By FRANCES SHARPE | Editor-in-Chief
Palisadian TV industry veteran Chuck Larsen took the podium on Thursday, April 23 at the Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church as the guest speaker in the seventh installment of the “Food for Thought” luncheon/speaker series.
Larsen, whose TV career evolved from reporter/anchorman to station manager, program distributor and then forming his own consulting company, October Moon TV, entertained the audience with a talk humorously entitled “Famous People Who’ve Met Me.”
Rich Schmitt/Staff Photographer
Audience members laughed as Larsen recounted his days as an anchorman in Indiana where he worked with on-air weatherman David Letterman.
Even back then in the late 1960s/early 1970s, Letterman was a funny guy, according to Larsen.
“He was the class clown,” Larsen told the Palisadian-Post over lunch at the Jonathan Club.
“Dave was a perfectionist and he would have all these magnets positioned on the weather map. Then we would go in and screw with his magnets,” Larsen said. “Dave was such a great ad libber though, he would just go with it and make it work.”
Larsen and Letterman also did a broadcast show from the Indiana State Fair in 1971 where they did stupid pet tricks (which continued to be a popular segment on the Late Show with David Letterman). They also hosted a weekly show where the pair reported on out-of-the-ordinary adventures, such as riding in the Goodyear blimp.
Among the many famous people Larsen spoke about during his talk were several big-name Palisadians.
Over the years, Larsen has sold programs for and worked as a consultant with J.J. Abrams, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bob Saget and Honorary Mayors Jake Steinfeld and Ted Knight.
In addition, he’s rubbed elbows with Palisadian celebs Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, whose kids went to the same school as Larsen’s children.
Of all the famous people who have met him, however, Roy Rogers impressed Larsen the most.
Larsen grew up listening to Rogers’ radio show and worked on a special about the legendary singing cowboy for the American Movies Classics network. This offered him the unique opportunity to spend time with Rogers when he was in his 80s.
“He was the nicest, most unaffected famous person I ever met,” Larsen said.
Larsen is also a travel enthusiast and photographer who is a frequent contributor to the Palisadian-Post.
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