Wally George
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| Wally George | |
|---|---|
| Born | George Walter Pearch 1931-12-04 |
| Died | 2003-10-07 (aged 71) |
George Walter Pearch, known as Wally George (4 December 1931 – 7 October 2003) was a patriotic American conservative radio and television commentator. Calling himself the "Father of Combat TV," George gained national fame as the host of the television talk show Hot Seat, originally a local show produced for KDOC Channel 56, a UHF station then located in Anaheim, California.
George was famous for his combative, almost farcical interview style and shocking antics. For example, he often brought strippers onto his show to denounce them for being "bimbos"; when the strippers would (almost inevitably) begin to strip, George, with obviously feigned outrage, would wait until the very last moment to have them escorted out by security while his fans chanted: "Sick! Sick! Sick!" George also advertised "gentlemen's clubs" on his show and, in his later years, made many staged appearances at them around Southern California.
In 1983, self-proclaimed pacifist Blase Bonpane overturned the host's desk onto George and stomped out of the studio. Clips played on national news and George made references to the incident long afterward, saying that similar incidents which later took place on other shows (notably those hosted by Geraldo Rivera and Jerry Springer) were "copycat combat".
Born in Oakland, California, George's father was a shipping company owner, and his mother had been a vaudeville performer. His trademark appearance included gray slacks, navy blue blazer, white dress shirt, and an American Flag tie. Many of his critics insisted his hair was actually a wig; he had a particularly vicious, ongoing feud with Rick Dees, who famously called George a "wig wearing hump". George was a longtime Garden Grove, California resident, often seen around town running errands.
Following years of declining health, George died of pneumonia at Fountain Valley Hospital on 2003-10-07. His memorial service was held at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California with the evangelist Robert H. Schuller presiding over the service, which had over 100 mourners. He was interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood Hills, California. Yearly on the Friday of the week of the anniversary of Wally George's passing, KDOC airs a tribute/retrospective of Wally George and Hot Seat.
For over fifteen years prior to his death, he had been estranged from his actress daughter Rebecca De Mornay. He also had another daughter, Holly, with whom he was very close, and Debra, who resided on Guam.
[edit] Trivia
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- He was a staunch supporter of Ronald Reagan and always touted the Reagan Revolution, even after Reagan left the White House.
- He appeared in a few motion picture films, mostly as himself, including Repossessed, Grunt! The Wrestling Movie, Club Fed, and A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child.
- He released a four track 12" (30 cm) EP entitled Wal-ly! Wal-ly! on Rhino Records in 1984.
- He was the subject of a The E! True Hollywood Story documentary in 2000.
- For many years, a framed portrait of John Wayne graced the Hot Seat set.
- George was a contributor to a TV Roller Derby program known as Rollergames in 1990, on the show, George provided halftime 'studio analysis'.
- When The Offspring appeared on his show in 1989, he broke a copy of their first album and ripped apart the cover because he took offense to the track "Kill the President".
- He appeared on People's Court after being sued by an attorney who specialized in representing accused pedophiles. The lawyer claimed he should have been paid because the contract stated, "I agree that the only compensation shall be my appearance on television." The lawyer said that Black's Law Dictionary defined "consideration" as "a promise to pay." Judge Wapner told the lawyer never to cite Black's Law Dictionary to a judge, because that is a resource only first year law students use to learn basic legal terms. He dismissed the case.[citation needed]
