Pat Sajak Weatherman Flashback: 'Wheel Of Fortune' Host Loses It In 1972 Clip (VIDEO)

A LOOK BACK: The Early Days Of Pat Sajak

Nowadays, Pat Sajak is the smooth-talking host of "Wheel of Fortune."

Decades ago, though, he was a weatherman on the local news who just wanted to promote his radio show.

We here at HuffPost Media consider ourselves to be students of history, so we're honored to bring you the second in a (very) occasional series, "A Look Back." Today, we examine the early-to-mid-1970s weatherman/radio host career of Pat Sajak. It was, at times, psychedelic-level intense.

In one clip from 1972, Sajak wrote out a cheesy script for himself and the news anchor, and it made him laugh so hard that he cried. (Look at that hair! Look at those threads!) The news anchor laughed while he called Sajak "one of the most talented broadcasters in the country." Then he said, "I personally think it's one of the top radio programs in the country," causing himself and Sajak to completely lose it. Sajak laughed so hard that he had to turn away from the camera to wipe his tears away. He scratched his neck and told viewers, "Excuse me, this is really embarrassing."

The radio show in question was on "Radio 65" WSM in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1975, Sajak had an afternoon show during the station's pop music segments. In the clip below, he tells listeners about "a little accident" where he raced through the door without seeing his mother cleaning the floor, and stepped on her back.

LISTEN:

After Nashville, Sajak became the weatherman at KNBC-Los Angeles. Both he and a young Bryant Gumbel were at the network earlier in their careers, as seen in this commercial.

WATCH:

Then, Merv Griffin asked Sajak to become the host of "Wheel" in 1981 and the rest, as they say, is history.

This has been "A Look Back." In our next installment: the secret coffee habits of Hugh Downs.

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