5 Questions With Scott Patrick
By Barb Oates
As a kid, DISH Studio host Scott Patrick was fascinated by television. He recorded TV classics like Welcome Back, Kotter, M*A*S*H and Happy Days on his cassette recorder and then fell asleep listening back to the shows each night.
In a recent interview with Henry Winkler, he shared his childhood obsession. It took a few seconds for Winkler to digest it before he stopped the interview, completely stunned, and said, “I just want you to know — no one has ever told me they did that!”
There are a lot of things the Kentucky native has done that not many people know. Here, the humble Patrick opens up about his life and more.
1. Tell us about your first job.
My first job out of Indiana University was with ABC News in New York. My boss said to me, “If you have any desire to go on-air, go and get it out of your system and come back.” That led to local TV in Louisville and Denver. While at KUSA I created Hollywood One on One, a movie interview show that is still seen nationally on DISH [Channel 102] and internationally. It’s the longest-running movie interview show in television — 31 years, turning 32 in July. During this time the show was aired on Starz. I hosted Starz and Encore for the first decade. I moved to DISH in 2008 and created the channel that is now called DISH Studio. It runs 24 hours a day on channels 102/249. We cover everything from TV shows to films and sports — all things running on DISH.
2. Having done over 10,000 interviews, over the course of your esteemed career, who was the first celebrity you interviewed and tell us something you will never forget about it?
My first interview was with Meryl Streep, seriously, for A Cry in the Dark. She seemed to really enjoy my questions. Then I realized, Meryl isn’t an Oscar-winning actress for nothing. Ha!
3. Also, when you’ve done over 10,000 interviews you’ve got to have a handful that didn’t go quite as planned. Share a story about one of the more challenging interviews you had.
Tommy Lee Jones. Most actors, when you ask a stupid question, they often say “Hmmmm, what an interesting question.” Tommy Lee Jones will say, “That’s a stupid question!” I once asked him to “tell us about your character.” His answer “Did you see the film?” “Yes.” “Then you know the answer. Next question.”
4. Growing up, what was your first experience like at the theater?
My first life-changing film was Jaws. I saw it in the theater on June 20, 1975 — opening day. Probably should have waited a week or a month, as our family took off for a trip to Daytona Beach, Florida, the next week. And every time I stepped on a seashell during the trip or anything sharper than sand, I jumped and perhaps even screamed a few times! I got the chance to tell Steven Spielberg the story and he just laughed and laughed and laughed!
5. What celebrity left you starstruck?
How do you shake hands with Paul Newman and not be starstruck! But my favorite interview was always Robin Williams. It was always like getting a one-on-one stand-up show from the world’s funniest man. And if you could make HIM laugh — that was everything! One of my interviews with Robin was when the remake of Flubber was released. I told him my brother was part of a Nobel Prize in Physics and we knew Jim would be a scientist from his Christmas gifts every year. There’s Jim with a chemistry set and there’s Jim with a new microscope. And then there’s me with an Easy-Bake Oven. Robin didn’t miss a beat. “Well, you could have invented yeast!” Such a big heart.