KathieLee:  Go away with me Regis! Go way with me!

Regis:  Where ‘re you going?

KathieLee:  Any where……but New York this weekend!

Regis:  It is got to be a toff weekend!

First guest is a living legend! Best remembered for the role torched priest in the popular series ‘The Thorn Birds’. He has so many credits, beginning Dr. Kildare back in the sixties on TV.

And on Broadway ~ a couple of years ago with ‘My Fair Lady’ and now coming back on Broadway to do ‘The Sound Of Music’.  But this is
a terrific role for him: He plays the butler….

KathieLee:  Bernard Lafferty.

Regis:  In the ‘Doris Duke’ series.

Here is RICHARD CHAMBERLAIN!

Richard laughing to the audience and looking in the wrong direction………

Richard:  Oh, there you are!
Exchange greetings

KathieLee:  How ‘re you doing?

Richard:  Great party last night!! Gorgeous, gorgeous!

KathieLee:  I love to kiss you…….oh ……I would love to kiss you…….. She waved with her hand to the audience….

Regis: You know what?
He was there across a crowded room and then we got way late. But the time we got back he was gone! 

Richard:  Well, sorry I missed you!
It was a great…..!

Regis:  Yeh…to be there!

Richard:  It was amazing! I met her once…

Regis:  Did you?

Richard:  I met her once in her residence. I went to a New Year’s Eve party at her House in Hawaii. And this is only about three years before her death! And she was terrific!

KathieLee:  So you met Bernard Lafferty?

Richard:  No, I did.........well I don’t know……..see… I didn’t know about him. I didn’t noticed, he was going around!

Regis:  He was lurking around.

Richard:  Yeh….

KathieLee:  He does so…well…….
I have a confession…………
I have been in love with Richard Chamberlain …….like everybody else….. in Dr. Kildare. Since I first laid my eyes on you…..

Richard:  Don’t say all that!

KathieLee:  You have never been creepier than in this movie!

Richard:  This is a creepy guy!

KathyLee:  You must have had a ball playing him!

Richard:  It was so much fun! It is much more fun to do character parts than  leading man. It is great doing leading man too. But the character stuff is real fun, because you got more freedom. And …..uh you can be as bad or as what ever you want to be!

KathieLee:  Oh…He was pretty dark on that!

Richard:  Well, in our show he was!

KathieLee:  How much of it is based on true facts?

Richard:  Oh….. Nobody really knows a lot the absolute facts.
I met two people on the party last night, one on one side of the room and one on the other.  One said, he knew Bernard very well and he was the nicest person and couldn’t possibly have killed her.  Couldn’t possibly have done any of that. I go on the other side of the room and they say: 
“We knew him!” “He was a monster of course he killed her!”
So we……we … for the sake of the drama we played him pretty, pretty 
sereneness. 

KathieLee:  And against type, excuse me Regis, you didn’t have the pony tale and you didn’t have the Irish accent.

Richard:  No, CBS wouldn’t let me do that! I used the tinest bit of an accent,
but they didn’t want me to do any of that stuff! 

KathieLee:  Yeh….

Regis:  What was it like working with Laurens Bacall, who was also there last night.

Richard:  Ah….unbelievable ! She is one……of the…

Regis:  She really got in to that role too! Didn’t she?          

Richard:  Yeh, she is very, very good at it!

KathieLee:  She is great at it!

Richard:  She is totally amazing!

KathieLee:  She knows who she is and what she is. 

Richard:  Yep. And funny and she loves to play. She's very very witty and funny. And a wonderful actress. I had a great time with her. 

Richard:  Yeah, Mare's terrific. 

Regis:  Even Brian Dennehy showed up! 

Regis:  So, Richard, you still living in Hawaii? I mean is that still full 
time? 

Richard:  Yes, still live in Hawaii. I'm here for my... 

KathieLee:  You won't see much of it this year. 

Richard:  ....for my shot of New York. No, I'm not going to be home for a 
year and a half. 

Regis:  No kidding. 

Regis:  And you're going to do the 'Sound of Music'. 

KathieLee:  Learning to play the guitar... 

Richard (nods):  Learning to play the guitar. 
[Audience Applauses]  Oh, Thanks. 

KathieLee:  Who is going to be your Maria? 

Richard:  Laura Benanti. She's the current understudy and she is fantastic!  She's just fantastic. I mean, I'm already head-over-heels in love with her. 

Richard:  She's just wonderful. Yeah, yeah, unfortunately she's got another guy and I could be her grandfather, but never mind. 

KathieLee:  Hey, details, details. 

Regis:  He's got a great voice, doesn't he?  And a great singing voice too. 

Richard:  Well, I sing, a little, yeah. 

KathieLee:  Remember the hit he had, "Dreeeeeeeammm". 

