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the movies and so on. You've branched out more and more into comedy as one of THE favorite guests on the Flip Wilson Show. You and Flip work terrifically together. (Applause from audience) Bobby Darin: Thank you. David Frost: Also at the Copa you comment very funnily about how you used to worry about things like your height ... your shoes. Bobby Darin: Oh yes, I guess that is the question of finally accepting certain obvious facts. For example, for years I felt on the stage, at least, that vertically my stature was insufficent ... I felt SHORT ... that's kind of a drag, I decided I was going to do something. I wasn't too thrilled about what I was doing horizontally, either. (Laughter from the audience) But the fact is, I was going to do something about the height I thought, so I went out and had these special shoes made. It's nothing new, I don't know if you know, John Wayne is 6'4 and wears 3-4 inch lifts in his shoes. I don't know who he wants to be bigger than, but he does and it an old, old custom, I certainly did not invent it. In my case, it was more neccesary than it was for Duke Wayne. I had these shoes made and 2 to 3 inch lifts inside and the heel was another 2 and half inches or so and I walked around that way, wherever I could without falling over, you know ... I did that for years on the stage and Steve Lawrence, who is a very good friend and a natural wit, great natural wit, he went around to all of New York and told everybody, "Oh did you hear about that terrible accident Darin had at the Copa?" and everybody said, "No, what happened ?" and he said, "He fell off his shoes." (Laughter and applause from audience) ... I haven't spoken to him ... August 9th, it'll be 11 years. David Frost: Oh really? Another anniversary then! Bobby Darin: (Laughs) David Frost: Which of all your hits was the biggest one for you? Bobby Darin: Oh, the biggest was unquestionably 'Mack.' (Applause from the audience) I really know how big it was, and this may seem slightly immodest, but I know how big it was, at the risk of being something unusual in being slightly immodest, I know how big it was, because of the number of requests I get by people who have no idea what the title of the song is. For example, in the middle of anywhere they'll say, (Acting intoxicated) -- Hey sing 'Jack the Night,' 'Mack the Night' ... sing the 'Jack Night Song.' -- (Laughter from audience) So I really know it was that big, it really impressed people a great deal, they absolutely ask for it inaccurately, which is great, as long as they're askin' for it, because I know what they mean. Bobby Darin: Yes, I certainly will.
Bobby sings "Mack the Knife" to huge applause from Frost and the audience.
Bobby Darin: (As Clark Gable) I don't think I've ever done impressions, I don't care for that kind of attitude, and I'm tired of you bringin' it up (Laughter and applause from the audience) ... (As Cary Grant) Once in a while you can fall into something that makes you feel good and you don't mind doing it, but if I had to do it for a living, I'd make exactly 4 dollars and 80 cents. (Laughter and applause from the audience) David Frost: Can you do Cary Grant? (Laughter from the audience) Bobby Darin: (As Cary Grant) No. David Frost: Can you do Flip? Bobby Darin: Well, I can if my chops are workin' ... its a question of ... (as Flip) "You don't even know me, honey!" (Applause from audience) although I have worked with comics as well, I make the distinction ... David Frost: What's the difference? Bobby Darin: A comedian's body is funny as well as his mind being funny, his whole personage is funny ... I think Flip Wilson is a brillant comedian. (Applause from audience) There are many comics and comics CAN make you laugh with prepared material and once in a while a funny face. Flip is just a generically marvelously funny human being. He worked with me in Vegas several years ago, I believe it was the first time he appeared in Las Vegas, in any event we became fast friends, immediately. He is probably the only performer I ever remember getting upstairs early for to listen to, because of his sense of timing, his sense of audience,feel ... that marvelous electricity to know WHEN and HOW to do things. I was constantly learning from him, I was always watching him, and we became, as I said we became fast friends. It's a strange kind of thing ... you do not know when that kind of relationship is going to turn around and the other party is going to do something for you. A year and a half ago, when I was a little bit of a difficult sale for television (for whatever reasons really that are not important now), but when Flipper got his own show, he said to the people who were involved with the booking of it, he said, 'I want Bobby to do the show, I want him to do it NOT just once, I want him to do it as many times as he wants to do it.' And it wound up we had 6 guest shots on Flip Wilson's show this first year and believe me, I could not help his ratings particularly at all. It was a true gesture of a real kind of geniune friendship. I love very him much. (Applause from the audience) David Frost: And you have one other great friend ... George Burns. Bobby Darin: Yes, that's a longer relationship, and Mr. Burns is somebody I love. He's great and I love him. He's the most marvelous, how do I put it now, he's the most marvelous REAL kind of a human being. It's amazing, he comes out and flips cigar ashes on his shoes, and does funny stuff and makes up about 90 percent of what you hear. But his genuine self, his pure real self is just simply a delight and there's just a kind of a warmth. He's a fella who told me, "You're not bad as an actor and you're funny at times, and you can handle yourself in different situations, that's all good, but don't ever burn your orchestrations." And I said, "What does that mean?" He said, "Never lose your arrangements, because the people like you to sing, then maybe you can go into other things." What he was referring to was in 1963 I had decided, being lucky enough to get a part like "Little Jim" in Captain Newman, and being nominated, at least for an Academy Award, I had decided I was going to give up singing and concentrate on acting you see, and a result of that was after the nomination, I didn't do another film for 2 to 3 years, and I don't blame it on anybody but myself. But what he was referring to was that's the way you came in and that's what you should keep on doing. So, I really have decided after many, many years of finally analyzing what he was talking about, to concentrate on just honing my craft, if you will, polishing the in-person performance capacities that I may have and then the (other) things will come, indeed if they are to come. David Frost: You do so many things ... how many musical intruments do you play? Bobby Darin: The word play, now, is up for grabs. I can play several in two tempos, the same songs. Again, if I had to earn my living doing any one of these individual things, I wouldn't do too well ... I put them all together and ... I still don't do too well. (Smiling) But I dazzle you with that footwork. |
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