#124 Come Aboard with Bernie Kopell

Announcer 0:00

Looking to sound like you know what's going on in the world, pop culture, social strategy, comedy and other funny stuff. Well join the club and settle in for the Jeff Dwoskin show. It's not the podcast we deserve. But the podcast we all need with your host, Jeff Dwoskin.

Jeff Dwoskin 0:16

All right now, thank you so much for that amazing introduction. And you get the show go on each and every week, and this week was no exception. Welcome, everybody, to Episode 124 of a live from Detroit, the Jeff Dwoskin show. As always, I'm your host, Jeff Dwoskin. Great to have you back as we're about to embark on something exciting and new. So come aboard. We're expecting you. Did you guess That's right. Bernie Kopell is here doc from The Love Boat. Jeff. That's pretty exciting. That means you've had Isaac gopher and now doc on the podcast. That's right. Bernie Kopell is here. We're going deep on The Love Boat. We're talking Get Smart, and Bernie shares a ton of great stories from his career with me today. I'm excited for you to hear from this amazing comedic actor, and that's coming up in just a few minutes. But as I mentioned, this is a follow up both themed episodes I would be remiss to not mention Ted Lange episode 52 Isaac, serving up the interview in Episode 52 And Fred Grandy gopher chatting it up with us in episode 84 If you want Love Boat, you've come to the right place. The Love Boat soon will be makin and the run after you listen to this episode. If you haven't already, it's time to run through our previous episodes. I hope you got to enjoy my conversation with Monica Piper amazing comedian, Emmy Award winning television writer and Paul McCurry Oh, hilarious. Comedian loved him on The Daily Show Paul and Monica episodes 122 and 123. Make sure you've checked both of those episodes out when you disembark from Episode 124 with Bernie Kopell.

Jeff Dwoskin 2:19

I don't know about you, but me and my family along with the rest of the world were caught up in all that word old stuff. A buddy of mine created an app called jamonkey. If you'd like those word challenges. Add that to your list available on your iPhones. drive yourself crazy trying to figure out as many words as you want all day every day, and then challenge your friends. Check it out. Jamonkey.

Jeff Dwoskin 2:41

Hey, well, I'm in the given mood. A couple other podcasts you should check out some friends of mine weekend up Nate with Nate Armstrong behind the bits with Scott Curtis and Sal and Bob Show. Sal de milliohm Bob Phillips, two of my co hosts from crossing the streams the weekly show we all do live every Wednesday at 9:30pm. Eastern Time. Join us live on YouTube. As we talk about TV shows you should be binging also check out coffee with Kenobi from frequent guest Dan's there, they just updated their logo. It's looking hot, my friend. Also check out the commercial break with Bryan Green. Those are some of my faves. I got more. But that's all I'm gonna list off in this episode.

Jeff Dwoskin 3:24

I do want to thank everyone in advance for their support of the sponsors. When you support the sponsors you're supporting us here at live from Detroit, the Jeff Dwoskin show and that's how we keep the lights on today's interview sponsor 99 gadgets and more of your a person on the go and you're looking for fake fingertips false next finger guns fingernail phones, glass cutters, hairbrush guns, shoe phones, compact files, comm phones, invisible dust invisible chalk, a jacket phone, a leaf notebook, the list goes on and on. We're ready to prepare you for whatever chaos might cross your path. Mind control chip micro camera we've got it all commando kit cone of silence coffee and donut radio. We won't send you in unprepared we got everything from A to bulletproof pajamas. Get it at 99 gadgets today don't face the chaos alone.

Jeff Dwoskin 4:20

All right. Well, I'm excited to share my conversation with Bernie Kopell with you an amazing career that goes back all the way to the 60s Bernie continues to work to this day, Bernie shares stories from the Danny Thomas show Jack Benny, when things were rotten stories with Mel Brooks, his beloved Love Boat cast, and so much more. I'm excited to share all the stories Bernie shared with me with you. I do want to kind of say up front in the intro in a joking manner because of the sex symbol status Bernie got from The Love Boat. I said sex icon I meant to say a sex symbol, we both went with it, whatever. I'm just telling you. I know I said the wrong phrase, I meant to say sex symbol. And I said sex icon, which I believe I made up. Anyway, everyone, here's my conversation with Bernie Kopell. Enjoy.

Jeff Dwoskin 5:16

Everybody. I'm so excited to introduce you to my next guest. One of the greatest comedic actors of our lifetime. You loved him and get smart, bewitched that girl and of course the doctor and sex icon from the Love Boat. Bernie Kopell. Bernie, welcome to the show.

Bernie Kopell 5:35

A sex icon. I think you may have gone too far with that.

Jeff Dwoskin 5:39

Maybe but I'd like to I wanted to go over the top. I wanted to pull everybody in.

