that in the Times. Hey, we've co-starred in, I guess, a few movies now. Well, I don't think you guys shared the screen at any point. No. In the Sharknado series?

No, no. Nobody shared the screen with anybody in the Sharknado. They shot it all. nobody shared the screen with anybody. It was I mean you're being so generous calling those movies. And it was funny because with each success of sharknado they cut the budget a little bit more yeah, a little bit more to the point where literally, I think if we do one more, it'll be on Zoom.

And that, that's actually insulting Zoom, you know? I remember when I was doing them, they'd say, okay, you're gonna, do you have like a suit you can wear? And it's like pretty much with those sharp natives, it's like next they'd say do you have a movie camera that you could... Could you bring a microphone? Yeah.

Do you have a shark? You don't go around with your own makeup woman do you by any chance? Al how many are you in Al? You're in two which I watched the other night. No I'm in... No you're in sharknado I watched the other night. No, I'm in... You're in Sharknado 2, I mean. Yes, yeah. From two on, I've been in every Sharknado,

which is something I don't put on my resume. We had to mention it here early. I've got everything else on my resume except... I've always said if you watch sharknado and you listen closely you can hear your IQ drop. But you know what, after the second one, the first one of course was nobody had any idea how big that was going to be because it was one of those that falls into the category. It's so bad It's good, you know, yeah, and the other one the second one was almost as bad So it was good and that that's what every by the I don't know what I think it was six

You know by the sixth when nobody said anything The director didn't even say I saw you in sharknado. That's hilarious. Gilbert. Who do you play? I'll play some self. Gilbert, who do you play? Al plays himself. I'm Ron McDonald, a reporter. Yeah. Wow. So like a woman's Scott homage. Yes, and I remember we were filming it, my first one I filmed in Central Park because it was supposed to be Texas. And everyone who's been to Central Park goes, hey, am I in Texas right now? And I have to at the end start yelling like I'm being attacked by all of the sharks. And then when I saw the movie, I'm alive at the end. And I asked them and they said, well, on the TV version, when it shows on TV, you're alive. But if you rent

that sharknado, then you die. And how many people really were going to rent that yeah, come on Yeah, well, hey, because the lines were too big We in all in full disclosure We had the director Anthony Ferrante here with us now a couple of it was a very nice man. Very nice man I didn't make it to installment number six. Do you meet with a fate a certain fate or do you make it through the whole series? I make it through the whole series? I make it through the whole series which is crazy because I was killed I see I'm pretty sure it was like one of these things where the shark comes out of the ceiling or something and right Attacks us so I when I got the call for I think it was five. I thought well wait. I'm dead

Well, we never saw you die said, wait, I'm dead. Well, we never saw you die. OK. OK. OK. OK. Installment 2 is particularly memorable for listeners of this show.

We've had the actor Richard Kind here a bunch of times. And he plays a, I was telling Gilbert before, he plays a faded baseball star, retired baseball star, who gets to swat a Sharknado out of city field. star, retired baseball star who gets to swat a sharknado out of city field. And I remember after the first one that was supposed to be in Africa. Alan on the subject of movies, tell us about, we mentioned St. Albans where you're from and I watched a great piece on the Today Show where you went home again. Yes, St. Albans, Queens.

Back to the old hood. I'm from Ozone Park myself. So I remember the Lowe's Valencia, which I've heard you talk about. My theaters were the Haven and Woodhaven and the Cross Bay in Ozone Park. I don't know if you remember those. Oh, sure.

You talked about, and Gilbert and I love to talk about our childhood theaters on this show. He grew up in Coney Island. Well, I was born in Coney Island, grew up in Crown Heights. What was your theater, Gil? What was the local movie? Our theater was the Cameo Theater on Easton Parkway.

Wow. And I heard Al talking about seeing a lot of films there. You also talked about the Sunrise Drive-In. But specifically, I want to mention you seeing Poitier films. Yes, yes. I guess so looking to dinner lilies of the field and the field. One of our favorite actors to and at the Lowe's Valencia theater. So one of the

to me one of the seminal comedies that that to this day I still is one of the greatest comedies of all time. It's a mad mad mad mad world. Oh, yes. We talked about that several times. I mean, and my wife who I'm being kind when I say we really do not share the same sense of humor. And but I said, just humor me and watch this. And she thought it was one of the funniest things she'd seen. When you're 10 years old and without saying, or they just pan that airfield and you see the fire truck and then it's the three stooges.

Granted, it was Curly Joe Dorita, but it's okay. You'll make an allowance. It's okay. It's Curly Joe Dorita. It's okay. You'll make an allowance. It's okay. It's okay. It's all right. Not Joe Besser. Curly Joe Dorita always seemed like, well, we have to have a third stooge.

There's a guy walking down the street who's fat and he's tall. He's a fat guy. Good enough. Let's get him. That's close what are you saying kill the curly Joe got some of the got got stewed money because he was surviving stooge yeah, they were all these lawsuits and the money went to curly Joe. The most hated. I mean

it was like, you know, I always remember Channel 11 here in New York growing up, ran the three Stooges. And, you know, they were off the air for a while. And in the 70s or the 80s, they brought them back and they were like new prints and so and the promo was brand new prints and not a shimp in the bunch. I thought, you know, if you're Shemp Howard, you're kind of like, seriously? I'm dead, but I'm still dissed. Shemp is chaplain next to Curly Joe DeRita.

I know. Yeah, and I remember it was Officer Joe Bolton. Yes. You bet. Back in the day, I mean, and that's, okay, you're from New York, so you get this. My first television appearance was on Wonderama with Sonny Fox.

Great. On remote from Freedomland in the Bronx. Wow. Wow. And we had him on the show. Sonny was here. Yes. Oh, Bronx. Wow. And we had him on the show. Sonny was here. Oh wow. Yeah. And he was, I was expecting cute little kids say the darnedest thing stories and he was

telling me about how him and his troop in World War II were held prisoner by the Nazis. Wow. Yeah, he was a POW. We'll send that one to you prisoner by the Nazis. Wow. Yeah, he was a POW, we'll send that one to you, that's great. Yeah. Wow. He was a POW and the stories he told, he teared up on the show telling them. Oh my gosh.

I had no idea. We just lost Sonny about two months ago. Yeah. And then I remember he called me and he was saying, you know, he was asking us when the episode with him is going to air and my wife was on the phone with him and she said, it's going to air in like a month or two and he said, could you put it on sooner? I'm in Oh, gosh.

