One of many reasons Dana Delany is so cool!
I first met Dana Delany in 1999 when Mark and Brian recruited her to play the Donna Reed role in our morning show production of It’s A Wonderful Life. They had all become friends long before I joined the team as the producer, back when Dana was starring on China Beach. Dana loved the show and despite being an A-lister and handled by a PR firm known to be tough gatekeepers she always made herself available. Whether it was to promote Desperate Housewives or her latest film, Dana enjoyed being a guest and her affection for Mark and Brian was apparent right until the end.
In 2012 as I was lining up guests for our last week on the air one of the first people I called was Dana. She was working on her TV series at that time, Body Of Proof, so she came in early at 7:00 am. Coincidentally Val Kilmer was scheduled that same morning at 9am.
After I set her up in the studio Officer Quarterman (may he rest in peace) called to tell me that Val has arrived. I go out to get him and he tells that he came early because he heard Dana was going to be a guest and he wanted to see her. The two had starred in Tombstone together along with Kurt Russell. The wheels in my head start turning as I was figuring out how to choreograph a surprise for Dana. During the first commercial break I waved to Brian to come out for a minute while Mark stayed in the studio with Dana. We brainstorm and decide that he’s going to bring up the film Tombstone and ask Dana whom she liked working with more, Kurt Russell or Val Kilmer. That would be Val’s cue to walk in. So rather than me tell you what her answer was ,you can listen for yourself in this clip from the last time Dana Delany and Val Kilmer were on the Mark and Brian Show.
Dana & Val audio