Bernie Kopell 5:44

When I did Good Morning America in New York, one of the lady commentators it uses sex objectively, shall I say, oh, and I, because I really came into that whole area kind of late in my life and all of us. You know, I was being mean to people. I mean, the first thing I did was, I was in my Latino period. And I was because I could do the accent I just discovered by accident accident that I could do the accent. I did that for the first five years in the biz was Favorite Motion Flying Nun that Danny Casio Jack Benny, Danny was a little difficult in the sense that he could be the only one to get a laugh. I made a horrible mistake. One day, I got a laugh. And he was not happy about that. He dug his nails into my forearm and made a face like do that again. And I'll kill you one of these really charming things that happened. But you know, working for Jack Benny, it was a brilliant sketch. You know, Benny had a team of writers who wrote all of his brilliant stuff, Jack Benny and Dennis, Dennis day and Don Wilson and all of these amazing talents. Jack had no problem. He understood. If you do something funny on the Jack Benny show, it amplifies the Jack Benny show. He understood that and he said to me, when we got done with this sketch, he said, How come you know your parts? So well, your son of a bitch. And working working with you, Mr. Benny. I just I couldn't bear to mess up. And so I went over it 1000 times. And he says made that gesture with his hands like oh, you know, don't don't give me any praise. He's just that kind of a princely human being and I love them dearly. And he tolerated me that was just a delightful time ahead.

Jeff Dwoskin 7:38

It's an interesting story about Danny Kaye about wanting all the laughs for himself. It seems like such a I understand I guess if you're if your ego needs that, but as to be so uncomfortable for everyone around the Jack Benny concept of understanding that you know, rising tide lifts all ships is seems just so much more in tune with creating a really comedic environment.

Bernie Kopell 8:01

Exactly. You hit it on the head and backing the whole thing up with any k when he was a kid in what we call the mountains. He was what you call a Tumblr. A Tumblr is a kid who gets room and board and his job is to amuse the patrons so they don't get tired of everything and go home. You know if the weather is inclement, and they do a show on Saturday night. So my folks were there. I think my folks were on their honeymoon. And so he made an impression on my parents. So when he started in films, the kid from Brooklyn, Hans Christian Andersen, all these things. Oh my god, this is, this is that kid Daniel David Kaminski, the lady in the dark he stole a show on Broadway. And then he got into these films. He starred above everybody else in his film. Oh my then I got to when I went to work for him and his show. I could barely speak because he was so huge in our Brooklyn home. Danny Kaye, oh boy, look at all these films. We call it he had to be the virtuoso which does not really worked for the rest of the cast. You know Haile Corman and myself were straight men on the show, so to speak, and that was not fun getting fired eventually from from a show because not a pleasant guy. But one of the things I remember on the show, Mary Tyler Moore, who you might say was a pretty attractive human being. Mary Tyler Moore is guesting on a Danny Kaye show and she comes out and she This is during rehearsal. She is wearing what looks like a $50,000 white evening gown. The band strikes up and she What is she going to do when she started singing? This was one of the insanely incorrect songs to sing looking like that with that That's it. 10 cents dance. That's what they pay me. Oh, wow, they weigh me down. I mean what it was an insane outfit to wear for just getting 10 cents down. So that just made no sense but um, it was it's always a great pleasure to work with. Just see that human being and all her gorgeousness. Mary Tyler Moore and later on. I did I played a boyfriend of hers when she had her own show. And I also did the different like show that Ken does he look Langa which is where we eventually did the Marlo Thomas show, but oh, this way. The show I did with with her and VanDyke was it seems that Declan Diagon Alley kind of more as the as the couple were having some arguments and they had decided to go to Mexico to get a Mexican divorce and I was at a Mexican lawyer. Eventually, I convinced them that it'd be a lot easier and cheaper if they just remained married. So that was just a delightful time. I've worked three times with Dick What was amazing about that he was proceeding really amazing but but drew he was perceived by CBS haha, Josh, I'm doing a phone interview. Be quiet. It's one of my big Linkwood sons anyway. shutting the door. So anyway, so what it was in the early 70s CBS called Derek Van Dyck and they said we'd like you to come back to Hollywood and do do another show. He was living in carefree Arizona and he really didn't feel like doing as he said guys, thank you very much for the for the offer but I'm in carefree Arizona. I've been working very hard. So I'm just here relaxing. So time goes by and they double the money. This is guys understand. I just want to stay here in carefree Arizona. And then they come back and they say okay, what if we build you a studio and carefree? Okay.

