The Eric Metaxas Show - Vikki Carr

Episode Date: September 28, 2020

Vikki Carr has been a singer and actress in Hollywood for decades and joins Eric to share fascinating and insightful stories from her entertaining career, including working with Frank Sinatra, Johnny Carson and Ronald Reagan.

Welcome to the Eric Mattaxas show. Have you ever gargled Peter Butter? What's the capital of North Dakota? Do I spit what I talk? All this and more on the Eric Mataxis show. Now your host, until further notice, Eric Mataxis. Hey, most, welcome to the Eric Mataxis show. It's a show.

It's the show about everything, which means we like to talk about most things. But I guess, you know, if somebody puts a gun to my head says, what do you really like to talk about? I would say show business, entertainment. that that's, you know, I don't get to do that all the time. So when I get an opportunity to do that, I leap almost literally to take that up. I found out recently, I guess maybe I was talking to my new friend Pat Boone, that possibility of having Vicki Carr on the program. I said, what?

Vicki Car? Vicki Car? And they said, yes. How many Vicki cars are you aware of? I thought, well, you've got a point here. And so I'm really thrilled to have her here with us today. Vicki Carr, welcome the program. Well, Eric, it's a pleasure.

It's a pleasure. Yes, I heard about Pat doing it and that he had a great time. And our mutual agent has said, said, you know, I think this would be something really good for you to do. You know, and Pat did it and he enjoyed it. So here we are. I think I think of myself as the young Gentile Larry King. I want to have all the big stars on my program.

Coming up, Priscilla Presley. Actually, Vicki, for those who don't know you, because I have a very broad audience, and I'm assuming there are a lot of folks younger than me that may not be familiar with your amazing career. I want to just be clear that you're hard to sum up. I mean, you've had literally 60 best. selling charting records.

You've performed at the White House innumerable times. Yes. With some of the greatest president. Pardon me? With some of the greatest presidents. With some of the greatest presidents? Who were some of the greatest presidents?

I'm assuming Jerry Ford is... Ronald Reagan? Ronald Reagan. And I had the honor. I had just come back from a trip to the Far East. And it was a tiring, exhausting trip. And I told my manager, I don't want to see you.

I don't want to hear from you. Did yada, yada, yada. And I started to unpack, and the phone rang, and it was him. And I said, what part of I don't want to see you or talk to you? He said, Frank called. Okay, let me guess. When there's no last name. Yes.

Right. Right. It's Frank Sinatra. And I said, well, I said, What does he want? What does he want? So that was at the time when he retired, you know, when he turned 50. And I was doing a tribute to him musically, words to the effect of you're not getting older, you're getting better, and he heard about it.

I sent me a very nice personal note. And then the crux of the matter was that Ronald Reagan, had called him to ask him to produce, if he would produce, the inaugural in Sacramento. And, of course, he said, did. The governor's inaugural, obviously. Yes. Okay, so. But then I got, then I got with him later on.

But it's, but this is still hilarious. You're talking about, I mean, first of all, I just want to say, you perform everybody, all of my heroes, particularly Dean Mark. Martin, my goodness. Oh, I loved it. I've had his daughter, Dina, on the program. And I, I, uh, I just want to say that it's funny to me that you say that Franks decides at 50, he's going to retire, you know, he's going to marry, uh, you know, 19 year old

and, you know, I don't know, play golf or something like that. But this is a long time ago. This is the 60s, correct? Uh, no, actually that would have been. the early 70s maybe. Close enough. The early 70s. No, well, wait.

Gwen, when was he governor? That I can't think of. I can remember the... I hate to tell you this. Frank Sinatra was never governor. I can't believe you don't know that, Vicki. No, no, no, no, no. I mean, when I'm at Ron?

That was a joke, Vicki. We joke on the program. Oh. I knew you didn't. Okay. That was a joke. I'm testing you. No, Reagan.

Okay. I flunk. Gosh, maybe my staff can look that up. I mean, I know that it began in the 60s, but I can't remember how far into the 70s his governorship went, because we got obviously Jerry Brown and Linda Ronstadt in the middle of the 70s,

so I don't remember exactly. I mentioned Sinatra as being 50. It sounds to me like that's the late 60s. I'm just guessing, because that's right around the time. It might be, yeah. Did he marry me a Farrow when he was 50 and she was like 21 or something like that? It might be the one that I remember because I got to meet her personally was Barbara, his last wife.