What was Freedomland? Freedomland, in fact, it's where Co-op City is now in the Bronx. Sure. Freedomland was a developer, I don't know, whoever, but it was their answer to Disneyland in the Northeast. Wow. And it was like a wild west fort

and some other Americana with some rides and stuff. And it's like nobody really told them that, you know, it's the Northeast. And guess what? The weather's not really that great for an outdoor park year round. Wow. And so it lasted like five or six years

and then went under and they sold the land and they built Co-op City. I assume the Valencia Theater is also no longer standing. Yeah, you know, I think it was. The cross baby became a Models. They turned it into a church and I don't even know if it's still standing back there in

a while. But it was, go ahead. Noah, I was going to say, in addition to Sonny Fox, we also had another childhood hero of yours here on this podcast and that's Chuck McCann. Oh, Mona? Hi, guys. And what's that other actor who was in that was a bill fiore? Yes Fiore terrific character lay bill fiore. Yeah, and and I gotta tell you that said

This is the only part in the world discussing bill fiore right now Everybody's got a hobby, you know, that's it And and I used to I mean I that was the thing growing up in New York City back in this in the 60s it was really like the heyday of Kids television hopes. Yes. Yeah, I mean you had you know, Sonny Fox You had Bob McAllister you had Chuck McCann who on Channel 11 did let's have fun That's right, which on Sundays, they just opened up the vault and for four hours ran Popeye cartoons,

Abbot and Costello, The Keystone Cops, Laurel and Hardy. And Chuck McCann would dress up as, because it was at the time the Daily News owned them and they owned the rights to like Little Orphan Annie and Dick Tracy. So he'd dress up as Little Orphan Annie. A six foot three guy wearing a red wig and a red dress as Little Orphan Annie,

put little cardboard cutouts on his eyes. I remember. He was Dick Tracy. He played Laurel and Hardy in a split screen and they had the Paul McCann puppets. You know, it was the Paul, it wasn't Paul McCann. Was it Paul Winschel? No, no, the Paul Winchell was...

Not Paul Winchell. I can't remember the name of the... Paul Ashley Puppets. Paul Ashley. Paul Ashley Puppets. I remember he would put on... He would dress up as Dick Tracy. Yes!

And they'd put on an artificial chin. Yep. And I remember the music was Dick Tracy. He's got a bulldog. Dick Tracy. He's got a bulldog. Yeah. Yeah. Tracy better do what he say. Time does crime does it never pay. And the great thing about the Dick Tracy, the Dick Tracy show, so basically Dick Tracy, and they ran the same open for every cartoon, and he goes, thanks chief, I'll get on it right away. Dick Tracy calling, and then they come, and every character was racist, you know? Yes.

Oh yes. You had Joe Jitsu. Joe Jitsu. Youitsu you have go go Gomez that's right and then you had you had the racist trope of a stereotype of the lazy us Irish cop he po calorie. The only guy who wasn't a racist trope was Hemlock Bones. Who's a dog with a... who sounded like Cary Grant. It was just crazy!

The Dick Tracy Show! Okay, Chief, I'll get on it right away. Dick Tracy calling Hemlock Holmes. I read you, Tracy. Hemlock, we have a report that the Brow and Oodles are smuggling stolen diamonds into the city. We don't know exactly how they're doing it or where. Your best bet is to take the retouchables and keep an eye on the waterfront. Try Pier 22 first.

Right, Al. 62 and even. Over and out. Bless your heart for remembering Hippo Gallery. Do you remember, because I always would call this drink the racist Kool-Aid. Oh, Hawaiian Punch. No, no, it wasn't Hawaiian punch. Nothing that famous. It was the powdered fruit drinks.

And they had one that was a Chinese guy. You're thinking of funny face, Gilbert. Funny face. Oh my gosh, funny face. Yeah. He answered a Kool-A tool aid that's right also like a spanish guy yeah a chinese guy yeah what was the names of those you can still find those you can find those on ebay they've been long since discontinued yeah thankfully yeah crazy

really crazy uh goofy grape yeah Yeah that's right. Yes. Yeah, jolly, jolly orange. Yes. And what was the cherry one? That was Chinese cherry. Chinese cherry. That was the racist one.

Which was also, as I recall, was an exotic dancer. That's correct. She dated Jiu Jitsu. That's correct. She dated Jiu Jitsu. That's correct. Also you were into Suppy and Sandy Becker and all the other people we love to talk about here. Yeah, I mean, you know, look, I won the 1964 New York City Parks Department talent show. I came in second. I had a Paul Winchell ventriloquist dummy. I had a Jerry Mahoney dummy.

Jerry Mahoney. And I called Stephen Stickyfingers. And I sang The Mouse by Soopie Sales. I was beaten by four girls lip syncing I Want to Hold Your Hand. It was held at the bandstand, the band shell in Central Park. My grandmother made me a soupie, I had a black sweater, white chino pants, the bow tie and my dummy had the same thing.

And it was, but soupie sales, my gosh. And he's the one who put me up for membership in the Friars Club. You know, which was- I was just gonna ask you that, cause soupie used to hang around there a lot. Yes, oh yes. And I don't know if they can record the two of us membership in the Friars Club. I was just going to ask you that because Super used to hang around there a lot. Yes, oh yes.

And I don't know if they can record the two of us at the same time. Well, Aristotle will mix it together. Okay. You know the words to the mouse. Oh sure. Hey, do the mouse oh sure hey hey do the mouse yeah hey hey you can do it in your house yeah on the rug or on the wall if you folks get mad do it in the hall do the mouse yeah do the mouse yeah come on let's do the mouse with me do the mouse with me.

His other hit, your brains will fall out. Pafalafaka, Pafalafaka, it sounds so romantic and jerky. Oh, I know that phrase will make me thrill always, because it reminds me of you, my sweet. Just the mention of that tender word of love. Gives my heart a heart that jerk is Turkish meat. You guys gotta go on the road. My wife is mortified right now. Hi, Debra. And do you remember?

When the pandemic ends, you guys got to go on the road. And do you remember the theme to Wind Show Mahoney? Oh. Was that the Scotty Waddy Doo Doo Show? Yeah. Hooray. Hooray. It's Wind Show Mahoney time.

It's Wind Show Mahoney time! Let's have some fun! Oh my gosh! Hooray! Hooray! Wake up everybody! Come on! Let us give a cheer for everyone! I'm doing Gilbert Godfrey's Amazing Kalamu Podcast! And he faints his. And na na na na na na na na. Hooray. Hoorah. Shish boom bah. Scotty waddy doo doo. Scotty waddy doo doo. Scotty waddy doo doo.

Dah. Oh. Ah. Ah. Ah. Let's see. Am I Jerry Mahoney or are you Knucklehead Smith? That's hilarious.

Ah. Ah. Ah. Oh, and what he used to do there too was he would paint a face on his chin. Yep and then they reversed the camera or turn it upside down and he had a like a little body on it. Then also remember on uh uh who's the other ventriloquist uh? Danny O'Day in Farfell. Oh, in Farfell? Yes, yes. Yeah. N-E-S-T-L-E-S. Nestle's makes the very best chocolate.

I think Columbus man. We're all dating ourselves. Well, that's because nobody else will date us. We will return to Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal podcast after this. This episode is brought to you by Secret. Secret deodorant gives you 72 hours of clinically proven odor protection, free of aluminum, parabens, dyes, talc, and baking soda. It's made with pH balancing minerals and crafted with skin conditioning oils.

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You know, when we were researching this and when we booked you and I called Gilbert and I said, this is music to our ears. The guy's into Officer Joe Bolton, Captain Jack McCarthy, three bells and all as well. Zacher Lee. Zacher Lee. Oh, and then he would end the show with, well, time and tide wait for no man.

No man. Yep. Good stuff. I remember Captain Jack hosting the St. Pat's Parade. Yes. On Channel 11. Channel 11. And you're right, Al. It was a Renaissance time, you know, especially Kitty Show hosts, which is sort of a thing of the past a little bit.

