Pat Sajak admitted in a recent interview that he hosted episodes of Wheel of Fortune buzzed after many a three-margarita lunch (forget Mad Men's three martinis, we wish we could have hung out with 80s-era Pat and Vanna!). Naturally this got us thinking about the good 'ol days when on-the-job intoxication (even the televised variety) was, if not entirely acceptable, at least good-humoredly tolerated. Nowadays, though, celebrities are usually put through the ringer (not to mention their publicists) after they throw back a few drinks and go on TV. Check out our six old-school picks for some of the seemingly booziest moments captured on TV followed by five of the weirdest greatest clips in recent memory.
Then:
1. Johnny Carson gets a kick out of sidekick Ed McMahon's apparent inebriation
2. Beat icon Jack Kerouac appears drunk on Conservative icon William Buckley's show
3. Orson Welles filming a wine commercial after having dipped into the supply
4. Intoxicated Norman Mailer famously berates Gore Vidal on Dick Cavett Show
5. Before Sajak's revelation, we had to content ourselves with Alex Trebek, who seems to be having a few issues in these clip mash-ups
6. James Brown, apparently feeling reeeeally good on Sonia Live in L.A.
NOW:
These days it's an embarrassment of riches when it comes to drunk celebrity videos so we've chosen our five faves
1. Mariah Carey: "Please forgive me because I'm a little bit...yeahh"
2. Ben Affleck gets handsy during an interview with a Québécois TV reporter
3. Danny Devito is still drunk the morning after partying with George Clooney
4. Tracy Morgan looks glassy-eyed and goes topless in a Chicago interview
5. Sharon Osbourne is feeling no pain on Xtra Factor (starts at 2:30)