Bob Eubanks was the host of “The Newlywed Game” off and on for nearly 30 years, which means he’s probably asked more strangers where they “make whoopee” than anyone without a police record or psychology degree. At 2 p.m. Sunday, Eubanks will hit the Rialto Square Theater with a live version of “The Newlywed Game” – complete with fab prizes. 102 N. Chicago St., Joliet. $12-$27. 815-726-6600.
Q: “Newlywed” is a game, but, still, you ask intimate questions. How close have you come to being punched?
A: [laughs] You know, I used to say, “Gosh, if I could just get a husband mad enough to take a swing at me,” but I could never get it done. The show is what it is, and we can’t take it too seriously. It’s a fun piece of fluff, and the nice thing about it is the answers on the show are relatable.
Q: How were the newlyweds in the Age of Aquarius different from those today?
A: No. 1, married couples are more loving today than they used to be. No. 2, people have more knowledge about geography. Back in the ’70s, two out of four couples would say Hawaii was their favorite foreign country.
Q: You started as a disk jockey in the early 1960s. Do you pay attention to radio today?
A: No, today the stations are programmed by consultants, and most of the stations are owned by either Clear Channel or Infinity. To me, the fun has been taken out of radio,
Q: Legend has it you became a promoter when no one else would put up the cash for the Beatles to play the Hollywood Bowl.
A: The only concert promoter around at the time was used to buying Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald for $10,000, so when the Beatles wanted $25,000, he turned ’em down. So I borrowed the money on my house and presented the Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl, starting a 20-year promotion career.
Q: Some people don’t know about your brief recording career. Any chance you might sing “Smoke Smoke, Smoke (That Cigarette)” Sunday?
A: Where did you learn that? Let’s not talk about that. I’ll find some nude pictures of you if you include that. Chuck Woolery can sing but God didn’t tune Bob.
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