[Richard Laughs] 

KathieLee:  Remember that? Oh...I was in love....stop it! Oh, remember the one Dr. Kildare that you did, it was called "Tiger, Tiger" with Yvette.. 

Richard:  Yvette Mimieux. Every...that's everybody's favourite. Mine was 
something else, but 

Richard:  Yeah, she was wonderful. 

KathieLee:  Yeah. 

Richard:  She's the only actress I know who could have an epileptic fit on a surfboard and... 

KathieLee:  And look great. 

Richard (nods):  ...and look great. 

KathieLee:  That's true. 

Regis:  Well, so what are you going to do after Broadway? 

Richard:  Well, I don't know...I'm, well, I'm going to have a nice holiday. 
A really nice holiday... 

Richard:  'Cause I did another movie in between 'Doris Duke' and the musical called 'The Pavillion' in North Carolina, so I've been working steadily and I'm gonna have....I think I'm probably gonna go to Italy and maybe rent a little villa someplace and have some time. 

KathieLee:  Oh, gosh, how fabulous. 

Regis:  But when people see you, which role do they talk about? 

Richard:  Women--'The Thorn Birds', Men--'Shogun'. 

Regis:  Oh, Shogun! 

KathieLee:  I love that too, though. 

Richard:  Some people still remember Dr. Kildare, but that hardly gets 
mentioned anymore. But mostly it's 'The Thorn Birds' and 'Shogun'. 

Regis:  And, which is your favourite of all the things you've done? 

Richard:  Umm...I think in terms of mini-series, 'Shogun' I thought was a 
really fantastic project--in all ways.   [Audience Applauses]     And it also 
taught people so much about Japan, and everything, I think it was a really good one.  The most fun I've ever had (big smile) was a show we did at The Public Theatre called 'Fathers and Sons' by Tom Babe. Dixie Carter played Calamity Jane; I was Wild Bill Hickok and it was just a ball! 

KathieLee:  She's an old friend of yours, right? 

Richard:  Yeah, she is, yeah. 

Regis:  So, you have nothing but fun in your life, huh? 

Richard:  Well, no, no, no! No, no! 

Regis:  No, but I mean you've got the big house in Hawaii on the water.... 

KathieLee:  Which you can't see for two years. 

Regis:  ....you're the toast of Broadway... 

Richard:  It's pretty good. I have to say, it's pretty good. 

Regis:  It's a nice life. 

Richard:  My life has not been without problems but, uh, it's....I feel 
extremely lucky [knocks on chair]... 

KathieLee:  That's plastic. 

Richard:  Oh! 

KathieLee:  Sorry. 

Richard:  Oh, [knocks on the top of his head], this ain't--this is wood! I 
feel really, really fortunate, as you guys should. 

Regis:  Have you ever wrestled Sable? 

Richard:  No, but I saw her in the dressing room and I said, "I'll stand in 
for you anytime"... 

Regis:  Hey, that's mine! I want him out of the building. 

Richard:  WoooHooo! She is incredible. You get to fight with her, right? 

Regis:  Well, we're gonna, she's gonna teach me a few holds. 

Regis:  Well, she's alright.  Really something. 

KathieLee:  It's a living, it's a living. 

Regis:  These are the kind of mornings you live for, Richard.  Well, listen, 
welcome back to New York... 

Richard:  Thank you. 

Regis:  Looking forward to seeing this mini-series. 

KathieLee:  It's really terrific. 

Regis:  It begins Sunday night on CBS and then continues for another 
episode... 

Richard:  On Tuesday. 

Regis:  ...on Tuesday night, as well.  Let's take a look at a clip now; 
here's the whole thing--getting her to name this butler the executor of her estate. 

Richard:  Yeah, that's pretty amazing, isn't it? 

Regis:  It really is, now, let's take a look at this scene now from 'Doris 
Duke'. 

[A clip is shown from 'Too Rich:  The Secret Life of Doris Duke'. Miss Duke has made the butler controller of her estate, because "There's no one else left in your life".] 

Richard(wincing):  Ewww, Ewww!! 

Regis:  Charming couple. 

KathieLee (to Richard):  I wanted to smack you. 

Richard:  Ha, ha!  What a bad guy! 

KathieLee: Had to be fun, though, I could tell that. 

Richard:  It was fun, it was fun. And working with her was sensational. 

Regis:  Two great performances. Okay, it's called 'Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke'. Sunday night, CBS. Richard, Thank you very, very much. [Shake hands]. 

Richard:  Thank you. 

KathieLee:  So nice to see you again. 

Richard: [turns to shake KathieLee's hand] Hope you feel better, Kathie. 

KathieLee:  Thank you, Bye, bye. Take care, Richard. 

[Richard stands, blows kiss to the audience, exits].