Here’s a great story about the late, great John Madden, about the time he hosted a 1982 episode of Saturday Night Live – and took the opportunity to play a prank on his NBC Sports boss Dick Ebersol.
Madden was just about to begin the monologue at dress rehearsal when he called out Ebersol and threatened to quit the show: “I’m going to finish this dress rehearsal and then I’m going to leave. I’m not happy with how things have been going, and I’m enough of a trooper to finish it for this audience, but then I’m outta here.“
Ebersol says he nearly had a heart attack before Madden smiled and said “You know I’m a practical joker, don’t you?” – and the audience “went nuts”.
What made John Madden such a beloved TV personality?