WEBVTT - Barry Bremen, 'The Great Imposter': No Guts, No Glory 0:00:02.920 --> 0:00:06.560 Welcome to Criminalia, a production of Shonda land Audio in 0:00:06.640 --> 0:00:15.640 partnership with I Heart Radio. Hello, and welcome to the 0:00:15.640 --> 0:00:19.120 third season of Criminalia. This season, we're exploring the lives 0:00:19.120 --> 0:00:22.599 and motivations of some of the most notorious impostors throughout history. 0:00:23.040 --> 0:00:25.880 The subject of this show actually is a really fun one, 0:00:25.920 --> 0:00:28.280 which we don't get to say very often around here. 0:00:29.040 --> 0:00:32.960 I'm mariach Markey and I'm Holly Fry, and Maria was 0:00:33.000 --> 0:00:35.280 not kidding about the fun. We are going to talk 0:00:35.280 --> 0:00:38.400 about a man today named Barry Breman. Barry was a 0:00:38.440 --> 0:00:41.800 businessman who earned a living as a salesman. His specialty 0:00:41.880 --> 0:00:44.520 was actually as a novelty good salesman, so he would 0:00:44.520 --> 0:00:47.839 have been selling things like gag toys and whoopee cushions 0:00:47.880 --> 0:00:50.680 and maybe some pet rocks. My personal fingers are crossed 0:00:50.720 --> 0:00:52.559 for a lot of wax lips, right, I mean it 0:00:52.600 --> 0:00:57.560 was it was the time, right, yes, But for seven 0:00:57.680 --> 0:01:01.880 years of his life from to nineteen eighty six, it 0:01:01.960 --> 0:01:04.520 was not for being a salesman that he became well known. 0:01:05.000 --> 0:01:08.280 He was, in fact known as the great impostor of 0:01:08.319 --> 0:01:12.080 the sports world. Barry was born on June thirtieth, nineteen 0:01:12.160 --> 0:01:15.920 forty seven in Bloomfield Hills, which is a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. 0:01:16.360 --> 0:01:19.959 He loved sports, and he was considered an enthusiastic but 0:01:20.120 --> 0:01:23.160 amateur athlete while he was growing up and by his 0:01:23.280 --> 0:01:28.479 early thirties, Barry would also self describe as a professional impostor, 0:01:28.520 --> 0:01:30.680 and I have quotes around that. So after going to 0:01:30.800 --> 0:01:35.199 see a lack of confidence was never really a problem 0:01:35.240 --> 0:01:39.959 for this man. I so admire his confidence. So we 0:01:40.080 --> 0:01:43.800 gotta rewind back to nineteen seventy nine to set the stage. 0:01:44.440 --> 0:01:48.480 Nineteen seventy nine was the year the Iran hostage crisis began, 0:01:48.880 --> 0:01:52.000 and the most serious nuclear power plant accident in the 0:01:52.080 --> 0:01:56.320 United States happened that year at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania. 0:01:56.520 --> 0:01:59.240 On the much lighter side of the news, Sony introduced 0:01:59.240 --> 0:02:02.560 the Sony Walkman that year, and if you're curious, Maria, 0:02:02.720 --> 0:02:05.600 was I actually remember its introduction. I do too that 0:02:05.680 --> 0:02:08.760 I didn't remember this piece of it. I did because 0:02:08.760 --> 0:02:11.240 I had older siblings who I got to when it 0:02:11.320 --> 0:02:15.359 was released. It costs two hundred dollars, which was incredibly steep, right, 0:02:15.360 --> 0:02:17.400 which I'm sure is why I didn't realize it at 0:02:17.440 --> 0:02:20.720 the time. I was little you know, and the Sugar 0:02:20.800 --> 0:02:23.919 Hill Gangs Rappers Delight became the first rap single to 0:02:24.000 --> 0:02:27.800 become a top forty hit in V nine was also 0:02:27.880 --> 0:02:32.040 the year the very Bremen became a household name. This 0:02:32.200 --> 0:02:34.600 wasn't all that long ago, but it was an era 0:02:34.720 --> 0:02:37.919 of high spirited and fun loving pranks, and in particular 0:02:38.040 --> 0:02:42.400 in sports, and they were totally all publicity worthy. For instance, 0:02:42.440 --> 0:02:45.639 a woman who called herself Morgana became known as the 0:02:45.760 --> 0:02:48.440 Kissing Bandit because she was known to run onto Major 0:02:48.520 --> 0:02:52.840 League Baseball fields um and actually other sporting events too, 0:02:53.280 --> 0:02:56.880 to plan to kiss or two on unsuspecting players. It 0:02:57.040 --> 0:03:00.280 