Regis Philbin Fans Meet the TV Icon at Harvey

Fans of Regis Philbin got their fill of laughter and joy Sunday afternoon as the TV icon appeared at the Walker Center for the Arts in Katonah on the campus of The Harvey School. Dubbed as "Harvey Presents:Getting to Know Regis Philbin,” the show produced laughs galore as Regis reminisced about his 50-plus years of TV  while interacting with his two interviewers, Harvey Headmaster Barry Fenstermacher and Bedford’s Michael Goodkind, a senior with aspirations of becoming a TV star himself one day.

Before a packed house in the Lasdon Theater of the Art Center, Regis appeared following a special pre-recorded video introduction prepared by David Letterman, host of Late Show with David Letterman and his sidekick, the show’s musical director Paul Shaffer of Bedford.

Regis, a native of the Bronx, recounted the difficulty he faced in answering his parents’ questions about what he planned to do with his life after his graduation from Cardinal Hayes High School. He said he was able to put off satisfying their inquiry until he graduated from Notre Dame University as a sociology major and finished his two-year ROTC commitment in the Navy. “I found it very difficult to tell my parents, especially my father,” Regis said, “that I wanted to be Bing Crosby.” He quipped, “The fact that I never took a singing lesson in my life made it all the more difficult.”

After completing his stint in the Navy, Regis got his first job in show business in Los Angeles in a studio’s prop department. Regis said one of his great career highlights was sitting next to Bing Crosby when the legendary crooner was a guest on The Joey Bishop Show. When Bishop told his guest that Regis was a big a fan of his, Crosby turned to Regis and sang “Pennies from Heaven.”

When asked what advice he would give to young people, Regis said they should take advantage of any opportunities in school that allow them to explore their interests. He said he regretted not participating in high school and college activities that might have involved him in experiences related to his career in broadcasting, one that included The Joey Bishop Show in the early 1960s to his most recent triumph on Crowd Goes Wild for Fox Sports. In between, he had a long run with his morning talk show, Live with Regis. He is also well-known for his highly successful run as host of the Sunday night game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

After the two interviews, Regis opened up the conversation to members of the audience. At one point he invited several women to join him onstage to share what is what was like for his two co-hosts, Kathie Lee Gifford and later Kelly Ripa on “Live with Regis and …” In a very funny segment, Regis, with his friend Paul Shaffer at the piano, challenged the women to join him in singing the old Neil Sedaka song, “Calendar Girl.” He asked the women to chime in with singing each month as the song progressed, but several times they would miss the correct month, causing Regis to joke at their expense. The segment ended with Regis selecting the winner from the group. In a very touching moment, he presented the young woman, a self-proclaimed “huge Regis fan,” with a bouquet, and serenaded her with, “There She Is Miss America.” The crowd loved it, and the lucky young woman, clutching her bouquet, ran to her seat, and crying tears of joy, said, “I can’t believe I was just with Regis!”

Noting that the “Harvey Presents” series is aimed at sharing the Walker Center for the Arts with residents from the local communities, Headmaster Fenstermacher said, “People were treated to a very entertaining evening.”

The remaining events of “Harvey Presents” feature New York Yankees Manager Joe Girardi Jan. 12 and legendary singer-songwriter Art Garfunkel March 14.