Final wife. The final wife. I'm currently married to my final wife. She's also my first wife. But it's just so funny to think that when you're talking about somebody like Johnny Carson or whatever, you have to stop and do the map before you make a trouble. With Carson, they're all named Joan, right? So you performed on the Carson show many, many times,

and you even hosted the Tonight Show when Johnny Carson was the full of course. Right. Well, that was during the time of the big hit, it must be him. So I used to go to New York and do the Tonight Show. And at that time, it was Johnny Carson's brother, who was the director. And they were very funny because especially in New York, it must be him, was humongous hit. And I went to do my rehearsal, and then I see the curtains open out. This is just rehearsal.

And there's a phone booth there with a big sign on it that says, dial oh for God. And I turned around and I said, it's very funny. Because I sing, let it please be him. Oh, dear God, it must be him. It must be him. So I said, very funny, very funny. And Donnie and I, we really hid it off.

well. And I had the opportunity. They asked if I would consider or if I'd like to do host the Tonight Show. And I said, oh, yeah, why not? And then they asked me, well, who were your guest going to be? I don't really know that many stars. I mean, to be very honest with you. I'm not a party person. I came from a family, wonderful Mexican-American family, seven, and they were my family. They kept me grounded.

They reminded me of how I had been raised and very Catholic. And I just, I would see them when there would be events, okay? And then it was, hi, high, high, high, hi, high, high. Right. I didn't hang out with them. And you were very young.

Let's face it. You were practically a kid in the 60s when you started. Right. Well, then they asked me in New York when I was going to host it, well, who are you going to have as a guest? And I didn't even think about that, you know, because I was always the guest. I said, I have no idea. And I had just got back from Vietnam with Danny Kay.

Oh, my God. So I said, so I said, talk about that as well. And he said, well, I said, what about Danny Kay? And then the producer told me, oh, no, he'll never do the show. Because Johnny has asked him, I don't know how many times, you know, to do the show. and he has said no, no, no. So my ex, who was my manager at the time, said, well, if you want Danny, you're going to have to call him yourself.

Hold on a second. This is called a cliffhanger, Vicky. This is a cliffhanger. Folks, you're not going any place because you want to know what happened next. We'll be right back with Vicki Carl. When he holds my head. I tell myself what's done is done. I tell myself

Don't be a fool Folks, welcome back I'm talking to Vicky Carr. You heard me, Vicky Carr. Yes, that's right. And we're talking, Vicki about, first of all, I want to talk about your faith

at some point because that's been a big part of your life. But you're talking right now about, you know, period in history that, you know, I drool when I think of what it would have been like to be hanging out with when he was still doing the Tonight Show

work. Right. And so you went to Vietnam. Before we skip past this, you really debuted. You broke in in a big way in 1963. And then in the 60s, you went to Vietnam with Danny Kay to entertain the troops. I mean, that's amazing. So after that, you're tapped to do the Tonight Show,

not to be a guest on the Tonight Show, which you've been many times, but to host it. And so you'd have to call Danny Kay yourself to book him. They didn't tell you they want you to produce it. Right. We just want you to host it. But now they're asking you to produce it. Yeah, now I have to get the guest.

So I had an actress that I had seen in New York, Zoe Caldwell, who did Colette, in an off-Broadway theater. And I had, Danny Kay was the only thing I could come up with. And so that was when they insisted that he would not do it because Johnny Carson had wanted him to do it. And so then I was told that if you want him to do it, you're going to have to call him yourself.

So I called Danny and I said, Danny, I said, Johnny Carson has asked if I would host the show. And then they asked me, who would I like to have on the show? And being that we just got back from Vietnam, I said you. And they said, you would not do it. And he says, what? They said that? And I said, yeah.

And he goes, well, we're going to show them that blood is thicker than show bits. So he came on the show. I mean, honestly, now I want to look on YouTube and see if I can find this. You, did you have other guests on that show? I assume you had other guests. Yeah, I had Zoe Caldwell.