sounds so fun and at the time hilarious us. But 0:03:00.360 --> 0:03:03.400 today that would be perceived so differently. Yeah, but we'll 0:03:03.400 --> 0:03:06.960 get we'll get into that in a little bit. So 0:03:07.160 --> 0:03:10.520 as for Barry, he has been described as equal parts 0:03:10.560 --> 0:03:15.280 of these three characters. First P. T. Barnum, the showman 0:03:15.360 --> 0:03:18.400 who founded the Barnum and Bailey Circus. A lot to 0:03:18.520 --> 0:03:21.880 unpack their We're going to say that Barry was associated 0:03:22.120 --> 0:03:27.040 with the more fun association the Shuman Ship. Correct. Second 0:03:27.200 --> 0:03:29.960 Walter Mitty, who, of course, is a fictional character of 0:03:30.000 --> 0:03:35.000 an ordinary person who indulges in fantastic daydreams of personal triumphs. 0:03:35.680 --> 0:03:40.160 And third, the paper Lion era George Plimpton. Oh, George, 0:03:40.560 --> 0:03:44.400 a writer who at the time was trying different disguises 0:03:44.440 --> 0:03:47.720 and stunts and writing about them. I still have a 0:03:47.720 --> 0:03:54.800 crush on George, so I'm not even joking. Let's let's 0:03:54.840 --> 0:03:58.400 see if Barry matches up to these figures. It's an 0:03:58.440 --> 0:04:03.240 interesting trio. So in nine, a strange man in a 0:04:03.440 --> 0:04:06.640 Kansas City Kings uniform that's a team that's now known 0:04:06.680 --> 0:04:10.720 as the Sacramento Kings joined the basketball team for pregame 0:04:10.720 --> 0:04:14.280 warm up, and this prank was what began the legend 0:04:14.360 --> 0:04:19.080 of Barry Bremen. Impersonating a professional basketball player at the 0:04:19.160 --> 0:04:22.000 NBA All Star Game in Detroit was one of Barry's 0:04:22.040 --> 0:04:26.880 first pranks. He We're gonna say, borrowed the uniform and 0:04:27.040 --> 0:04:29.320 joined the team as they warmed up on the court, 0:04:29.600 --> 0:04:31.919 and he took several shots before he was outed and 0:04:32.160 --> 0:04:34.680 escorted out of the arena. Quote. I did it on 0:04:34.720 --> 0:04:37.680 a bet, explained Barry. He made his way onto the 0:04:37.720 --> 0:04:40.120 court at halftime during the game in a uniform with 0:04:40.160 --> 0:04:44.160 the name Johnson. Quote. There were thirteen Johnson's in the NBA, 0:04:44.760 --> 0:04:48.080 So it was almost like I fit right in so 0:04:48.560 --> 0:04:51.640 that I did it on a bet. Part of his quotation, mark, 0:04:52.000 --> 0:04:54.719 I know it's it's to the media. I know he 0:04:54.839 --> 0:04:59.800 said it, but I totally think it's a lie with 0:04:59.839 --> 0:05:04.000 my so right, maybe that's it. In general, though, the 0:05:04.040 --> 0:05:06.599 professional athletes that he would get onto the court or 0:05:06.600 --> 0:05:09.799 the field with, none of them were generally really bothered 0:05:09.839 --> 0:05:12.960 by any of his antics, and on the contrary, they 0:05:12.960 --> 0:05:16.120 were kind of taken in by his infectious charm, his charisma, 0:05:16.240 --> 0:05:19.799 and just his general love of life. That probably also 0:05:19.880 --> 0:05:23.240 explains why after an air ball and a couple of conkers, 0:05:23.279 --> 0:05:26.159 the pros actually started feeding him in the ball. The 0:05:26.240 --> 0:05:28.560 real players, I mean, at least a few that we know, 0:05:28.640 --> 0:05:31.839 but we're likely in on some of these antics as well. 0:05:32.839 --> 0:05:37.120 Also in nineteen seventy nine, ESPM launched on cable televisions. 0:05:37.240 --> 0:05:41.560 There was only one then, but it was actually a 0:05:41.600 --> 0:05:46.119 different network that noticed Barry. Sports journalist Dick chap first 0:05:46.120 --> 0:05:48.880 shown the spotlight on Barry after he crashed the halftime 0:05:48.880 --> 0:05:53.280 warm ups of that nineteen NBA All Star Game. Chap 0:05:53.320 --> 0:05:56.599 actually featured him as Sportsman of the Week on NBC's 0:05:56.680 --> 0:05:59.680 Today Show, and it did not take long before Barry's 0:05:59.680 --> 0:06:02.520 anti got him on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson 0:06:02.560 --> 0:06:06.520 by invitation, not by a prank, and with that, Barri's 0:06:06.600 --> 0:06:10.320 days of being known as the Great impostor were firmly established. 