RON PERLMAN on THE PAT SAJAK SHOW

May 9, 1989

The show begins with Pat Sajak standing backstage talking to a live water buffalo as if it were Ron Perlman. [References to "the Beast" of course.] Ron Perlman comes along and says: "Pat… Pat, I'm here. I'm over here." Laughter from the audience.

Sajak: Ron Perlman is here folks. Emmy Nominee and Golden Globe winner. He plays the romantic lead, the part of Vincent in Beauty and the Beast, which airs on CBS Fridays at 8 o'clock. Please welcome Ron Perlman.

Sajak: Welcome back!

Perlman: I just got the most beautiful arrangement of flowers from that water buffalo.

Sajak: Do you get hit on by livestock frequently? Is that a problem?

Perlman: Very moving, very moving.

Sajak: It's bringing me to tears. Now, in the beginning I mentioned, and was not kidding, that there is an album out, and people might… it looks like you're stifling a chuckle there.

Perlman: I find it hard to believe that I have a record deal, but it's true, stranger things have happened. There it is!

Sajak: I'm going to show it. Beauty And the Beast - Of Love and…it says Love and Hope or Of Love and Hope?

Perlman: Of Love end Hope.

Sajak: Of Love and Hope. [Pat Sajak holds the album up, to lots of applause from the audience] Now, some of the tunes on here: "Play That Funky Music,White Boy."

Perlman: --A particular favourite of mine.

Sajak: No, it's recitation - poetry. The entire thing is made up of that kind of thing?

Perlman: The entire thing is recitations.

Sajak: Now, did you have fun doing this?

Perlman: No. it's pretty dry stuff.

Sajak: "Catherine's Lullaby"?

Perlman: No, actually it's quite beautiful. It's reminiscent of the readings that Vincent is given to.

Sajak: I assume that the genesis of this thing was that viewers wrote and asked where they could get some of this stuff.

Perlman: This is true. We get a lot of response. Every once in awhile he'd show up with a sonnet and a rose and read the thing and people were sort of taken aback to see that kind of thing on Friday night at 8 o'clock.

Sajak: Actually, not only do we have an album, we have a video.

Perlman: Oh!

Sajak: Yes.

Perlman: This is my lucky day. Is Ralph Edwards here?

(Due to the bad quality of the video tape, the close-up shots of Ron can only be done in b/w)

Sajak: I feel like we're doing MTV here…aren't we? And for our next video... No, this is one of the pieces from…

Perlman: And you can all get up and dance, if you feel…

Sajak: Yes, if you're moved to do that, sure. Do you know which selection we're hearing from this?

Perlman: I think we're going to hear…no, I don't know. We're winging it here.

Sajak: Well, we'll roll. This is a little video version of what you'd hear on this album from Ron Perlman.

The poem "Love-Song" by Ranier Rilke [Possibility of Being] from the album Of Love and Hope is set to clips from scenes of Catherine and Vincent. [Lots of cheers and applause from the audience]

Sajak: See this works well.

Perlman: It's not Julius Larosa, I admit, but...

Sajak: It's great. Very nice. It's a good idea. I also wasn't kidding about the cliffhanger aspect. Are you doing something at the end of the season?

Perlman: This is true. Originally we had scheduled a "Trilogy", but it's just like a rolling stone. We're now up to four episodes, two of which will end this season. They're very epic in scope, a lot bigger than anything that we've done before. I won't give it away, but it entails a major discovery and an organic response to the character of Vincent. It leads him down a path that he's never gone down before. It's quite powerful. I'm very excited about it.

Sajak: You're not tipping any of that.

Perlman: No.

Sajak: You've said enough to make it interesting.

Perlman: But.. [pauses]... No.

Sajak: No, don't do that. We're going to take a break, and we'll come back and we'll talk some more with Ron Perlman.

[Commercial break]

Sajak: Welcome back! Ron Perlman is with us. Now is this true that you or someone representing you, called our office and asked if we might get your appearance here rescheduled to Friday because Billy Martin was going to be on the show?

Perlman: Oh!

Sajak: You didn't know I knew that?

Perlman: Billy Martin…and then I heard Mickey's on next week.

Sajak: I know you are a major Yankee fan.

Perlman: I'm all busted up about that. My goal - my dream has always been to do the Mickey Mantle Story. I always thought that that would make the last great baseball film. Of course, I've been wrong. There's been 25 great ones out this month alone, I think.

