Hot Seat (talk show)
Encyclopedia
Hot Seat is a syndicated, politically-oriented, though often satirical and comedic television talk-show that began in the early 1980s, hosted by conservative commentator Wally George
. It was shot in the studios of KDOC, a UHF
television station licensed to (and, at the time, having their studios in) Anaheim, California
.
. Behind him was a photo of a space shuttle
launching with the caption that read, "USA Is #1."
Originally only seen locally, the show gained national attention in 1983 when a self-proclaimed pacifist named Blase Bonpane
, who was discussing his opposition of the U.S. invasion of Grenada
, suddenly erupted in anger over George's taunts, flipped over the host's desk and stormed off the show. A clip of the altercation aired on national news programs, and attracted attention from program directors at TV stations nationwide, leading to syndication.
George engaged guests whom he called "ludicrous liberal lunatics" and "fascist fanatics," including 1960s drug guru Dr. Timothy Leary
and Tom Metzger
, a white supremacist leader who was a particular target of George's ire. In many ways, Hot Seat inspired and was the precursor of other similar shows hosted by Morton Downey, Jr.
and Jerry Springer
. Downey actually appeared on Hot Seat on one occasion; he and George traded barbs numerous times over items ranging from who was a true conservative to the nature of the audience before Downey was tackled by "police".
At the height of its popularity in the mid- and late-1980s, fans of the show would wait for several hours to get a choice spot among the studio's 80 audience seats, where they waved U.S. flags and chanted, "Wal-ly! Wal-ly!" on cue. This ever increasing circus atmosphere became an integral part of the show's appeal; for instance, when Wally yelled "9-9-9", the fans in the studio would holler back "FIVE THOUSAND!" (a reference to the show's ticket line, 999-5000). Fans would often cheer Wally on and boo his guests, as if they were at a sporting event.
David Kennedy was the co-host for Hot Seat, seated to George's right. Kennedy's persona was extremely mild-mannered, the polar opposite of George's, effectively acting as a straight man
. In fact, Kennedy would often sit calmly and nearly mute throughout an entire show while histrionics took place all around him. Succeeding Kennedy was Bill Bancroft, a portly mustached man who wore glasses. Bancroft was proud of the fact he held a bachelor's degree in history, and he told guest Dawna Kaufman not to 'tempt him' into having sex with him. Like Kennedy, however, Bancroft's role was mostly to introduce the guest; i.e. victim. Near the end of the Hot Seat run, Wally also had a co-host who would read from the Bible
and would argue fundamentalist Christianity with guests.
George called his delivery "combat TV," a phrase he used in his autobiography
published in 1999. Johnny Carson
, referring to the show's choreographed hysteria, once called George the William F. Buckley of the cockfighting set. But George drew most of his ideas and interviewing style from a 1960s radio and TV host named Joe Pyne
.
In the late 1990s, George fell ill, and KDOC showed reruns of past shows hosted by an increasingly frail-looking, calmer and face-lifted George. After George died in 2003, KDOC stopped showing reruns altogether except for a retrospective/tribute on the Friday of the anniversary week of Wally George's passing. It has not been seen since, although YouTube
has an extensive archive of Hot Seat clips.
Wally George
Wally George, born George Walter Pearch , was an American conservative radio and television commentator...
. It was shot in the studios of KDOC, a UHF
Ultra high frequency
Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
television station licensed to (and, at the time, having their studios in) Anaheim, California
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
.
Overview
George hosted the show sitting behind a desk and wearing a red, white, and blue necktie, and his completely white hair in a curious comb overComb over
A comb over or combover is a hairstyle worn by bald or balding men in which the hair on one side of the head is grown long and then combed over the bald area to minimize the display of baldness. A variation of the comb over where baldness is concealed by long hair combed in three separate...
. Behind him was a photo of a space shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
launching with the caption that read, "USA Is #1."
Originally only seen locally, the show gained national attention in 1983 when a self-proclaimed pacifist named Blase Bonpane
Blase Bonpane
Blase Bonpane is Director of the Office of the Americas which he co-founded with his wife Theresa in 1983. His attention has been primarily on human rights and identification of illegal and immoral aspects of domestic and foreign policies of the United States.Bonpane served as a Maryknoll priest...
