Ed O'Neill saw a cheetah kill an antelope [TDMS 2/12/92]

you know in the last 20 years television families have evolved from the Waltons to the bundies my next guest plays Al Bundy oh he's lovable on Married with Children please welcome Ed O'Neal hey [Applause] [Applause] thank you they love you man you're part of America now they feel they know you hey I haven't seen you since uh since Dutch came on woo I love that ad the picture where they had he was Dutch and he always was like when you got the first week grosses I said Ed how did the film open he went now what happened you did a John y film called Dutch and it didn't really uh did the film and uh it opened the weekend that it opened you know I was kind of curious what it you know what it was going to do and I got a call from one of the producers English guy named tarkman and he says uh Ed I have some very disappointing news I'm afraid the grosses $580,000 and I said I'm not interested in Los Angeles you know what's the national that is the national 580,000 across the country yeah the whole thing yeah you know you could not run the film turn up the house lights in each individual theater go over the floor for loose change and come up with more than $580 I don't know what happened the hell happened it was a lovable little thing you and the ti on the road and it just it didn't make it John Hughes John Hughes I guess he does one every once in a while just uh just threw one away he did home alone then Dutch yeah and uh he had a couple that didn't do too well and I think we were the third you know runs in threes I guess but Home Alone to will probably be a big hit for him I don't know oh God hit that's going to hit for sure I don't think there'll be a Dutch too huh you're kidding me man I was down in Westwood waiting in line already for the tickets I haven't got any calls and you T now you've seen John since the thing what happens people cut bait in this town when something fails yeah yeah they smell it I smelled that about used man I got that vibe off used no about two week it's funny how that works about 2 weeks before the movie opens we got a couple bad reviews in the trades and then you you know you feel it it just starts to go you know well no calls from you know and uh no I didn't hear anything from anybody now you have not talked to this guy since this film came out uh John Hughes yeah no no haven't Jesus in fact I only this is Sunset Boulevard out here man what a grim but uh you know that's well you're doing great man Married with Children didn't it come out and wasn't it like the biggest syndication release ever or something I think it's the I don't follow that whole thing but I think it's the biggest comedy in in syndicated history for [Applause] sitcom and uh you know I I love this show now you play the father right Al we had David on the other night your kid from the show he a sweet kid man I like I hit the wall with him though I just did a thing with Miss USA completely fell apart sort of a Dutch deal it was like Dutch deal oh man I haven't taken a blow like I haven't seen him blow like that since Bobby Foster hit Mike Cory with that left hook knocked his head off but anyway we did that bad bit with her I felt so bad and then when he came out I was rope aulin man I was so stunned by how bad that was I'm asking him um do you like TV Bud poor kids looking at me like what the hell happened to this guy how how many years you been doing that show now this is our sixth yeah six years it's still going strong too right beond syndication yeah I we just came from that I just came over yeah so how many you only need like 70 to get it syndicated right it's syndicated now well you need no 100 I think a magic number for that yeah so yeah it's going all right you just got back from Africa or you were in Africa Rec I was in Africa yeah we're going to talk about it right after this I got to take a break we'll be back with the African queen I'm teasing head deal [Music] folks be with me my son we're back with uh Ed O'Neal now you did something I always wanted to do that whole uh Out of Africa thing did you cruise over the Plains and that yeah it it was great my my wife and I we used to live in the village and we used to walk through the Village and look at like Parrot Jungle you know African village no in the Village of New York The Village New York I'm talking about African you said the village no but we we used to go through the Village and look at like Parrot Jungle and and look at guys walking dogs I mean in Manhattan you don't see many animals so well they're animals with a different kind but uh so I told her if I ever could I'd take her to Africa right so this was a thing that I it was sort of like a promise so we went to uh Kenya massai Mara and samburu and we you know we did the whole thing went out and looked at the animals and it was just a two of us right I hired a guide and a staff and did the whole thing and a great white Hunter guide I was like Ernest Hemingway you know but it was it was it was really really a great trip fascinating trip now uh did you see any elephants yeah gotten a herd of about 300 yeah Rush Hour rush hour no you know they they mock charge you a lot you know and and my wife and Char yeah they they start for you and then they stop you know they don't usually run over the Land Cruiser such teasers those elephants but my wife wasn't at all afraid you know the guy no and I was terrified you know but it was it was really quite an experience the Lions you know and I saw cheetah kill I saw cheetah kill an antalope and I got it on film and I so it was it was we have some photos don't we I took some I brought some there that's my wife and I and the massai mar what's not massar you're blown by that m is the is the the name of the country that it's uh and what is white thing along the bottom there uh the frame of the picture that's the frame of the picture a that's a lionist with two Cubs uhhuh and uh and this is the kill that I got in the that's cheetah got wow you know you can get photos over there you with President Bush or Reagan get R out yeah yeah I've got one I didn't bring it in that's the guide that I had shouldn't have been out of the Land Cruiser cuz there was a lion nearby I was acting brave but I was terrified that looks like that doctari mobile from the Duke Wayne film very it's nice and that's a couple of baboons yeah what are they what are they screaming there the they were mad at me uh-huh Cuz you didn't not getting out of the Land Cruiser you didn't have the camera Focus right wa scoliosis it happens you know a lot of these ocelots don't get enough vitamin D [Music] Eddie I've always wanted to go over there man you should do it you should do now what's happened to Africa though since uh the you know the AIDS crisis over there is it is it cut the people I hear the tourist is done but it seems so crazy to me it's not going to if you're going over on Safari seems odd but I guess people are just freaked out about it yeah I mean you don't want to I mean hopefully you don't have to end up with a blood transfusion over there or something you know cuz I guess it's pretty serious but uh in the cities right right but we were really out in the bush most of the time so you know any close brushes with uh either death or Hollywood oh well I was fishing on Lake Victoria for a now now perch and I was out really the middle of nowhere and uh came in afterwards and got off the boat and walked in to have lunch and there's a guy sitting there uh that I recognized as Jake Bloom you know that that he's a big Hollywood lawyer he's John hughes's lawyer oh wow I couldn't get away from this thing and I and it's true he was sitting there with his wife and kitten eating you know oh my God you know in the middle of nowhere I'm run into a guy from LA but that was well you're you're a uh partaker of life I know you I mean we've been out together and I'm always fascinated when we're out people always know you as Al and Al's kind of a the quintessential white trash guy but uh well you know Al's the mayor of the trailer park but you uh you uh are so AR in that and uh I've often wondered must be weird balancing that with your fans cuz I know they have certain expectations of it is it is strange it's always kind of you you meet a lot of them and you feel somehow that you're you're not living up to Pal you know goofy you got to go into it a little bit for him sometimes but I enjoy it it's it's it was it's been a great job for me oh man it's like the it's like the gig everybody looks for right I mean you can do other things your whole life I know you're really good act that but that isn't it weird that that thing from Left Field turns out to be your life yeah I mean you know you visualize when I lived in Manhattan I'd always think well you know when I get if I ever get famous uh you think in terms of dairo and you see yourself in that light you know Oh I thought you no no you know I mean the way people perceive you yeah well you're making a lot of dairo now yeah but Al Bundy you know but it's fine hey man believe me every there are people who fancy themselves as dairo and you know never get out of the job at the local Kinkos so um at least you fancy yourself and you got a gig you're a good guy Eddie good to see you again man we'll be right back with Mark [Applause] [Music]