Regis Philbin leaves "Live" Show
First, Oprah Winfrey left her daily afternoon show to found her OWN TV network, then Larry King left his chair on CNN, and now, Regis Philbin has just left his daily syndicated daytime talk show. Today was his final show, and I just watched it.
Regis Philbin, an 80-year-old man who has spent over 50 years on television, has decided to retire from his nationally-syndicated show, Live with Regis and Kelly, after 23 years in syndication.
He was born on August 25, 1931, in the Bronx borough of New York City, and grew up during the Great Depression. He granduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1953, and later served in the U.S. Navy as a supply officer, before beginning his career in television. It was long believed that he was an only child, but in 2007, he revealed that he in fact did have a 20-year-younger brother named Frank, who had just died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma several days earlier; Frank had told Regis not to speak of him in the press, and Regis complied, until Frank died.
Throughout his over 50 years in television, Philbin has witnessed, and been a part of, thousands of memorable moments. From his comedy shows in Los Angeles, to his daily talk shows in New York City, to Who Wants to be a Millionaire and Million Dollar Password, and everything else in between, he's done it all, logging a grand total of 995,600 minutes on television, equivalent to approximately 17,000 hours.
He first started his time in show business during the 1950s, as a page at the Tonight Show, one of the longest-running TV shows ever. His first national exposure came in 1967, as Joey Bishop's sidekick on The Joey Bishop Show.
During his time as a talk show host, a common trend was for Philbin to work alongside many different female co-hosts, including Sarah Purcell, Mary Hart, Kathie Lee Gifford, and most recently, Kelly Ripa.
Last night, I watched a special edition for the ABC documentary show 20/20, featuring former Today Show and CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric, who has recently joined ABC, as she walked alongside Philbin in his daily routine and interviewed him.
Today, on his final show, the audience was made up of hundreds of people whom he had crossed paths with throughout his career in television, including Kathie Lee Gifford, David Letterman, Tony Danza, Donald Trump, and many more. In addition, current New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg presented him with the keys to the city, and his family joined him on stage.
Starting next week, the show will be retitled Live with Kelly, and just as Regis did between the time Gifford left and Ripa joined, Ripa will have various male guest co-hosts alongside her until a permanent replacement is found. The first guest co-host will be comedian Jerry Seinfeld.
If you've watched Regis Philbin over the years, how do you feel about him leaving? What are your fondest memories of him on any of his shows? And who do you think would have the best chances of "replacing" him as he moves on?