, who was discussing his opposition of the U.S. invasion of Grenada
Invasion of Grenada
The Invasion of Grenada, codenamed Operation Urgent Fury, was a 1983 United States-led invasion of Grenada, a Caribbean island nation with a population of about 100,000 located north of Venezuela. Triggered by a military coup which had ousted a four-year revolutionary government, the invasion...
, suddenly erupted in anger over George's taunts, flipped over the host's desk and stormed off the show. A clip of the altercation aired on national news programs, and attracted attention from program directors at TV stations nationwide, leading to syndication.
George engaged guests whom he called "ludicrous liberal lunatics" and "fascist fanatics," including 1960s drug guru Dr. Timothy Leary
Timothy Leary
Timothy Francis Leary was an American psychologist and writer, known for his advocacy of psychedelic drugs. During a time when drugs like LSD and psilocybin were legal, Leary conducted experiments at Harvard University under the Harvard Psilocybin Project, resulting in the Concord Prison...
and Tom Metzger
Tom Metzger
Thomas Metzger is an American white nationalist who founded White Aryan Resistance . His far-right activist groups, including WAR, have been monitored by the Southern Poverty Law Center, an American organization that tracks hate groups...
, a white supremacist leader who was a particular target of George's ire. In many ways, Hot Seat inspired and was the precursor of other similar shows hosted by Morton Downey, Jr.
Morton Downey, Jr.
Morton Downey, Jr. was an American singer, songwriter and later a television talk show host of the 1980s who pioneered the "trash TV" format on his program The Morton Downey Jr. Show....
and Jerry Springer
Jerry Springer
Gerald Norman "Jerry" Springer is a British-born American television presenter, best known as host of the tabloid talk show The Jerry Springer Show since its debut in 1991...
. Downey actually appeared on Hot Seat on one occasion; he and George traded barbs numerous times over items ranging from who was a true conservative to the nature of the audience before Downey was tackled by "police".
At the height of its popularity in the mid- and late-1980s, fans of the show would wait for several hours to get a choice spot among the studio's 80 audience seats, where they waved U.S. flags and chanted, "Wal-ly! Wal-ly!" on cue. This ever increasing circus atmosphere became an integral part of the show's appeal; for instance, when Wally yelled "9-9-9", the fans in the studio would holler back "FIVE THOUSAND!" (a reference to the show's ticket line, 999-5000). Fans would often cheer Wally on and boo his guests, as if they were at a sporting event.
David Kennedy was the co-host for Hot Seat, seated to George's right. Kennedy's persona was extremely mild-mannered, the polar opposite of George's, effectively acting as a straight man
Double act
A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin and profession, but drastically different personalities or behavior...
. In fact, Kennedy would often sit calmly and nearly mute throughout an entire show while histrionics took place all around him. Succeeding Kennedy was Bill Bancroft, a portly mustached man who wore glasses. Bancroft was proud of the fact he held a bachelor's degree in history, and he told guest Dawna Kaufman not to 'tempt him' into having sex with him. Like Kennedy, however, Bancroft's role was mostly to introduce the guest; i.e. victim. Near the end of the Hot Seat run, Wally also had a co-host who would read from the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
and would argue fundamentalist Christianity with guests.
George called his delivery "combat TV," a phrase he used in his autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
published in 1999. Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson
John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
, referring to the show's choreographed hysteria, once called George the William F. Buckley of the cockfighting set. But George drew most of his ideas and interviewing style from a 1960s radio and TV host named Joe Pyne
Joe Pyne
Joe Pyne was an American radio and television talk show host, who pioneered the confrontational style in which the host advocates a viewpoint and argues with guests and audience members...
.
In the late 1990s, George fell ill, and KDOC showed reruns of past shows hosted by an increasingly frail-looking, calmer and face-lifted George. After George died in 2003, KDOC stopped showing reruns altogether except for a retrospective/tribute on the Friday of the anniversary week of Wally George's passing. It has not been seen since, although YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
has an extensive archive of Hot Seat clips.