Interview with Alan King

Arlene Herson's interview with Alan King.

Arlene's interview with Alan King is in five segments.

Each segment discusses a different topic.

Part 1

ARLENE:

ALAN KING, HELLO HOW ARE YOU TODAY?

ALAN KING:

HELLO.

ALAN KING:

YOU PAID YOUR DUES?

ARLENE:

YOU MEAN TO THE FRIAR’S CLUB. YES, I PAID MY DUES TO THE FRIAR’S CLUB. OK, SO WE HAVE TO SAY RIGHT AWAY, THAT I AM TALKING TO MY ABBOT. ALAN KING IS THE ABBOT OF THE FRIAR’S CLUB.…... AND I AM PROUD TO BE A MEMBER.

ALAN KING:

WE ARE HAPPY TO HAVE YOU

ARLENE:

OK. SO TELL ME NOW BEING THE ABBOT OF THE FRIAR’S CLUB, WHAT THE FRIAR’S CLUB MEANS TO YOU.

ALAN KING:

WELL YOU KNOW WE ARE GETTING CLOSE TO OUR HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY, AND I THINK I HAVE BEEN A MEMBER FOR A HUNDRED YEARS..

ARLENE:

YES, AT LEAST.

ALAN KING:

ACTUALLY I HAVE BEEN A MEMBER FOR ABOUT 55 YEARS. I STARTED AS A VERY YOUNG BOY WHEN THEY USED TO HAVE FRIARLINGS THEY WERE CALLED. I WAS INDUCTED INTO THE CLUB OF COURSE, BY THE LEGENDARY MILTON BERLE AND I HAVE BEEN A MEMBER EVER SINCE. I’VE GONE THROUGH A LOT OF ABBOTS NEVER HAVING DREAMT THAT JOE LEWIS WAS AN ABBOT, MIKE TODD WAS AN ABBOT, GEORGIE JESSEL WAS AN ABBOT, BERLE OF COURSE WAS AN ABBOT, AND THEN FOR ALMOST 19 YEARS….FRANK SINATRA. ONE DAY…. WHEN THEY ASKED ME TO BE AN ABBOT I SAID, “ONLY IF FRANK CALLS...” AND FRANK CALLED AND I SAID I WOULD DO IT. SO NOW I THINK I AM GOING INTO MY FIFTH YEAR.

ARLENE:

OH…

ALAN KING:

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME.

ARLENE:

YES, IT REALLY IS A GREAT CLUB, BUT FRANK SINATRA, NOT ONLY WAS THE ABBOT BEFORE YOU, BUT WAS REALLY A GOOD FRIEND OF YOURS AND AN IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR LIFE.

ALAN KING:

YES, WELL I TELL YOU THE FIRST TIME I WORKED WITH FRANK WAS AT THE IN ATLANTIC CITY …..52 YEARS AGO….MAYBE MORE….MAYBE 53 YEARS AGO AND WE STAYED FRIENDS. HE WAS ONE OF THE, GREATEST, MOST POPULAR SINGER OF SONGS IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY AND I MISS HIM.

ARLENE:

YES, YOU MENTIONED ATLANTIC CITY I WASN’T SURE IF I WAS GOING TO ASK YOU THIS QUESTION, BUT NOW I AM…..I HAVE BEEN READING YOUR BOOKS, I HAVE TWO OF YOUR BOOKS HERE, BY THE WAY, I HAVE “IS SALAMI AND EGGS BETTER THEN SEX?” WHICH WE ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT ANOTHER TIME, BUT YOUR MOST REASON BOOK WHERE YOU TALK ABOUT THE HORSE….THE LIE….

ALAN KING:

THE DIVING HORSE

ARLENE:

THE DIVING HORSE …OK. NOW IT IS CALLED “THE LIFE AND LIES OF ALAN KING” SO I DON’T KNOW WHAT IS A LIE AND WHAT IS TRUE. SO TELL US ABOUT THAT DIVING HORSE.

ALAN KING:

WELL YOU GOTTA UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN YOU GET TO BE MY AGE, AND YOU’VE BEEN TELLING STORIES LONG ENOUGH, YOU EVEN FORGET YOURSELF….WAS IT A LIE? DID I HEAR IT? WAS I THERE?…YOU KNOW? NO BUT THE DIVING HORSE WAS ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS ATTRACTIONS. THEY USED TO HAVE A HORSE AND FIVE TIMES A DAY, IT USED TO JUMP INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN FROM SIXTY FEET. WHY ANYONE WANTED TO SEE THAT, I HAVE DON’T KNOW TO THIS DAY, BUT IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR…THEY USED TO LINE UP ON THE BOARDWALK FOR MILES JUST TO SEE THIS DAMN HORSE TO JUMP INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.