Bernie Kopell 12:09

Studio in carefree Arizona. I got to play a an Arizona highway patrol, helping him illustrate the difficulty of drinking and driving this This allowed him to do is brilliant drunk routine. And his manager kept saying it is that making bets. He's burning. You're gonna crack up. It's so funny. I said no, I will not crack up. I'm a pro. That's it. So he did it. And I was struggling not to crack up. It was so amazing. Me but so the thing is, people laughed their faces off. And it's a great success. And he was presenting a says burn you want to drink? I said, Yeah, grow with you. Yeah. Okay, so I'm visualizing going with Derek Van Dyck to some exclusive eating and drinking place in carefree Arizona. So I said, Okay, come on, come with me. So it looks to me like we're going out of the studio that they've built one. And I say, oh, there's a problem. And he opens the door, the prop room, the prop room turned out to be his destination. So Dec and I got shit faced in the proper room. It goes in there. And he's opens up opens up the fridge. And he brings out some samples and we'd sit on boxes and and just drink for for a while. And it was not unless he admittedly had a drinking problem. But it was no problem that evening, because we really got into the booze but and then I did Diagnosis Murder. Later on. That was a third thing I did was take and delightful human being and enormous talent. Very humble. Really. So anyway, we want to talk about love bone. Okay.

Jeff Dwoskin 13:56

Well, let me ask you a few questions. So it sounds like I mean, other than Danny Kaye, you've spent most of your career just laughing and having a good time. You've been surrounded by some amazing also very talented people. When you start your career I read that you did for like the first four years. You mentioned it a little bit earlier. It was all accents your Puerto Rican Dennis and The Flying Nun. And then you mentioned the Mexican divorce. Is that what pivoted to the role and get smart?

Bernie Kopell 14:22

Well, I discovered after when I first came out James jury who played the Virginia I don't know if you remember the Virginia Do you remember the Virginia I remember the Shelby

Bernie Kopell 14:34

and I were classmates at New York University and we were in plays together at at NYU and it was great, great fun, but he says to me, okay, so I got drafted into the Navy. So I got drafted the Navy and I spent two years in the Navy and I get I get out. I'm in New York and I'm floundering. I had no idea what the hell I was selling what my market ability could possibly Leiby so Jim goes out to after the first year at NYU get he gets Western after Western after Western and eventually ends up with Virginia, which went on for a long time. And I'm just floundering, just having a miserable time in New York. So he calls Mrs. Bird come on out to California said, I've got an agent for you. And you can stay with my wife and I, we can hang out together and have some fun. I go out there and I said, Oh my god, he got an agent for me. This is so exciting. So I have my little eight by 10. And I have my resume and I go to see his agent. And I'm very nervous. I give the agent my eight by 10. Resume, which stuff I've just done at school, the agent gives me a very judgmental look. And says, and I quote, The Jim Kelly, the your agent, how can I be your agent? Real hard? Look, you're not handsome enough to be a leading man. You're not ugly enough to be a heavy and I was dismissed and I said, Oh, crap, this is not working. Well. So I'm driving a taxi and I get an agent. And the agent has for a couple of months just dumps me because nothing is happening in a positive way. Then I get another agent. This agent is slow. How slow was he? He was so slow that he was setting me up for products that had already been cast. I said, Oh, crap, this is really terrible. So I go to CBS Television City on Fairfax. And and on my way I see five guys or four guys who could have been one or a source or punch or Pablo, and the casting lady I will never forget her name is met was Maryland bludgeon. And I'm on my way out. And she says Mr. Capelle, as long as you're here, and I'm so sorry that the part that you opt for has already been cast. And I say well, of course, just fucking depressed about my way out. And she said, Excuse me, before you leave. Would you like to read for Pablo? And I'm saying to myself, this is poison. This is insult to injury. And I said okay, and I got so pissed about the whole thing. I said, Okay, I will take up the valuable time of boss Blair, the producer, and I'll read the problem. I had no idea if I could do it or not. But I remember I said, Okay, Jack Paar has Jose Melissa says pianist and Bill Dana has Jose Jimenez. I'll do them. I didn't know if I could but I was just so pissed. I go in, and I nail it. And I got the part of this bad guy who was threatening ladies and older ladies and DM being a mean guy. And while I was in, and I did that for three months, this is kind of fun. And even my mother should Bernard What are you talking funny? What do you what? What is this? Anyway, the director was very flamboyant. And in the middle of the night, when I get the I get the idea. Why don't I just put the personality of the director and my character together and make a little sketch of a gay now that you can't do these things anymore. But you could at that time, it didn't matter. A gay Latino pilot. It turned out to be a brilliant sketch. And it got me all this work as a Latino and all these all these, as I mentioned before, Favorite Motion flying on the Doris Day show. And that really got me going because I could do these I could do this accent and then I said well, why don't I try other accents. And when I did a little play going back to my father convinced me that I could not make a living in any other business but his own jewelry business that I detest because it was a scam and deceit and all that negative crap. I don't want to I want to be I want to do what I like to do I want to be an actor told me that it'd be a great idea if I could do that. But I wanted it. I wanted it and I kept trying kept trying kept coming after I was playing a Russian peddler in a little a little theater on Santa Monica Boulevard, going door to door trying to sell a miss named fruit flute or kitchen utensil in freezing buffalo. I got great reviews for that. And I could do that Russian accent authentically. And we ran for about 11 months. And Leonard Stern who was one of the members of talent associated many prestigious things in the 50s and 60s, he comes backstage to find me and he said Bernie Kopell, we're going to work together and it was my background. I thought this was Hollywood bullshit. Within a very short time. He just hands me the role of sixth grade and it was like a gift from heaven to play that character. So how do I do this? How do I do this guy? angry, upset was even with his henchmen. And it turned out to be very funny and very successful. But by the way, I'm still in touch with Barbara Feldon who is one of the darlings of the world. Whenever I'm in New York, we get together we have dinner. We have some fun. That was great

