E-mail a friendBob Eubanks
airdate February 16, 2005
Bob Eubanks has been a game show host on three networks. He parlayed his success as host of The Newlywed Game into a lucrative career as one of the largest concert promoters in America, producing over 100 concerts a year for such acts as the Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Elton John. He began his broadcasting career as a disc jockey and is a member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Last fall, Eubanks released the book, It's in the Book, Bob! which chronicles his life and work.
Bob Eubanks
Tavis: Bob Eubanks has enjoyed a long and successful career in show business dating back to his days as a DJ here in Southern California. Of course, he went on to become a game show legend with "The Newlywed Game," which debuted in 1966. I was two at the time.
Eubanks: So was I.
Tavis: His new memoir is filled with stories of his years in the business. The book is called "It's In The Book, Bob." There you see the cover. Bob Eubanks, nice to have you on the program.
Bob Eubanks: Thank you, Tavis.
Tavis: And nice to see you on the ground.
Eubanks: Yeah. We met on an airplane.
Tavis: We met on an airplane. I keep telling all my friends around here, I meet so many wonderful, fascinating folks on airplanes. As a matter of fact, I met you on an airplane. You were going to deliver a speech for one of these big corporations. You do a lot of speaking these days.
Eubanks: I do. I speak to corporate America. About three years ago, I was riding my horse on the ranch, I said, what are you going do for the rest of your life? And I decided that what I wanted to do was I wanted to speak. I wanted to take what I learned on game shows and apply it. And basically what I learned was how to extract information from people, how to make people talk, how to get the best from people. So that's what I do. I do about 40 speeches a year now, and I'm having a wonderful time. They don't care how old you are or what your ratings are.
Tavis: Is the message here that when I get fired by PBS, I should hit the lecture circuit even more frequently than I am now?
Eubanks: You'd make more money than I am, I'll tell you.
Tavis: At least I know there's a career after this.
Eubanks: There is. You have to keep reinventing yourself.
Tavis: All right. I'll write that down and remember that. This book--you handed me a copy of this, and thank you again. You handed me a copy of this on the plane, and I started going through this--we were going back east somewhere?
Eubanks: Yeah, I forget where we were going.
Tavis: It's like a six-hour plane ride. Everything's six hours from L.A. But I had a chance to actually start flipping through some of this on the plane, and I got a chance to dig into it a little more after--you know, days later. This is one of the most wonderful reads that I've experienced in a long time, because there are so many wonderful stories about you that I didn't know.
Eubanks: How nice of you. Thank you. It's not an autobiography.
Tavis: No, it's not at all.
Eubanks: It's a story about the amazing, interesting people that I've dealt with in my career.
Tavis: I want to walk through some of those people. I don't know anybody in this business, though, who has experienced more in terms of the stories. You get not one--I've never done this--not one, but two blue cards.
Eubanks: Oh, my gosh.
Tavis: because there's so much stuff in this book, I tried to write now some of my favorite stories so I wouldn't forget them to get you to share more. First of all, speaking of how life comes full circle, can you share right quick the story of your first job in town, working at the Egyptian theater?
Eubanks: I saw "Oklahoma" a three times a day for 18 months. When poor Jud was dead, I wanted that sucked to die, man, I'm telling you. I used to open the doors of the limousines of the people coming in, the Elizabeth Taylors, the Eddie Fishers, and Debbie Reynolds, people like that. I stood with my little funny outfit out there on Hollywood Boulevard. And when it came time to get my star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, I asked, I said, is it possible that there's a place in front of the Egyptian? So that's where I got my star. So life does come full circle.
Tavis: How funny is that? So that's like 40 years after you worked at this place as a kid.
Eubanks: I got fired from the Egyptian. I hit a guy in the back of the head with a broom.
Tavis: And why were you hitting folks in the back of the head, Bob?
Eubanks: Well, I was on a ladder, see, and I'm afraid of heights. And I'm up there cleaning the marquee, and this guy comes by and he bumps my ladder, and I'm sailing down Hollywood Boulevard and I'm scared to death. And I stop and pretty soon I look up and here he comes again, and he hits my ladder again. Only I'm waiting for him this time. So I jump down off the ladder. I had a broom there. I got this broom and I whacked him in the back of the head, and the guy walked out and fired me right there.
Tavis: 40 years later, you get your star on the Walk of Fame.