ARLENE:

OK, , BUT YOU HAVE, I GUESS IT IS A JOKE IN THE BOOK, AND I DON’T KNOW IF WE CAN SAY IT ON THE RADIO, BUT HOW THEY GOT THAT HORSE….

ALAN KING:

….WE DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE ELECTRIC PROD…

ARLENE:

SO JUST TO CLEAN IT UP AND TELL US HOW THEY GOT THE HORSE TO JUMP.

ALAN KING:

OH WELL, THEY USED TO PUT AN ELECTRIC PROD UP HIS TUSH. HOW ELSE DO YOU THINK A HORSE WOULD DO THAT…..YOU DON’T THINK A HORSE WOULD JUMP SIXTY FEET INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN ON its OWN.

ARLENE:

NO.

ALAN KING:

YOU DON’T THINK IT WOULD LISTEN WITH SOMEONE SAYING, “SMOOCH, SMOOCH, GET IT UP” DO YOU?

ARLENE:

NO WAY.

ALAN KING:

OK SO I USED TO ANNOUNCE THE ACT.. OR BARK THE ACT ON THE BOARDWALK IN FRONT OF THE CROWD.. THOSE WERE GREAT TIMES. THE NEXT TIME I CAME BACK WAS LABOR DAY WITH FRANK SINATRA, THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I MET HIM.

ARLENE:

THE FIRST TIME THAT YOU MET FRANK SINATRA ...AND IT DEVELOPED INTO AN IMPORTANT, LONG TIME RELATIONSHIP.

ALAN KING:

YOU KNOW, THE FIRST THING HE EVER SAID TO ME, I WAS SUPPOSED TO DO NINE MINUTES AND I WAS A BIG HIT…OR AT LEAST I THOUGHT I WAS A BIG HIT AND I DID TWELVE AND WHEN I WALKED OFF THE STAGE THERE HE WAS IN THE WINGS AND I SAID, “MR. SINATRA…” AND HE SAID, “NEXT TIME TRY NINE.”

ARLENE:

OK, AND DID YOU LISTEN?

ALAN KING:

NO.

ARLENE:

CAUSE YOU DIDN’T ALWAYS LISTEN.

ALAN KING:

NO, NO, NO I NEVER DID. I THINK THAT IS WHY FRANK AND I GOT ALONG SO WELL.

ARLENE:

BUT I HAVE TO LISTEN BECAUSE I AM TOLD WE ARE OUT OF TIME FOR THIS SEGMENT, BUT I WANT TO TALK TO YOU AGAIN REAL SOON BECAUSE WE HAVE LOTS TO TALK ABOUT. OK SO WE HAVE TO SAY BYE FOR NOW.

ALAN KING:

BYE BYE.

ARLENE:

BYE ALAN KING.

Part2

ARLENE:

ALAN KING, HELLO. HOW ARE YOU TODAY?

ALAN KING:

HELLO ARLENE.

ARLENE:

HELLO GOOD TO TALK TO YOU AGAIN. YOU KNOW YOU HAVE BEEN AROUND SO LONG…

ALAN KING:

I HAVE BEEN AROUND AND AROUND AND AROUND…I’M SO DIZZY.

ARLENE:

OH NO, NO, NO….I MEAN YOU HAVE DONE SO MUCH. I MEAN YOU ARE A PRODUCER. YOU ARE AN ACTOR. YOU’RE A MOVIE STAR.

ALAN KING:

I AM AN ASHTRAY.

ARLENE:

I HEAR YOU WERE SINGING ON THE STREET WHEN YOU COULD BARELY WALK. WHERE DID IT COME FROM?

ALAN KING:

I THINK IT CAME FROM A NEED TO BE NOTICED. YOU KNOW, I CAME FROM A VERY LARGE FAMILY. I WAS THE YOUNGEST OF EIGHT CHILDREN AND MY PARENTS WERE LOVING, BUT THESE WERE VERY DIFFICULT TIMES AND YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU ARE THE YOUNGEST, YOU KNOW I COULDN’T OPEN MY MOUTH. SO, I WAS LOOKING FOR ATTENTION.

ARLENE:

OH…

ALAN KING:

SO I CARRIED ON. I WAS THE CORNER CLOWN…I SANG IN THE BACKYARD…I WAS THE CLOWN IN THE CLASSROOM. I GUESS I WAS LOOKING FOR ATTENTION.