Jeff Dwoskin 20:18

guests. Mara was one of my favorite shows they do. You're so funny in it. What was it like first working with the creators Mel Brooks and Buck Henry. I understand Buck Henry was more involved with the show than Mel Brooks.

Bernie Kopell 20:30

Well, the show goes on the because of Mel because Mel was so hot and that's why the show goes on but but Henry stayed with it the first two years and Mel was off doing silent movie and all the other brilliant things that that what we were doing get smart. Nobody in the world has a comedic mind is Mel Brooks. So the first time that I now I got two kids, but at that time when I was doing Get Smart, I didn't have any kids. So he said, Brian, you got any kids? I said, Now, read the manual, read the manual. So I read the manual. And then he and Annie had a trip to Italy and every whatever Mel came on, everybody was gathered. Oh no, it's your melody. Let's, let's be around now, because he's gonna say something brilliant. So I said now, okay. Oh, everybody's all gathered around around now. And I said, Mel, when you went to Italy, what was the greatest architectural achievement you saw in Italy without missing a beat? Call upon these elevator shoes that permitted the case of feel ran on the lips. That mine that mind is just any still going on or with all these things, that although we did when things were rotten, after Get Smart, and that didn't quite go, that didn't quite go away. I thought we had a brilliant cast did go to the shoulder, three decks addict Dimitri and Deke friend, Pat. And it just, we did 12 episodes and pick that back, who always bet on everything. He came into the business as a kid, he would like to bet on everything, I bet on nothing. So as the show's going on, the numbers are diminishing, diminishing, diminishing. And I said, you know, it's not looking very good for us. He said, What are you talking about? He said, This is now books for free on television. Okay, I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll make you a bet. If the show gets canceled, I will give you $5,000 If the show stays on, all you'll have to give me is $1,000. Would you do that? I said no, I don't bet I don't bet. Well, the show got canceled. And if I'd made the bed I could have I could have been a rich man today.

Jeff Dwoskin 22:47

Yeah, you pass an easy to go GA he was also on get smart with you. Right? He was Jaime.

Bernie Kopell 22:54

Jaime the robot. But anyway, I really wanted to talk about love both. There were three pilots. The first captain was a very handsome Australian guy, a blonde guy, very handsome, but he wasn't an actor. He was a model, very handsome. So ABC didn't really care for that too much. The second pilot, there was a guy who was an actor and writer of soaps. ABC didn't care for that either. And now ABC is saying we're spending a lot of money on this show and it's just not good enough. So just on the 11th hour, they bring in Gavin MacLeod, and that is the hit that they're looking for. That was the second one, Fred grandi and Petland and myself were brought in for the second one, but they say you know, come on, these people have spent so much money on these. Let do the third pilot with Gavin MacLeod on the Queen Mary. We did it on the Queen Mary. And that's what that's what sold it. Having Gavin and Gavin turned out to be the great great, a great friend because we're both veterans of the business. I met him on McHale's Navy. And he had just finished Operation Petticoat with Cary Grant and he was expecting on McHale's Navy some thing of really of great substance that didn't happen. And he was kind of unhappy about that, even as Ted Montaigne, who is the director, producer to be released. So he got released. He was always hopeful. And he gets The Mary Tyler Moore Show prestige. Great, wonderful. And then from that he slides right into last boat, Captain stupid gallon and I was the senior senior citizens of it. And we kind of kept everything as as well as we could on we would greet the Academy Award winning people in the other guests because we realized that some of these people hadn't worked in quite a while we wanted to make them comfortable, but there was a really idiotic tradition you know? are strange business. And that tradition was for the director to find someone that they perceive to be the weakest link in the cast of actors and actresses, and pick on them in that moronic way they could establish their authority, which was stupid, because you want your access to be comfortable, so they can really be good in the roles. So there was, there was a director who came on, he started doing that crap. And Gavin said, Let's talk to this guy, we pull them off in a corner. And Gavin says, Jack, you may not behave that way on this show that clear? Do you understand that? And directed, understood that he can't behave that way he can start picking on people because that's counterproductive. So Gavin had that authority and along with me, and we both straightened this guy out. So we cut to was three years ago, we do the Rose Parade. Gavin is always looking to be helpful because we're the old old farts of the company, that just before the Rose Parade, in the Rose Parade, they had this beautiful float. Okay, so we're on the floor on the float. And just before we get on Gavin Brown, he whispers to me. I said, What? And he reaches into a big bag. And he really brings out something I don't know, what the hell is this? This was I said, What is it? It's the male version of the pen. We're not going to be able to pay for three hours. Just put the time to put this on. So I put it on. I was so concerned about the whole situation. I didn't pay for three hours anyway. But I was worried.