Local Kitty Show hosts, I bring it up too because a Kitty Show host played a pivotal role in the beginning of your career. And you know what I'm referring to. My department chairman of my college. Mr. Trolley. Mr. Trolley. Mr. Trolley. Yeah, I went to SUNY Oswego, and Dr. Louis B. O'Donnell was the head

of the communications department. Back then we called it radio and TV. But he also was, at the same time, for over 25 years, he played Mr. Trolley on the Magic Toy Shop. He wore a trolley-like head and had a cow catcher on his beard. And we would joke with him about it,

and he goes, you can laugh, but that freaking trolley paid for my kid's college. And he's the guy who put me up for my first television job in Syracuse, New York. When I was coming up on the end of my sophomore year in college, they decided to start a full-blown weekend newscast. And I had just taken one class in meteorology just for a science requirement. I had no, no plans of being on TV.

True story, I write about it in the book. It looks so much better in person. He said, Roker, this was after my first television performance class, he said, you have the perfect face for radio. And also in that class was a guy, I don't know if you've heard of him, a guy named Jerry Seinfeld. Oh, interesting. Yes.

Jerry went to SUNY Oswego, freshman and sophomore year, then left and came down to Queens College and I haven't heard about what happened to him. The rest is history. Was that show The Magic Toy Shop with Mr. Trolley? Yes. I just find it interesting too, the way things work out in life. Here you are a kid growing up kind of of obsessed with TV host kiddie show host to kiddie show host Mister trolley and later bozo yeah your pal willard scott yes would play pivotal roles in your early career yeah

I mean willard what you know for folks who don't realize you know Larry Harman was the original bozo out of Chicago and he syndicated franchised bozo to different TV stations and So and they'd run cartoons and so and so Willard was the local bozo if you will in in Washington DC And and a lot of people don't realize he's the guy who created Ronald McDonald McDonald's was a sponsor. They were looking, they wanted to create a character. He came up with Ronald McDonald. He got screwed by McDonald's, but he was the original Ronald McDonald. You know, with Willard Scott, he always introduced, you know, who's turning a hundred.

Yep. And so my grandmother, she, uh, she calls me up and she said, everyone's telling her, uh, they announced you if you're a hundred and she was turning a hundred. And she said, I would like to be on TV. And she said, I would like to be on TV. And I got in touch with Willard Scott and they said, say what her, you know, hobbies and everything. And I said, well, I asked my mother and she goes, well, she likes to cook and she likes going outside.

And so Willard Scott announces it like, and happy 100th birthday to Minnie Zimmerman, who likes cooking and the great outdoors. And it made her sound like she does mountain climbing. She was Jeremiah Johnson. Yeah, exactly. She's rappelling off the sides of mountains. like to the mountain. She's repelling off the sides of the.

It's kind of touching in the book out which we'll say the title as often as we can you look so much better in person it's touching how nice Willard was in those yes, he days to you you're total stranger. I mean look I was on on WTTG the channel 5. Nobody watched it, you know, I mean nobody under the age of 80 you know, I mean the only time somebody young watched it was when they went in and found their grandparent dead.

TV was still to do that. That was the other put the sheet over and they may look over and see you. But he literally, I mean before everybody was using the phrase or the word, oh, he's my mentor, he's my mentor, he literally called me up out of the blue. I mean, I pick up my phone and he's, hey, this is Al Roker. I said, come on outside, let's go to dinner, it's Willard. I'm like, what, wait, what?

So I go outside, at the is on Wisconsin Avenue He is parked outside in a like a fire engine red Cadillac convertible, you know, he had one of the first cell phones mobile phones it was like a suitcase mounted inside the car and So I go you go let go to dinner. Here we go. I'm going to one of my favorite Italian places He makes a u-turn and parks literally across the street from the station. I mean, it's like a sitcom.

And pulls up and we go to Alfredo's La Trotteria restaurant on Wisconsin Avenue. And he just takes me and takes care of me. La Trotta Rear Restaurant on Wisconsin Avenue. That's great. And Willard, go ahead. And he just takes me, you know, and takes care of me. And two best bits of advice, both professionally and personally, he gave me. The first one was never give up your day job. You know, you can do all these different things, but you know, the weather is your gig. He was, at the time, was the local weather guy at WRC.

I mean, he was the biggest, other than the Washington Monument, Willard Scott was the biggest thing in Washington, D.C. And he said, the other thing is, be yourself. They can take whatever they want from you, but they can't take you away from you. And I've tried to live that, both professionally and personally.

That's advice you've taken to heart all these years. Yeah, I really have. Was it D.C. where they tried to turn that, you know, both professionally and personally. That's advice you've taken to heart all these years. I really have. Was it DC where they tried to turn you into a movie critic? Yes, yeah. So, you know, I'd been at the station maybe a year or so. And the news director said, look, I think you're a good talent, but I just

don't know that you're cut out to do the weather. So I was like, well, let's see, that's kind of what I do. So, what I really like is, you know, I think you'd be fun as kind of, there was a guy here in New York on Channel 5, and we were owned by Metro Media at the time, which is now Fox, guy named Stuart Klein, who was the movie critic. I remember Stuart Klein. who was the movie critic. It was a curbungeon. Yes.

On Channel 5. Yes, exactly. So our news director said, I want you to be our Stuart Klein. And I said, I don't know that I can do that. Oh, sure you can. Listen, tell you what, you think about it over the weekend and let me know when you come in on Monday. And I'm thinking, oh my God, you know, this is, my career could be over here.

But I decided, and this is what I kind of reset, you gotta be true to yourself. I thought, you know what, I'm gonna tell, I don't wanna do it. And if he's gonna fire me, then I guess, I'm gonna have to start looking for a new job. And of course, this was really before everybody had cell phones and things like that.

Anyway, I got into, and we only did one newscast, the 10 o'clock news. And I got into the station about 3 o'clock and I'm thinking, I'm just dreading it. And as I'm walking in, did you hear? Did you hear about the news director? I said, what? He goes, he got let go. I said, what? He's gone.

I'm thinking, yes! Yes! So you never reviewed one movie? I never reviewed a movie. I mean, never did a play, nothing. And then six months later I got the job in Cleveland and kept going. Was meant to be. I just remembered another of those things that would show all the time on TV and that was the Valerie boys. Oh, I told Leo Gorsi

yes, pops chocolate shop. Yeah with with with. We'll see his father, yes, Bernard Gorsi. Yeah, I mean I mean I think those were on Channel 11 too. You know, you just, I mean, where else could you watch this stuff? You know, I mean, it was before cable, you know, so, but in New York you were lucky because you had three network affiliates, owned stations, but you had three independent stations, which this was before you had the CW and my 9 or you know and Fox so all they could do is run old movies

and kids shows, you know in class, you know that's one time there. It was a contest between Milton borough and Hunts Hall. Do you see where this is headed. Do you see where this is headed? I have a feeling. I have a feeling. Who had the biggest dick? We didn't say the show was clean, Al.

No, I've heard the show. Oh, Milton, I didn't know you were bringing your son with you. That's hilarious. That's hilarious. Well, Jeffrey Ross had the great line about Milton's schlong. He said it was so long it had an elbow. That's Jeff Ross. What a guy. What else did you watch? We obsessed about the million dollar movie on this show. Oh my gosh. You could see the same movie 5 times a week because they exactly trot out mighty Joe young 5 times that

said you know, I mean it's it's it's kind of like that was the early version of streaming you know now I look I mean I watched everything. Yeah, it's I wasn't much into Western you know, I mean, but but it but sitcoms I was I mean I and you know back in the 60's mid 60's when the superhero craze, you know, I mean but but it but sitcoms I was I mean I and you know back in the 60's mid 60's when the superhero craze, you know Batman captain nice, you know all those shows. You know the reruns of Superman which I you know those the ones with George Reed sure and you know

you read the comic and he's Superman is fighting. You know all these intergalactic bad guys and stuff but on the TV show he's fighting like Mugsy you know he's bad these B level you know gangsters he's fighting bank robbers yeah come down bank robbers who are trying to get their hands on Professor Periwinkle. Exactly. Professor Pepperwinkle's anti-gravity machine. Don't call me chief. I mean, you know, there was just, there was only one where Superman kind of killed a guy.