I know that there, I don't, there had to be somebody else. I think there was at least three guests. And, but the only one I was interested in was Danny. Yeah. Because going, just the idea of going to Vietnam was a shock.

And it happened when I was, doing one of his shows and which I had been a frequent guest. As a matter of fact, at one time, I'm so naive and yelled lady, you know, dumb. I was asking him at rehearsal. I said, why is it that your stool is higher than mine? I said, is it because you're the star? And he says, oh, you want to know? he said, let's switch. And then we switch. Danny was all legs.

So that, he had a short trunk. And if I sat next to him on, I would be the tall one. So he said, so that is why. And he was, he loved embarrassing me. He

loved making me blush. And so I had like a month or so before I was going to get married. And then he called me. I was doing the Tom Jones TV show. And they said, Danny Kay is calling you.

And I said, okay. And he said, listen, I'm going to Vietnam. Do you want to go with me? And I said, sure. And I didn't ask him when. And he gave me the date. And I said, oh my gosh, that's, well, that's okay. I just am getting married then.

And so he said, oh, but that's all right. That's okay, I told. And it'll be fine. So I went, I was in London at the talk of the town. And he, my ex, he went back to California. And so there was a press conference because I was going to go to Vietnam. and the press were not very friendly, shall we say. And it turns out that they said,

well, why are you going to Vietnam? You know, it's not really a war. It's a police action. That's what they were calling it then. And I said, you know what? Because that's very interesting to me that they're calling it a police action. What year was it when they were still calling it a police?

That's what they did. That's what they called it then. They didn't want to. say that it was a war in London. Why are you going? Right. Why are you going? And so I looked at them and I got kind of aggravated.

That Mexican in me kind of comes up sometimes. And so I said, you know what? I'm not a politician. I just feel that our boys. are there and that they deserve much better than what they're getting. And I mean, I heard stories that were unbelievable. And now, this is like a comedy of errors. I had at that time a wonderful conductor who was really short. He was like 4-11. He had arthritis. But he was an incredible musician.

He tells me, he says, oh my gosh, Vicki, for heaven's sake, I was 4F for two wars. I join you and I've got to go to Vietnam. That's... So we're on board and this

limo, not a limo, what is their cars that they have? Rolls-Roy, something like a Rolls-Roy or Bentley breaks down. I mean, this is a movie. And here comes Alec Guinness with a beret, it was their automobile club. And to, what?

It was like this Jeep comes out of the hill. And it was, he, he tugged us all the way to Heathrow. And the press was there. And they were laughing saying, was this a stunt? I said, you have to be kidding. So then we finally get on the plane. and we get to and Andy

my conductor is just complaining and so then we get to I think it was Germany Danny Kay was going from L.A. to Vietnam and I was going the other direction

and so then something happened we lost a motor on our plane so we had to go back and because Right, go ahead. Let me guess who showed up.

No, go ahead, sorry. No, it was not. No, there were fire engines, and there was a lot of foam on the store, on the floor. Yeah, okay. I was assuming that Sir Lawrence Olivier showed up to help you with the engine. But, all right, so you're in Germany, you're headed to, of course, you're making in Vietnam. So, and you're traveling with your.

with your band, with your conductor? No, just my conductor. There was only four of us. It was Danny's conductor, pianist, Sammy. Sammy Prager, I think was his name, and myself and Andy. Now, bear in mind that I had just been married, and I decided that I was going to have all these beautiful gowns and everything. So I started to chicken out once, first,

with the car that broke down. And then we lost an engine. So then now I'm getting scared. And who gets brave? Andy, my conductor. And he goes, what are you going to do? Are you going to call Danny Kay and tell him you're not going? I said, I'm not?

No, you are going. And whatever saved, you know what saved him? He was reading about Sinatra on the plane. his idol, who he loved. And we finally got to Vietnam. And there was just one incident when we stopped in the Middle East. I forget where it was. But we were in the little gift shop while we were changing planes.

And somebody, one of the serabs or somebody, they pinched my butt. And I said, Andy, somebody just pinched my butt. He goes, where, where? And so then we continued on and we finally get to Vietnam. And who comes sauntering across the runway? Like John Wayne, it was Danny Cave. Danny Cave. He got there first.

