Episode Details

After having breakfast with the iconic broadcaster almost every day for more than a decade, Cal has no choice but to produce Larry King's obituary. He uses Larry's own voice to explain how Larry became a master of communication and connection, and explains why the world will never see another like him. 

Show Notes:

Cal's favorite Larry King story. 00:11
Why Larry King is so important. 04:58
The day Larry King's father died. 06:21
Larry's tough upbringing. 08:15
Larry's love for radio. 08:40
Larry's love for The Brooklyn Dodgers. 09:01
Larry's Gil Moppo story as told to Jimmy Fallon. 09:20
Why Larry didn't end up binding hats. 18:20
Patterns relating to iconic success. 18:56
How Larry got into broadcasting. 19:15
Larry arrives in Miami with less than $20 in his wallet. 19:34
Larry finds his first radio station. 19:49
Larry tells the story of being nervous on his first day on the air. 20:33
How Larry Zeiger got his radio name. 20:46
The birth of Larry's interviewing style. 24:01
Larry tells the classic story of his first interview with Frank Sinatra. 25:23
How Larry could make a question disappear. 31:21
How Larry got fired. 34:59
The day Larry was down to $48 and won $11,000 at the track. 36:17
What Larry was most proud of about himself. 41:03
How Larry's misadventures played into his interviewing style. 41:42
How Larry got his all-night radio show across America. 42:07
How Larry's style connected with everybody. 42:35
How Larry met Ted Turner on his pathway to CNN. 42:59
Larry's first night on CNN with New York Governor Mario Cuomo. 43:38
How Larry mesmerized Americans and the world for eight hours a day. 44:06
Larry's best advice: Every setback is a step forward. 44:30
Larry's heart attack, after smoking 3 packs a day for 37 years. 44:38
When Larry found out his heart surgeon had only nine fingers. 45:00
How Larry saved thousands of lives with his cardiac foundation 46:05
How Larry influenced a presidential election with one question. 46:38
Cal shows up at breakfast to help Larry write his autobiography. 48:11
Cal talks about how Larry mentored him. 48:26
Larry talks about Cal passing on his legacy. 49:32
Cal describes what made Larry so great. 50:00
Breakfast at Nate n Al's. 50:36
The hardest part of getting old is seeing your friends pass away. 52:56
Fighting death with humor. 53:45
Larry thinks about freezing himself. 54:11
Larry is avalanched by health problems. 54:50
Larry discusses not being able to walk. 55:14
Covid was the worst thing that could happen to Larry. 55:37
Larry gets the answer to his final question. 57:20
Summing up with Larry's influence. 57:35.
Why there will never be another Larry King. 58:45

People Mentioned:

Larry King
Harry Belafonte
Richard Nixon
Robert Taylor
Jimmy Fallon
Gil Moppo Mermelstein
Herbie "The Negotiator" Cohen
Brazzi Abbate
Engelbert Humperdink
Arthur Godfrey