Regis Philbin with David Letterman re: Dave angiogram announcement [1/14/2000] www.vinniefavale.com

Regis Philbin was a TV legend in so many ways and if all he had ever done in his amazing career was host his ABC syndicated morning show, that would have been enough…but there was so much more to him.
In some ways he was the true “King Of Late Night.” Most people might not be aware that that Regis’s first break on national television was as Joey Bishop’s sidekick on ABC’s late night “Joey Bishop Show”. Regis took a lot of ribbing from the caustic Bishop in the two years that they were on the air, famously walking of the show one night. According to Philbin at the time, it was the culmination of drubbing from not only Bishop but the TV critics. Regis returned a few nights later with great fanfare. In later years Regis revealed that it was a stunt designed by Bishop to get higher ratings against the dominant Tonight Show hosted by Johnny Carson. Either way this wouldn’t be the first time that Regis would be at the center of a late-night storm. In fact, soon after Regis’ famous walk off, the Joey Bishop show ended on December 26, 1969 with some real late night fireworks. Bishop had just completed his monologue when he declared that it was his last show, walking off and leaving Philbin to finish the final show. Regis would have some more seminal late-night moments in later years.
[continued at www.vinniefavale.com]

[@iwakuraSanta]

Regis ,the funiest the kindest .a great man

[@hippa2dahoppa2]

20 years later this interview still scares the shit out of me

[@ganggang3873]

Why is it?

[@hippa2dahoppa2]

@@ganggang3873 family has a history of heart failure. so i know its going to kill me one day. not looking forward to how thats going to feel lol

[@Werecandle]

@@hippa2dahoppa2Had several angiogram’s. They’re not bad. Take care of yourself, man.

[@lynndvorak]

Great friends. Thanks for the memories.

[@TOPOM42]

Man these two would have been great on a show together

[@Djm8520]

I’ll bet Regis felt terrible for making light of this on air after it got very serious for Dave the next day.

[@GeorgiaOverdrive]

Damn! Dave had to get emergency surgery the next day because he completely failed his tests and was at an almost complete blockage.

[@randomtees]

I remember this. Letterman almost died a few days later. It was a big deal.

[@emilegeorge6225]

Dave apparently was on anti depressiva. He was hyping like there is no tomorrow.

[@abir.chowdhury]

Is this the day letterman had his surgery?

[@hereaftermusical]

It was the next day. This was taped on a Thursday and surgery happened Fri morn