In 1983, during the bizarre days of being an L.A. recording studio owner and personal manager to Butch (Eddie Munster) Patrick, I met the movie icon while in the green room of The Mike Douglas Show. This is the story:

We had a PR agent that booked us on damn near every talk show in the U.S. It got to the point that I knew Butch’s history better than he did. So much so that I gave serious thought about murdering him and pretending to be the Munster icon. His struggle with alcoholism gave credence to my daydreams that I could bury him in my backyard, and no one would come looking for him.

I bring this mistaken identity up because whenever we sat in the green room, tv people always mistook me for Eddie. I really didn’t think I looked like him, but you must remember that he had been out of the spotlight for years. No one knew him as an adult. At the time we met, Butch was parking cars at his father’s many poker palaces in Gardena.

Back in 1983, The Mike Douglas Show was still on TV. It was one of those daytime talk shows that started in the 50’s and lasted til the early 1980’s. In the 70’s, it was Douglas who brought the alienated John Lennon and Yoko to be co-anchors for an entire week…and then allowed them any guest they wanted. The Lennons brought in every counterculture hero that would show up. That took some balls. You gotta’ give the mainstream daytime host Douglas props for that.

My press agent got Butch Patrick a guest spot to promote our just released single “Whatever Happened to Eddie?”.

Instead of flying all over the country, which became very tiring, all we had to do was drive to Hollywood from Long Beach.

I went to all the TV show interviews and all the radio interviews with Butch. I went because I needed to make sure he arrived on time and sober…after all, this was my project.

I had my own idea of how an entertainment manager should look and bought an expensive 3-piece pin striped suit. I looked exactly like Alexander Haig…but with a better haircut.

Mike Douglas’ guests were Barbara Eden and Earl Holliman. Of course, everyone knows Eden as the Genie…but Earl Holliman was a character actor. He played the booze loving cook in the legendary 1956 sci-fi movie, “Forbidden Planet.” He also played Angie Dickinson’s side kick cop in “Police Woman” on TV. He found himself being a favorite sidekick of John Wayne and appeared in several of the Duke’s films. (I met Wayne while doing bass session work for legendary actor Chill Wills in his Huntington Beach recording studio. I met Holliman in those early 70’s sessions).

Meeting Eden was a thrill as she was even more gorgeous than on TV. She had a boyfriend the size of the Hulk with her. This guy’s job was to be intimidating, and it worked. I wanted to approach Eden, but I didn’t want to get body slammed by this fucking guy.

Holliman and I sat on a couch together and struck up a conversation. I told him about the burgeoning birth of MTV and rock videos. We had brought our rock video that accompanied our song. The more we talked, the friendlier he got. I was amazed at how down to earth he was. We spoke for a good hour. When Butch tried to interrupt, I shooshed him and told him not to bother me. Couldn’t he see I was hanging with a movie star?

We talked about the classic “Forbidden Planet.” I grew up on that flick. Earl liked discussing it and told me that he felt he was miscast. Miscast? I freaked. I had to convince him that not only was he not miscast but that he was great in the role. Big smile on Holliman’s face. I had no idea he was fishing for a compliment. I was only 33 and Earl was a wise man of 55.

Just before the show started, we heard Douglas enter the green room from his dressing room. He heard Butch talking and he said, “I know that voice. Hello Butch.”

I shook hands with Douglas and couldn’t help but notice that he was plastered with makeup that made him look older than his 53 years. Back in the early days of Hollywood, makeup was not skin friendly.

Douglas took one look at me all dressed up and seemed to be stunned. My first thought was this…I was thin, in good shape, had all my hair, and was a good-looking kid.
Oh No…he thinks I’m gay. Not that there is everything wrong with this. I mean, he literally did a double take when he saw me. We shook hands and I swear he looked afraid of me. Or maybe he thought I was mob. I have one of those faces that throughout my life, people think I’m someone they know.

Butch did his shtick in a very good interview, but it was cut short because a washed-up magician/mentalist, The Amazing Kreskin, was hogging Butch’s time. Even Douglas was perturbed because at one point, he rolled his eyes. I’d never seen a talk show host look disgusted on camera because he couldn’t get rid of a guest. This Kreskin tool wouldn’t let up with his stupid Magic 101 tricks.

When it was over, Butch and I left and walked down the long corridor to the elevator. Earl and Douglas both leaned out of the doorway to say goodbye; and Earl yelled, “See ya’ Phil. Take care, Phil. Have a good one, Phil.” I was thrilled and told Butch that Earl took my phone number, and he gave me his.

We got into the elevator.
As soon as the doors closed, Butch turned to me and said, “Earl Holliman is gay.”
All my ill perceived bravado was sucked out of my body…pardon the expression.

Holliman kept his homosexuality a secret until 2015 when he was outed by the gay magazine “The Advocate.”

All I could think of was I gave Earl my business card. Would he call me for a date? He did.
He called a couple weeks later. He asked if I wanted to go somewhere cool that would surround me with movie stars. I made excuses that between my work at the recording studio and the Butch project that I just didn’t have time. Earl was clearly disappointed.

Holliman called a week later for the same reason. I told him I wasn’t gay, and he hung up on me. I wanted to say “I go fag. You die.”

For a brief time, I felt exceptionally cool that a famous movie icon was so kind to me. I shoulda’ known…I wonder if The Duke knew about Holliman. Mr. Wayne didn’t strike me as someone that would belly up to the bar with actors who had a swish in their step.

Katman in duality:

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