Joe Namath: Johnny Carson was a mean drunk

[Music] you know some guys drink and they get a little bit mean and tough and some guys stay mellow Johnny used to get tough you've had the opportunity and spent time with so many luminaries over the years after all I think it was written that you were the biggest thing to hit New York since Babe Ruth and I was interested in just mentioning a few names and getting you to recall a memorable story from each individual the the first one would simply be a Mickey Mantle oh man first time I met Mickey man now you got to understand I love baseball but I'm in a in a tavern just off First Avenue on 49th Street in Manhattan I knew the night manager is running it so I'm over at the bar and we're talking and he just you know you like baseball don't you said yeah he said you ever meet Mickey Mantle oh no man you kid he said how about whitey Ford I said I love that guy watch him pitch you know ya know I've never met him he said how about Billy Martin do you ever meet Billy Martin I said no well he just took mom and we walked over about 20 feet and the three of them are sitting in a booth there and he was buddies with them so they knew him he took me over there and he deduced me to him and sat me down and those guys I was a rookie at the time so they could have beaten me up pretty good verbally you know but they were such stars I was I was really I couldn't believe that I'm sitting there with the real Mickey Mantle and whitey Ford and Billy Martin see I watched baseball I like baseball and turned out those are three terrific guys uniquely different in each way but friends and whenever they had to come and go you know they were focused and it was great whitey just is soft-spoken and as sweet as could be you know and making that old Oklahoma what Texas around and then Billy Martin we all know Billy was was filled with a lot of energy how about Johnny Carson oh boy Johnny you know it was like me or anybody else at times up Johnny was the best you know The Tonight Show and and how he worked that but I know Johnny away from work you know we used to visit occasionally or groups of guys over his apartment mr. warbling and he again were tight and there were some parties over at his place or he'd come up to a couple of taverns that would hang out with and Johnny was just Johnny he was sleep you know he was nice except whenever we were drinking you know some guys drink and they get a little bit mean and tough and some guys stay mellow Johnny used to get tough really tough I saw him slap our linebacker one day at this party one night at his party in his apartment where Johnny thought you think you're tough huh you think you're tough cuz you're a football player whacked we're all stood there Ralph Baker thank God he was our linebacker from Penn State Ralph did not react to whatever but y'all come on man that's come on and so everything cooled down after that and you know the next day or two Johnny was a little sad to that but sometimes and some of us had too many spirits in our body from the from the bottle we we don't behave in a way that we're proud of how about Frank Sinatra the homeboy first time I met him he called me broken knee broken the broken knee misses Werblin and mr. welland the president of our team had been to dinner so they decided to take me over to Jilly's night spot and Jilly Rizzo had a nightclub Tavern the best ribs in town are the second best ribs a couple of places my other buddy had good ribs too but we walk in the place and sitting right here is Frank Sinatra and Jilly and I'm trailing mr. Werblin mrs. Werblin and they greet like they were you know they were old friends yeah you mean they were really old friends and mr. Berman turns around to introduce me before that mr. Sinatra says a broken knee sit down here so went on from there and I was you know like all ears you know I just couldn't believe where I was and over the years I had the pleasure of meeting Barbara and been with mr. Sinatra and some other places and occasions sitting with Frank and Dino Dean Martin is a wonderful experience IV I loved working with him and visiting with him that was part of my life that I never dreamt I'd experience being able to meet these people that I had watched over the years and finding out how genuine so many of them were how about Elvis Presley boy one of the highlights in my life Elvis was performing in Las Vegas big fan of yours I was a big fan of his you know that and was lucky enough to go backstage well I had my father with me and my dad and I went backstage and they led us into Elvis his dressing room and his Elvis and a couple other people well I had met Elvis prior to that so I'm introducing Elvis to my father and I tell you he made my dad feel so good mr. Namath there's mr. Namath dad come here sir sit down sat down on the couch with him hear my dad talk must have talked 15 20 minutes just until it was wonderful it was wonderful if it were possible if it's possible I became even a bigger fan of his how about when Muhammad Ali was on one of the greatest times ever with George Segal I might add and he may it was uncomfortable wasn't it there no not to be uncomfortable because Mohammed was going through the military situation on because of his religion refusing to do battle of course which is justified and George had just finished the movie whereas a nude scene in it and so we're talking doing the show I don't know whether is dick or myself that asked George about the nude scene and so George is talking about well we're doing this pop-up and I'm looking at I Muhammad is very quiet very quiet so dick asks Mohammed something about this and Mohammed says wait a minute I'm a Muslim minister and you're talking about nudity and sex here and at that point yeah well yeah let's take a break folks will come very back do you know [Music] [Music] you

Channel: Graham Bensinger

Views: 1,296,171

Rating: 4.7467504 out of 5

Keywords: Joe Namath Johnny Carson, mean drunk, Johnny Carson drunk, Joe Namath interview, Johnny Carson, Joe Namath, Joe Namath football, Mickey Mantle, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Graham Bensinger

Id: PyWCR-rzmXw

Length: 7min 32sec (452 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 04 2017