ARLENE:

WELL YOU SURE GOT IT! AND YOUR FATHER WAS SUCH AN INTERESTING MAN.….YOU TALK ABOUT HIM SO LOVINGLY…..HE WAS A GREAT INFLUENCE ON YOUR LIFE.

ALAN KING:

GREAT INFLUENCE. MY FATHER…..MY MOTHER AND FATHER LIVED IN FLORIDA, SOUTH FLORIDA, FOR THE LAST THIRTY YEARS OF THEIR LIVES AND I WAS VERY FORTUNATE BECAUSE MY FATHER LIVED TO NINETY-SIX AND MY MOTHER LIVED TO NINETY-ONE. SO THE REWARD FOR WHATEVER SUCCESS I HAD WAS THE FACT THAT THEY DID LIVE TO SEE IT AND TO ENJOY IT WITH ME AND THAT WAS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF WHATEVER SUCCESS I HAD.

ARLENE:

I READ IN ONE OF YOUR BOOKS THAT YOUR FATHER SAID TO YOU….THE MESSAGE HE GAVE TO YOU WAS “BE SOMEBODY.”

ALAN KING:

THAT’S RIGHT. WELL MY FATHER AND MOTHER WERE IMMIGRANTS, YOU KNOW, AND CAME HERE DURING THE DEPRESSION AND IT WASN’T VERY PLEASANT TIMES AND THERE WAS THE WPA AND THERE WAS THE RELIEF. SO IT WAS…MY FATHER WAS A SPINNER OF TALES AND WITTY AND WONDERFULLY ANGRY MAN AND I THINK I GOT A LOT OF HIS ANGER.

ARLENE:

YOU KNOW IT IS INTERESTING YOU SAY AN ANGRY MAN AND YOU HAVE BEEN DESCRIBED IN SOME OF THE ARTICLES I READ AS AN ANGRY YOUNG COMIC.

ALAN KING:

NOW I AM AN ANGRY, OLD JEW!

ARLENE:

SO WHY ARE YOU ANGRY? WHAT ARE YOU ANGRY ABOUT?

ALAN KING:

WELL I DON’T THINK….WITH ANGER….MY FATHER WAS A SOCIALIST AND MY FATHER WAS A HUMANIST AND MY FATHER…IF HE INSTILLED ANYTHING INTO THE FAMILY TO ALL OF US, IS THAT YOU HAVE GOT TO GIVE BACK…PEOPLE …..NOT THE CLICHES, DO UNTO OTHERS, BUT YOU HAVE GOT TO BE INVOLVED. WE HAD ELEVEN NEWSPAPERS IN NEW YORK. MY FATHER WOULD SAY, “YOU HAVE TO READ THEM ALL! THAT’S KNOWLEDGE…INTELLIGENCE…KNOWLEDGE AND CARING AND PHILANTHROPY..” YOU KNOW YOU READ ABOUT HOW BILL GATES JUST GAVE ANOTHER 5 BILLION DOLLARS TO CHARITY…WHICH IS TERRIFIC, BUT MY FATHER USED TO SAY, “YOU KNOW WHAT CHARITY REALLY IS? IF YOU HAVE TEN CENTS IN YOUR POCKET AND YOU GIVE AWAY A NICKEL TO A HUNGRY MAN…THAT’S CHARITY.”

ARLENE:

THAT’S A GOOD MESSAGE.

ALAN KING:

A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THAT THEY HAVE TO GIVE MILLIONS…IT IS JUST THE FACT THAT YOU EXTEND YOURSELF. I WAS VERY FORTUNATE TO GROW UP IN THIS FAMILY.

ARLENE:

AND THEY ARE LUCKY TO HAVE SUCH A LOVING, WONDERFUL AND EVENTUALLY SUCH A SUCCESSFUL SON AND WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE YOU HERE AS A GUEST ON THE SHOW. UNFORTUNATELY WE HAVE TO CLOSE FOR NOW, BUT I WANT TO TALK TO YOU AGAIN REAL SOON.

ALAN KING:

I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.

ARLENE:

OK THANKS AGAIN ALAN KING. B-BYE.

Part 3

ARLENE:

ALAN KING….GOOD TO TALK TO YOU AGAIN.

ALAN KING:

ARLENE, IT SEEMS LIKE YESTERDAY THAT WE SPOKE.

ARLENE:

I’D LIKE TO TALK TO YOU EVERYDAY IF I COULD. ACTUALLY, I LIKE WHEN I WAS IN NEW YORK…HANGING OUT AT THE FRIAR’S CLUB WITH YOU.