And then he gets in the car with us and it was so hot. It was over 100 degrees. and humidity was about the same. So I kept rolling down the window, and they kept saying, rolling up. Another cliffhanger, Vicki, hold on. Ladies and gentlemen, hold on. We're on our way to Vietnam. Actually, we're in Vietnam.

We'll be right back with Vicki Carr. Folks, welcome back. I am talking to a woman who is far too beautiful to be called a legend. So I won't use the term legend. I don't know if that's insulting. but the super talented Vicky Carr. Vicki, I just cannot get over the breadth of your showbiz experiences. So now we're on a trip.

You're here with Danny Kay, what I would get to have met him, and you're eating a car, and it's incredibly hot in Vietnam. Well, it's like a tea, you know, and I kept rolling it down, you know, because it was so hot. And they kept saying, put the window up, put the window up. And I said, but it's so hot. It's so hot. And then they said, when you have the window down, you're inviting someone to throw in a grenade.

I said, roll the window up. Roll the window up. Wow. And you thought that the gift shop in Saudi Arabia was trouble. Now we're talking about grenade. Unbelievable. So you obviously need it. It's just, I was there for two weeks.

and they we changed our itinerary so much that in the United States they didn't know where I was so I celebrated my first month anniversary on the USS Kitty Hawk and I don't know where they found a little doll for the cake and the Admiral let me use is no I yes I am writing a book you know something no I was going to say, wait a minute. Have you written a book? So you haven't yet written a book? I wrote a book and I dictated to somebody. But the publishers in New York, they wanted to know the garbage. They wanted to know all the...

And that was not why I was writing a book. I wanted to write a book about a young Mexican kid, the oldest of sevens. They came from a poor family. that struggled and struggled and through God's will and assistance and my parents' encouragement and all my family, whatever happened to me in my life and my career, which has been a short 60 years of being in this business, it just has been phenomenal. and they my family said you've got to do this you've got to do this so my nieces and nephews were the ones that kept

by me i did not like it when they said they wanted the garbage that i wanted something of course that's what they always want you know the kiss and tell uh what happened with elvis what happened here whatever that's that's what they want they don't know i guess they didn't know you were one integrity and dignity. So are you now finally pulling something together in terms of a book? Well, I had the book, but what happened, Eric, when I dictated it, I did dictate it to a person that is an author. So she took my dictation and she put it into more like writers.

jargon. And when I read it, I said, this isn't me. I said, where's the sense of humor? Where's this? Where's that? And it's my niece and my nephew, especially, that said, Aunt Vicky, you have to write your book. I want my daughters to know the legacy that their Aunt Vicky is leaving. You started a scholarship foundation for my...

Mexican-American kids. Why? Because you were sick and tired of the negativity being put in the newspapers. And I thought to myself, how the heck can I do this? And it's like God heard me and sent me a commercial for milk before the white moustaches. It was so successful. and the director just stood, sat in front of me and talked to me about milk. And he captured my mind working. And it was so successful.

It ran for two years on every radio station, TV station, to the point of where I was getting threats about my laugh. If we have to hear you laugh, one more time, Now, when was this roughly? Roughly, what? Roughly, this was, oh gosh, the milk commercial. I really, was it had to be in the early 70s. Have to be in the early 70s.

Well, if it precedes the milk moustache, it has to be in the early 70s. I don't know I feel like I dragged you away. you were telling the story about Frank is on the line, and he wants you to be part of Ron Reagan's inaugural as governor. So should we go back to that? Because I dread you far in the other direction. Well, that's okay. That happens when I talk,

because one thing leads to another. Anyhow, when I said, what does he want? He said he's doing the inaugural for Ronald Reagan, who I had already met at the in the capital with Nancy. My ex and I had done this educational film of teaching the three R's in three different languages. This was in Northern California. And they found that the younger the kids, they're like sponges. they can learn anything and everything. That is a fact.