0:06:11.000 --> 0:06:14.560 That kick started a tour of TV talk shows, including 0:06:14.760 --> 0:06:17.839 Late Night with David Letterman. He went on to become 0:06:17.880 --> 0:06:20.800 the subject of a Jeopardy question, and his appearances on 0:06:20.839 --> 0:06:24.000 TV really seemed to tap into the growing appetite that 0:06:24.080 --> 0:06:28.280 Americans were having for what would later become reality television. 0:06:28.600 --> 0:06:32.280 But here's what Barry had to say about his television 0:06:32.360 --> 0:06:36.159 experiences and appearances, and we quote this. What sinched it 0:06:36.320 --> 0:06:39.720 for me was when Bowling for Dollars called and asked 0:06:39.720 --> 0:06:42.920 me to be the celebrity bowler my kid's favorite program. 0:06:43.040 --> 0:06:47.920 Right right then, I knew I had arrived. I love that. 0:06:47.920 --> 0:06:50.039 That's the effects of his fame for him. I know 0:06:50.240 --> 0:06:54.599 he's like Johnny Carson. Right Bowling for Dollars is where 0:06:55.400 --> 0:06:57.120 we are going to take a quick break for a 0:06:57.160 --> 0:06:59.640 word from our sponsor, and when we return, we will 0:06:59.640 --> 0:07:13.840 talk about the time that Barry impersonated a chicken. Welcome 0:07:13.840 --> 0:07:18.720 back to criminalia. Let's talk about all the times Barry 0:07:18.800 --> 0:07:23.600 pretended to be a professional athlete, among other things. It 0:07:23.680 --> 0:07:26.640 was also in nineteen seventy nine. Clearly he was very busy. 0:07:26.680 --> 0:07:30.160 That year, Barry warmed up with the American League team 0:07:30.200 --> 0:07:33.160 for the Major League Baseball All Star Game while wearing 0:07:33.200 --> 0:07:36.679 New York Yankee pinstripes. That was before he was escorted 0:07:36.680 --> 0:07:39.640 off the field. The following year, in nineteen eighty, Berry 0:07:39.680 --> 0:07:42.000 showed up as an umpire at home plate for the 0:07:42.040 --> 0:07:45.680 World Series. That was when the Philadelphia Phillies and Kansas 0:07:45.720 --> 0:07:48.440 City Royals were playing. But again that did not last. 0:07:48.480 --> 0:07:52.840 He was quickly escorted off the field. Yes, and as 0:07:52.880 --> 0:07:57.640 Holly mentioned earlier, in two he attempted to crash the 0:07:57.680 --> 0:08:01.960 Super Bowl while impersonating a chicken, specifically the famous San 0:08:01.960 --> 0:08:05.600 Diego chicken. But here he was stopped by police before 0:08:05.640 --> 0:08:08.440 he could actually enter. I guess they noticed the chicken. 0:08:10.240 --> 0:08:12.440 It's hard to, you know, keep it on the d 0:08:12.600 --> 0:08:15.840 L when you're walking around in a chicken suit. I 0:08:15.920 --> 0:08:23.760 might know that from personal experience. Maybe maybe not. During 0:08:23.880 --> 0:08:27.040 a nine six batting practice at the All Star Game 0:08:27.040 --> 0:08:30.480 in Houston, Texas, Barry, who was wearing a new York 0:08:30.480 --> 0:08:33.400 Mets uniform with the number thirteen on it, but no name. 0:08:33.960 --> 0:08:37.200 Actually fielded a few fly balls when the manager of 0:08:37.240 --> 0:08:42.040 the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tommy Lasorda, it's a very recognizable 0:08:42.120 --> 0:08:46.280 name in Major League Baseball, noticed him, and loss Orta 0:08:46.440 --> 0:08:50.000 ran onto the field bat in hand. Again, no surprise 0:08:50.040 --> 0:08:53.760 if you know anything about Tommy Lasorda shouting and we quote, hey, 0:08:53.840 --> 0:08:57.960 hey's a whole lot of expletives behind it. That's exactly 0:08:57.960 --> 0:09:02.800 what I expect from Tommy. Started yes. Lossorta, who was 0:09:02.840 --> 0:09:05.240 serving as the National League coach for the game, told 0:09:05.280 --> 0:09:07.960 the media, I knew something was up when he couldn't 0:09:08.000 --> 0:09:11.760 go to his right. He continued quote, he said he 0:09:11.800 --> 0:09:14.080 was living his fantasy, and I said it was my 0:09:14.200 --> 0:09:18.000 fantasy to get his bleep off the field. That's me bleeping. 