ALAN KING:

YOU KNOW YOU REALLY DRESSED UP OUR BAR. WE GOT SO MANY BROKEN DOWN OLD GUYS THERE WITH CIGARS HANGING OUT OF THEIR MOUTHS, THAT EVERY TIME YOU WALKED IN THERE IT WAS LIKE A BREATHE OF SPRING.

ARLENE:

THIS IS MY ABBOT OF THE FRIAR’S CLUB, WHICH MEANS, TOP HONCHO, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD.

ALAN KING:

I LIKE BEING THERE TOO.

ARLENE:

YES, ME TOO. …YOU HAVE DONE SO MUCH BUT TELL ME ABOUT THE EARLY DAYS AND ABOUT YOUR BOXING CAREER.

ALAN KING:

THAT WAS JUST…...…I WAS LOOKING FOR ATTENTION AND I WAS AN ANGRY YOUNG KID AND I WAS STRONG AND ABLE AND YOU KNOW, I WAS STRONG AND TOUGH LIKE THE STREETS OF WILLIAMSBURG AND BROOKLYN AND SOMEONE OFFERED ME TEN DOLLARS FOR A FIGHT AND I TOOK IT. SO, I HAD A BOXING CAREER…LIMITED. I HAD ABOUT 25 FIGHTS AND THEN I TOOK SUCH A BEATING ON MY 25TH FIGHT THAT MY FATHER SAID, “NOW DO YOU REALIZED THERE HAS GOT TO BE AN ANOTHER WAY TO MAKE A LIVING?” I SAID, “YOU ARE RIGHT POP.”

ARLENE:

OK, BUT IS IT TRUE…I READ IN “THE LIFE AND LIES OF ALAN KING” IS IT TRUE THAT YOUR NAME ALAN KING ACTUALLY CAME FROM SOMEONE WHO BEAT YOU UP?

ALAN KING:

YE, I BOXED IN VANCOUVER…IN TORONTO, CANADA….HAMILTON, ONTARIO…EXCUSE ME. I BOXED A YOUNG BOY WHO BEAT THE HELL OUT OF ME WHOSE LAST NAME KING AND I WAS CHANGING MY NAME ALL OF THE TIME…KNIGHT…WHATEVER…EVERY FIGHT I HAD ANOTHER NAME. HIS NAME WAS ARTHUR KING AND HE WENT ON TO BE THE LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION IN CANADA YEARS LATER. I LEFT TOWN AND I WENT SOMEWHERE ELSE….I WAS ILLEGALLY IN THE COUNTRY, IT WAS WAR YEARS AND I HADN’T LEGALLY REGISTERED AS AN ALIEN IN CANADA. SO THEY SAID, “WHAT’S YOUR NAME?” AND I SAID, “KING” AND I KEPT IT. IN THOSE DAYS, ESPECIALLY IN SHOW BUSINESS, SMALL ENOUGH TO FIT ON THE MARQUE

ARLENE:

WELL SOMETHING POSITIVE CAME OUT OF THAT FIGHT.

ALAN KING:

YES, WELL NOW THEY HAVE JERRY SEINFELD AND DAVID STEINBERG…

ARLENE:

AND ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER.

ALAN KING:

….THEY’VE GOT SUCH NAMES. BUT IN THE OLD DAYS, EVERYBODY LOOKED FOR THAT SNAPPY KING OR CLARK…YOU KNOW.

ARLENE:

PART OF THE REASON I MENTION THE BOXING CAREER IS BECAUSE I AM ALSO THINKING OF THE DAYS WHEN YOU WERE GROWING UP, YOU WERE PERFORMING IN NIGHT CLUBS OWNED BY MOBSTERS. WHO NOT ONLY USED THEIR FISTS, BUT ALSO USED OTHER THINGS TO KEEP PEOPLE IN SHAPE.

ALAN KING:

I LIKE TO REFER TO THEM AS WISE GUYS. THEY WERE WISE GUYS AND YOU KNOW, GROWING UP WITH THEM YOU KNEW ALL OF THE CLUBS WERE MOB OWNED OR MOB CONTROLLED, BUT I HATE TO SAY THIS AND I DON’T WANT THIS TAKEN IN THE WRONG WAY, BUT THEY WERE GREAT TO WORK FOR. YOU NEVER HAD A CONTRACT, THEY GAVE YOU A HANDSHAKE AND YOU GOT YOUR MONEY ON FRIDAY. IT WAS A LOT BETTER THEN WORKING FOR SOME OF THE SUITS I WORKED FOR LATELY.

ARLENE:

WELL….THAT IS INTERESTING; YOU PLAY GANGSTER IN A LOT OF MOVIES. YOU DO SUCH A GOOD JOB. SO DID YOU PICK UP SOME OF THE STUFF FROM THOSE GUYS?

