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The Pat Sajak Show
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The Pat Sajak Show
The Pat Sajak Show is an American late-night television talk show that aired on CBS from January 9, 1989. It was the network's first attempt at a late-night talk show since The Merv Griffin Show (1969–1972). CBS would not have a successful late-night show until Late Show with David Letterman in 1993.
The show was hosted by Pat Sajak, best known as host of the game show Wheel of Fortune. To do the talk show, Sajak left the NBC daytime version of Wheel, but remained as host of the syndicated nighttime version.
Sajak's announcer and sidekick on the show was Dan Miller, his friend and former colleague from their time working together in the mid-1970s at WSM-TV (now WSMV-TV) in Nashville, Tennessee. The in-studio band was led by jazz musician Tom Scott, who subsequently served the same role on the short-lived Chevy Chase Show.
The house band members were: Tom Scott (saxes), Jerry Peters (piano), Barnaby Finch (keyboards), Art Rodriguez (drums), Tim Landers (bass), Eric Gale, Carlos Rios, or Pat Kelley (guitar), and Dave Koz (saxes, flute, and the EWI—electronic wind instrument).
Sajak was hired by Michael Brockman, the CBS vice-president for daytime, children's and late-night programming, who wanted to have a late-night talk show established when Johnny Carson eventually announced his retirement from NBC's The Tonight Show. Brockman had known Sajak since the two worked for NBC in the late 1970s. At that time, Brockman had approached Sajak, then a weatherman at KNBC-TV in Los Angeles, about hosting a game show, but Sajak rejected the idea, saying what he really wanted to do was host a talk show. Brockman kept him in mind over the years, and at a lunch meeting in 1986 he reminded Sajak (who by then was hosting Wheel) about the conversation. Sajak confirmed his interest in a talk show, and Brockman went to work getting approvals from his management for the plan and getting network affiliates to commit to the show.
CBS spent more than $4 million for a new soundstage (Studio 42, later re-designated as Studio 56) for the show at its Television City studios located above the four studios on the first floor. A staff of more than 30 was hired, and Sajak signed a guaranteed two-year contract for what was reportedly $60,000 a week.
In an interview held a month before the show premiered, Sajak said he was "not looking to raise the level of TV"; he summarized the elements planned for the show, a plan that "steal[s] liberally" from talk shows past and present.
Chevy Chase was the show's first guest; his interview was followed by one with Joan Van Ark, a performance by and brief interview with The Judds, an interview with the outgoing commissioner of baseball, Peter Ueberroth (interrupted briefly when Chase, who followed late-night talk show conventions of the time and remained seated on stage during the show's other guest appearances, raised his hand and asked if he could go to the bathroom). There was an interview with Michael Gross, and then the show ended with a performance by stand-up comic Dennis Wolfberg.
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The Pat Sajak Show
The Pat Sajak Show is an American late-night television talk show that aired on CBS from January 9, 1989. It was the network's first attempt at a late-night talk show since The Merv Griffin Show (1969–1972). CBS would not have a successful late-night show until Late Show with David Letterman in 1993.
The show was hosted by Pat Sajak, best known as host of the game show Wheel of Fortune. To do the talk show, Sajak left the NBC daytime version of Wheel, but remained as host of the syndicated nighttime version.
Sajak's announcer and sidekick on the show was Dan Miller, his friend and former colleague from their time working together in the mid-1970s at WSM-TV (now WSMV-TV) in Nashville, Tennessee. The in-studio band was led by jazz musician Tom Scott, who subsequently served the same role on the short-lived Chevy Chase Show.
The house band members were: Tom Scott (saxes), Jerry Peters (piano), Barnaby Finch (keyboards), Art Rodriguez (drums), Tim Landers (bass), Eric Gale, Carlos Rios, or Pat Kelley (guitar), and Dave Koz (saxes, flute, and the EWI—electronic wind instrument).
Sajak was hired by Michael Brockman, the CBS vice-president for daytime, children's and late-night programming, who wanted to have a late-night talk show established when Johnny Carson eventually announced his retirement from NBC's The Tonight Show. Brockman had known Sajak since the two worked for NBC in the late 1970s. At that time, Brockman had approached Sajak, then a weatherman at KNBC-TV in Los Angeles, about hosting a game show, but Sajak rejected the idea, saying what he really wanted to do was host a talk show. Brockman kept him in mind over the years, and at a lunch meeting in 1986 he reminded Sajak (who by then was hosting Wheel) about the conversation. Sajak confirmed his interest in a talk show, and Brockman went to work getting approvals from his management for the plan and getting network affiliates to commit to the show.
CBS spent more than $4 million for a new soundstage (Studio 42, later re-designated as Studio 56) for the show at its Television City studios located above the four studios on the first floor. A staff of more than 30 was hired, and Sajak signed a guaranteed two-year contract for what was reportedly $60,000 a week.
In an interview held a month before the show premiered, Sajak said he was "not looking to raise the level of TV"; he summarized the elements planned for the show, a plan that "steal[s] liberally" from talk shows past and present.
Chevy Chase was the show's first guest; his interview was followed by one with Joan Van Ark, a performance by and brief interview with The Judds, an interview with the outgoing commissioner of baseball, Peter Ueberroth (interrupted briefly when Chase, who followed late-night talk show conventions of the time and remained seated on stage during the show's other guest appearances, raised his hand and asked if he could go to the bathroom). There was an interview with Michael Gross, and then the show ended with a performance by stand-up comic Dennis Wolfberg.