Robert Cummings and Son--Rare 1987 TV Interview

Bob Cummings, battling Parkinson's Disease, makes one of his very last appearances in this 1987 cable TV interview with Skip E Lowe, joined by his young son Bobby (Robert Cummings Jr.) and comedian Jimmy Caesar. (The crease line at the very beginning is in the master tape and goes away after a few minutes.)

[@richarddegrandcourt3430]

Robert Cummings signed with my talent agency i , he would always meet me for lunch in the Polo Lounge and write me a check for my commission, he married Jane, then tiff payne his dear friend would also join us. He showed me how to have my jackets made without pockets, many lunches at the bistro garden, and toluca lake places. I miss him richard degrandcourt

[@thestreetsaintloyalshow3133]

was he driving his gold Maserati? you met at polo lounge because he lived right next door and he hated driving

[@calstongroup]

But didn't he pass away in 1990?

[@richarddegrandcourt3430]

@@calstongroup yes, i was way off on my date, he was on relativly speaking a few years before he passed. a

[@margeshilling7983]

I loved him in "Saboteur". It's one of my favorite movies.

[@edcpike]

I think Skip is hysterical. He’s a character within himself.

[@kathysharpe7339]

Mr. Bob. How elegant. So happy he lived a long life. I miss him.

[@anneroselli161]

I adore Skippy Lowe and his guests were always top notch rip to everyone love anne

[@KJ-xc6qs]

I've always loved Bob Cummings. 💚💙💜

[@MrAlcataldo]

He was still Handsome, even when ill ! ... RIP

[@jubalcalif9100]

So very true !

[@geoffjoffy]

I've not seen Bob that old before. Thanks for posting.

[@MrRatherino]

just watched Kings Row..what a surprise..he was outstanding ...and will make you weep..and what a dear decent man..

[@christineleblond7777]

I really liked him in the film, Dial M For Murder with Ray Milland and Grace Kelly. He was wonderful in that part.

[@albertgainsworth]

Wow. I'm 85 and I wish I had kept my young looks as good as Bob has. One of my favourite actors.

[@Melinda8162]

Is he 85 here? So, how old was Bob when he had his son??? OMG??😂😁😁

[@jubalcalif9100]

Fascinating footage ! THANKS so much for sharing ! Was always a big Bob Cummings fan. Sad to see him so frail here. Looks good with the gray mustache. Good looking & charismatic son ! But I have NEVER heard of Jimmy Ceasar. Seen lots of Skip's interviews but this is the first one I've watched with a guest I never heard of.

[@barrygioportmorien1]

Loved the Bob Cummings Show, TV series.

[@mazsroy9]

His son was so interesting. Intelligent, talented, polite and personable. Very impressive.

[@jubalcalif9100]

Indeed ! He wasn't much of an impressionist but he was a good looking fella with a wonderful personality ! I hope he ended up having a wonderful career in design.

[@keacummings5529]

Thats my father! Hes still that way to this day.

[@jimredwine919]

Bob was so underrated.

[@jubalcalif9100]

As I do when I take off my hat, you make a good point ! He was equally good in both comedic and dramatic roles. So wonderfully versatile !

[@hotpanic2484]

@@wallacecleaver4485 shut up troll.

[@hotpanic2484]

@@wallacecleaver4485 and how am I “demented”? Get a grip. Bob is amazing. 🥰

[@hotpanic2484]

His talent is underrated, the comment isn’t hard to understand.

[@1expatriate]

The interviewer kept talking over Bob Cummings, and didn't allow him to answer a question as fully as he may have wanted. An abysmal interviewer. I liked Bob Cummings.

[@ursulina0]

I'm watching M For Murder a movie where Bob Cummings was in , and I remember Bob C, and ho much I enjoyed his shows and wonder what happen to him, what a handsome son he had, may he RIP. Texpatriate, you are right about the interviewer he kept interrupting, it goes to show you that not everyone can interview,

[@jubalcalif9100]

I could not agree more. I'm a huge fan of the late great Mr Cummings but Skip had some really irritating interviewing habits. There's no denying his heartfelt enthusiasm, but it irks me to no end that he interrupted his guests too much & would jump from subject to subject at breakneck speed ! :-(

[@huntingthekaiser6490]

Good old Skippy deserves credit for getting unusual persons to interview, that became quite interesting years later after these persons were gone. But screw him for being so irritating.

