- LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE GOT SOMEBODY OUT IN THE AUDIENCE,
AND I'M GONNA CALL HIM UP ON THE STAGE.
I DON'T LIKE TO DO THIS GENERALLY,
BUT HE'S, HE WAS IN THE BEST PICTURE
THAT'S COME OUT OF HOLLYWOOD THIS YEAR.
THAT GOES FOR, I THINK EVERYBODY WILL AGREE.
HOW MANY OF YOU SAW A LETTER TO THREE WIVES?
(AUDIENCE CLAPPING)
NOW THAT IS REALLY A GIGANTIC ENTERTAINMENT, ISN'T IT?
DO YOU AGREE TO MOVE WITH ME ON THAT?
YOU KNOW THE FELLOW WHO PLAYED THE PART
OF ANN SOTHERN'S HUSBAND?
WELL, HE IS HERE AND I'M GONNA CALL HIM UP
SO ALL OF YOU CAN GET A LOOK AT HIM.
KIRK DOUGLAS, COME ON UP HERE.
(AUDIENCE CLAPPING)
KIRK, COME ON UP.
GOOD LOOKING GUY, HUH?
- LISTEN, ED, BEFORE YOU SAY ANYTHING,
ONE THING I DO WANNA SAY,
I'M SO HAPPY TO BE HERE FOR SEVERAL REASONS.
FIRST OF ALL, YOU KNOW, IT ALWAYS SCARES ME A LITTLE BIT
TO COME BACK TO NEW YORK EVER SINCE I FIRST CAME HERE
TO TRY TO GET ON THE BROADWAY STAGE.
AND ALSO, WHEN I THINK ABOUT LITTLE OLD NEW YORK,
I ALSO THINK ABOUT ED SULLIVAN.
(AUDIENCE CLAPPING) - THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
YOU KNOW, I WANTED TO ASK HIM.
SO YOU KNOW HE'S IN TOWN FOR THE OPENING OF,
IT'S VERY RARELY YOU GET A TERRIFIC PICTURE LIKE THAT,
A LETTER TO THREE WIVES.
AND THEN FOLLOWED UP WITH ONE EQUALLY GOOD.
BUT HE'S IN TOWN FOR THE OPENING OF HIS PICTURE, CHAMPION.
AND IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT, RUSH OVER.
BUT YOU'RE PRETTY MEAN IN THIS PICTURE, AREN'T YOU?
- YES.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, I'M A LITTLE AFRAID, ED,
OF WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN WHEN MY MOTHER SEES THE PICTURE,
BECAUSE SHE'S ALWAYS THOUGHT I WAS AN AWFULLY NICE FELLOW
UNTIL I GOT OUT TO HOLLYWOOD.
NOW SHE'S A LITTLE WORRIED ABOUT ME.
- OH YES, HE'S REALLY A MEAN ONE IN THIS ONE.
OH, HE REALLY CUTS UP. YOU KNOW WHAT I WANNA ASK YOU?
- WHAT'S THAT, ED?
- YOU GET A LOT OF LETTERS, WE GET A LOT OF LETTERS FROM
YOUNGSTERS WANTING TO GO ON THE STAGE.
AND THEY MENTION YOUR NAME,
THEY SAY BOB TAYLOR AND THE REST OF 'EM.
YOU KNOW, THEY THINK IT'S VERY EASY.
- BOB TAYLOR AND THE REST OF 'EM.
- YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT.
(AUDIENCE LAUGHING) YOU'RE UP THERE NOW.
YOU GOT A VERY CUTE, I ALMOST SAID PUSS.
THAT'D BE AWFUL.
(ALL LAUGHING)
YOU KNOW, TELL 'EM IN YOUR FIRST COUPLE
OF SHOWS IN NEW YORK, AS I RECALL,
YOU HAD SOME UNHAPPY MOMENTS.
- WELL, YEAH, AS A MATTER OF FACT,
I STARTED OUT MY CAREER,
THE FIRST THING I EVER DID ON BROADWAY WAS SING A TELEGRAM.