Yeah, it's the one on the mountain. On the mountain. He knows they're gonna try to climb to, you stay here, I'll be back. Because he discovers who Superman is. That's right. And he's with the mountain. He knows they're gonna try to climb to, you stay here, I'll be back. Because he discovers who Superman is, and he's with the girlfriend, you know, and he goes, come on, we're gonna climb down. I don't know. And like, like two feet down,

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh uh, and then it not only were they on a cliff That worked out well. Everybody who remembers the Superman series remembers that. Yes. And then it not only were they on a cliff that you could easily fall off of, but I think it was like there was snow all around. Oh yeah, they weren't like, he flew them to like Alaska or the Arctic. Where he said, you know, don't climb, don't go,

don't climb down, whatever you do. Don't climb down. I'll be back with some warm clothes. And you know Superman's thinking, I'm not really going anywhere. Because I know it was in five minutes. It's like he left him somewhere where you couldn't survive for three seconds. No, he kept saying, I'll be back.

Don't climb down. Wink. And bless you for bringing up Captain Nice, Al, but I warn you that it may lead to Gilbert singing the theme song. Okay, okay. Look, it's the man who flies around like an eagle. Look, it's the man who hates all that's illegal. Who is this man with arms built just like hammers? It's just some nut who flies around in pajamas That's no nut son. That's captain nice

Here's why my parents were worried Now your wife is worried yeah because as a kid so I was Eleven years old there was a place in Queens called Lafayette Radio. It was like for people who were audio enthusiasts and hobbyists and so on, you could buy, you could build radios and get stuff there. And I remember my dad was a bus driver and he would always come back from the depot with stuff that had fallen off the back of a truck.

He'd always call me and say hey for a yeshika TL 35 35 millimeter camera 25 bucks is that a good price. Yes, that could you get to you know? Some guys got a 3m woolen sack reel to reel tape recorder for for $15 should I get yes, dad so he bring cuz I was a an audio video nut and he bring he brings it home and I discovered if I pull off the back of my rTV and Run wire from the speaker leads to the line in of the recorder, I can record the audio of whatever's on the TV.

You mentioned that in the book. Yeah. Yeah. And so I'm like recording Batman and then the Adventures of Superman. I come upstairs to my mother and go, listen to this. I spliced these two things together and I didn't even notice the look of concern and worry on her face my oldest child is spending a way too much time in that basement and he's gonna be living

with us till he's 60 and I remember too I well it's so funny that they used to say don't touch that dial. Right. We'll be right back. And you said something in an interview that really struck me because I always think of this, uh, that how like, you know, when we all had records and you try to put it and it would scrape. And that how to this day in movies and TV shows, they still have the scraping needle sound effect. Yep.

Especially in movie trailers. Yeah. Yes. And everything stops. You know, and it's been years, although vinyl is making a comeback, but you know, most of these kids have no idea. You know, it's the same, although vinyl is making a comeback, but most of these kids have no idea.

It's the same as like 1010 wins still as the teletype sound. Yeah, I love that. On the old news radio station. I love that. There hasn't been a teletype in a newsroom in 50 years. I saw your interview with the TV Academy, Alan. Again, bless your heart. You're bringing up old shows like the Phyllis Diller show and the Double Life of Henry Fife. Henry Fife, who me? Red buttons.

Red buttons. Never had a dinner. Never got a dinner. And ho, ho, he, he, strange, strange things are happening. Was that Phyllis Diller Show the Phyllis Diller show or was it the Pruitts of South Hampton? The Phyllis Diller show. John Astin. Yes. They changed the title. John Astin.

Oh man. We had him here. I'm Dickens, he's Finster. You bet buddy. Yes. Here's an early question from a listener since you brought up superheroes. Kurt Nichols would like to know if Al, we're gonna go back into the way back machine,

if Al had appeared in a guest spot on the Batman 66 show, which villain would he have liked to have played? Oh gosh, I'm the penguin. Oh, you got competition for Gilbert. Oh I wonder, ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha. We had Adam West on this show, and Adam West said to me that he goes, Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha You in one interview that you wanted to integrate the Flintstones. Yes I did. I mean, you know, I

You know, I love cartoons Deborah has said that I would probably give up anything everything if I could find the portal to toontown You know, it's like and and the Flintstones. I mean look you got her that was to me The the ultimate, you know, I mean, look, you got to remember, that was, to me, the ultimate, you know? I mean, every day, you know, that rib comes out and it tips the car over. You know, I wanted to be Fred's next door neighbor, next to, like on the other side of where Barney is.

I mean, so you got Barney, you got Fred, you got the Roke Stones, you know? You got Barney, you got Fred, you got the Roke Stones. And you know the funny thing, just recently, someone sent to me and it was like a poster, I don't think they ever filmed one, but Hannah Barbera, they saw how well like the Jeffersons and Good Times and Sanford and Son were doing and they

figured Hannah Barbera figured, well, Black is in now. And they were actually planning on doing a series called The Blackstones. Oh, wow. That it would be the Black Flintstone. Oh my gosh. Which I wish if someone out there has a copy of that, dear God, send it to me. It sounds frightening. In fact, what was the original title of the flintstones? No, no, seriously. Oh God, he's going to stump us. In the pilot, it was a seven-minute black and white pilot. They were called Meet the Flagstones. You are right, sir. Very good. Very good. And you know what I remember too with the Flintstones was that before there was a famous theme song. Yes. They used to play. Yeah, it was called Rise and Shine. That was the original title.

They didn't add the words till they syndicated it. And that's when we got the although I remember as a kid watching it live one of their sponsor. Well, not like, you know, when it was when it first aired their sponsor one of their sponsors was Salem cigarettes. Yep, you can see those on YouTube. There was a big billboard. Yeah, you can use a you to get there was a billboards. Yeah, you can see that commercial. And it's actually commercial I've seen it on the Internet of Fred Flintstone and Bonnie rubble smoking cigarettes. Yeah, oh yeah, here's the thing I never got I can accept that

men and dinosaurs were actually living together at the same time. Yeah That they had cars that you used an elephant to wash the dishes Get all that all by that But at the end And that cat will stay out for the night the cat jumps back in the window Opens the door and puts cat jumps back in the window, opens the door, and puts Fred out, slams the door. Fred, literally two feet from the window that has no glass in it, keeps banging on the door. He's that stupid that he can't walk over two feet and climb through the same window

that the cat had just gone through 10 seconds earlier. Hilarious. And it was a cartoon with a laugh track. I know. That's another weird thing. That was brilliant. Where was the audience? It was brilliant.

Because it was on in prime time. And so it was a sitcom, but it was just animated Well, it was the honey motors three times. Exactly. Hannah Barbera ripped off everybody. Yes I mean, let's face it, you know Top Cat was was Phil Silver's was Bilko. Yeah, come on. Yeah. Yep I heard another oh this one wasn't Hannah Bararbara, but another Bilko ripoff. Yeah, oh, that was Hanna-Barbara? Top Cat? Top Cat, yeah.

Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I mean, you know, let's face it, Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy. Augie Doggie was Jimmy Durante, for God's sake. And Huckleberry Hound was Andy Griffith. Was Andy Griffith. But I read it bothered you, too, that Yogi Bear wore a tie without a shirt.

We had a tie and a collar and a hat. Okay, all right, I guess. Where did he get the collar? And Boo Boo had just a bow tie. I'm guessing it's a clip-on because there was nothing else around. Just there. Quick draw McGraw. He's a horse. Okay, he talks I get it How does he get the hoof around the trigger? I don't know

Sorry, I remember it was like Arnold Stang. Yes, it's doing a Phil Silver's. Yes Very good. Gil very good and Kaplan who we've had on this show. We have Marvin Kaplan here. Oh, gosh. Benny and Chooch. He was Choochoo. I think he was Choochoo. But you know, Al, your interest in animation wasn't just as a fan. I mean, it was actually an early dream.

Was that specifically Disney? You wanted to be a Disney animator? I wanted to be a Disney animator. I mean, I just loved you know the idea of creating creating characters and the motion and all that you know you know that the thing I loved about my dad and I learned so much about you know life from him and it was a New York City bus driver ended up you know in in in labor relations of the transit authority but

he knew I was not athletic. Oh, what a surprise. But hard to believe. But he found what I was interested in and fed that. And he knew I loved animation and movies and television. And so everything that he could do to nurture that, he did. And so like we would watch, you know, Top Cat and the Flintstones and Yogi Bear and all that. And he would find books for me at the library

about that stuff and bought me my first animation book, How to Draw Animated Cartoons by Preston Blair. I know that name. Well, tell us about your strip, Salt and Pepper. Salt and Pepper, it was in the Syracuse New Times and I was in college and it was Jeremy Salt and I can't remember the Peppa's first name now, but it was it ran like maybe 12 weeks or so.

It was a weekly free paper and yeah, you know, we did kind of, you know, local politics and stuff like that, but it was it was kind of a dream come true. I mean, look, in getting to interview Charles Schulz twice, which I write about in the book, was one of the most special moments. I got to interview him for the 50th anniversary of peanuts. And then sadly, six months later, he was diagnosed with colon cancer.

It was stage four and inoperable. And asked me to come back out and do his last interview. And it was like, and in a way, you know, sometimes people just retire and the strip ends or somebody else takes it over and that's that. But you know, this way he got to find out how beloved that strip and he as the creator by extension was and Look, it's still still running today. I mean, there's there. I mean there repeats every reprints

but when you think about the Impact that that strip has had from a sociological stand Theological standpoint and the humorous that it influenced. Yeah I mean, I remember telling him how important with important, in 1969 he introduced Franklin, the first black character. Yes. And what an impact that had. It really made, and it goes to how important it is for people to be able to see people that represent them and who they are in popular media.

It makes a huge difference. When you met Sparky finally, I mean, we all know that sometimes meeting your heroes can be treacherous. It was everything. Wasn't everything you expected it to be? You know what, in a way it was more. In that, look, the man had an ego.

There's no question about that but it was it was something that you would expect but yet the humility was still more than I expected and the the quiet confidence yet he still even at you know at 74 still questioned things and yes knew he didn't have all the answers and and you know it was it was it was a real it was one of those things where I went back to my hotel room and when Santa Rosa California after the first interview and just was like kind of like trying to process everything I had just taken part in.

You know, that's like this guy, he was, you know, talk. I'm talking to Charles Schultz. It's still, you know, one of those amazing moments. We had his son, Craig Schultz here. We did a Christmas episode for Charlie Brown Christmas. And I, when I asked him what his favorite strip of his dad's was he got choked up it was the one where Charlie goes to the barber shop and waits for his dad to finish to finish cutting hair so they can ride the bus home together and you know it's funny because that's one of the things I

mentioned to him got emotional because because I you know one of the my my fondest memories of time with my father was I would, when I was off from school, I would ride the bus with him. You know, he'd do his shift for eight hours back and forth on Flatbush Avenue. And, you know, I'd see these people and he'd introduce me to them and, you know, this is my son and I was eight years old. And to the point where when I got my first job in Syracuse, they gave us business cards.

I'm a college student, what do I do with these business cards? A couple of weeks after I'd gotten the cards, I went home to visit my folks in Queens, and I'd forgotten the business cards. Anyway, four or five weeks later, I start getting phone calls from people. I say, hey, hi, how are you? This is so and so.

I said, how did you get my number? He goes, oh, your dad's handing out your business cards on the bus route. Oh, what a good dad. You know, listen, if you're in Syracuse, look my son up. You know, watch him on TV. You know, it's so funny when you said Flatbush, I got an immediate also nostalgia again, because there were a few theaters on Flatbush Avenue.

I remember seeing Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid on Flatbush Avenue, one of the theaters. Yeah, you know, and the things I, you know, like he would on the way home from the depot, he'd stop at Ettinger's and get the pound cake, or sometimes he'd go to Ettinger's, get the blackout cake, you know. I mean, it was, there was a theme. There's a reason why I was not athletic, you know? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. What do you refer to yourself as in the book?

You would say today it would be an IT person, but back then you call yourself an AV dork? We were the AV nerds. AV nerds. I mean, we literally, I was in high school and back then, you know, AV was, you know, the 16 millimeter projector, you know, so we had to come in with we have the cart and the 16 millimeter projector and you had to keep the loop to spread it so that the sound state in sync or run the film strips we were we thought we were so cool and we had no idea everybody was

laughing at everybody. Yeah, we even thought we had our own. We had our own gang sign a V you know, I mean it was just. own we had our own gang sign a V you know, I mean it was just sad and pathetic you know. Yeah Gilbert was neither athletic or on the a V squad. I don't know what he was doing but by the way you're both cartoonist you're both you both dabble in cartooning was send you Gilbert stuff I'd love to see it's like basil Wolverton

Gilbert, you know that yes, yeah, are you keeping your hand and drawing a little bit out from you know, I haven't I you know I when I signed my autograph for like when I when I'm at book signings or after you when I signed you know for you look so much better person I've got a little son character a little cloud character so from I'll do those but otherwise I do know it's just been it's kind of fallen by the wayside I do miss it I got you know when maybe when I retire I'll I'll pick that up. I'd like to see your strip one day my dad was a painter my dad was an artist. Oh you said you like I thought you said you'd like to see

me strip. I thought wow this took a turn. I would watch that like Bourne. Yeah. The only way to make it better is if it had been written by Larry David. We'd like to see Salt and Pepper. It's online. I'll see if I can find that for you. Here's another one from a listener. Charlie Bruce.

We know that Al is a huge Ghostbusters fan. What does he remember of his experience filming Zombieland with the great Bill Murray? Oh my gosh. It was a real hoot in that I had seen my daughter, my middle girl, and said, Dad, you've got to watch this movie, Zombieland. And I did. And it was Buster got funny. And of course, Bill Murray gets killed in it.

And so since it's out, I don't think it's giving anything away. What I felt, it was in the credits, and it is day zero of when the zombie apocalypse started. They don't explain how it starts, but that's how it starts. And I'm interviewing Bill Murray for Garfield 3, Flabby Tabby. And while I'm interviewing him, I become a zombie. And he kills me and then goes out and fights his way through all the zombies to get away. It's in the closing credits, you know, because it's funny. I get invited to the premiere.