Jeff Dwoskin 26:48

That's just good sense. Yeah, it's interesting that you guys took the approach, which was the opposite experience that you had on the Danny Kaye show, in the sense that you welcome everyone that was there, and you guys as a cast, while the stars were supporting to the guests of that week's episode to make them feel like they were the stars.

Bernie Kopell 27:09

Exactly. You. You can only get good performances out of people by making them comfortable. I mean, that's a key. You have to use kindness, make them comfortable. One of the great directors, I've been working with James burrows and read about him and he said, a great mode of operating as a director is with kindness. And wow, what a powerful thing that was. So anyway, some of these people we had ramo land on Love Boat, we had Eagle Marie Saint, we have Shirley Jones, we had the guy from McHale's navy. So Oh, we did was we had Ernie Borgnine. We had some of these fantastic Academy Award winners. And oh my goodness, this is just what a treat we had all these amazing human beings who had won Academy Awards. Holy mackerel. And it was just a treat. And one of one of my kids teachers asked me, How did you feel about doing? I felt so grateful I got to be, you know, we were in 98 countries. It starts out the first pilot TV writer of the LA Times says, by way of criticism, he said, It's gonna sink like the Titanic. Well screw him. We were 13 years. What a great gift. So I couldn't get it. I couldn't get a good table in any country in the world, because of lovebug. Some of the shows were done with voiceovers. And some were done with titles, you know, titles underneath the the film, and it's still going on. I mean, channel 54. On Sunday night, I say oh, that's what I looked like 40 years ago. Just a great place. And I just got finished. Well, I did the whole last year on a show called Be positive. And they really didn't, they really didn't know what to do with me. And that's okay. But just a couple of weeks ago, I played a Catholic priest on a show called Grey's Anatomy. That's very odd, because that showed was going on for 18 years. I never seen it. So I got this, I got to do it. And it was everybody was so sweet. And so, so delightful, and they welcome me, being the old The old guy. Making sure that I was comfortable.

Jeff Dwoskin 29:36

They're probably all big fans of yours.

Bernie Kopell 29:38

over the over the years. And a friend of mine in Memphis, Tennessee. A friend of mine, I just saw you on something you did. 60 years ago. I said was it to Alfred Hitchcock Presents as Oh yeah, that's what it was. So and I may be the I show my motto is if you don't mess up too badly, they allow you to continue in the business. They continue to allow me to keep on going. So that's just so lucky. I'm 88 years old. Just so lucky to so lucky lucky like

Jeff Dwoskin 30:11

that so much. So I have a question when you got the Love Boat, and now you're the leading man, this is a there's, you know, because you've gone, you've been in tons of great shows like be waged and get smart, and Dr. All concurrently but then now you're not the guest star. You're, you're like the leading man.

Bernie Kopell 30:29

The weird thing about about that is the previous to the Love Boat, I had, like, two days and then you go home, then sometimes it's three days, flying none and, and the Doris Day show, the Witch and all that. But on lovebug. You just keep on going, keep on going. And you never know how people are going to take it. But they love this show. Because it was what you could call it a happy ending show. No, no, we had what we call a page 58 resolutions, which means if somebody if a couple comes on and they're fighting, and they're gonna get a divorce on page 58, they're happy again, then Yay. Okay. But it was a feel good show. And some people complained about that. And I say, hey, this ain't a documentary. It's a romantic fantasy. Okay. That's why people liked it, because they would, they would like their lives to really go that way. I mean, just a great, great gift. And I'm so looking forward to, was it gonna be February, I think February 26. We go out on the Majestic Princess. After all the negative stuff with a COVID and people were imprisoned on the ship, they couldn't get off. But this will honor my dear friend Gavin MacLeod and bringing my wife and my kids and we're going to enjoy the magnificence by the way, the original Pacific Princess was 553 feet the subsequent ships have been 1080 feet with every amenity you could possibly dream of possibly imagine. We as love Bo tears created this gigantic business for not just princess but for all the other cruise lines as well because he used to go to ships used to go out have full a third full with very only with very wealthy people and unlike that, but because we've created the business we've created a group,

Jeff Dwoskin 32:31

right the Lambo made it accessible for people to

Bernie Kopell 32:35

reasonably priced the only pack and unpack once and the world comes to you. You don't have to just keep getting off and going here going there going here.