I WAS A WESTERN UNION BOY.
AND I CAME IN ON THE END OF THE SECOND ACT,
AND I SANG THIS TELEGRAM.
AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW, YOU MAY NOT THINK I WAS VERY GOOD.
AND A LOT OF YOU WHO SAW THAT PLAY
MAY NOT HAVE REMEMBERED ME.
BUT THERE WAS AN OLD SCHOOLMATE OF MINE
WHO WAS OUT IN THE AUDIENCE THAT NIGHT
AND SHE THOUGHT I WAS TERRIFIC IN THAT.
AND HER NAME IS LAUREN BACALL.
AND SHE THOUGHT I WAS AWFULLY GOOD IN THAT.
- SHE LIKED IT.
- AS A MATTER OF FACT, SPEAKING OF LAUREN BACALL,
I WANNA SAY THAT AS A RESULT OF MY FRIENDSHIP
WITH LAUREN BACALL, I REMEMBER THAT SHE WAS THE FIRST ONE
WHO SPOKE TO HAL WALLIS ABOUT ME.
AND AS A RESULT OF HER TALK TO HAL WALLIS,
I FINALLY WENT TO HOLLYWOOD AND DID MY FIRST MOVIE,
WHICH WAS CALLED STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS
WITH BARBARA STANWYCK AND VAN HEFLIN.
BUT ED, BEFORE I DID THAT,
BEFORE I DID THAT--
- TELL THEM ABOUT THE KATHERINE CORNELL STORY.
- OH YES.
I STARTED OUT GREAT GUNS AS THIS WESTERN UNION BOY.
AND I THOUGHT, FROM HERE ON, I'M REALLY GONNA GO UP.
YOU KNOW, MACBETH MAY BE THE NEXT STOP.
WELL, THE NEXT...
(AUDIENCE LAUGHING)
BUT THE NEXT PART I PLAYED WAS REALLY QUITE A COME DOWN.
'CAUSE IN THE NEXT PART I PLAYED AN OFFSTAGE ECHO.
BELIEVE IT OR NOT.
(AUDIENCE LAUGHING)
IT WAS IN THE, THAT REALLY IS TRUE.
SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE HEARD ME.
IT WAS IN THE KATHERINE CORNELL PRODUCTION OF THREE SISTERS.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, CAN I PLAY THAT PART FOR THEM NOW, ED?
- I WISH YOU WOULD.
- WELL, I'LL TELL YOU, IT'S ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT ROLES
I'VE EVER HAD TO DO.
BECAUSE HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED.
YOU SEE, THIS GUY ON STAGE WAS A RUSSIAN SOLDIER.
AND I DIDN'T LIKE HIM BECAUSE HE HAD THE PART THAT I WANTED.
(ALL LAUGHING)
SO IN THE THIRD ACT, HE IS GOING OFF TO THE WARS.
OH, HE'S IN THAT UNIFORM AND HE LOOKS TERRIFIC.
AND I'M HATING EVERY MINUTE OF IT.
I'M OFFSTAGE, NOBODY SEES ME.
AND HE HAS TO SAY GOODBYE TO THE FOREST.
AND IN SAYING GOODBYE TO THESE FORESTS,
AS HE GOES OFF TO THE WAR, HE GOES,
HE GIVES A KIND OF YO-HO.
AND I AM THE OFFSTAGE ECHO.
AND I SAY YO-HO.
(ALL LAUGHING)
NOW, ONE NIGHT, I WAS SO SORE ABOUT THIS, ED,
I SEE THIS GUY UP THERE.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO ME.
BUT WHEN HE WAS MAGNIFICENTLY SAYING YO-HO.
I SAID, YA-HO.
(ALL LAUGHING)
I ALMOST LOST MY JOB.
- LET'S HAVE A BIG HAND FOR THE BEST ECHO WE'VE EVER HAD.
(AUDIENCE CLAPPING)