ALAN KING:

WELL, YES OF COURSE. GROWING UP IN WILLIAMSBURG AND THEN BEFORE THAT LOWER EAST SIDE OF NEW YORK THE NEIGHBORHOOD WAS SURROUNDED BY WISE GUYS WITH THE POLO COATS AND THE BIG HATS. SO IT IS SO EASY FOR ME TO PLAY THOSE CHARACTERS.

ARLENE:

WELL, YOU DO A GOOD JOB. I HEARD YOU DO A GREAT SHOULDER ROLL. WHICH I CAN PICTURE. I WISH THIS WEREN’T RADIO, BUT WE HAVE TO SAY GOOD-BYE FOR NOW, BUT THERE IS SO MUCH TO EXPLORE IN THE LIFE AND LIES OF ALAN KING, SO WE WOULD LIKE TO TALK AGAIN VERY SOON.

ALAN KING:

B-BYE.

ARLENE:

OK, B-BYE ALAN KING.

Part4

ARLENE:

ALAN KING HELLO.

ALAN KING:

HELLO.

ARLENE:

HI, GOOD TO TALK TO YOU AGAIN.

ALAN KING:

THANK YOU.

ARLENE:

YOU HAVE KNOWN SO MANY INCREDIBLE PEOPLE IN THE COURSE OF YOUR INCREDIBLE CAREER AND EVERYONE KNOWS ALAN KING. WHEN YOU WERE HONORED AT THE FRIAR’S CLUB, I WAS TOLD THAT MORE CELEBRITIES TURNED UP THEN EVER BEFORE FOR ANYBODY. SO IF IT IS OK WITH YOU, I WOULD LIKE A REFLECTION JUST ON A COUPLE OF THESE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN SPECIAL TO YOU.

ALAN KING:

OK.

ARLENE:

OK, JACK BENNY.

ALAN KING:

WELL LOVING. JACK BENNY, WHEN I WAS A KID ON 52ND STREET HE AND MARCY LIVINGSTON AND GEORGE BURNS AND GRACIE ALLEN CAME IN TO THE THEATRE...AND AFTER THE SHOW WAS OVER, THE MAITRE’D, LOU KATZ, SAID TO ME, “MR. BENNY AND MR. BURNS WOULD LIKE YOU TO JOIN THEIR TABLE.” I HAD HOLES IN MY SHOES AND THEY CAME AND TOLD ME HOW MUCH THEY ENJOYED ME AND THE WHOLE IDEA IS THAT THEY TREATED ME AS AN EQUAL. THEY NEVER TREATED ME AS AN INFERIOR OR AS AN INFIDEL OR AS A KID AND I WAS FRIENDS WITH JACK AND GEORGE UNTIL THE LAST DAYS OF THEIR LIVES. .JACK BENNY WAS ONE OF THE KINDEST MEN I EVER MET AND THE BEST AUDIENCE YOU COULD PLAY FOR.

ARLENE:

IN YOUR BOOK, I COULD FEEL THE LOVE YOU HAD FOR HIM. BUT….TELL US ABOUT JUDY GARLAND.

ALAN KING:

WELL, I TRAVELED WITH JUDY. I OPENED WITH JUDY AT THE PALACE IN NOVEMBER 1955 AND I GUESS IF THERE WAS SUCH A THING AS A BREAK THROUGH IN MY CAREER, THAT WAS IT. I OPENED AT THE PALACE WITH HER AND AGAIN IT WAS ONE OF HER MANY COMEBACKS. I NEVER MET HER BEFORE, BUT HER HUSBAND SAID SHE LOVED WHEN SHE SAW ME IN VEGAS. I WAS WITH HERAT THE PALACE FOR 26 WEEKS AND WE BECAME GREAT FRIENDS. I MEAN JUST GREAT PALS AND THESE WERE TOUGH TIMES FOR JUDY AND YOU KNOW I PLAYED COURT JESTER BACK STAGE AND MADE HER LAUGH. ONE DAY SHE SAID TO ME, SHE WAS GOING THROUGH A TERRIBLE TIME AND SHE SAID, “WHY DO YOU STAY WITH ME ALAN KING?” AND I SAID, “BECAUSE NO ONE CAN SAY MISS GARLAND WILL NOT APPEAR TONIGHT BETTER THEN I CAN.” AND THEN….MY BIGGEST SUCCESS WAS LONDON….WHEN I WENT TO LONDON WITH JUDY. .SHE WAS TROUBLED, BUT SHE WAS SUCH A SPECIAL PERSON. , AND WHAT SHE DID TO AUDIENCES WAS INCREDIBLE ...SHE WAS SO CARING…..SHE WAS SUCH A GOOD MOTHER EVEN THROUGH THE TOUGH TIMES! SHE WAS SUCH A GOOD FRIEND AND I JUST….I LOVED HER.