[@CineKarine]

Thank you so much for sharing this. I've had a lifelong crush on Bob Cummings for years and his later TV interviews are hard to come by.

[@musicom67]

He WAS a womanizer in many of his characters you know...

[@bwayland1290]

Loved Bob Cummings ! Used to watch "Love That Bob," TV show in syndication each day after school . It has to be one of the funniest TV shows ever. I wish he had talked more about it. The writing , the wacky characters. If you thought Nancy Kulp was funny as Jane Hathaway on "The Beverly Hillbillies," U should see her as Pamela Livingstone on "Love That Bob ! " Same goes for Ann B. Davis b4 Alice on "The Brady Bunch," she played B.C.'s secretary Schultzy. Bob's comic timing was extraordinary . U can find episodes right here on KZbin . Rosemary De Camp was great too. as his Sister. It was great to see his son. There is a resemblance there.

[@sexonnaplatter]

Yes. A lot of people don't know that Schultzy was the inspiration for Pepper Potts in the original Iron Man comic books because of her witty exchanges with the boss. (But of course Ann B. would never have launched an insufferably self-congratulatory website like GOOP!)

[@laverneschunn6734]

I cannot get over how much Bobby Cummings and Cliff Richards look alike. When Cliff was young close to the age of Bobby.

[@CharlotteBrooks-wr7br]

Robert Cummings was always my favorite actor of all time

[@LolaKC.]

lol he's my grandpa

[@SBCBears]

I read that Bob died from Alzheimer's disease, three years after this interview. It was probably affecting him during this interview. Still, his likeability shines thru.

[@TheKinoEye]

Bobby Cummings Jr. What's he up to these days?

[@PDavis-lj5ob]

One of a kind actor; fun, interesting and a wonderful human being...It doesn't get any better than that.

[@anitarichmond8930]

Aha! this is where Martin Short got his character Jiminy Glick from I knew that character felt familiar👏

[@totalt6600]

He is Jiminy Glick. Martin has mentioned him, but never said a name. Still making me laugh.

[@timjagoe5852]

Ziti

[@steph13326ify]

this is certainly a difficult video to watch, but after just looking up this interviewer on Wikipedia and seeing that "Jiminy Glick" is based, well now I can't wipe the smile off my face.

[@gloriadulan-wilson1076]

I was a Bob Cummings fan - his son was quite handsome - what happened to him? I remember his being a health "nut" and always taking vitamins. I also knew he was ahead of his time when it came to stem cells - so I don't believe the comment about his being an addict. I would really like to see more of his movies on KZbin. The interview was great. Wasn't overtly fond of the interviewer, but am glad that he did this one and that it's still around.

[@cmcb09]

As Alan Eichler stated he had Parkinsons, which especially as you get older will do a real number on you.

[@SenorZorrozzz]

Gloria Dulan-Wilson oh you need to study about his life. Those meth shots ruined him.

[@edwardgleeson7080]

Skip had great guests. Too bad he was such a lousy interview.

[@pgh45rpms]

This was an LA cable TV show. Skip E. conducted nearly 6,000 interviews during the show's run. Skip died in 2014.

[@jubalcalif9100]

I totally agree. He had some really big names as guests over the years but he was not a gifted interviewer. I appreciate his enthusiasm but he had the bad habits of interrupting too much & jumping from subject to subject too abruptly.

[@jackanthony976]

@@jubalcalif9100 That is true, but he didn't have the luxury of time like Dick Cavett.

[@jubalcalif9100]

@@jackanthony976 That's a very good point ! Thanks for your insightful comment !

[@pa3997]

I Think the best thing is that he sometimes also Interviewed more obscure actors from the second or third row of Hollywood Stars, for many of them its the only Interview on KZbin

[@ms.sonshine8878]

He looks good.

[@anneroselli161]

Robert Cummings and his son what could be sweeter and skip e Lowe rip to all love anne

[@davesiler4064]

Great actor---played Parris Mitchell in King's Row, opposite Ronald Reagan!