0:09:18.960 --> 0:09:22.160 Before leaving, Barry explained that he just wanted to take 0:09:22.200 --> 0:09:24.880 batting practice and get one hit. That was all, just 0:09:25.080 --> 0:09:29.960 one hit. Barry's big dream prank at this time actually 0:09:30.679 --> 0:09:36.560 was to masquerade as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. Being Barry, 0:09:36.679 --> 0:09:39.200 he did it. He lost twenty three pounds and shaved 0:09:39.200 --> 0:09:41.800 his legs. He practiced routines with his wife and he 0:09:41.840 --> 0:09:45.400 had a custom made cheerleader uniform mate to pull it off, 0:09:45.480 --> 0:09:48.560 he probably spent about a thousand dollars, if not a 0:09:48.559 --> 0:09:52.040 little bit more of his own money. So he made 0:09:52.080 --> 0:09:55.880 his move at a Dallas Cowboys Washington Redskins game. In 0:09:56.200 --> 0:09:59.800 those hot pants boots, he had some breast enhancers and 0:10:00.080 --> 0:10:03.719 blonde wig. Barry danced with the cheerleading squad during the 0:10:03.800 --> 0:10:06.040 last two minutes of the game, and he also got 0:10:06.040 --> 0:10:10.040 out a single cheer of go Dallas before Cowboys security 0:10:10.040 --> 0:10:12.439 grabbed him. This part of the story that that right 0:10:12.440 --> 0:10:15.160 there wore is my heart. The image of Barry dancing 0:10:15.160 --> 0:10:17.880 with the cheerleaders, Like, I just love this part of 0:10:17.920 --> 0:10:22.480 his story. The team vice president Joseph A. Bailey did 0:10:22.480 --> 0:10:25.920 not love it. He called Barry quote perverted, and when 0:10:25.960 --> 0:10:29.480 Barry called the cheerleader's manager to try to explain that 0:10:29.559 --> 0:10:33.199 it was all just in good fun, she replied tersely, quote, 0:10:33.360 --> 0:10:37.560 you are not a female. So the way that Barry 0:10:37.679 --> 0:10:40.880 played imposter, it's a little different than the way that 0:10:40.960 --> 0:10:44.720 we talk about other impostors in this season. He didn't 0:10:44.800 --> 0:10:48.040 cause himself or anyone else any harm. He didn't do 0:10:48.080 --> 0:10:52.320 anything physically or financially wrong, but the Cowboys sued him 0:10:52.320 --> 0:10:54.760 to the tune of five thousand dollars for trespassing and 0:10:54.800 --> 0:10:58.040 for creating a nuisance. They wanted to ban him from 0:10:58.080 --> 0:11:01.840 Cowboy games for the rest of his life. Barry's reaction 0:11:02.280 --> 0:11:05.600 was pretty berry. He said, what are they going to do? 0:11:05.760 --> 0:11:08.800 Put wanted posters at every entrance? This is ridiculous. I 0:11:08.840 --> 0:11:11.120 was just having fun, and in the end of the 0:11:11.160 --> 0:11:14.839 team did drop the lawsuit. This is one of those 0:11:14.840 --> 0:11:18.520 things where I kind of see both sides. I fall 0:11:18.640 --> 0:11:20.560 on the side of fun, but I could see where 0:11:20.600 --> 0:11:24.400 someone who was not particularly humorous about their job would 0:11:24.440 --> 0:11:31.480 be very irritated by this whole business. Um amidst Amid 0:11:31.520 --> 0:11:34.920 start talking about his infiltration of the Cowboys cheerleading squad, 0:11:35.240 --> 0:11:38.240 we really have to pivot a little bit and talk 0:11:38.280 --> 0:11:43.080 about Barry's golfing prowess. On three yes, that is correct, 0:11:43.160 --> 0:11:46.840 three separate occasions. Barry played golf in the US Open 0:11:46.920 --> 0:11:50.520 practice round, which is amazing, right, and he actually was 0:11:50.600 --> 0:11:53.560 considered a pretty good golfer according to the man himself. 