Randolph Mantooth Reveals How He ‘Screwed Up So Badly’ as Johnny Carson’s ‘Tonight Show’ Page

He’s played many roles over his five-decade career, but Johnny Gage, the young hotshot paramedic of Emergency! continues to follow Randolph Mantooth . “One time on a plane, I was asked to prep an IV for a passenger whose blood sugar dropped,” Randy, 78, tells Closer . “I looked at my wife, Kristen, who mouthed to me, ‘You’re not a paramedic.’ Then I mouthed back, ‘I know. But I played one on TV.’”

A longtime spokesperson for the International Association of Firefighters, Randy is justifiably proud that Emergency! helped shine a light on rescue workers. “We had a job that inspired so many people to become paramedics and save lives,” he says. “Some of the firefighters who come up to me actually have tears in their eyes. I can’t tell you how grateful I am to be part of that.”

You have such a memorable name. Do you know anything about the origin of the surname Mantooth?

“It’s kind of a mystery. There were so many wild stories that sound like bad movies. One that’s probably a little closer to the truth dates back to the 1700s, when there were two brothers from Scotland named Manteeth. When they landed in America, they had a falling-out and one changed his name to Mantooth.”

What was your childhood like?

“I was born in Sacramento [California] and grew up all over the United States. My dad was in the Army. Before I was 16, we lived in 22 states.”

Do you remember what made you fall in love with acting?

“Here in Santa Barbara, we had an art house cinema called the Riviera where I’d escape. Sometimes the movies were in French, but that was OK because I was at the movies. I loved Peter O’Toole, John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart.”

Is it true that you delivered newspapers to the star of Davy Crockett?

“Yes. I saw the address of someone named ‘F. Parker,’ who turned out to be Fess Parker. One time at 5:45 in the morning when it was raining, I concocted a scheme to knock on his front door. I was just about to run when the door opened and there was this giant man in a ratty robe who I’d clearly woken up. I looked up and said, ‘I didn’t want your paper to get wet.’ He just stood there and looked at me as I ran off.”

You also crossed paths with Johnny Carson when you worked at NBC as a page.

“I got to be Johnny’s key page on The Tonight Show and screwed up so badly. I put Jack Benny in a closet. Jack turned to Johnny and said, ‘I knew you hated me, but I didn’t know you hated me this much.’ My boss told me to go home!”

What do you consider your big break?

“I was offered a contract with Universal after a talent agent in New York saw me in the play Philadelphia, Here I Come , with another actor, Brad Davis. When I walked into her office, it was Ash Wednesday and I told her, ‘Oh, you’ve got a little dirt on your forehead.’”

Oops! You played John Gage on Emergency! for six seasons. What do you remember about shooting the pilot?

“[ Dragnet star] Jack Webb treated me really badly. He owned the show and directed the pilot. He’d chosen Kevin Tighe [Roy DeSoto] as my costar, and talked Bob Fuller [Dr. Brackett] and Julie London [Nurse McCall] into doing the show, but it was another producer who cast me.”

Did you ever have any fun on the set?

“There was a practical joke I pulled that really backfired on me. Kevin and I shared a motor home. One day, he was sound asleep with his mouth open and I blacked out one tooth with a marker. When he was called to set, I was in tears laughing, but the ink wouldn’t come off. Boy, was the director mad at me.”

Did you and Kevin become friends?

“Kevin was best man at both my weddings. What can I say about Kevin? He’s my best friend.”

Tell us about the documentary you and Kevin produced, Into the Unknown: A Paramedic’s Journey .

“I’m so proud of this. We uncovered a lot of cases of PTSD that inflicts real paramedics. Now it’s just a matter of raising the funds so we can get it out there.” [Learn more at intotheunknowndoc.com .]

You’ve made guest star appearances on a lot of popular TV series. What have been some of your favorites?

“I liked doing Charlie’s Angels because I got along great with Tanya Roberts and our episode shot in Hawaii. I’d graduated from the American Academy of [Dramatic Arts] with Kate Jackson — she would talk your ear off. I also did a Fantasy Island with Annette Funicello, whom I’d told my mom I was going to marry one day. I loved working with Angela Lansbury on Murder, She Wrote. We spent a couple hours working together in a Jeep. And when I did Baywatch , David Hasselhoff took me to his celebrity golf tournament. We got hammered and rode all over the course in our golf cart until we were asked to leave — at his own tournament!”

What do you like most about being the age you are?

“The only freaking thing I like about being this age is that I’m wise. I see things coming like I never did. I think it was Willie Nelson who said, “The older the wine, the better the taste.” I don’t try to get up and entertain the room anymore. You learn more by being quiet and watching other people. I used to be able to smell BS from five feet away. Now I can smell it a quarter of a mile away.”

You’ve struggled with throat and pancreatic cancer. How are you doing?

“I’ve almost died so many times. I’m still battling pancreatic cancer. They caught it early, but I’m still struggling physically. I don’t think I’d be alive without my wife, Kristen.”

What are you doing to stay healthy?

“I know it sounds simplistic, but always keep moving and never give up. Don’t sit and let the world pass you by.”