[@TBCSTARS]

I remember Bob from many years ago, he was way ahead of his time in being a "modern man." His "Bob Collins" character seemed to have had a bit of "Hugh Hefner" in the personality. He was also a great comedy foil against Frankie Avalon in the "Beach Blanket" beach comedies as well. The thing I liked about him I also liked about Dick Van Dyke, and they could have easily been fraternal "twin brothers." Similar in manners, gestures, vocal pacings, and its coincidental how they were both directly connected regarding Johnny Carson.

[@ursulina0]

Bob Cummings was a good actor with great timing for comedy, handsome lad,

[@jubalcalif9100]

@@ursulina0 I agree 100 per cent !!

[@teeniebeenie8774]

loved love that bob: shultzy was gr8!

[@Arthur_McGowan]

Watch for Bob Cummings in "Sons of the Desert." He's in the crowd at the steamship office. In the foreground, with no hat.

[@cydkriletich6538]

To all you wondering about his health. Sadly, Bob Cummings, a wonderful actor, was a meth addict. He became one early in his Hollywood career after being referred to the infamous “Dr. Feelgood” in NYC by some of his Hollywood friends. Unbeknownst to them, the doctor was giving them “vitamin” injections containing meth. His dear friend Art Linkletter reportedly tried an unsuccessful intervention. Cummings continued this addiction to his death. He was reported to have Parkinson’s Disease, and died at the age of 80 from kidney failure & pneumonia. Regardless, he gave many of us a lot of wonderful entertainment. R.I.P.

[@SlimKeith11]

It's not that black and white a story. He was actually a health fanatic and ahead of his time. He wrote a book about health that sold over a million copies in 61 or 62 I believe. Unfortunately he was given shots as many famous people were (incl JFK,) by "Dr Feelgood" in the 1960's that unbeknownst to him contained meth or speed. He got horribly hooked and tried many many times to get off it. It's a long story. You can find some more info online.

[@thestreetsaintloyalshow3133]

why would you say he was a meth addict, that's a bald-faced lie?. I use to be in his home on a daily basis as a kid. he took a number of vitamins, and I mean for everything, but he wasn't using meth, he was actually a relaxing person in his home, he spoke with certain people on a daily basis, for instance, he spoke with Ronald Reagan every day. sit in his living room looking at old movies and telling me and his son jr, stories, a wonderful man. don't be lying about him. you don't know him or his life, his wife, daughter, when she got shot in china town, Robert Jr. I was his sons best friends for a year, they lived right next to Los Angeles equestrian center in Burbank. rest in peace Mr, C

[@KJ-xc6qs]

@@thestreetsaintloyalshow3133 the Pickwick area?

[@thestreetsaintloyalshow3133]

@@KJ-xc6qs other side next equestrian center

[@SenorZorrozzz]

Skip e keeps mentioning Kings Row, what about bobs tv series? He had on in the very early days of tv. He also starred in a Hitchcock film! He did live TV, Twilight Zone, etc. he spent years at Warner’s during its heyday. Instead we get Skip E telling us that he saw Kings Row (a very dated and censored film), when he was 12!

[@thetexasgreek]

Kings Row is NOT dated. It is just an old movie, and one of my absolute favorites.

[@richardmcleod1930]

@@thetexasgreek One of my favorites, if not my favorite movie of all time. The musical score by Erick Von Korngold is one of the best ever written. He is up there with Franz Waxman and Max Steiner.

[@Michaelbos]

Skip was all excited with bob jr being there 😜

[@770WT]

Bob Jr. Seemed like a nice man .

[@daviddemers9093]

Bob was a neighbor and friend of Bill Caddell and his wife in Tiburon, California for years.

[@SCRnflz]

So Skip E. was the Jiminy Glick source. Sad life Bob wound up having. Didn't know he was an addict since the 50s and then to basically, apparently die poor and alone.

[@KJ-xc6qs]

He began daily methamphetamine shots from the 1950s when meth was legal.

[@yvonneleslie7681]

@@KJ-xc6qs He even shot up in his ankles by the mid-60's. So sad.

[@chrisnewman7281]

He was great in sabotage

[@girvanpaterson1098]

Always Thought Robert Cummings was one of the 5 best comedy actors in films, a little sad to see him here, obviously not in great health, but still a handsome man, and from all reports, a nice one too. One of my favourite films was 'Heaven Only Knows' where he played an angel, hope he's one for real now!