ARLENE:

YES,

ALAN KING:

….AND I JUST HOPE THAT LIZA TURNS HERSELF AROUND ….I JUST DON’T WANT TO SEE THE SAME THING HAPPEN TO HER..

ARLENE:

YES, I HOPE SO TOO. I AM INTERVIEWING LORNA LUFT AS MATTER OF FACT…..

ALAN KING:

I WAS THERE WHEN LORNA WAS BORN.

ARLENE:

YES….SHE’S A GOOD…

ALAN KING:

GOOD GIRL.

ARLENE:

YES, A GOOD GIRL. I HAVE MET HER BEFORE. WE ARE GLAD TO HEAR GOOD AND LOVING THINGS ABOUT JUDY GARLAND.NOW, FRANK SINATRA….YOU HAD A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.

ALAN KING:

YOU KNOW, ALL THE THINGS THEY SAID ABOUT FRANK….HE COULD BE TOUGH, YOU KNOW, HE COULD BE AMUSING LIKE PUTTING A CHERRY BOMB UNDER YOUR FEET FOR HUMOR. HE HAD A STREET SENSE OF HUMOR, BUT HE HAD A GREAT LOYALTY. HIS FRIENDS WERE ….I MEAN IT WAS JUST ….THERE WAS NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT TO FRANK THEN HIS FRIENDS…HIS FAMILY AND HIS FRIENDS. I KNEW HIM FOREVER AND MISS HIM TERRIBLY…WE HAD THE BEST TIME. I JUST LOOKED AT AN OLD FRIAR’S TAPE, AT A FRANK SINATRA TESTIMONIAL DINNER WHERE I DID THE ENTIRE SPEECH IN YIDDISH AND I HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT IT AND I LOOKED AT IT ON A CASSETTE THAT THE CLUB HAD SENT TO ME AND THERE IS FRANK AND SAMMY DAVIS, JR. THERE IS A CAMERA ON THEM AND HE IS BANGING ON THE TABLE AND THE TEARS ROLLING DOWN HIS FACE AND I GOT THE BIGGEST KICK….I MEAN I CAN’T TELL YOU HOW REWARDING AND EMOTIONAL I GOT AT FRANK LAUGHING AT MY CRAZY JOKES. I LOVED FRANK.

ARLENE:

YES, AND HE LOVED YOU TOO. BUT WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT FRANK SINATRA AND SAMMY DAVIS, JR……A GOOD FRIEND OF YOURS WAY, WAY BACK THEN….YOU ROOMED WITH DEAN MARTIN….WHEN YOU WERE STARTING OUT.

ALAN KING:

THAT’S RIGHT, THE BRIAN HOTEL. WE LIVED 5 OF US IN ONE ROOM!

ARLENE:

OH, OK AND THE SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS?

ALAN KING:

WELL WHOEVER GOT IN EARLY GOT THE BED….THERE WAS A SINGER, SONNY KING, HE IS STILL AROUND…..HE IS A WONDERFUL GUY. SONNY USED TO SLEEP IN THE BATHTUB. WE USED TO TAKE THE COVERS OFF THE BEDS AND MAKE LIKE A LITTLE MATTRESS IN THE BATHTUB AND DEAN HAD A GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR….HE USED TO WAKE UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND WHILE SOMEONE WAS SLEEPING AND TURN THE WATER ON.

ARLENE:

OK…

ALAN KING:

DEAN WAS FUNNY.

ARLENE:

FUNNY….BUT YOU TELL A STORY, IF IT IS TRUE, THAT LOU COSTELLO PAID FOR DEAN MARTIN’S NOSE JOB.

ALAN KING:

ABBOT AND COSTELLO….THE FAMED ABBOT AND COSTELLO. LOU COSTELLO SAW DEAN IN A CLUB IN KENTUCKY…IN COVINGTON, KENTUCKY AND HE LIKED THE WAY HE SANG. HE BROUGHT HIM TO NEW YORK AND GAVE HIM TO A FRIEND OF HIS, LOU PERRY THE MANAGER. I WAS UNDER CONTRACT WITH LOU PERRY, AND WE ALL MOVED INTO THE BRIAN HOTEL AND DEAN HAD A NOSE THAT DIDN’T STOP, IT USED TO LEAN ON HIS SHOULDER AND LOU COSTELLO PAID FOR HIS NOSE JOB AND I WAS THERE WHEN THEY TOOK THE BANDAGES OFF.

