Originally published at: Famed TV host Phil Donahue dead at 88 - Boing Boing
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This was surprisingly even-handed, given how often talk shows just treated punks like a joke in the 80s. Yes, he platformed Serena Dank, but he also had punks on and listened to what they had to say, including pushing back when his other audience members ignored them.
RIP…
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Having grown up abroad I only know Phil Donahue from Naked Gun
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He did give an important platform to Black activists when no one else dared. Here’s a thread:
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Nobody gonna post this one? The audience reactions are pure gold.
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He was also married to Marlo Thomas, daughter of Danny Thomas, an actor and comedian who also founded St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
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Man, America was not ready for 2 Live Crew. Especially white America.
(Think I shared this here before.) I remember rumblings of them in the 5th grade about a rap group that cussed. So our music classes at my elementary school, weren’t great… a lot of it involved just listening to pop records. Which, you know, i liked, though I am not sure I learned a lot.
Anyway, if it was your birthday, you got to pick 3 songs, and could bring a tape or record of your own to play. I can’t remember the kids name, but he was known for being a trouble maker (there were a lot of kids like that for some reason). So he puts on this tape and there is a pause as the player had to spool the empty tape first. Suddenly the beat starts up and the lyrics, “Somebody say, ‘Heeeeyy we want some puuuussssaaayyy!’” came over the speakers. OMG, everyone just erupted in laughter. The teacher was shooting daggers at the kid and said something like, “Do you think that’s appropriate?” before taking them to the principles office.
2 Live Crew is quaint compared to today’s standards. I did like how they mixed in rock riffs, though.
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And who created Free to Be … You and Me, which he rightly touted years before they were married.
I still remember how the NYT used to wring its hands over Donahue’s supposed coarsening of the media environment. Now they accept a crude reality TV star and sexist pig as a candidate for President.
On a lighter note, I also remember Letterman’s countdown when Donahue decided to move his show from Chicago to NY.
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I wish there was a Phil Donahue streaming channel.
Here’s Marlo Thomas and Phil in 1977.
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There are two things I still remember vividly from growing up in the ‘80’s: the AIDS crisis and feeling sick that so many adults preferred to ignore it or, worse, were happy it was mostly affecting gay men, and watching Airplane! on cable over and over.
It was a pure coincidence I saw this episode of Donahue and it’s stayed with me ever since.
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I credit Phil Donahue with opening my mind and helping shape my liberal/progressive views as a teen in the 1970s growing up in an exceedingly conservative environment. Rest in Peace, Phil. You made a difference.
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Lol. “Local news network.” It’s hilarious that reporters today are too young to remember how TV used to work.
I’m also skeptical of the claim that the show was first syndicated only on CBS stations. While Donahue started his career as an anchor at the Dayton CBS affiliate WHIO, his show always aired on WDTN (or WLWD, as it was known in 1967), which was an NBC affiliate at the time.
My teenage self first saw a heard a trans woman on Donahue in the 80s. I remember at the time thinking something like “Huh. Interesting. I didn’t know that was a thing. It makes sense now that I know a bit about it. Her life must’ve been pretty complicated before she transitioned.”
He did a good job presenting with empathy. It made a difference. Thanks Phil.
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