Jeff Dwoskin 32:46

Last cruise I went on, I discovered the greatest thing you can do is when you're at a port is not get off the ship. Oh, I

Bernie Kopell 32:52

agree with that. I agree with that.

Jeff Dwoskin 32:54

The ship is fully running and ever. It's empty. And you got the whole thing to yourself. It's amazing. I love another level question. Who of the guest stars were like the ones that just made you the most wide eyed like just couldn't believe you got to meet them as they were guessing on the show.

Bernie Kopell 33:13

Okay, Juliet Prowse, I had a crush on her for years. I mean, one of the most beautiful having to be a leg man, gorgeous legs and Anna's sweet sweet personality, and very talented actress. So I get the script and I think this is a hell of a script. And I call the office I got excited. I said, Who's playing Samantha? I said hold on, hold on. Let me let me take a look. Okay, Juliet Prowse? Oh, no. Yes. Oh, Julia. So we it was a brilliant script. It was like we had we were married. But we were very hard for each other. At the same time, she had annoying habits that made me somewhat uncomfortable. I had annoying habits that made her uncomfortable. So the marriage really did not work. So I gave her 500 bucks. And I said you go ahead, get it get a divorce. That's fine. Well, she gave the money to her butcher whose brother was a lawyer or something. But it didn't work. We were still married as our crap. So we had very sexy scenes in one particular sexy scene. We were in bed together. And I said, Oh my god, this is Juliet Prowse and I'm in bed with Juliet. Now you got 50 People in the sound department and the camera department, wardrobe, everything. Everybody's looking at you and you're in bed with this dream of a human being. So just before she said, you know, as he started to tell me this story, saying oh, why she's trying to concentrate because I in between the Intimidator and being turned on. She says you know, Charles boy aim at a scene with this very sexy lady. You said the word respite for the scenes stuff thrown out during the scene wearing that trigger and it's very sexy. If possibly during this sexy scene, I don't get aroused. Or I do get aroused. Forgive me, please. If possibly I don't get around to forgive me, please. I almost messed that up. But it came back, okay.

Jeff Dwoskin 35:28

I use that same line in my life all the time.

Bernie Kopell 35:30

Juliet Prowse was was one Shirley Jones was another delight. Shirley Jones was the go to girl for Oklahoma. For carousel for Music Man for anything. But she had the attitude of a little girl so thrilled to be chosen for these roles. So we're on Mykonos. Mykonos is one of the Greek islands and we have a little scene together at an outdoor Trattoria and surrounded by maybe, I don't know 30 Greek extras, and there are squid hanging from wires above us. And she's just I said, Sure. Let's let's go over this. She said she starts tears started coming out of work. What are you doing? You're a pro you're an Academy Award winner for God's sakes straight me straighten yourself. Oh, Jesus. This is we're here in Mykonos, this beautiful Greek island all of these lovely people all around us in the squid hanging and we're being paid. Oh, God, as she starts to mascara starts coming down her face makeup and they straighten her out with but that's the kind of personality that she had. She had achieved so much, and yet was so humble. Eva Marie Saint who was a dream of a human being she volunteered, there was a magician on the ship for one of our cruises, he said, Okay, who would like who would like to help me with some some of my magic tricks. And she put her hand up? And the guy says that well, what is your name? She said Eva, as it was a warrior from the Hollywood, ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for Eva from Hollywood. And they started calling, he was the only one that had no idea who she was. Or if she'd won an Academy Award. Every time she helped him with it with a trick, put his hand up. And he said let's do it. Even from Hollywood, and I applaud what that was the kind of personalities you so Okay, so we're now we're in a Parthenon in Greece. And I was studying for a play that I was to do when we got back to LA, this is a little break, and we're setting up outside the Parthenon. And she walks over to me and I'm studying this thing and she says, Bernie, what are you doing? I said, Oh, well, I'm studying for this play that I'm going to be doing when we come back. She said, Would you like me to kill you? Oh, no, no, I couldn't do that. I couldn't I couldn't ask you there to me. I said you're an academy or what have you said I do it for all my friends. I said, Well, okay, so she cued me. And I said, this is so delightful. And she was that kind of giving personality. That's so awesome. Yeah. Lovely. had, we had Raymond land who had won an Academy Award for last weekend. i You may be too young to remember that. Anyway, it's American night on a ship American night, and they serve Turkey. And up till that time, he had been a very sedate British, and talking very politely and so forth. Well, they serve this turkey and he gets crazy. He said, Why do they keep deferring that this Norman Rockwell picture with the breast up with a damp Turkey and drying the damn thing out? What the fuck is with these people? So he says, Don't you realize you turn the damn thing upside down with the breast down in Alaska cooking and you baste it and then you get a moist breast? That's the way I've been doing it ever since.

