A sidekick for TV, McMahon was real-life hero
Johnny's audience, guests likely never knew of Marine exploits
The most impressive parts of Ed McMahon's life were never captured on TV.
One of TV's most famous sidekicks passed away Tuesday at 86. It was a rough last few years for McMahon, who faced myriad health and financial problems. For decades, though, he was a robust and amiable presence on TV, hosting "Star Search," co-hosting the Labor Day telethon with Jerry Lewis -- and of course bellowing "Hi-yo!" and "Heeeeeeere's Johnny!" as Johnny Carson's announcer on "The Tonight Show."
All well noted. But let's not forget, McMahon was a fighter pilot for the Marine Corps in WWII, serving as a flight instructor and test pilot. In the 1950s, he returned to the military and flew more than 80 artillery-spotting missions in Korea.
Over the decades, who knows how many times big-name actors who were guests on the "Tonight Show" told Carson about their latest role playing a soldier or some other tough guy? But make no mistake -- in nearly every case, the real tough guy was the "buffoonish" sidekick sitting on the sofa.
As our Stella Foster reported Tuesday, Johnny Depp left a $4,000 tip for a waiter at Gibsons last week.
I had that waiter when I had dinner with Larry David and friends at Gibsons. Mohammed A. Sekhani. Terrific guy. I recall when David sampled the turtle pie dessert and said in his classic trademark delivery: "Can I just say something? This is maybe the greatest thing I've ever eaten."
Here's another name-dropping tip story for you. A few years ago, I had dinner with Nicolas Cage at Joe's on Grand and Rush. We had a great, three-hour meal, including two giganto steaks and a couple of bottles of excellent wine. By the time we were wrapping it up, the restaurant was getting ready to close for the night.
The bill arrived. I insisted on paying. Cage insisted on paying. The waitperson said no chance -- it's on the house.
I can see the watchdogs racing to their laptops now, saying under no circumstances should a newspaper guy take a free meal from a restaurant. Right, because that has never, ever happened.
I always try to pay -- but you know what, sometimes they want to buy you dinner or dessert, and it gets to the point where you're insulting them if you refuse the gesture. If I've never been to the place before, I'll return soon to pay for a meal. Most often, the tab is picked up at a restaurant or where I'm a regular. I've been to Joe's probably 50 times. I wasn't going to get into an arm-wrestling match over the bill.
I told Cage I'd take care of the tip, and he agreed on the condition he would get the bill the next time we dined.
As Cage graciously dealt with a couple of women who had approached our table, I reached into my jacket pocket.
And realized I'd left my wallet at home.
I felt like a character in a sitcom. I frantically texted a friend who lived nearby and asked him to meet me. He wasn't around. Texted two others. Nobody was close enough to get there quickly.
By this time we were leaving the restaurant, and a few fans and photographers had gathered outside to greet Cage. I said goodbye to Cage, he got into his SUV -- and I raced home to get some cash for the tip.
Due to circumstances not worth delving into, I was delayed at home -- and I knew by the time I returned to the restaurant, it would be closed. I pictured the waitperson going home that night and saying, "Yeah, I waited on an Oscar winner and that jerk-off from the Sun-Times. Stiffed me!"
The moment the doors at Joe's opened the next day, my trusty assistant was there, envelope in hand for the waitress.
This is why I'm always a bit skeptical when someone tells me about somebody that walked out on a bill or didn't leave a tip. It's possible that person has such a sense of entitlement he doesn't feel obligated to pay; it's also possible there was some kind of mix-up, or the story is b.s.
My favorite tipping story is about Frank Sinatra, and it's probably half truth and half urban legend. As the story goes, Sinatra would ask the waitress/parking valet/casino dealer/whatever: "What's the biggest tip you've ever gotten?"-- and then he would double it.
But maybe the best tip of all time was given by a cop.
In 1984, a Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., cop named Robert Cunningham was paying for his dinner at a local pizzeria when he asked waitress Phyllis Penzo if she'd like to split a lottery ticket with him in lieu of a tip.
The numbers hit to the tune of $6 million -- and Cunningham made good on his pledge, splitting the winnings with Penzo.
The story was turned into the fluffy romantic comedy "It Could Happen to You," starring Bridget Fonda as the waitress --and Nicolas Cage as the cop.