0:11:53.600 --> 0:11:57.439 At least he allegedly had a seven handicap, But great 0:11:57.520 --> 0:12:00.400 or not, most golfers still do not it to play 0:12:00.400 --> 0:12:03.679 around with a talent like Jack Nicholas or Fred Couples, 0:12:03.800 --> 0:12:08.480 right or he did, but Berry did right. So again 0:12:08.760 --> 0:12:13.400 in nineteen seventy nine, Barry snuck into the club that 0:12:13.480 --> 0:12:16.160 was hosting the US Open and he played a practice 0:12:16.240 --> 0:12:19.560 round with Jerry Pate, who was actually unaware of who 0:12:19.600 --> 0:12:22.839 Barry actually was. At the US Open in nineteen eighty, 0:12:22.960 --> 0:12:26.920 he played so poorly that a spectator actually asked that 0:12:26.960 --> 0:12:31.160 the United States Golf Association's representative how an amateur golfer 0:12:31.200 --> 0:12:34.600 could make it through qualifying? Um, But it's Barry. So 0:12:34.720 --> 0:12:39.440 Barry didn't actually go through qualifying. That's why it was 0:12:39.520 --> 0:12:43.040 his third time doing this in five where things went 0:12:43.120 --> 0:12:45.880 well a little differently for him on the golf course. 0:12:46.600 --> 0:12:49.720 While he was scouting the Oakland Hills Country Club, he 0:12:49.800 --> 0:12:52.920 happened to meet pro golfer Fred Couples and the two 0:12:52.920 --> 0:12:55.880 men hit it off, and Couples would later remember Berry 0:12:55.920 --> 0:12:59.240 saying quote, I had a great chuckle with him. So 0:12:59.280 --> 0:13:02.959 when it comes to this nineteen event, a friend who 0:13:03.000 --> 0:13:05.760 was a club member also helped pull off this caper. 0:13:06.000 --> 0:13:08.880 He's the one who smuggled Berries clubs and his caddy 0:13:09.040 --> 0:13:12.440 into the club. Barry were a disguise, which I love, 0:13:12.520 --> 0:13:15.400 included a fake mustache along with a wig, and he 0:13:15.520 --> 0:13:19.240 claimed to be a qualifier named Mark Diamond. Once he 0:13:19.360 --> 0:13:21.920 was in he found Couples, who was playing a practice 0:13:22.000 --> 0:13:24.480 round with Jay Hass. According to Couples, and this is 0:13:24.480 --> 0:13:26.959 a long quote, so stick with me, he came out 0:13:26.960 --> 0:13:29.120 of the shrubs on the second hole and hit this 0:13:29.200 --> 0:13:32.000 tea shot that buzzes the spectators. He had on this 0:13:32.040 --> 0:13:35.079 big wig and advisor and looked a little out of place, 0:13:35.160 --> 0:13:38.160 but we didn't care. He just did his deal and 0:13:38.200 --> 0:13:40.600 had a great time. It didn't take long for people 0:13:40.600 --> 0:13:42.760 to scream out, who's that guy? I mean, the cat 0:13:42.800 --> 0:13:44.400 was out of the bag after a couple of holes, 0:13:44.440 --> 0:13:46.760 but we didn't get into trouble and no one came 0:13:46.760 --> 0:13:50.760 out to get him. I suspect having the pro golfers 0:13:50.800 --> 0:13:54.520 not really carrying helped a whole lot in terms of security. 0:13:56.040 --> 0:13:59.160 At the tenth hole, the threesome turned into a fiveesome, 0:13:59.440 --> 0:14:03.680 four professional golfers and Barry quote. When we played as 0:14:03.720 --> 0:14:06.680 a fivesome, according to Barry, that's when I got a 0:14:06.679 --> 0:14:09.800 little nervous. All they said was we don't mind you 0:14:09.840 --> 0:14:12.960 playing as long as you keep the ball in play. 0:14:13.080 --> 0:14:17.160 I think that's fair. I think that's fair good nature 0:14:18.160 --> 0:14:21.120 right out of all of his stunts, Barry always said 0:14:21.200 --> 0:14:24.280 that he was proudest of his golf antics. He said, quote, 0:14:24.280 --> 0:14:26.400 I was out there for the longest time and I 0:14:26.480 --> 0:14:29.520 was never caught. He called this particular four and a 0:14:29.560 --> 0:14:34.080 half hour prank his favorite impersonation quote, no question about it. 0:14:34.080 --> 0:14:37.680 It was wonderful. He also said, quote during one point, 0:14:37.720 --> 0:14:40.120 as I was playing, I remember thinking what a great 0:14:40.120 --> 0:14:43.280 place this is. I mean, is America a great place? 0:14:43.480 --> 0:14:51.320 Or what? Berry can do crazy things that are completely 0:14:51.960 --> 0:14:54.400 untoward and still get away with it. So let's just 0:14:54.440 --> 0:14:59.520 call them. They're all fun. We're going to take a 0:14:59.600 --> 0:15:02.560 quick rake for award from our sponsor, and then we'll 0:15:02.600 --> 0:15:05.440 be back to talk about Barry's stunt, not in the 0:15:05.480 --> 0:15:19.200 sports world, but at the Emmy's. Welcome back to criminal lya. Okay, 0:15:19.280 --> 0:15:23.440 let's talk about why Barry needed to apologize to entertain her, 0:15:23.440 --> 0:15:27.720 Betty Thomas. This is one of Barry's non sports related pranks. 