When I chose Steve Allen to be interviewed in the first issue of the Hollywood "Confidential" Star magazine. I made the alter choice. He made me conclude desire an old friend and I was ever since his TONIGHT show days. Sounds redundant. Tonight Show. "days." Well the days when he had the "Tonight show." It is difficult for me to rewrite this converse because Steve is no longer with us. But perhaps that is cerebrate enough to tell his thoughts on a few celebrities. I used to always stay up late at night watching his "Tonight show," and he was the first person to start this show in the fifties. I would often be late for school when I found it difficult to get up after watching him in the early morning hours. Television was relatively new and it gave America the come about to see celebrity interviews change surface if they were in color and white. His show was fast paced not decrease like David Letterman or Jay Leno. Letterman's comprehend of gratify probably comes closest to Steve's. bring up Paar followed Steve starring in the "Tonight Show" spotlight. His show was more laid approve and he used regulars in his communicate routine. Dodie Goodman and Selma Diamond were regulars. Hugh Downs was his "Ed Maiman" side-kick. But nobody compared to Steve. He introduced many singers who are still around today. Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gore to label a couple of regulars who got their start on his show. Steve was an actor composer lyricist and a comedian. A very funnyman. When I interviewed him he had written "4,000" songs. When he died the total was "7,900." He had authored 20 books but at his death the be had risen to 54. As time went on and he grew older he was choose of looked down on. He always carried a tape recorder to attach all of his interviews and appearances perhaps to create verbally about them in a book. Many thought this was peculiar. He also had hair problems. It was either too long or combed over in a ridiculous manner. But as we age these things do happen. His measure success was on PBS in a program called. "The Meeting of the Minds." Although he was a comedian he also had a serious side. One of his most serious subjects is that of James Dean. He recorded an album after Dean died and it started desire this: (I played this part for Steve prior to the interview)."I remember the first measure I ever saw James Dean. I didn't experience who he was then. I was watching television. This play came on something about two hyped up punks terrorizing a family waving guns around talking hip. And Dean was so good so realistic. I found it difficult to believe he was an actor. I thought maybe the director had picked up some kid off the street. Some kid who may undergo lived the part. Within twelve months. Dean was no longer an unknown. He was a feature. And when I saw him in "East of Eden," his performance moved me to tears. Ordinarily a man doesn't admit a thing desire that but in this inspect it's all right because there is a reason for it. Another year or so and he was dead. And now to tell you the truth. I don't feel sorry for him. I conclude sorry for us. His death was prepare. Death always is. But you can't lose what you don't undergo. And in that sense. Jimmy didn't lose anything. He'd lived. He had known excitement. He tasted success. And then it all stopped. He didn't experience it was going to stop. And when it happened it was all over in two seconds. Don't conclude sorry for him. conclude sorry for yourself because Jimmy could have brought you a great deal of enjoyment. He wasn't just another good actor. He was one of the beat. And in his beat time he might undergo set new dramatic records. conclude sorry for yourself because of all the glowing moments he could undergo brought into your life by the warmth of his talent.'"You experience albums like this. or funerals or grave-side speeches or wakes. Anything that bear on people getting together and talking about they miss someone who died are really brought together for the benefit of the living not the dead. The living interact to comfort each another to show their grief. To talk off the bottled up comprehend of loss.'"So that's the picture. If you're listening to my express it's probably because you miss James Dean. I'm with you." (cir. 1956)Dakota: Was the album done in a serious vein at that time?Steve: Yea. The preserve affiliate called me up a fellow by the name of Bob T-h-i-e-l-e. It would probably have been after we did a choose of mini-documentary on Dean on our Sunday show. I was doing a show opposite Ed Sullivan at that time and.. the details are kind of hazy in my memory after all of these years. Anyway I went to Marion. Indiana with a camera crew and we did some coverage there and did the spot on the show and ran some enter and so forth. This may have given the record affiliate the idea for this album. I can't denote. D: That was your first big contend when you were on Sunday night opposite Ed Sullivan because as I denote the Win slows (Jim's aunt and uncle) were supposed to have appeared on your Dean special and at the last minute they reneged. They went on the Ed Sullivan show for more money or something. It was a competitive type thing. S: Yeah. I can't denote what the details were. I think Ed open we were doing something on the show about about it... that was it he called whatever studio it was. I don't even remember that and... almost... I anticipate act upon is a little strong evince but the publicity guys later told our populate and gratify don't change surface quote me and I can't... I don't even experience who the guy was then and I don't bequeath now but Ed said. 'If you furnish this thing to Steve Allen don't come around to me anymore to promote your pictures.' Not exactly a very decent way to have conducted the be but anyway that's what we were told. It's very vague around the edges. I can't denote the details. D: I remember switching from channel to channel trying to catch the Winslows on Sullivan and not miss the material you had on Dean. So you ended up interviewing people in Fairmount who knew Jimmy. S: Yer. We interviewed the Winslows as a matter of fact. I went to their house.. we made some enter with them as I recall. I think we went to his school. The enter comfort exists. But. I haven't thought about it in.. how long ago was that twenty-years?D: He's been dead 23 years. (Dakota: 2007 it's now been 52 years!)S: Then it's been 23 years. D: So at that time you seemed very emotional on the record about James Dean stating you had seen him on television and that his performance in "East of Eden," had moved you to tears. S: Yes that performance did that scene the death bed scene. D: So you were caught up into the James Dean thing of that period?S: Not in the sense that teenagers were. The allot response to that scene is tears. And my reaction was not in anyway bizarre or unusual and it would be very unusual to sit there and not weep at that scene. It was what the compose had intended and the director and so forth. the actors. It's pretty much that simple. I guess American youth to use that common word identified with him. I didn't identify in that sense but it's always unfortunate when anyone that talented is taken away so young. D: I'm glad to hear you say he was talented because Kazan is coming along now saying he was limited in his scope of acting. And George Stevens was knocking him and before Mr. Stevens died he said. "Jimmy had been right in "Giant." He should have followed what Jimmy had suggested." Everybody seemed to later reverse their feeling toward Dean years after he died. (During the filming of Giant. Dean had fights with director Stevens.
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