Jeff Dwoskin 39:05

Makes perfect sense to me. You gotta you need a moist breast. Yeah. Oh, absolutely.

Bernie Kopell 39:09

And my Carmen was on that. And he joined me and I was doing a lot of skipping rope at that time in the trip up to Alaska. And he joined me in a skipping rope. You know, he was he was a quarterback at UCLA and, and then he became, he became an actor. But the fun. And the treat of having these Academy Award winners was just beyond your imagination, who was a dancer dance with Fred Astaire Ginger Rogers was on the show, Ginger Rogers another Academy Award winner. So it was beyond your dreaming to have these people were very happy to be doing this show.

Jeff Dwoskin 39:51

You guys had so many guest stars. It was I couldn't even make I could barely make a list of 13 years times, at least five or six and EPA Definitely,

Bernie Kopell 40:00

it was just it was wacko. I mean, we got this way go to bed that way just amazingly talented people. Gene Kelly the great dancer. I really enjoyed his dancing more than I did Fred Astaire. The dog is the dog is agreeing with me. You see?

Jeff Dwoskin 40:21

Dogs got good taste just like you

Bernie Kopell 40:24

know I love my dog. She's She's we got her from a no kill shelter. She's a shepherd and so loving but She's protecting us but barking at the gardener's

Jeff Dwoskin 40:36

dog does the same thing. Anybody who walks by are fine. What they do has another thing coming. up but what about Jessica Walter?

Bernie Kopell 40:46

Oh, yeah. I worked with I worked with him later on. She's marvelous, great girl legs. And then they work with it later on. Something development with the whole Arrested Development. Yeah, she was on that and she passed away. So what the hell's going on here? I didn't expect that because she seemed vital and all that. By the way, Juliet Prowse passed away.

Jeff Dwoskin 41:10

Create a cancer,

Bernie Kopell 41:11

cancer. You're

Jeff Dwoskin 41:15

there offline. I just lost a friend to that. Really?

Bernie Kopell 41:19

I'm sorry to hear that. But anyway, it was it was a treat. It was a treat. And some some people said you know, don't you Aren't you afraid that you're going to be typecast? And I said no, I'm not. And I just kept working after that. I just kept going and going and going and you know just probably mentioned to you that just a couple of weeks ago I played a an Irish priest on Grey's Anatomy. Wait on my rabbi hears about this. I'm telling you that

Jeff Dwoskin 41:46

at least your mom guy and my name is Jewish son. He's a doctor and a shoe.

Bernie Kopell 41:54

Doctor,

Jeff Dwoskin 41:55

Yeah, cuz yeah. Do you love like the opportunities when they come up to play the character again? Like either? Like I know, there was a lot about the next wave. But like also like, like on Saturday live where you did both the next generation like that Oscar, do you get a kick out of doing that? And like even like with the Get smart stuff, we got a chance to revisit the character I had