ARLENE:

OH…AND…

ALAN KING:

I SAID, “DEAN, WHAT DID THEY DO? NOTHING HAPPENED!” HE GOT SO UPSET.

ARLENE:

IT CHANGED HIS WHOLE LIFE.

ALAN KING:

WELL DEAN WAS THE BEST KIND OF GUY. HE WAS SO LAID BACK AND FIRST OF ALL FOR A WONDERFUL SINGER AND ACTOR, HE HAD AS GOOD A SENSE OF HUMOR AS ANYBODY. HE WAS FUNNY….I MEAN DEAN WAS FUNNY AND HE LOVED COMEDIANS.

ARLENE:

WELL, HE LOVED YOU TOO. IT WAS A GOOD RELATIONSHIP. ANYWAY, WE HAVE TO GO FOR NOW. SO IT’S GOOD TO TALK TO YOU ALAN KING AND WE WILL TALK SOON.

ALAN KING:

B-BYE ARLENE.

ARLENE:

B-BYE.

Part5

ARLENE:

ALAN KING, HELLO AGAIN.

ALAN KING:

AGAIN HELLO.

ARLENE:

IT IS ALWAYS GOOD TO TALK TO YOU. SO MUCH IS ALWAYS HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF ALAN KING SO I WANT TO TALK ABOUT…A COUPLE OF NEW THINGS. PEOPLE HAVE SAID ............ALAN KING YOU HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR SO LONG, SLOW DOWN AND WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THEM?

ALAN KING:

SLOW DOWN TO WHAT? I MEAN YOU KNOW, HOW MANY TIMES CAN I VISIT THE MALL? HOW MUCH GOLF CAN I PLAY? NO, AS LONG AS I FEEL GOOD, AND I DO, I LIKE THE ACTION.

ARLENE:

WELL YOU SURE DO AND THERE IS SO MUCH ACTION. NOW TELL ME, I READ, I HAVE TWO OF YOUR BOOKS HERE. THE MOST REASON ONE “THE LIFE AND LIES OF ALAN KING” AND ONE FROM A WHILE AGO, WHICH I LOVE, CALLED “IS SALAMI AND EGGS BETTER THEN SEX?” SO BEFORE THIS SEGMENT IS OVER YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION FOR ME.

ALAN KING:

WELL, IT IS NOT THAT SALAMI AND EGGS IS BETTER THEN SEX, IT’S GREAT AFTER SEX….

ARLENE:

AHHH….

ALAN KING:

GIVE UP THE CIGARETTES AND HAVE SALAMI AND EGGS. IT IS PERFECT. WHAT A COMBINATION.

ARLENE:

SO FOOD IS VERY IMPORTANT TO YOU..

ALAN KING:

YOU KNOW WE HAVEN’T SEEN EACH IN A WHILE. I HAVE JUST TAKEN OFF THIRTY POUNDS.

ARLENE:

OH MY GOD…

ALAN KING:

I WENT FROM 195 TO 165 I THINK. WELL I AM GETTING READY TO DO A BROADWAY SHOW NEXT FALL AND I DECIDED TO GET INTO SHAPE EARLY.

ARLENE:

WELL I THOUGHT YOU LOOKED PRETTY GOOD THEN. SO TELL US ABOUT THE BROADWAY SHOW.

ALAN KING:

I AM DOING A BROADWAY SHOW, MUSIC WRITTEN BY CY COLEMAN, BOOK BY AVERY COLEMAN, WHO WROTE “KRAMER VS. KRAMER” AND GENE SACKS WHO HAS ONLY WON ABOUT SIX TONY AWARDS IS GOING TO DIRECT IT. IT IS A BIG MUSICAL…IT IS A WONDERFUL MUSICAL….IT IS CALLED “IT’S GOOD TO BE ALIVE” AND PAT BURTS IS DOING THE CHOREOGRAPHY. I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON IT FOR TWO YEARS, AND I CERTAINLY AT THIS POINT IN MY LIFE DON’T NEED THE JOB, BUT I DO NEED THE CHALLENGE AND I HAVEN’T BEEN ON BROADWAY SINCE 1965 ALTHOUGH I HAVE DONE SOME THINGS HERE AND THERE IN STOCK, BUT THIS SHOW IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME AND I AM REALLY DEDICATING MYSELF TO IT.

ARLENE:

YES, THAT IS WHY I SAID SLOW DOWN. THERE IS NO WAY YOU ARE SLOWING DOWN; I UNDERSTAND YOU JUST FINISHED A MOVIE AS WELL ABOUT A FAMILY OF ORPHANS.