Eubanks: I got my star on the Walk of Fame.
Tavis: In that same spot where you whacked somebody in the back of the head. So should I go down to Hollywood Boulevard and whack somebody in the back of the head?
Eubanks: If you want a star.
Tavis: I want to do everything you did, Bob. Interesting facts about your life. I had no idea that you competed, not once but, like, several times in the National Roller Derby Championship.
Eubanks: Roller skating.
Tavis: Roller skating. I'm sorry.
Eubanks: Well, I went to Roller Derby school. Oh, my God. Look at that!
Tavis: How about that photo?
Eubanks: Would you buy a car from that guy? Not me, boy.
Tavis: So tell me how you got into roller skating.
Eubanks: You know what, I always was interested in roller skating. Don't ask me why. I wasted several years of my life doing that. We were told we were going to the Olympic Games. We were told roller skating would be accepted. So I worked real hard for years, and never made it to the Olympic Games.
Tavis: How good were you, though?
Eubanks: I was pretty good. I came in fourth in the National Championships one year. I was OK. I should have been playing golf or tennis or something where I could have made some money.
Tavis: You haven't done bad. You haven't done bad. You went on to become part owner of a chain of music clubs.
Eubanks: Yeah, we had a chain of young adult nightclubs called Cinnamon Cinders, and our two main clubs were in North Hollywood and Long Beach. We would hire acts like Stevie Wonder. You know, I'd pay Stevie $750. He'd play both clubs in one night. He thought he was driving around the block, Stevie did. Ike and Tina, I'd pay them $1,100. The Righteous Brothers, Beach Boys. Those were wonderful days. Wonderful days. They were nonalcoholic nightclubs and we did very well with them. My partner Mickey Brown and I, and the two banister brothers, we had a lot of fun.
Tavis: So one of the groups that you helped put out early on was a group called the Beach Boys. And I couldn't believe you admitted this in this book. That you actually told these guys that the name the Beach Boys wasn't such a good name. The name wasn't going to work.
Eubanks: Well, you know, I talked to Murray Wilson, their father, one night out at Pomona at Rainbow Gardens. I said, that's a crummy name for a group. Nobody is going to know what a beach boy is in Kansas City. Well, the next week, "Time" magazine came out with a woody and a surfboard on its cover in Kansas City, of all places. So it was not a very good choice of mine.
Tavis: All right, so from the Beach Boys to the Beatles. You were, like, the guy responsible for getting the Beatles to play their first date in Southern California.
Eubanks: Yeah. They wanted to play the Hollywood Bowl, and they decided to tour. I was in radio at the time. The picture you see, that's the press conference, 1964. That was at Cinnamon Cinder. But nobody else wanted to buy them. The only other concert promoter in town, Lou Robin, who was Johnny Cash's manager for years, he passed on them because he didn't want to pay $25,000 to these four guys. He was used to buying Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald for 10 grand. So I borrowed $25,000 on my house, and we presented the Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl. '64. I think that concert, next to Woodstock, is probably the most famous rock 'n' roll concert. I think personally.
Tavis: Why do you say that?
Eubanks: Well, first of all, there was an album done on it. When people talk about the Beatles, they immediately say Hollywood Bowl. It just was one of those concerts that really became famous, if you will. Woodstock certainly was more influential, but I think Beatles at the Bowl sort of was the beginning of a concert business, if you will. And the rider, by the way--you'll love this. The rider, which is the addendum on the contract for the Beatles Hollywood Bowl--
Tavis: All the stuff they want.
Eubanks: Yeah. I had to provide an adequate sound system, a case of Coca-Cola, clean towels, and a TV, and I told them to get their own TV.
Tavis: But you found the $25,000.
Eubanks: I borrowed it on my house. My partner Mickey Brown and I, we borrowed it on our house.
Tavis: And how much did you make then?
Eubanks: $4,000.
Tavis: You cleared about 4 grand.
Eubanks: But there's a reason. About 3:00 in the afternoon, these busloads of marshals come in. And I walked up, I said, what are you guys doing here? He said, well, Supervisor Kenny Hahn sent us here to protect the houses around the Hollywood Bowl. I said, that's great. Thanks. I said, who's paying for you guys? He said, you are. But I got real smart the second and third year. We made more money then the Beatles did the second and third year, so it was OK.
