"Catching Hell" from Larry King

Rollins and King "Selfie"

Death has a quirky way of refocusing us on the present and almost always spurs thoughts and memories of “the good ole’ days.” This morning, I learned of the passing of the legendary talk-show host Larry King. Normally, the demise of celebrities and other notables doesn’t stop me in my tracks or cause much, if any, reflection, but this was different.  

​​You see, in the summer of 2014, I was helping to promote a docudrama television series that I’d debuted in called “Catching Hell.” The show aired exclusively on The Weather Channel and portrayed the trials and tribulations of commercial spearfishermen (and WOMAN a/ka/ ME) in the Gulf of Mexico. 

As a part of the show’s promotion, a fellow cast member (Ritchie “The Great One” Zacker), the show’s executive producer (Poull Brien) and I flew to New York City to interview with the iconic King. The whole to-do was pretty exciting for this small-town, seaside girl, and I remember feeling nervous and fidgety as I was prepped for the interview and sitting for “hair and makeup.” I mean, it was LARRY-FREAKING-KING! Regardless of how you feel about the man personally, just thinking about the enormity and length of his career which spanned five decades and included an estimated 50,000 interesting and amazing people from all walks of life that he interviewed, was awe-inspiring and mind-boggling enough to give even the most composed individual at least a bit of the jitters. 

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I clearly recall the furtive glances, the hushed whispers of “he’s here! he’s here!” when King sauntered into the studio. And then, there he was in his trademark shirt sleeves and suspenders and oversize, black-rimmed glasses, smiling and shoulder patting, shaking hands, until finally taking his seat next to me. Wow! Larry King wanted to ask ME questions! What a thrill! I’d read once that King bragged that he rarely prepared for an interview, and so it seemed that instead of learning about spearfishing on his own, he preferred to ask questions and engage in curious and playful banter with us. The dialog with King, his voice, the usual raspy rumble, was upbeat and amusing, his questions brief and friendly.

​I remember the interview well, but I can’t watch the video again. I’m embarrassed about how insanely nervous and completely star-struck I was!  Despite my self-consciousness, however, I am extremely proud to have had the experience, the opportunity, and now, more than ever, I truly cherish the memory of it all so here’s a link to the "Catching Hell" interview in honor of the original “Great One” Larry King.