HST went on this quiz show hosted by Johnny Carson, his first ever TV appearance. In a letter to his mother (from TPH), dated August 9, he writes:
I went on a quiz show last Monday, but it was such a short and mediocre performance that I didn't see much sense in warning you. The show (ABC) doesn't get to Louisville, anyway, and it wasn't worth the trouble of driving even three blocks to see. I won $50, but blew the question worth $300.
The $300 question was "Who was the inventor of penicillin?".
The Today Show, 1967
HST went on The Today Show to promote Hell's Angels. He was tongue-tied and struck by a bout of mumbling, but the host, Hugh Downs, carried him through the interview:
"He was pleased to get the book out. But he was just dreadful on the Today show. He sat there frozen in his seat. Hugh Downs would ask him a question and Hunter would go, "Yeah, raurrrrrr, muuuuulllllll ahhhhhhhh-huh..." It was an embarassing performance. But Downs liked the book so he carried Hunter through the interview.I think to get up the courage to go on the program, Hunter had been up all night gorging himself with whatever he could get his hands on.
Gene McGarr, friend of HST, in Hunter by E. Jean Carroll (p114)
The Don Lane Show, 1976, Australia
Probably one of the best appearances by HST. Don Lane is the equivalent to Johnny Carson, and Thompson stopped by on his way to give a lecture in Melbourne. Someone draped a coat over Hunter's shoulder, in an effort to make him seem...*I don't know*. Lane started asking Thompson various questions, to which he replied. Suddenly, Hunter went straight and swore - "What the f***!". Apparently, he thought he was being asked some warm up questions. The monitor that he had been looking at was broadcasting dog food commercials, so Hunter never thought that he was on "live".
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