We're going to another break. Hold on, folks. I'm talking to Vicki Carr. Hi, folks. These uncertain times can cause uncertain gut slowdown. Worrying fear can wreak havoc on our digestion, making it hard to feel optimum. Bloading, less energy,

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dot com. That's get the tea.com. Get the tea.com. It is so worth it. Get the T-T-E-A.com. Folks, I got some embarrassing news to share with you, but you know what? This is just the kind of a show where I don't care. I'm willing to lay my heart, you know, on the line. Here's the issue. Mike Lindell with my pillow, you may notice that I have a bobble hell of him near me. He's here to remind all of us that when you go to mypillow.com, you get whopping discounts if you use the code Eric. Now, there are a lot of people who haven't done that, and we have your names here. And Chris Heim's Ann Albin pointed out to me that there's like three pages of you whose first name is Eric. You, you're so, I mean, that's humiliating for me that even though your name is Eric, you're still not

willing to use the code Eric. I mean, if you don't want to use it because it's my name, use it because it's your name. But the point is that I see who you are, and I just feel humiliated by this. Please go to go to mypillar.com. It's okay, Mike. It's going to be okay. Go to mypillow.com. Use the code Eric. You're going to get whopping savings and really high quality products. Did I mention that? Thank you. I'm back with Vicki Carr. Vicki. So you're telling me about this experience that you had visited Reagan while he's governor in Sacramento. And now you're being asked by Frank Sinatra.

Nobody refuses Sinatra to be part of putting together this, the inaugural of him as governor. So it's around 1970 or whatever it is, maybe early 70. So I just assume that you went. Yes. But I have to finish telling you why I went to go see Ronald. Reagan after that program that we saw at a school.

The Congress was getting ready to pass a bill where Mexican children had to learn English, which I wholeheartedly agree with. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, they are in a class with all English-speaking kids. They're not helping them, and they're treating the little Mexican kids like they're retarded. So we did this film and we said, we've got to get this to the governor. I didn't know him. And so we get in, we get an appointment with him and the people that he's surrounded by, you know, everybody's surrounded. Any politician is surrounded. And they said, well, he's only going to give you five minutes. And I said, that's okay. I'm not worried.

an hour and a half later, he watched the whole film. He was not aware of the issues with the Mexican kids. That's the one thing about Reagan. He listened and he did something about things. And he had a sense of humor, unlike some others that don't have a sense of humor. He didn't have to be defensive.

Or if he was defensive, he did it with a joke. But anyhow, we get on the plane to come back to L.A. Yeah. Well, so, okay, so we come back. You come back, go ahead. So Nancy is the plane, and she says, Hi, Vicki, how are you doing? Ronnie told me he just saw this incredible film,

and it was, he was so excited about it. Suffice to say, the bill passed. You've been very active outside of the entertainment business. I mean, you have sung everywhere, but it's open doors for you to do many, many things. I know I mentioned earlier, you're a woman of sincere Christian faith. You know, I want to make sure that I ask you,

since we're going through such a tough time as a country, people are scared. How do you deal with the lunacy that's unfolding around us? First of all, I don't watch the news for openers. I watch EWT and my Catholic radio station. I go to Mass every day. I have spiritual communion because we are also in the pandemic where you have to.

cover, but without God in my life, I wouldn't be here. This isn't mine. This voice is not mine. This is a gift. We all have gifts. And if we don't use them, he gets upset. Before I would go out to sing, I would always bless myself. And I said, well, dear God, here I am. Use me in any way that you want. I always would bless myself on stage and I would talk about God. Some people would like it. Some people didn't, but that's not my issue. I love that.

Did you grow up that way or did this kind of hit you while you were in show business? No, I came from a very Catholic family. As a matter of fact, the San Gabriel mission, you know, that was burned down, it broke my heart. that's where I started my career. I went to school there at the age of four. You're talking about the mission that was burned down by the mob like a few weeks ago.

Right. I don't know. They haven't really found out that it was a mob. It still is doubtful as to who it was. Yes, it was an arsonist just in case you're wondering. Oh, thank you. Yeah. Oh, I know.

You see why I don't. watch the news. And I wound up, this father Michael taught me how to sing, to verbalize. All your words have to come out pear shape, pear shape. Sister Columbia played the piano.

