"Bobby Darin Returns to Tube
in NBC Series"

BURBANK CALIFORNIA -- "Splish Splash" won't go down in recording history, but the comic 1950's rock tune helped launch a career that is still causing ripples.

THE CAREER IS that of Bobby Darin, the talented singer-composer-actor whose new series, The Bobby Darin Show premieres Friday on NBC-TV. At a press conference here, Darin defended his early hit as "A very funny song," then went on to discuss his latest endeavor. The series grew out of a successful summer mini-series, The Bobby Darin Amusement Co. which has been modified for mid-season consumption. "Somehow most of the people felt that they wanted to see me sing more than on the summer show, so there will be a greater emphasis on music," said Darin.

THE GROUCHO MARX IMPERSONATION will be retained, as well as Angie the tenement dweller and Dusty John the hippie poet. Darin feels particularly close to the Angie character, a reflection of his own childhood in New York City's Harlem district. "The number on the building is actually the number on the building where I spent most of my formative years," he said. A new feature which has been added to the show is a weekly chess problem supplied by Grandmaster Isaac Kashdan. Darin will be given one minute to find a solution. He explained: "Finally at age 37 I have found something almost as compelling as performing -- the game of chess. A kind of fanatism has over taken me and I spend most of my time studying chess when I'm not performing."

IT IS CLEAR, however, that performing is Darin's lifeblood. He was once quoted as saying, "I want to be a legend by the time I'm 25," a remark which he feels was misinterpreted. He meant it tongue-in-cheek. Nevertheless, Darin has, in his 37 years, compiled an impressive list of credits. He has won four gold records (including one for "Mack the Knife"), been nominated for an Academy Award (for Captain, Newman, M.D.) and has been presented with several Grammies. In addition to headlining acts at top nightclubs throughout the country, he has appeared in over a dozen films and composed the score for several more. "The ego was and is there," Darin said. "There is something about me that needs to have people respond."

INTROSPECTION ABOUT THE type of person he was caused the singer to change lifestyles several years ago. "I lived in an 18-ft. trailer on a friend's orchard. I had a pair of dungarees, a couple of shirts and a pair of desert boots. I really divested myself of all material things I hadn't realized I had accumulated so heavily over the years of trying to make up for an early poverty." Darin has since returned to show business -- better, he feels, for the experience. "I feel that since then I've been able to return to that love which is most compelling -- performing. But I've found I can live far more simply than I thought I could, even though I'm in a kind of glossy business." The short, youthful-looking Darin was perched on a stool on a sound stage, with dozens of lights and eyes focused on him. His casual manner and rapport with the audience of television writers helped explain his success in nightclubs.

WHEN HE WASN'T articulating his philosophy (his verbosity stems from an early affection for the dictionary) Darin was clowning. "Are you restricted in any way since your heart surgery," asked one writer. "No, not at all," Darin replied, as he clutched his heart and fell off the stool. "Will you get involved in any political campaigns?" "I have not and will not step into that foray," Darin boomed, banging the podium. Actually, the singer was deeply involved in Robert Kennedy's campaign for President, but has since given up all political involvement. He is concentrating his energies on the field he knows best.

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