0:15:29.200 --> 0:15:34.120 He brazenly accepted Betty Thomas's Emmy. This was not a 0:15:34.160 --> 0:15:37.160 small prank either. It's not like running onto the basketball 0:15:37.200 --> 0:15:41.119 court at halftime. Betty Thomas to give you some context, 0:15:41.280 --> 0:15:44.760 started her acting career alongside Bill Murray, Harold Ramos, and 0:15:44.840 --> 0:15:48.360 John Belushi on stage every night at Second City. She 0:15:48.440 --> 0:15:52.440 has started hit TV shows. She moved into directing, eventually 0:15:52.480 --> 0:15:54.880 giving us such hits as The Brady Bunch Movie and 0:15:55.000 --> 0:15:58.360 Dr Doolittle, and her two thousand nine film Alvin and 0:15:58.360 --> 0:16:01.800 the Chipmunks. The Squeak Wol became the first female directed 0:16:01.800 --> 0:16:04.880 picture to gross more than two hundred million dollars. It 0:16:05.000 --> 0:16:07.520 makes her one of the most successful directors of all Tommy, 0:16:08.360 --> 0:16:17.080 I'm so sorry, squeak one. So this is the first 0:16:17.120 --> 0:16:24.240 time you encountered the Squeaks as an animation person. I 0:16:24.320 --> 0:16:27.160 knew all about the well Alvan, I got that, but 0:16:27.240 --> 0:16:30.480 the Squeak well, I just um, I can go now. 0:16:30.520 --> 0:16:37.080 I think she definitely has Hollywood credit. But for our purposes, 0:16:37.120 --> 0:16:40.160 we're talking about the time earlier in her career when 0:16:40.360 --> 0:16:43.360 Betty landed a role as police officer Lucy Bates on 0:16:43.480 --> 0:16:47.080 Hill Street Blues. So this show actually ran between nine 0:16:48.720 --> 0:16:53.240 seven and Betty received during that time seven yeah, I said, 0:16:53.240 --> 0:16:57.520 seven Emmy nominations for her work as Outstanding Supporting Actress. 0:16:57.600 --> 0:17:00.880 But it was this year she took Home and Emmy. 0:17:01.000 --> 0:17:04.520 That's the five season of the show, and that's also 0:17:04.600 --> 0:17:08.360 the same year that Barry interrupted it. Yeah, she basically 0:17:08.520 --> 0:17:11.879 got nominated every single year for that one. So there's 0:17:11.920 --> 0:17:14.720 Barry at the thirty seven Annual Emmy Awards in the 0:17:14.760 --> 0:17:18.840 Pasadena Civic Auditorium, dressed all up in a rented tuxedo 0:17:18.960 --> 0:17:22.199 with a pink tie and cumberbund He said, quote, I 0:17:22.280 --> 0:17:24.960 was a little tanned. I looked, Barry, Hollywood. I'm going 0:17:25.000 --> 0:17:27.399 to interrupt you for a second that if anyone actually 0:17:27.440 --> 0:17:30.280 wants to google that, there is a photo of Barry 0:17:30.440 --> 0:17:34.280 at the lectern in his pink tie and cumberbund um 0:17:34.320 --> 0:17:37.680 accepting this award. It's very blurry like someone took a 0:17:37.720 --> 0:17:40.679 screen capture of it, but it exists and it's he was. 0:17:41.200 --> 0:17:47.159 He was lightly tanned. He later explained that he had 0:17:47.160 --> 0:17:49.679 gotten into the event with a three hundred dollar ticket 0:17:49.760 --> 0:17:53.040 that he purchased pretending he was with the media, and 0:17:53.119 --> 0:17:55.360 with that ticket he ended up in a third row 0:17:55.480 --> 0:17:59.080 aisle seat. Berry, over the course of the evening, met 0:17:59.119 --> 0:18:02.720 several celebrity is, including this story about actor Robert Stack. 0:18:03.640 --> 0:18:06.000 I told him, Barry said, I was here to accept 0:18:06.040 --> 0:18:07.840 an Emmy, and I asked him what it was like 0:18:07.920 --> 0:18:11.080 to work with some of his friends. Barry then continued, 0:18:11.119 --> 0:18:13.359 he didn't say much. He acted like he knew who 0:18:13.440 --> 0:18:19.200 I was, but I knew he didn't. So when Betty's 0:18:19.280 --> 0:18:22.240 name was announced, it was Barry who straight to the 0:18:22.280 --> 0:18:24.879 lectern and whispered to the presenter, who happened to be 0:18:24.960 --> 0:18:27.920 the actor Peter Graves, that he would be accepting the 0:18:28.000 --> 0:18:33.240 statue on Betty's behalf. But everyone, including Peter, was confused 0:18:33.240 --> 0:18:36.320 by this, and then it happened, Much to the surprise 0:18:36.359 --> 0:18:39.600 of everyone on stage and at the event, Barry went 0:18:39.640 --> 0:18:42.800 ahead and accepted the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 0:18:42.800 --> 0:18:46.000 a Drama Series, explaining in his short speech that Betty 0:18:46.080 --> 0:18:50.400 Thomas was unavailable to do so herself. But here's the thing. 