I'm watching it and I'm thinking, oh, they must have cut my scene. All right. Well, there you go. And I'm getting ready to leave as the credits rolling and then it pops up. But it was a lot. They filmed it in Atlanta, you know, and Woody Harrelson, you know, was there. We didn't share a scene, but he goes,

listen, I don't know what's going on and when you're leaving, having some people to the house, it's going to be good. Did you go to the house? I did not go to the house. I thought, do I go to the house? I did not go to the house. I thought, do I go to the house or do I get on that flight back to New York? I think I'm going to go back home. We will return to Gilbert Gottfried's amazing colossal podcast, but first a word from our

sponsor. Now you're you're assistant he said we know you're a friar he said you wanted to talk to us to about about some some classic comedians including Mister Gottfried. Yes, well, I mean look I've I've had the pleasure of being at a more than one roast with with Gilbert. Oh, yeah, Gilbert. Can we actually talk about anything that happened at those roasts? I don't think so.

I was there too. I don't think we can. I don't think so. I don't think so. I don't think it would be prudent. No. I will tell you my favorite roast joke, which was Belzer

following Freddie Roman to the mic. Gilbert knows this one. He said, ladies and gentlemen, Freddie Roman, give it up. Jack Ruby had a longer TV career. Oh, wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow.

You know, and that's the thing. It's an interesting time because I don't know, do those ever come back? I don't know. I don't know. Nobody's central still trying to do their version of it. I mean, they pulled Alec Baldwin out a couple of last year. Yeah. Bruce Willis a few years ago.

I mean, they're still attempting to keep the the brand going. Yeah, but I don't acquitted yourself quite well might I add I was a writer on a couple of those. And you were you were we you know we don't have to go into detail. Thank you but you were quite good. Well, you know look it's again I I'm one of those people like somebody oh you should do stand up you because I said no I'm good for 2 or 3 minutes. It's a very steep drop off. It's literally like my sex life

with Deborah, you know. It's a very steep drop off so you know those moments are good because you're only on for a little bit people are very forgiving in a sense and then you get out what you know how to tell a joke, I mean when you consider some of the people that get up at those roasts that they don't have any business being up there and you know how to get up and do and do a bit and tell a joke. Well, you listen I've watched enough people you know Gilbert

Godfrey soupy sales, you know watched enough people, you know, Gilbert Gottfried, Suppy Sales, you know, Jerry Seinfeld, you know, you go through, I mean, even somebody, here's one for you. I got a call the other day through a mutual acquaintance, and it was like one of the most amazing moments ever from Willie Tyler, of Willie Tyler and Lester. The only time I had seen a black ventriloquist who, back in the day, was on Sullivan, was on Merv Griffin, was on Johnny Carson, I mean, everywhere, everywhere, and still as sharp

as a tack, funny as hell, you know, and you know, that's the you know, today, I don't know that there's that. Yeah, that that that ability for young comics, you know, it's either the they tell a couple of jokes and all of a sudden they've got a Comedy Central special. Yeah, well, Willie, Willie Tyler, who was here, by the way, on this podcast. Oh my gosh. Great guy.

You know, that's something that Gilbert and I love to talk about, and it's part of the reason we started this show, is you don't have ventriloquism. Like impressions is considered quaint these days. It's considered a part of show business that, unfortunately, is passe. Yeah. it's considered a part of show business that unfortunately is is pass a. Yeah, it used to be like there are a million and per million fan Trilla quits while they were Sherry Lewis sure of course and Ricky Lane and Velvel. Yeah, absolutely you know I don't forget we did we had

Sherry Lewis on on the today show and she comes in lamb chop comes up with land and where it's done. And you know, it's lamb chop. I mean, this is your childhood. It's lamb chop. I'm not talking Charlie horse, I'm talking lamb chop. Yes.

And she takes lamb chop off of her hand and she basically puts them in a Tupperware container. I'm thinking, where's the bur the world would you know with with the velvet lining you know because this is an American icon now she just stops in a in a rubber made container that was so funny because I was once on a TV show. And and Willie Tyler was on the TV show we started talking and I said to him where's lester any points to the corner of the room,

there's a little suitcase. And I also felt like you know he's suffocating. There's a great there's a great Paul Winschel story. He's on. I think the kids the Kate Smith hour. And he's doing his bit. And the director comes in, we're having trouble hearing the dummy. He goes, what are you talking about?

We can't, so he goes, let's run the sketch again. And he's watching the audio guy and the audio guy keeps pointing the boom Mike. Jerry my. Which Paul Winschel in his books said it was the highest praise indeed this guy thinks the voice is. Here for ventriloquist act name Otto and George. They were no very raunchy.

Oh, we'll send you. We'll send you stuff. You'll appreciate it. See, to me... There's a story of a guy, a heckler, attacking the dummy on stage. Oh my gosh. Being so drunk. Yeah.

What I was always amazed at was the guy who's got to be the greatest ventriloquist of all time has got to be Edgar Bergen. This guy made millions of dollars doing ventriloquism on the radio. Absolutely. I mean, he can move his lips, he can do whatever he wants. And the funny thing is whenever I saw him on TV, he was moving his lips.

I'm crazy. I saw it. I saw it. I saw it. I saw it. I saw it. But it is funny what Frank was saying because we talk about that a lot. They used to be the rich little George Kirby. No, George Kirby would be Frank Gorshin.

Probably a problem too. We did have Will Jordan who did the best Sullivan in the business. We had Rich Little, we had Marilyn Michaels. We do our best to keep this alive. Remember Von Meter? Of course. The whole Kennedy thing? Of course.

And then, you know, the, yeah. David Fry? Best Nixon in the business. He invented the Nixon. Yeah. My God. I invented the Nixon. Yeah. My God. I had a David. That was back when I was a kid.

I would buy, most of my friends are buying Marvin Gaye and the Supreme. I'm buying Von Mieder albums. First Family. David Fry. Yeah. Right. What are you going to do? And I remember I saw an interview with Vaughn Meader because he had, you know, he cornered the market on doing all these

Kennedy and person his Kennedy impersonation. And he was once out of town getting ready to work some show. And the cab driver said, Hey, did you hear about Kennedy today and he thought oh he knows who I am he's going to make a joke and he goes yeah Kennedy was shot and and that uh I think I think that night when that news came out Lenny Bruce went on stage and he says boy Vaughn Meaders really fucked. That was his opening line. Yeah that night. What was it like Al for a guy who's a lifelong fan of animation to see himself drawn and animated on The Simpsons? You know it was was, I mean, look, first of all, here's a show. What is it now? 33 seasons?

Something like that. Longest running show. Since 89, I think. Yeah. Longest running show. For a while, it was the longest running one. Now it's the longest running show. Other than Meet the Press, it's the longest running show in television history. And probably, if not the,

one of the smartest, most smartly written shows and pointed comedy and observation. And so to be part of that and to go in to, record those lines and you're being directed by Al Jean and you're coming out and Julie Kavanaugh's going It's like oh God, you know and they they sent me a

Cell of my scene with with Bart and they sent an autographed script, you know and and it's just That's those are the things where you'd still I can't believe I'm doing this I can't believe I get to do this stuff Yeah, we ask a lot of people that on this show, you know How often do you have the pinch me moments and you seem to be a guy and it's all over the book you know, you're you're keenly aware of where you've come from and and and this and the you know, the the Surprises of this journey along the way.

