Yet another childhood icon - gone. My mother adored him (along with Merv), so I have fond memories. I especially remember Totie Fields as a fairly regular guest. And Mike always seemed so ego-less.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/08/11/obit.douglas.ap/index.html
VCNJ~
I was just checking to see if anyone started a thread yet.
I watched Mike Douglas every day as a kid. I loved him–he had such a good sense of humor and was so warm with his guests. I remember he once had a guest on who said you could tell about people’s personalities by the way they slept, and Mike said he slept on his back. The guest said that that position was called “the King” and Mike got this fantastic look on his face that I can still remember–very superior, like he knew he was the king. I agree with him.
I was just checking too.
Remember when John and Yoko were co-hosts? I got that on in a Trivia game a while back. Guess being old finally paid off.
Mike Douglas. Ohh, Mike Douglas … You know, Mike DougIas used to make me moist when I’d watch his show. I admit it. Only white man ever did that to me was Mike Douglas.
Hey, his birthday is today! (As well as the anniversary of the Battle of Thermopylae).
He was the voice (singing) for Prince Charles in the Disney Cinderella.
I was all prepared to say that I loved him in Streets of San Francisco., then I opened the thread.
I’ll just get my jacket.
We can’t forget his biggest hit, “The Men in my Little Girl’s Life.” This verse is from the unreleased extended version:
I loved the time he had on James Brown and couldn’t get him off the stage during “Please, Please, Please,” IIRC (it HAS been 40 years). This was when he was still live from Cleveland.
Ol’ Buttermilk Sky! 
I always got him and Merv Griffin confused.
I don’t know how, Eve. They both were sycophantic but Mike Douglas didn’t get down on his knees and fellate his guests on stage like Merv.
Looks like a bad day to be 81:
‘Frank & Ernest’ creator dead at 81
Re: Mike Douglas. I remember the episode that had Moe Howard and Donny Osmond on it. Moe showed Donny how the Stooges did the eye-boink (Donny was just a little tot then).
Wikipedia’s entry for him had a link to names of people who died on their birthday (a 365-to-1 chance).
Missing from the link was Earl Scheib (“I’ll paint any car any color for 29.95!”); who further upped the odds by being born on leap-year day (a 1,460-to-1) , then dying on his birthday (the odds of which I have no idea).
We’ll be right back…
Well, maybe not.
I believe Michael Douglas uses his full first name so as not to be confused with Mike Douglas. Much like David Bowie changed his name from David Jones to avoid being confused with Monkee Davy Jones.
And Michael Keaton’s real name is Michael Douglas.
Really? Mike Douglas taped his show in Philly – and lived out in Gladwyne.
Count me in the Mike Douglas/Merv Griffin confusion corner. When I see either of them, I know which one is which, but when I see/hear their names, I have to think which one was which.
I can remember watching Mike Douglas every afternoon as a kid. His show was one of the highlights of my day.
I don’t think that the photo in the link looks like him much. What a likeable guy.
I always liked Mike Douglas! He was one of the first talk show hosts, and definitely one of the nicest. My family lived in the Philadelphia area and in the early 70s I actually attended a taping of one of his shows. I don’t recall that I ever got a chance to watch that show though, because I think I was working when it aired.
Sad to hear of his passing; my thoughts are with his family and friends.