0:18:50.840 --> 0:18:53.960 Betty was there in the audience. She got up to 0:18:54.000 --> 0:18:55.720 try to get her award, and by the time she 0:18:55.800 --> 0:18:59.160 reached the stage, Barry was already wrapping up his acceptance 0:18:59.160 --> 0:19:02.600 speech with a thing you to sportscaster Dick Chap. Chap, 0:19:02.760 --> 0:19:05.439 you'll recall, was the first person to put Barry on 0:19:05.480 --> 0:19:09.320 television as Sportsman of the Week back in ninety nine, 0:19:09.960 --> 0:19:14.199 after being ushered off stage. Barry recalls that when he 0:19:14.280 --> 0:19:18.560 was backstage, Betty seemed and we quote Barry startled and 0:19:18.720 --> 0:19:23.280 he said to her, I'm sorry, I'm the impostor. He 0:19:23.400 --> 0:19:25.879 later said that there was no specific reason that he 0:19:25.920 --> 0:19:28.720 had targeted Betty. Quote. I never met Betty Thomas and 0:19:28.720 --> 0:19:31.360 I've never seen Hill Street Blues. But when I got 0:19:31.440 --> 0:19:33.640 up there, I said I had just talked to Betty yesterday, 0:19:33.720 --> 0:19:36.760 and then I took the award. His act Actually wasn't 0:19:36.760 --> 0:19:40.320 the first time someone crashed the Emmys, or actually any 0:19:40.440 --> 0:19:44.000 award show. Robert Opple made history when he streaked across 0:19:44.000 --> 0:19:49.479 the stage during the forty Academy Awards. In of all 0:19:49.520 --> 0:19:51.879 that he had done, this was the biggest trouble that 0:19:51.920 --> 0:19:55.639 Barry got himself into. He is quoted as saying he 0:19:55.760 --> 0:19:58.440 was quote going to try to work something out, and 0:19:58.480 --> 0:20:01.119 he pretty much did just that. He was questioned and 0:20:01.160 --> 0:20:04.760 booked by Pasadena police, and according to Barry, quote they 0:20:04.800 --> 0:20:07.520 got a little pushy for a while. He always spent 0:20:07.600 --> 0:20:09.679 an hour or two in jail before he posted the 0:20:09.720 --> 0:20:12.160 hundred and fifty dollar bond, and on his way out, 0:20:12.280 --> 0:20:15.800 he signed autographs for some of the officers that gives 0:20:15.840 --> 0:20:18.639 you an indication of the level of celebrity that he 0:20:18.680 --> 0:20:22.200 had achieved at this point for this impostor business. Absolutely 0:20:22.400 --> 0:20:26.360 there Later, though, Barry did acknowledge that Betty Thomas deserved 0:20:26.400 --> 0:20:29.520 an apology from him and that he we quote did 0:20:29.560 --> 0:20:32.240 not want to take the thunder away from anyone. I 0:20:32.240 --> 0:20:34.520 guess I deserved it, right. I mean, you take an 0:20:34.560 --> 0:20:36.960 award from somebody on Hill Street blues, I guess you 0:20:37.000 --> 0:20:39.800 should be thrown in jail. And when asked about that 0:20:39.880 --> 0:20:44.160 hour that he was locked up, Berry replied, well, for starters, 0:20:44.240 --> 0:20:47.000 I was the only guy dressed in a tuxedo, and 0:20:47.040 --> 0:20:49.439 then there was the fact that I was conscious, you know, 0:20:50.040 --> 0:20:55.240 not drunk about that. Emmy prank Berry continued, quote what 0:20:55.359 --> 0:20:57.879 I thought I was doing, what I hoped I was doing, 0:20:58.040 --> 0:21:00.400 was accepting an award for someone who I didn't think 0:21:00.480 --> 0:21:03.520 was there based on her slow reaction of getting up. 0:21:04.119 --> 0:21:06.560 He then added, I guess I missed my mark. I 0:21:06.600 --> 0:21:11.359 should have accepted for Jane Curtin. Jane Curtain was named 0:21:11.400 --> 0:21:13.679 Best Actress that year in a comedy series that was 0:21:13.720 --> 0:21:16.480 for the sitcom Katon Alley, but she was a no show. 0:21:17.920 --> 0:21:20.879 So afterwards, Verry said of the whole affair, and this 0:21:21.040 --> 0:21:24.280 is a quote from him. Let me put it this way. 0:21:24.520 --> 0:21:27.600 From now on, I am going to strictly stay in sports. 0:21:27.760 --> 0:21:31.200 The ball players are more receptive to these things than actors. 0:21:32.960 --> 0:21:34.959 I don't know if you had taken a ball players 0:21:35.000 --> 0:21:40.320 award accepted speech, they may have felt equally chagrined. But 0:21:40.440 --> 0:21:43.760 we'll never know. So we're going to jump forward to 0:21:45.119 --> 0:21:47.639 and that year, Barry told the Associated Press that he 0:21:47.680 --> 0:21:51.440 was semi retired from his impostor days, mainly, as he said, 0:21:51.440 --> 0:21:54.000 because he didn't want to be mistaken for the quote 0:21:54.359 --> 0:21:57.960 real nuts who run onto sports fields for attention or worse. 0:21:58.640 --> 0:22:01.480 He referenced the knife attack that had happened on tennis 0:22:01.520 --> 0:22:05.399 star Monica Sellis in as an early game changer for 0:22:05.480 --> 0:22:10.640 security breaches. Barry's son Adam, explained that his father did 0:22:10.640 --> 0:22:13.399 all of these things because it made people smile, but 0:22:13.760 --> 0:22:16.359 when asked to give advice to people who may also 0:22:16.440 --> 0:22:19.960 want to try it out, Barry said, and we quote this, 0:22:20.480 --> 0:22:23.320 don't do it. It's against the law. Stay away, and 0:22:23.359 --> 0:22:28.960 then he joked, this is my act. You know. I 0:22:29.000 --> 0:22:31.400 could see where people would want to do the copycat thing. 0:22:31.520 --> 0:22:35.080 But I think he was mentally ready for the repercussions 0:22:35.080 --> 0:22:38.280 when things went poorly, and not everybody would be agreed. 0:22:38.400 --> 0:22:40.560 And all of this, of course went even deeper than that. 0:22:40.880 --> 0:22:43.040 In two thousand five, when Barry was asked if he 0:22:43.119 --> 0:22:46.480 planned to completely retire from his role as the Great impostor, 0:22:46.600 --> 0:22:49.680 he replied, and we quote, you've heard of the Taser gun, 0:22:49.960 --> 0:22:53.400 you've heard of nine eleven. They don't ask questions anymore. 0:22:54.080 --> 0:22:56.879 And he's totally right. Security in a post nine eleven 0:22:56.920 --> 0:22:58.919 world is not the same as it was in nineteen 0:22:59.000 --> 0:23:02.840 seventy nine. It was far less intense then. Although sometimes 0:23:02.840 --> 0:23:05.439 Barry was arrested, he never spent real time in jail. 0:23:05.480 --> 0:23:07.800 That there was, you know, a couple hours on that 0:23:07.880 --> 0:23:11.520 one night after taking the award. He was mostly just 0:23:11.640 --> 0:23:16.119 verbally reprimanded and then find Today his escapades would be 0:23:16.160 --> 0:23:19.360 seen differently. They would likely attract attention from far more 0:23:19.400 --> 0:23:22.920 than sports fans, and quite possibly from organizations like homeland 0:23:22.960 --> 0:23:27.320 security or the FBI. So also early two thousand's when 0:23:27.320 --> 0:23:30.000 the Super Bowl was in Detroit in two thousand and six, 0:23:30.080 --> 0:23:33.199 the Detroit News asked Barry what he had planned for 0:23:33.200 --> 0:23:37.080 the big event, and his answer when he he whispered 0:23:37.119 --> 0:23:40.600 into the phone, was I've been in the stadium for 0:23:40.600 --> 0:23:43.480 four months. I brought enough food and water. I bought 0:23:43.480 --> 0:23:45.760 the uniform of every team with a chance to go 0:23:45.800 --> 0:23:49.159 into the playoffs. But he couldn't maintain that lie. He 0:23:49.240 --> 0:23:50.919 was He was fifty eight at the time, and he 0:23:51.040 --> 0:23:54.280 just started laughing, and he admitted that he actually was 0:23:54.320 --> 0:23:57.879 planning to stay home comfortably, maybe playing golf and watching 0:23:57.880 --> 0:24:02.440 the game on TV, a much more low key way 0:24:02.480 --> 0:24:05.480 to do it. When he was asked what his wife 0:24:05.480 --> 0:24:08.879 thought of all these pranks, Barry replied, she gets nervous. 0:24:09.040 --> 0:24:13.280 It's an odd advocation. I am a little different. And 0:24:13.440 --> 0:24:16.000