You have a lot of gratitude. The idea, when I got the weekend weather job at WNBC, I was number two to Frank Field, who at the time arguably was the most popular or most well-known weatherman in America. I mean, Johnny Carson used to make fun of, NBC's crack meteorologist, Dr. Frank Field. And my parents could turn on the TV and see me.

And I thought, this is it. I'm maybe 10 years down the line, maybe Dr. Field will retire and I'll get the Monday through Friday. But I thought this, I have made it. I am walking in to 30 Rockefeller Plaza, a place where I took the NBC tour and saw them taping the doctors, you know,

and doing all the, I think before Alec Baldwin was on that show. You know, and it was, and seeing Studio 8H, and Toscanini and all, and I'm working here. I still, I mean, I'm a kid from Queens, and I remember coming and taking the F train from Queens, because I was staying with my parents that first night when I flew in from Cleveland

and taking the F train and coming up at 47th Street, 50th Street Rockefeller Center Station on the F train and I'm walking up to 30 Rock in my job. It was, it's still, and you still, you walk in that building and it is awe-inspiring. Even you look at the frescoes, you look at the floor, you look at the sculptures, it's unbelievable. There's no other building that houses a broadcast facility like it in the world. The closest you would come was BBC House in London and

they've torn that down. So this is the last standing building that throws back to the beginnings of broadcasting. I still, sometimes when I drive in, not to be maudlin, but I'll visit my folks out at out of Pine Lawn and then I come back in and you come over that Midtown Tunnel Bridge before you get to the tunnel. And you see all of Manhattan from, you know, your field of vision is Manhattan.

And I think, I live here, I work here. This is, it's more than I, I don't know what I was going to do, but it still boggles the mind that I do this. You also said in the book, you get emotional when you fly in to the city when the cityscape first appears you're coming in and there's nothing like this there's no other city like it to fly into

i think one of my favorite anecdotes in the book is you telling your mother that you're on channel five not being able to get the hang of the fact that it's a different channel five yeah Yeah, I get this job. I get this job. It's channel 5 in Syracuse, W-H-E-N. So I'm excited. You know, you're going to call your mother. I call her up and I said, mom, guess what?

I just got a job doing TV weather here in Syracuse. Oh, what channel is it on? I said, well, mom, you can't pick it up. It doesn't reach it. Well, what channel is it? It's channel 5. She goes, oh, I can see you. I said, no mom, it doesn't reach to New York City. It's just for Syracuse. No, you're wrong. We have channel five here. I said, mom, that's W-N-E-W in New York. I'm working on W-H-E-N

in New York. She goes, well, all I know is a fives of five I said, yeah, but mom it doesn't reach wait a minute I'm gonna turn the TV on right now and show you I said mom and I hear the TV come on He goes see you can't see it. But here it's channel five. It's on right now. I said, but mom it's a different station It's like a bad Abbot and Costello routine. It just wouldn't have, finally I said, she go, what time are you on? I said, I'm on at six o'clock.

And then sure enough, about seven o'clock she called, I didn't see you. That's great. That's a great story. Here's one from a rabbi, Al. This is our friend, Rabbi David Komorowski. I loved Al when he was on locally in Cleveland. He was a regular at my father-in-law's restaurant,

Bliss on Coventry. Oh my gosh. And I walked off the empanada, empanadas and cheese soup are the reason he left Ohio for New York. No, no, no. Listen, you know what? It's funny, a lot of people not Cleveland.

I had a great, I lived and worked in Cleveland for five years. And it was, you know, you have that moment where you find your legs professionally, where kind of like it clicks in as to who you're going to be. And I don't care who you are, whether you're a police officer, firefighter, garbage, whatever you do. And Cleveland was that for me. And so I loved Cleveland. And the only reason I left was to come home to New York City. But no, I, in fact, my sister lives

in Shaker Heights. And in fact, we're going to be going to Cleveland in May as part of a series reopening America today. And I'm going to be at my old stomping grounds. I love Cleveland. It's fun to read about in the book, and we should point out too that the book isn't just anecdotes, it's also you're generously sharing career advice and life advice like get up earlier and call people, don't send emails and there's a lot of practical advice for the way you get things done which you've generously with younger younger people are aspiring broadcast. Yeah, well, it's not so generous because they got to pay 28 bucks. It's a small it's a small price to small price. So how do you feel about the Internet and twitter and all

those I like it. I think it's fine, you know for stuff like this. But when it comes to one-on-one, one of the greatest gifts my wife, Debra, gave me was a stationary wardrobe that came in a beautiful box, 8 by 10 sheets of very nice paper, my name, small cards to write on envelopes that matched. And I love and I write with a fountain pen and I love the feel of it. I love the sound of it. I love the way it looks.

And I like sending people notes. And I've instilled that in my kids. And that's cool They've and they've heard from people how much it means to them to get a handwritten note You can be when it's time to write a thank you. Yeah, you can send an email, but no you're not doing that You're writing a note You're going to physically write a note write the address put a stamp on it Take it to the mailbox and mail. Because it means something to people. They took the time to think about you and get you something.

You can give them something back. That's nice. That is good advice. And you're also a fan of, it's interesting, it's in the book, pick up the phone and call people. Don't rely on email, especially if you're trying to advance your career. Be persistent.

Keep calling. You know, you were a nudge, which is how you got that job. What was his name, Andy Brigham? Andy Brigham, he was a great, great journalist, news director and mentor, but it was one of those things. Again, it was before email and texting, but even before there were answering machines, you couldn't leave a voicemail.

So I kept calling and kept calling. I was waiting to find out about the job. And to got to the point where I knew the station switchboard operator, Rose, and she'd say, oh dear, he's not here right now. I keep calling finally one time, she put me through. And it was like you know the dog that chases the car you know all of a sudden he catches the car what do you do and I kind of stammered

and he said he had this voice this gruff voice you know Rogan the only way I'm going to get you off my ass is to give you this job so you got the job all right all right we'll see you next week click and I'm like what what what how much am I making what What am I doing? How do I? But it was, but that's, and I tell the young people, you know, I said, first you call, then you call again, and then you call again, then you leave an email, but then you call again. I thought that was one of the most interesting pieces of advice in the book, as well as

Don't Quit Your Day Job, Willard's advice. Yes. Yeah. Because persistence means something to people. Leaving a text or an email is kind of passive aggressive. If you really want it, be aggressive. The other thing that struck me was Willard's advice to you, remember that your fans, your viewers are the customer.

Yeah. And the customer is always right. So even if you're not in the mood and a fan wants a selfie with you in a grocery store. You thought you find a way to turn it into a positive or at least yeah, make every effort to look here's the only time and I learned this from my my quote baby brother who is now

the CEO of Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx. But he I overheard him talking to my kids when they were much smaller. And he said the only thing he resented was that when people came up, while when he was again, like, you know, seven, eight years old, 10 years old, he resented when people came up

and kind of infringed on his time with his big brother because he didn't have that much of it. And so it got in his way. And I never thought about that. And so when I'm with my kids, even now, I say, you know what, I'm with my family. I hope you'll understand, but I owe them this. So, you know, if I owe,

and 99% of the folks say, yeah, I get it. Of course. You'll get one or two, what a jerk. And everybody's like, OK, whatever. How do you deal with that, Gilbert? When you're recognized and you're not, for whatever reason, you're not feeling particularly energetic or you're not in the mood and somebody wants a selfie?