Sajak: Yes, they said you couldn't make a good movie about baseball, now they're all out. But really, you grew up rooting for these guys?

Perlman: Well, I'm a New Yorker, and I lived, in fact, right across the bridge from Yankee Stadium, and my oldest and fondest memories were walking across... I happened to be in the stadium the day that Mantle hit the upper facade of Yankee Stadium which is like - probably would have ended up to be something like 700 feet had it landed, because it was still going up when he hit it - and it was pretty spectacular. He's a big hero of mine.

Sajak: Your years then would have been… were certainly pre-Steinbrenner.

Perlman: Yes, I've seen it all - pal - I've seen it all. It's getting… you know… hard staying a Yankee fan, but I'm loyal. There's a great bunch of guys playing and you can't take it away from them.

Sajak: Have you ever had the chance to wander on the field, or do any of that kind of stuff?

Perlman: Actually, in the old days, when you went to the Yankee games, they used to let you go home by crossing the field and going out the bull pen.

Sajak: Some can still do that, but I don't think it's authorized anymore.

Perlman: Speaking of bull pens, who else was at that Motel 6? Anyway, There's a baseball game every year here in Dodger Stadium. A bunch of out-of-shape TV actors get together and don these pin stripes. I've been out there the last three years and that's a huge thrill!

Sajak: How do you do?

Perlman: [Extends his hand to Sajak] I'm fine. How do you do?

Sajak: Fine…I knew the moment those words came out of my mouth… How did you do at these games?

Perlman: I drove a couple…I drove a couple. I had a bases loaded double. [Applause] When the game winning RBI was still a statistic, I must admit.

Sajak: Was this a smash or did it just roll under Bea Arthur's glove?

Perlman: I drove this…I drove this ball.

Sajak: O.K. Now, you guys are on hiatus, as we like to say.

Perlman: As of 6 o'clock this morning.

Sajak: Is it true you put in a 97 hour days or something?

Perlman: Yesterday was 23 hours on the clock. It's amazing I'm even here. I went to work at 7:00 in the morning and I got home at 6:00 A.M. My voice is shot. I was going to do a number with the band, but it would be ugly, you wouldn't want it.

Sajak: They work you like a Beast there. Holy, moly! Probably haven't heard any of those have you, Ron?

Perlman: Not since the cold opening.

Sajak: So, what do you do now that you're going to have a little time to...

Perlman: I'm real excited. My manager has just…he's in negotiations with 976-BEAST. [Applause and laughter] I have an opportunity to make about 20 cents a call.

Sajak: Now, is this legit? Because I know some celebrities are doing this.

Perlman: In fact, he just called me up about it today [laughing]. I just had to share that with America.

Sajak: But, tell the truth. Wouldn't you feel dorky doing that? Come on.

Perlman: [Trying to look serious] Why? We could make something of this. Don't you think? [Laughter from the audience]

Sajak: Let's try this--976-PAT.

Perlman: Not enough digits; and BEAST is too many; so we're both out of the running.

Sajak: I guess you have to have a four letter name in order to make that thing work. Well, I wish you luck in this success. It sounds very exciting. I assume when you are out of your character garb, few people recognize you from the show. Correct?

Perlman: Yes, it's limited, the amount of people that recognize me. In fact, last season, we'd gone through seven months of filming, and I usually get there at 3.00 A.M. and then the crew doesn't get there until 8.00.

Sajak: You get there at 3.00 A.M. to start the makeup?

Perlman: To start the makeup because it's a four hour process. One morning I was asked to come about 8:30. The crew was already there, and I stopped off at the food table. I was buttering a bagel, and two of the crew guys were dishing me…like terrible; and they had no idea that I - this is a true story - they had no idea that I was standing there. I'm like buttering this bagel and they're talking, "That son-of-a-gun Perlman…" this and that. I look over and I go, "Hey, how're you doing?", and they go, "Hey, how're you doing?" [Lots of laughter] So I don't get recognized very often.

Sajak: Yes, apparently. Well, it's always great having you. Any time you feel like sitting down and talking, our curtain is always open to you. I have to tell you something; one of the great things about this guy - I know you have a lot of respect and affection for the character and what he is and what the show is and yet you know how to have some fun with it too. It's a nice balancing act you do. It's great having you here. Ron Perlman, folks. Thank you, Ron.
[Loud applause from the audience]

Perlman: Thank you. It's a pleasure. Thank you very much.