Tavis: There's a funny story in this book, 'cause the book is chock full of funny stories. A funny story about how you got the Beatles out of the Bowl without being hurt, because we've all seen the Beatles footage of women screaming, and throwing themselves on them. How did you get them out of there?
Eubanks: Well, in 1964, there was only one compact car. It was the Dodge Valiant. And on the stage left side at the Hollywood Bowl, there's a little path that goes down, and this car would fit right there. And I borrowed that car from a Dodge dealer. He told me if I could get a picture of the Beatles in that Valiant, he'd give it the Valiant. So over at Sunset and Van Ness, where there's a restaurant now, but there was a gas station then, we had the armored car waiting there. We took them out in the Valiant. Got 'em out. I had a photographer waiting to get a picture of the Beatles in the Valiant, and all he got the backs of the Beatles. So the guy didn't give me the car.
Tavis: He did not give you the car.
Eubanks: See? There they are. There are the Beatles right there. He said, those aren't the Beatles. I said, yes, they are, man.
Tavis: All right, let me get to "The Newlywed Game," because as I mentioned earlier, we all know you from "The Newlywed Game," although this book is full of great stories about other stuff you've done. I'm told--from reading the book, I've learned, I should say, that when they first approached you with "The Newlywed Game," you thought it was a dumb idea that would not work.
Eubanks: I didn't think it would work. You know, I got there on a bet. I bet a friend of mine $5.00 I could sign with an agent. And I signed with the agent, and he said let's go see Chuck Barris. And I went to Chuck Barris, and he said, well, I've already got a host for the show, a guy named Scott Beech. If you saw "Mrs. Doubtfire," he was the judge in "Mrs. Doubtfire." But they said we'll let you audition. Well, as fate would have it, I had a young Hispanic couple in, he'd been out gambling all night, she beat him up verbally, and it was very funny, and son of a gun, I ended up--they hired me to do the show. I didn't know what I was doing. Had no idea in the world. In fact, Chuck Barris came to me after the first show. He said, I need to talk to you. I said, what's the matter? He said, you've just done something I've never seen anybody do before. I said, what'd I do? He said, you went a half-hour without blinking. That's how frightened I was, Tavis. I was scared to death. I had a hit television show, and I didn't know how to do it. In today's marketplace, I'd have been fired the first week. But Chuck Barris let me learn how to do that show.
Tavis: Wow. Michael Moore and the movie "Roger and Me."
Eubanks: Yeah.
Tavis: You take issue with Mr. Moore. You appear in that movie. It's been the cause of some consternation, particularly in the Jewish community in this country. What happened there?
Eubanks: It was the saddest, one of the saddest moments of my life. I flew into Flint, Michigan. I was born in Flint, Michigan, had my second birthday in California, so I was really not a Michigander. Flew into Flint, Michigan to play a personal appearance, and the lady at the fairgrounds said there's a guy here who wants to do a news story for a local television station. I said fine. I should have known then, because there was a film camera there. And this fellow, Michael Moore, he starts interviewing me, and he tries to get me to say something bad about Flint, and I won't say anything bad about Flint. And he keeps on and on and on, and I finally say, look, sucker, I'm not going to say anything bad about this community. His cameraman says, OK, the sun's coming through the clouds. Can we hold the interview? And he walked away from the camera, and he left it on. And I'm sitting there, and like an idiot, I started telling jokes. Some of them benign and some of them ugly. And I told this joke. Two years later, my secretary said, you're getting bad publicity in a movie. I said, I haven't been in a movie. So I sent--he got a standing ovation at the Toronto Film Festival. Michael Moore's a very good filmmaker, but he set me up. He ambushed me. And I was very fortunate. I went to the Jewish community. I went to the "Jewish Journal," and apologized. I apologized on "Entertainment Tonight." And I was truly sorry, because I don't have an anti-bone in my body. But I told an ethnic joke, and I don't tell ethnic jokes ever, ever again. So he's a good filmmaker, but he lied to me and he set me up.
Tavis: I'm out of time, unfortunately. He doesn't tell ethnic jokes, but he tells some great stories in this new book, "It's In The Book, Bob." So check it out. Bob Eubanks, an honor to have you on.
Eubanks: Thank you, Tavis.
Tavis: Thanks for watching. See you next time. Keep the faith.
Back to February 16, 2005