I mean, you're gracious to fans. Yeah, but when I'm not in the mood is every second of my life. Do you take the high road like Al does? Yeah, I do pose and all that stuff. But you know, it gets me whenever they do that with their phones, you know, they used to be regular cameras. And with a regular camera, you held it up, click, and the picture was taken. And now with advanced cell phones, it's like,

okay, okay, wait, wait, wait, are you in the shot? Yeah, yeah, oh wait, wait, did I press the right thing? And it takes an hour. Yeah. It's like, okay, you have to take the picture, the least you can do is know how to take, know how to take the picture. What about those people who insist on blaming you for the weather? Well, look, it's human nature.

It's human nature. Now, listen, even in my own house, Deborah will literally say, you know, they say it's supposed to be sunny in 62. I said, I'm they. What are you talking about? You're telling me about, you know, I'm they. You know, my son will go, well, Maria LaRosa on channel this morning said it's going to well, you know what? Why don't you go live with Maria LaRosa? Let her pay for those $150 sneakers. What you say, you say in the book, it's important to have a good comeback line at the ready. You know what, why don't you go live with Maria La Rosa? Let her pay for those $150 sneakers.

What you say in the book, it's important to have a good comeback line at the ready for people who are aggressive about it. Yeah. I have stolen, it was one of my favorite lines from Seinfeld, and Elaine and Frank Costanza, played by the late great classic Jerry Stiller. You know, he goes, you want a piece of me? You want a piece of me? Bring it, old man.

I will drop you like a bag of dirt. I got two quick ones here. Favorite fictional weather forecaster? Brick Tamlin from Anchorman, Phil Connors from Groundhog Day or Gordy Howard, our friend John Amos from the Mary Tyler Moore Show. I have to go with Gordy Howard. Look at that. Yeah, absolutely.

Because we were both bald even though he was wearing a tube. He's a good man, John. We had John here. Did you see coming to America 2? Not yet. He looks he's in it you know McDowell's and he looks fantastic. Why did you my other question why did you before we get you out of here why did you do you compare yourself to and this is this is in the book that you're comfortable with second banana status. And you go so far as to compare yourself

to a classic sitcom character. If I had a choice, if I had a chance to play any character in a sitcom, it would have been Norm, played by the great George Wendt. Because he always had a great entrance, had a great line, and they always had these great reaction shots of him during the show. And he'd still have one or two. had a great line and they had always had these great reaction shots of him during the show and he still have one or two

might want one of my all-time favorites he would come in and goes. Norman norm is how's life treating norm like it's a dog eat dog world and I'm wearing no bone underwear, you know. Yeah, norm what's up myipples, it's freezing outside. You know, I mean, it's just, so, but I love, you know, the idea, you don't have to be the star to have a great career. Willard taught me that.

Again, everything I seem to learn, I learned from Willard. And I remember interviewing Ed McMahon. Same thing, you know? He was next to Johnny. He knew where he was, he knew what his role was, had a great life, had a great career. Good career, yes. You know?

So I find that being the second banana like on the Today Show, I'm not the host, I'm the co-host, I'm the weather guy, but I still get to do amazing things. I get to go incredible places I get to to meet people that I would never get to meet so, you know And and i've had a you know, i'm doing this with you guys. I mean, you know So so, you know the second banana thing Is uh, I think you know people waste a lot of energy

Wanting to be the top dog, you know, and there's nothing wrong with that. I think that's great if that's what you want, but you know, you can have a good life without getting that too. I think we're both comfortable with our second tier showbiz status, aren't we Gilbert? I haven't hit second. But here's the here's what I for you Gilbert you are not to be a McCall but long after you're gone. Iago will still be part of our culture.

That's true. That is mind-boggling that there was this character that, you know, next to Robin Williams is probably, and the Genie is probably the greatest character in that movie. And that's my, I mean mean he's not the star. Boy do you remember you got the ago. All thank you. See Gilbert you have a legacy. Yeah, it well I I'd rather the

parrot died 9 to 5 time. And what was great and it was the literally in that one scene, you know, like every cartoon when an animal gets singed or whatever, they're like either all their fed or they're wearing underwear or something like that. Yeah, everything, anything you would want in a character, Iago has in in a land it's it's that's what it's it's the second greatest character that movie. I don't know. I remember somebody told me in the writers room.

When they were making a Latin they had a sign that said when in doubt hurts a parrot Now one of the pieces of advice in the book is fine mentors. Yes, and you found Several along the way but Willard you're still in touch with Willard? I am. Willard's 87? Do I have that right? Yeah. Yeah.

And it's funny. I do consider him my second dad. My dad was still alive. They would be the same age. And he's physically slowed down, but mentally, humor wise, it's still Willard. I still come back, come when I hang up the phone, I'm still laughing, you know, and, and he just he's just a treasure.

I, you know, I just adore him. He's I can't say enough. He's he's one of the most generous human beings I've ever met. It's nice. I'm glad that you got to make, that you got to meet mentors along the way who reached out to you. Yeah, I mean, that's the thing. Usually it's reach out to your mentor.

Might be something about you, though. Not everybody attracts that kind of generosity. Well, look, who knows? But I'm just grateful that he walked in. Because I can honestly say I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Willard. Because he's the one who decided it's time to step back and semi-retire. And he said, you know, it's your turn. And that's something you don't always see.

Rarely, rarely see. Here you are a guy who had no designs on being in television. 42 years with the same network, a house full of Emmys. What a strange series of occurrences. Life is strange. You were in your basement doing cartoons with a goal of being a Disney animator, and you're the most famous weather

forecaster in America and known the world over. And you didn't even plan this career. And that's the beauty, I always tell people, never say no. Are you still yapping? I am still yapping. That's not true. Al's wife is shutting it down.

Taking it out. All right, so you won't get any further you can fight with your wife. I have your own time. This has been. Amazing call that's my life, baby. I'm a Gilbert Gottfried amazing colossal podcast with my co-host Frank Santo Padre and we're watching the divorce in real time we want to thank John Burke associate no social media

director we want to thank our friend Krista Rose who helped us out to with this episode Al it's a wonderful journey the book you look so much better in person true stories of absurdity and success. You forgot to shout out Aristotle Acevedo. We never forget Aristotle. Aristotle Acevedo. How about that? Aristotle, Al Roker just shouted you out.

How do you feel about that? He's he's on. He's he's overwhelmed. He's he's on my he's he's overwhelmed. He's over and oh and and your wife is standing behind you with a Frank. Hey out next time you join us, let's just talk we'll also talk about yeah, but koto and bill do my gosh some of those great actors you were talking about we just lost yet.

I know that's one of Gilbert's favorites. My gosh this still you know, I mean, the show, Homicide Life on the Street is still one of my all time favorites. And he was Al Giordano, a black guy adopted by Italian parents. What a wonderful actor.

Yappid Coto was a Jew. There you go. Yeah. E-I-E-I-O, Yappi Kota wasn't you. EIEIO. I want John to know too that we tried to talk about the Friars Club and I quickly realized there was nothing repeatable. Yeah, thankfully.

Well, we gave it a shot. Al, good luck with the book. Thank you for being a part of this crazy show. Thanks guys. You're a wonderful guest. Thank you. We'll see you soon. Bye bye. Hey, do the mouse, yeah.

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