My mother made me an angel's outfit out of a sheet. You know, the tinsel on your Christmas tree became my belt. and I had my wings and I'm singing a Ves de Vivelles in Latin and silent night and I'm looking out and there's my mother crying

I said oh my gosh what am I doing I'm never going to do it again so I went out and I said mom mom why are you crying I said I won't do that again I promise I promise and so she says

no baby she says I was I was just so proud of you. My dad had the opportunity to be a singer, and he never took it. So when he saw that I had an interest in music, plus I was destined to sing, that this is my, why he put me here, to lift people's spirits, to give them hope, to give them love in a love song, in Spanish, English, or Japanese. Japanese.

I didn't expect that to come. That's when he caliental so in Japanese. Has nothing to do with when calienta sol, but I learned it phonetically. It's so easy. Wow. I mean, the idea that you sing in Japanese is just it's hard to believe.

I might even say it's too good to be true. You're just too good to be true. I was hoping you might say that. I mean, I think that, is that your biggest hit? Can't take my eyes off of you? That song was the one that opened the doors worldwide. And that's also the, you were asking me why you were getting involved in a lot of things in my entire career.

That was how I was brought up, that you do unto others as you would have others do unto you. Thank you. Hold on. This is such a beautiful thought. And again, because it's radio, I've got to cut you off folks. We're going to be right back to that. Hey there, folks. Sometimes I think it's important to say why we do what we do here. And unfortunately, this is one of those. times. Yes, right now, I'm going to tell you why we do this cookie show. Actually, I have a letter. We got a letter the other day. I was so touched by it that I said, I think I have to read this on the air. If we have time and today, we've got a few seconds. So before I read the letter,

let me say in order for us to stay on the air to do what we do, we need you to support our sponsors. I remind you again, if you go to mypillow.com to purchase a gift. or perhaps something for yourself. Perhaps a pillow, perhaps not a pillow. That's your business between you and your spouse and your God. But the point is, you have to use the code Eric, and please tell your friends to use the code Eric. Also, before I read the letter, I should say,

if you go to SalemNow.com, there are a raft of movies there. One Nation Under God is the one we're focusing on right now. One Nation Under God. It's fiction. You know, it's a story about something that basically is happening around the country, but this is fictionalized version of it. And it helps us to understand and especially helps young people understand why we're supposed to talk about God publicly and in schools. And we're not supposed to be pains in the neck, but we've certainly got to understand that. That's what the founders gave us the freedom to do that. And I think oftentimes we self-censor. And actually, that's a very bad mistake. So, One Nation Under God at Salem now.com. All the movies there, if you use the code Eric, you get 20% off. If you use the code Eric at my pillow, you get way more than 20% off.

But let me read this letter now. I found this so moving. I'm going to try to get through it without breaking down. This is from Deborah in Alberta, Canada. She says she's been listening to the show for a few months, and all she can say is, thank you, thank you, thank you. She writes, I've been a backslidden Christian for over 35 years, wandering the desert and looking everywhere for meaning and truth. I attended a fundamentalist church when I was first saved,

left a very bad taste in my mouth, and total skepticism approaching atheism. Thankfully, God is faithful even when we're not. I stumbled upon Socrates in the city. That's a speaker series I do in case you're unfamiliar with it. You can go to Socrates in the city.com. She says, I stumbled upon Socrates in the City, watched every episode I could find, and then I began listening to your radio show podcast every day. Everything about your show is amazing to me. Your no-nonsense approach to Christianity.

Your brilliant sense of humor. By the way, we know I'm faking that. And your intelligence has won me over and helped convince me that Christ really is the only way. And of course, your music selections are all of my favorite music. Listening to your show is the very best part of each day for me. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for what you do. It's made a real impact in my life. Folks, when you get it like that, you get a letter like that.

Whatever you've been through, you say, thank you, God. I try on this program to, you know, bring important information out, often concerning faith, because I think life is too hard to get through without knowing who we are, that God actually does love us. That's not an idea for some religious people. These things are important. But every once in a while we get a letter like that, we usually don't read them. But I thought, I should share this with you all because that's why we do what we do. We know there are folks out there struggling. Life is not easy. And if we can via entertainment and information help you.

That's the whole point. So thank you for listening. Please share this show with all your friends as you're able, whether on YouTube or by other means, follow us on social media. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, please, and go to my website, ericmataxis.com, and you can sign up for our weekly newsletter.

There's lots of information there and pictures and all kinds of stuff that we can't do on the radio. Thank you for. listening. God bless you.