ALAN KING:

YEAH, I PLAY ANOTHER MOBSTER.

ARLENE:

ANOTHER MOBSTER. RIGHT, THAT IS WHAT YOU DO SO WELL. NOW TELL ME ALSO ABOUT ALAN KING’S PICKLES.

ALAN KING:

AHHH….WELL ALAN KING’S PICKLES WE MANUFACTURE THEM IN FT. LAUDERDALE, BUT MORE THAN ALAN KING’S PICKLES I AM OPENING IN AVENTURA MALL .NEAR TURNBERRY WHERE I STAY. I AM OPENING MY FIRST ALAN KING’S DELI. IN THE FOOD COURT, WE ARE READY AND WE ARE OPENING ANY DAY NOW.

ARLENE:

YOU KNOW I HAVE TRIED SOME OF THE PRODUCTS. I JUST LOVE THE SOUR PICKLES. THE SOUR TOMATOES ARE JUST TERRIFIC. I HAVE SOME OF YOUR SAUERKRAUT AT HOME.

ALAN KING:

THIS WAS JUST AN IDEA.... AND IT IS FUN ....THE DELIS...... WE ARE OPENING UP A BUNCH OF THEM…ONE IN BOCA AND ONE IN AVENTURA….. IT IS FUN. I DON’T HAVE TO MAKE THE PRODUCT ALL I HAVE TO DO IS PROMOTE IT.

ARLENE:

AND LIKE IT AND EAT IT.

ALAN KING:

OH I LOVE IT.

ARLENE:

OK…WELL ALAN KING’S DELICATESSENS, I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO GOING THERE. THERE IS NOT GOING TO BE TOMATO SAUCE BECAUSE IT IS A DELI, BUT I HEARD THAT YOU AND FRANK SINATRA HAD A CONTEST AS TO WHO MADE THE BEST TOMATO SAUCE.

ALAN KING:

: FRANK SINATRA FELT THAT JUST BECAUSE HE WAS ITALIAN THAT HE COULD MAKE THE BEST TOMATO SAUCE. I’VE BEEN COOKING ALL OF MY LIFE. SO WE GOT A LITTLE DRUNK ONE NIGHT IN PALM SPRINGS IN HIS HOME THERE AND WE GOT IN A BIG ARGUMENT AND THIS IS ABOUT ONE O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING, HE HAD TWO STOVES IN THE KITCHEN AND WE PUT A SHEET BETWEEN US AND WE BOTH STARTED COOKING AND WE COOKED UNTIL WHO KNOWS AND WE KEPT DRINKING WHISKEY AND THEN FINALLY THE NEXT AFTERNOON WE HAD TWO JARS, ONE WAS HIS AND ONE WAS MINE AND NEITHER OF THEM WERE MARKED, BUT WE KNEW AND THEN HE SAID TO HIS FRIEND, “TELL ME WHICH ONE IS BETTER.” WELL OF COURSE, HE ASKED LOU THE NOSE, YOU KNOW, EVERYONE HE ASKED WAS HIS BUDDIES, BUT TILL THE DAY HE DIED HE KNEW IN HIS HEART THAT I MADE BETTER TOMATO SAUCE THEN HE.

ARLENE:

SO IN YOUR BOOK “IS SALAMI AND EGGS BETTER THEN SEX?” YOU PUT IN FRANK SINATRA’S RECIPE.

ALAN KING:

THAT IS RIGHT.

ARLENE:

NOT ALAN KING’S.

ALAN KING:

WELL I THINK MORE PEOPLE WOULD WANT TO READ AND REPRODUCE SINATRA’S, BUT….

ARLENE:

NOT ALAN KING’S.

ALAN KING:

WELL I THINK MORE PEOPLE WOULD WANT TO READ AND REPRODUCE SINATRA’S, BUT….

ARLENE:

BUT I WANT TO TASTE YOURS.

ALAN KING:

WE COOKED, FRANK AND I, YOU KNOW…..PASSIONATE PEOPLE GENERALLY SPEAKING AND TALENTED PEOPLE HAVE A GREAT APPETITE, BESIDES THE ARTS AND MUSIC, I THINK FOOD AND COOKING IS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF OUR LIVES AND I LOVE MY FOOD….

ARLENE:

AND DRINK….AND HANGING OUT AT THE FRIAR’S.

ALAN KING:

THAT’S RIGHT.

ARLENE:

AND I LOVE TALKING TO YOU, BUT I HAVE TO STOP NOW.

ALAN KING:

OK.

ARLENE:

OK, WE WILL TALK AGAIN SOON. B-BYE ALAN KING.