[@None-zc5vg]

His health and career had been wrecked by the dope addiction that he'd been tricked into back in the early '50s: he lost virtually everything through it.

[@thebluerobin]

Interesting, Skip asked Bob Cummings if he any regrets in his life and Bob said no. The fact that he misused drugs and was married 5 times should give anyone regrets. Oh well

[@hotpanic2484]

thebluerobin So, he was supposed to pour out mistakes he made in his life for this interview? That was a personal question.

[@acs42969]

Why regret anything in life, it's called living! We make mistakes and hopefully we learn but regrets are only judgements to make others assume they haven't made any...nobody's perfect!

[@jimredwine919]

What a handsome son!

[@jubalcalif9100]

He was no Rondo Hatton but I must admit he was one handsome young man.

[@jchow5966]

Thsnk yo!!!!!!!😊

[@williamf4544]

I like the intro music - like something out of 70s soft porn - brings back so many memories

[@edbrown8254]

Bob Cummings was a terrific actor who could do drama and comedy equally well. If you want to see a production that really showcases his talent, watch the Playhouse 90 presentation of Bomber's Moon on KZbin. It was written by Rod Serling, directed by John Frankenheimer and starred Cummings with Rip Torn and Martin Balsam. A combination of great talent all around. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJjJZmSwhLGNfZY

[@abogadojon]

You are correct, Mr Brown. Another example of the dramatic side of the complete acting skills of Cummings is seen in a Walter Wanger co-produced "The Reign of Terror," later reissued as "The Black Book" (1949). It was directed by Anthony Mann and also stars Richard Basehart and a stunning (!) Arlene Dahl (even in black & white). Great film. Thank you, Alan Eichler, for posting these.

[@catman3552]

I thought Bob was a health nut. He made two movies with my favorite blond Betty Grable in '41 and '55. And two with Betty Field in '42 and '43.

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

I found this channel a few days ago and I find myself watching this magnificent show everyday now. I think Skip is a brilliant interviewer because he is such a fan.

[@SenorZorrozzz]

Bob had a well known drug problem. It cost him his career. Dr. Feel good was giving him shots and according to the book Dr Feelgood, Bob was allowed to soot himself up and started taking those shots several times a day. When he quit My Living Doll in 1965 they set out , reportedly, to spread the word about the drug use. Later on, His pal Art Linkletter staged an intervention and its reported that Bob objected and it was I suppose, a disaster. The shots kept Bob thin, and gave him something that depression had robbed him of it is said, energy. Sad. Read the Dr Feelgood book. Amazing.

[@avadarlin25]

True. His vitamins were laced with Meth...everyone knew it. 5 wives. 7 kids..

[@LoveFlatfootin1]

I wonder if his son did become a designer.

[@waimbuthia820]

Now, there's gushing & then there's GUSHING. Jimmy Ceasar (first time I'm hearing about him) is just extra.

[@nomo4u886]

He was a funny dude lol

[@debbieanne7962]

Remember Robert Cummings in Dial M for Murder and the Twilight Zone. He lost work as he got older due to his addiction to methamphetamines. Can't find anything online about his son Bobby. Who knows what became of him in the past 35+ years?

[@chrisrattray8958]

I wonder what he’d think of modern American films today !

[@irish89055]

Taught to fly by his godfather.... Orville Wright

[@neildickson5394]

Robert Cummings was a good actor, and seemed a pleasant personality. He was a health nut and looked very youthful for a long time. Bit, as this interview shows age finally catches up with everyone. Bob is near 80 here, but still has hair.

[@aeichler]

It was the Parkinson's that did him in. The bulging eyes and jerky movements are similar to Michael J. Fox's.

[@rogerdas]

I remember hearing that he popped a lot of vitamin pills.

[@thestreetsaintloyalshow3133]

@@rogerdas this is true, he had about 30 vitamins a day, dont believe this other stories, he was a great man and never seemed super up or down. always level headed

[@jubalcalif9100]

Yes, I too was impressed by his healthy head full of hair at his advanced age. What a class act ! And I don't think I ever saw him with a mustache anywhere else.

[@jubalcalif9100]

@@rogerdas I've read that too. Took lots of vitamin pills daily (reportedly).

[@davesiler4064]

That interviewer is a strange one!!!

