Talk Show Host and Early Streisand Supporter

August 11, 2006
Legendary talk show host Mike Douglas passed away today, his 81st birthday, at his home in West Palm Beach, Florida. The cause of death has not been disclosed.

Douglas got on the Streisand bandwagon early in her career: she was his co-host for a full week of shows in February, 1963. Barbra's five-day appearance from Cleveland is the stuff of legend, partly because the tapes from those shows no longer exist. She sang and played sketch comedy during her week long stint. In his 1999 memoir, I'll Be Right Back - Memories of TV's Greatest Talk Show, Douglas spoke in hindsight of his regret that the Streisand episodes were never preserved, though he probably had little to do with it (it was common practice in those days to re-use video tapes once a program had aired).

Nevertheless, the Streisand appearances on "The Mike Douglas Show" provided critical exposure for the up-and-coming star. In one of his last televised appearances, Mike Douglas told Rosie O'Donnell that during all the years his own show was on the air, Barbra Streisand was his favorite guest of all time.

Mike Douglas will be remembered by Streisand fans as a key player in her rise to prominence.