Got ’em.
The late, great Kris Kristofferson had a pretty impressive resume. Aside from being one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Kristofferson was a Rhodes scholar, a graduate of Oxford and a captain in the US Army who flew helicopters and completed Army Ranger school before deciding to pursue a career in music.
But one thing that wasn’t on his resume was OBGYN – so Kris wasn’t expecting to find himself in the position to have to help someone deliver a baby.
Of course it wasn’t a real emergency, but back in the 1980s Willie Nelson pulled the hilarious prank on his friend during an episode of TV’s Bloopers & Practical Jokes.
During the segment, Kris was told that he and Willie were doing a live television phone-in show while taking a break from filming their movie Another Pair of Aces.
The (fake) calls started out fairly normal, with fans asking Kris about his acting career and telling Willie about seeing him in concert. But then, things took an unexpected turn.
An excited “fan” called in and told Kristofferson that she was “just about to have a baby” and had just gone into labor, but that when she saw the singer and actor on TV she had to call and talk to him. And Kristofferson’s response was great:
“Debbie, get off the phone.”
Well “Debbie” assured Kris that she was fine and that her contractions were only two minutes apart, and continued on with her question – until her contractions started again.
That’s when Kris jumped into action and began talking the caller through the delivery of her baby:
“Do shallow breathing. Don’t push…
Relax. Hey, do shallow breathing. Are you lying down? Shallow breathing and don’t push. Don’t push.”
Willie, who’s obviously in on the prank, is of no help at all and just sits there quietly before offering a suggestion:
“Sing to her.”
Kris is confused by the advice, and continues to talk to Debbie as she delivers her baby. And eventually, the “producers” tell Kris that EMS is on the way – but by that time it’s too late and the woman drops the news:
“It’s a boy!”
Kristofferson is shocked, and is even more confused when the woman tells her husband that she’s “talking to Kris Kristofferson.”
“Wait a second, the first thing you say is, ‘It’s a boy,’ you don’t say, ‘Honey I’m talking to Kris Kristofferson.'”
His concern then quickly turns to the newborn:
“Hey, has anybody got the baby?”
Things quickly turn even more chaotic when the husband gets on the phone and seems more excited to talk to Kristofferson than he is about his child, and by this point Willie is cracking up as Kris is panicking.
And finally Willie lets his stunned friend in on the joke, congratulating Kris on delivering his first baby.
The whole thing is hilarious, especially as you see not only the confusion but the concern from Kristofferson during the entire bizarre situation.