[@RobertLMorse-vu9dj]

Robert's Wiki page mentions his drug use, i think he hid it well, but i never met him.

[@aeichler]

He apparently took meth/vitamin shots, which were popular back then and usually administered by corrupt doctors. Publicly, Cummings was a big advocate of good health.

[@jubalcalif9100]

@@aeichler Yes ! He was into health foods way before they became well known in show biz circles. In regards to meth, as you pointed out, shady doctors would give it to patients, telling them they were "vitamin" shots...happened to other celebrities such as Eddie Fisher and Elvis Presley. So sad... :-(

[@None-zc5vg]

@@jubalcalif9100 It's been said that Cummings was tricked into the drug-addiction that left him a deranged wreck at the end of his life.

[@jubalcalif9100]

@@None-zc5vg I can well believe that ! There were many underhanded doctors back then who would give injections to celebrities, saying they were "vitamin" shots, but in reality they were usually mostly methamphetamine ! It happened to Eddie Fisher, Elvis Presley & many others. Thanks for your comment !! :-)

[@richardmcleod1930]

@@None-zc5vg That is true, as Bob Cummings thought he was simply taking Vitamin shots, not realizing they contained Amphetamines to really give one a feeling of exhilaration. These shots are easy for anyone to become addictive especially in making one feel so good, especially if given by Dr. Feelgood.

[@thisistheworldtoday]

Martin Short’s Jimminy Glick is not as original a character as I thought he was... so hysterical to watch the original Skip influence...when Skip was confounded that at 18 Bobby knows he wants to go to the fashion institute I had to laugh...yes Skip was as off kilter as the Glick character he inspired... always digging for dirt

[@robertahubert9155]

Gosh, I wish he would have let the young man talk more. How rude

[@wandaluyando5181]

Was surprised to learn Robert Bob Cummings was a chronic meth user. He received meth from Dr. Feel Good.

[@bobcummings8228]

I am NOT related to him by any means! LOL!!! he does not even look like me! RIP! I get tired of people asking me if I am related to him! We just have the same names! Born different times!

[@cheese6270]

Me too

[@minewheaties5029]

Looks too good for someone who claimed he was a meth addict since 1954. Cummings and others were likely making up nonsense to cover for his Disneyland opening day controversy

[@richardmcleod1930]

Many high ranking people saw Dr. Feelgood and became addicted to the Vitamin shots he freely gave. Unfortunately those Vitamin shots contained Amphetamine which made anyone feel very good. It wasn't the Vitamins that made them feel good, it was the Amphetamines which became addictive overtime requiring more and more injections.

[@minewheaties5029]

@@richardmcleod1930 Cummings claimed he was a long term Methamphetamine addict, which he does not show physically.

[@richardmcleod1930]

@@minewheaties5029 He got the Vitamin injections from Dr. Max Jacobson aka Dr Feelgood along with many other celebrities of the time including President Kennedy and even Jackie to a lesser degree. I always loved Robert Cummings from his movie roles, especially "Kings Row" to many of his other films, television and radio work. I was really shocked to see how badly he looked on this show. A shadow of his former self, and I don't mean just the aging process. He was not clear in what he said on several topics and his tongue and eye movements showed something was not right. Sad such happened to such a talented man, but Dr. Max Jacobson fooled many people thinking they were getting only booster Vitamin shots, but failed to tell them the shots also included Amphetamines which really make a person feel regenerated only later are the addictive effects really known and then it's too late.

[@robertahubert9155]

Really bad video only listened because visual was so bad only for a few minutes to bad I really wanted to watch

[@coreymorgano3081]

Now THAT'S a junkie.

[@SenorZorrozzz]

Corey Morgano sadly, yes.

[@stevegrant7807]

Does anyone know what happened to Bobby Jr ? He died at 46 years of age

[@thestreetsaintloyalshow3133]

bobby jr. passed? and his older sister? he used to be my best friend but lost touch yrs ago

[@cdgates1]

I think Bobby jr. died in 2013

[@thestreetsaintloyalshow3133]

courtney gates wow, we’re good friends in junior high

[@hotpanic2484]

No, he did not. He’s alive and well, and has a twitter account.

[@danielsmith5023]

Shame that the film is fucked

[@debbieanne7962]

Only the first couple of minutes if you fast forward

[@bangersmash1566]

fake all the way