Bernie Kopell 42:18

done and I tried to do something get smart again. And that didn't quite work. You cannot go. I mean, you may be able to go but it usually doesn't work to go back and try to duplicate something. Because the magic is gone. You know, Don and I, by the way, Don, he was a Marine. The bullets didn't kill them. But the cigarettes then the cigar that he smoked and smoked and smoked. And luckily on get smart. I had done the Steve Allen show. And Steve was such a brilliant mind. He we did two shows two shows a day. I did 30 shows with Steve. He was so brilliantly. He wrote music he wrote songs, played the piano play the xylophone. I mean he was just so prolific. So we're doing a sketch one day in the middle of this catchy starts with that he starts laughing, tackling we had that tackle. So as those sketches over I said, Steve, we I mean, this should the sketch was was funny as okay, but it was funny. He said, You should hear the show going on in my head. That was Steve Allen. And we had Muhammad Ali came on the show when he was still Cassius Clay. And he kept up with his brilliant humor with Steve. And that was that was a moment. I mean, if you had ever seen a human being was a perfect male form. That was Cassius Clay. That was Muhammad Ali. And subsequently, he turned out to be the most loved powerful man and he refused to fight in Vietnam. Those Vietnam never did anything to me. And he became more and more of an icon as he went along. Phyllis Diller was on the show, and she became a tremendous influence on my life in the area of positivity, the whole thing the whole career was and even my father came around after trying to convince me that I had to be in his business to to make a living. I don't know if he I don't know if he ever made more than collectively. I don't know. I don't know. I mean, he did okay with that deceitful business, but I didn't like it. I didn't like it. I wanted to do what I enjoy what turned me on in high school as Miss Hall High School in Brooklyn. Miss Searles was the English teacher. And at one point, she said, Mr. Koh, pal, may we borrow your voice for verse choir? And it never occurred to me that even it was an extracurricular thing at school. And I said, Yes, that can be fun. I did that. And that was really a pleasure. And then I got interested in the radio workshop at Boys High and then I got into to the Old City radio workshop downtown, I said, this is what I like. And it's fun. And I got into NYU. And it turned out that I was a pretty, pretty decent actor as a student. And I pursued that because that was fun. That was what I enjoyed doing. And when I talk to young kids who want to be in a business, I say, find out what it is that makes you happy. Or as Morgan Freeman says, I never worked a day in my life. It's all been fun. And I think of it that way. It has been and continues to be fun. And that's what one of the great keys is a great words to live by. Because if you're miserable, it ain't gonna work out too well. Anyway, I made enough of your abuse. And that's about it.

Jeff Dwoskin 45:49

Well, thank you so much. I can't thank you enough for hanging out with me. And this was so fun.

Bernie Kopell 45:53

My pleasure, though. This was fun. This was like Morgan Freeman, kind of fun. reliving all the stuff that that has been and continues to be my life. All right, a pleasure to talk to you, kiddo. I appreciate your appreciation and have a great everything. Have a great everything. Pleasure, pleasure. Okay, bye. Bye.

Jeff Dwoskin 46:15

Bye. Thanks, Bernie. All right, how awesome would Bernie Kopell? And that concludes The Love Boat trilogy. Doc, Isaac, go for a podcast you guys hanging out on winning out on your podcast, Jeff? That was a voice impression. That was not actually them. So anyway, I didn't want to fool you guys. But anyway, I'm excited. I'm excited about it. And now I just need Vicki and Julie McCoy. So anybody knows them? I've reached out but I have not heard back. That would just be incredible. Hmm. All right.

Jeff Dwoskin 46:49

Well, with the interview over echoing me one thing that's right. It's time for a trending hashtag in the family of hashtags at hashtag or follow us on Twitter at hashtag round up. Download the free always free never cost a penny hashtag roundup app play along with us. And one day one of your leads may show up on a future episode of live from Detroit the Jeff Dwoskin show. Everyone's together, fame and fortune awaits you. This week's hashtag of course inspired by doc from The Love Boat served up by classic tags a weekly show on hashtag ground up #ThingsDoctorsShouldntSay Bernie wasn't a real doctor. But he played one on TV. I'm sure he would hope no one on the ship would get sick. So he wouldn't have to say any doctor things. But just in case, here's a list of things you shouldn't say anyway, #ThingsDoctorsShouldntSay, Damn. The one time I skipped class in med school and it comes back to bite me in the ass. That is definitely an example of #ThingsDoctorsShouldntSay you get out of play. Alright, let's do some more. We need to amputate your legs. But here's the good news. I'm gonna give you $20 For your slippers. Let's see what Wikipedia says. So let's see. It's lefty loosey. Righty tighty. Right? This might work. I don't know. I haven't done it before. #ThingsDoctorsShouldntSay Sucks to be you right now. According to your chart, don't make any long term plans. Let me check WebMD for your diagnosis. Why yes, I'll perform any operation for $129.95 mind device smoke. It's probably Skittles box. And our final #ThingsDoctorsShouldntSay tweet. Holy crap. What is that? Oh, those are amazing examples of things doctors shouldn't say tweet your own #ThingsDoctorsShouldntSay tag me at Jeff Dwoskin show. I'll show you some Twitter love. As always, all the tweets I read will be retweeted at Jeff Dwoskin show on Twitter. Go find them like and retweet them do something. Show them some love. Let them know you heard I'm here on live from Detroit, the Jeff Dwoskin show. Well with the hashtag over and the interview over that can only mean one thing. That's right episode 124 has come to a close. I want to thank my amazing guests, Bernie Kopell. And of course I want to thank all of you for coming back week after week. It means the world to me, and I'll see you next time.

Announcer 49:37

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the Jeff Dwoskin show with your host Jeff Dwoskin. Don't go repeat everything you've heard and sound like a genius. Catch us online at the Jeff Dwoskin show.com or follow us on Twitter at Jeff Dwoskin show and we'll see you next time.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai