unsolved88
12-27-2015, 04:01 PM
I enjoy older talk shows. Last year, I was able to download an HBO America Undercover episode from 1997 (but appeared to have been taped over about three year's time) entitled "Talked to Death" about how these shows exploit people. Different guests who said they were wronged or misled by the producers of these shows were interviewed. The whole documentary used to be on YouTube, but now all that's on there is the segment they did about the Scott Amedure incident on Jenny Jones. Two segments -- one about Maury and the other about Montel Williams -- made me want to see the full episodes discussed. There's also an episode of Sally from 1994 that I'd like to see. Warning! The description of the Maury episode is long and comes from the documentary.
Maury: "Breast Implant Horror" (April 30, 1992)
Laura Thorpe was a 39-year-old wife and mother from New Mexico. After her insurance company refused to pay for the removal of the silicone breast implants that she claimed were making her sick, she took matters into her own hands. After her husband and kids went to bed for the night, Laura took a razor blade to her breasts and cut the implants out herself! The story hit headlines and talk shows wanted to interview her. This led to an appearance on The Maury Povich Show on April 30, 1992, just a few weeks after the incident.
http://www.nbcuniversalarchives.com/nbcuni/clip/5112452985_s01.do
http://www.nbcuniversalarchives.com/nbcuni/clip/5112452985_s02.do
http://www.nbcuniversalarchives.com/nbcuni/clip/5112452985_s03.do
http://www.nbcuniversalarchives.com/nbcuni/clip/5112452985_s04.do
http://www.nbcuniversalarchives.com/nbcuni/clip/5112452985_s05.do
But Maury wasn't the first choice, Laura claimed. She was initially contacted by the Sally Jessy-Raphael crew (the "Sally people") who flew them to New York, put them in a fancy hotel and even gave them spending money. As such, she agreed to do the Sally show first. She was in the Sally green room and said she felt uncomfortable about going through with it because of the other guests (she claimed it resembled a "circus show" with people who had gross piercings and tattoos, etc.) and went back to the hotel to collect herself for a bit. From there, she said she was approached by one of the Maury people who said that they wanted to talk to her. When they met, she apologized that she wouldn't be doing his show that day as she was getting ready to do Sally's. They then whisked her into hair and makeup and guilted her into doing the show for "just a few minutes". She was promised by the show that they wouldn't air her appearance on Maury until after her appearance on Sally aired. While she was out there being interviewed, Maury brought on New York plastic surgeon Dr. Joseph Pober to give his take on Laura's situation. Laura said it was at this point that she realized that she had been lured to the Maury show by the producers and that the whole thing was "pre-meditated to get me to do that [Maury's] show". Even Pober told HBO that he thought he was only going to appear on the show to discuss the pros and cons of breast implant surgery. He had no idea that he would be sitting next to a woman who mutilated herself to remove the implants. After the show, he was so concerned that he examined Laura himself and told Maury that she needed immediate medical attention. She was sent to the nearby hospital where doctors told her that she was lucky to still be alive with such an infection and that she needed surgery.
Pober said was visited by the Sally show producers later that evening at his office regarding Laura Thorpe. Would she be able to appear on Sally the following day, they wanted to know, adding that she was already booked as a guest. He told them that Laura was in the hospital and would be undergoing surgery the following day. The answer was no. So the producers began calling the hospital trying to get in touch with Laura herself!
They asked her if she could do the surgery at three in the morning and then be ready to do the show later that same morning. When she said no, they threatened to sue her. Laura did somehow manage to complete her surgery and get cleared medically to do the show. But as she was getting ready to leave the hospital, the Sally people called and told her not to come.
Maury, of course, tells a different story. He says Laura came to him and asked to do his show instead.
There are a few different versions of how Laura ended up on the Maury show, as well as different accounts as to whether or not she was actually becoming sick from the implants or was just paranoid. Those who have seen the episode claim Laura repeatedly strays from the topic and Maury had to keep redirecting her. Some say that it was a result of the infection from her self-surgery, while others say her ramblings were those of someone with a pre-existing mental illness. FWIW, Laura's health continued to decline and in 1996, she had a seizure in her sleep and gagged to death on her own vomit. She was 43.
The Montel Williams Show: "Mercy Sex" (January 12, 1993)
In late 1992, Yvonne Porter of San Jose, California was contacted by the Montel Williams Show (then a fairly new show). The producer told her that she couldn't reveal the topic, but did say that it dealt with an old boyfriend of hers. She further stated that Yvonne's sister Kimberly Willis had written to the show and that she wanted both sisters to appear. After she was assured by both Kimberly and the producer that she wouldn't be humiliated on the show, Yvonne agreed. The following article explains what transpired.
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19940513&slug=1910219
Sally (April 7, 1994)
Roger Ellison, missing from Colorado since 1981, is featured on the show. Two different callers from Colorado's Grand Junction area notified authorities and said they recognized Roger after seeing his photo on the broadcast. One woman even went so far as to say Roger looked like a friend of her brother's. Both calls came in the same day the show aired. These calls were two of only five unconfirmed sightings of him since 1985. The calls never panned out and Roger is still missing to this day.
I will likely add more to this list, including some 1990s episodes of the Miami-based Spanish language Cristina show on Univision. These just happened to be the top three I thought of.
Maury: "Breast Implant Horror" (April 30, 1992)
Laura Thorpe was a 39-year-old wife and mother from New Mexico. After her insurance company refused to pay for the removal of the silicone breast implants that she claimed were making her sick, she took matters into her own hands. After her husband and kids went to bed for the night, Laura took a razor blade to her breasts and cut the implants out herself! The story hit headlines and talk shows wanted to interview her. This led to an appearance on The Maury Povich Show on April 30, 1992, just a few weeks after the incident.
http://www.nbcuniversalarchives.com/nbcuni/clip/5112452985_s01.do
http://www.nbcuniversalarchives.com/nbcuni/clip/5112452985_s02.do
http://www.nbcuniversalarchives.com/nbcuni/clip/5112452985_s03.do
http://www.nbcuniversalarchives.com/nbcuni/clip/5112452985_s04.do
http://www.nbcuniversalarchives.com/nbcuni/clip/5112452985_s05.do
But Maury wasn't the first choice, Laura claimed. She was initially contacted by the Sally Jessy-Raphael crew (the "Sally people") who flew them to New York, put them in a fancy hotel and even gave them spending money. As such, she agreed to do the Sally show first. She was in the Sally green room and said she felt uncomfortable about going through with it because of the other guests (she claimed it resembled a "circus show" with people who had gross piercings and tattoos, etc.) and went back to the hotel to collect herself for a bit. From there, she said she was approached by one of the Maury people who said that they wanted to talk to her. When they met, she apologized that she wouldn't be doing his show that day as she was getting ready to do Sally's. They then whisked her into hair and makeup and guilted her into doing the show for "just a few minutes". She was promised by the show that they wouldn't air her appearance on Maury until after her appearance on Sally aired. While she was out there being interviewed, Maury brought on New York plastic surgeon Dr. Joseph Pober to give his take on Laura's situation. Laura said it was at this point that she realized that she had been lured to the Maury show by the producers and that the whole thing was "pre-meditated to get me to do that [Maury's] show". Even Pober told HBO that he thought he was only going to appear on the show to discuss the pros and cons of breast implant surgery. He had no idea that he would be sitting next to a woman who mutilated herself to remove the implants. After the show, he was so concerned that he examined Laura himself and told Maury that she needed immediate medical attention. She was sent to the nearby hospital where doctors told her that she was lucky to still be alive with such an infection and that she needed surgery.
Pober said was visited by the Sally show producers later that evening at his office regarding Laura Thorpe. Would she be able to appear on Sally the following day, they wanted to know, adding that she was already booked as a guest. He told them that Laura was in the hospital and would be undergoing surgery the following day. The answer was no. So the producers began calling the hospital trying to get in touch with Laura herself!
They asked her if she could do the surgery at three in the morning and then be ready to do the show later that same morning. When she said no, they threatened to sue her. Laura did somehow manage to complete her surgery and get cleared medically to do the show. But as she was getting ready to leave the hospital, the Sally people called and told her not to come.
Maury, of course, tells a different story. He says Laura came to him and asked to do his show instead.
There are a few different versions of how Laura ended up on the Maury show, as well as different accounts as to whether or not she was actually becoming sick from the implants or was just paranoid. Those who have seen the episode claim Laura repeatedly strays from the topic and Maury had to keep redirecting her. Some say that it was a result of the infection from her self-surgery, while others say her ramblings were those of someone with a pre-existing mental illness. FWIW, Laura's health continued to decline and in 1996, she had a seizure in her sleep and gagged to death on her own vomit. She was 43.
The Montel Williams Show: "Mercy Sex" (January 12, 1993)
In late 1992, Yvonne Porter of San Jose, California was contacted by the Montel Williams Show (then a fairly new show). The producer told her that she couldn't reveal the topic, but did say that it dealt with an old boyfriend of hers. She further stated that Yvonne's sister Kimberly Willis had written to the show and that she wanted both sisters to appear. After she was assured by both Kimberly and the producer that she wouldn't be humiliated on the show, Yvonne agreed. The following article explains what transpired.
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19940513&slug=1910219
Sally (April 7, 1994)
Roger Ellison, missing from Colorado since 1981, is featured on the show. Two different callers from Colorado's Grand Junction area notified authorities and said they recognized Roger after seeing his photo on the broadcast. One woman even went so far as to say Roger looked like a friend of her brother's. Both calls came in the same day the show aired. These calls were two of only five unconfirmed sightings of him since 1985. The calls never panned out and Roger is still missing to this day.
I will likely add more to this list, including some 1990s episodes of the Miami-based Spanish language Cristina show on Univision. These just happened to be the top three I thought of.