Former TV fixture Gary Collins has a new hit on his hands. And we're not talking about a show.
The erstwhile emcee of Hour Magazine and The Home Show was arrested Tuesday evening on suspicion of driving under the influence after colliding with an elderly motorist in the San Fernando Valley, police said.
According to Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman Norma Eisenman, the 69-year-old Collins was cruising through Sherman Oaks in his 2004 Ford Explorer at about 5:30 p.m. when an 89-year-old man driving a blue Toyota "failed to yield to oncoming traffic" and plowed into Collins.
"[Collins] lost control of the vehicle and struck two parked cars," Eisenman said. "When officers arrived at the scene, they smelled alcohol and issued a field sobriety test ,which he subsequently failed."
The ex-Circus of the Stars player was taken into custody at Van Nuys Jail, where he was booked for misdemeanor DUI and administered a blood-alcohol test.
He was released shortly before midnight after posting a $40,000 bond. Police say Collins was not at fault for the accident.
The other driver, meanwhile, was treated at the scene by paramedics before being transported to a hospital, where he remains listed in critical condition.
A rep for Collins was unavailable for comment.
Collins was collared in 2002 on a similar drunken-driving charge in Mississippi, the home state of his wife, former Miss America Mary Ann Mobley. However, he was found not guilty when the case went to trial.
Known for his easygoing personality, Collins popped up all over TV from the 1960s to 1990s. Aside from his talk-show forays, he hosted the Miss American Pageant from 1982 to 1990 and was a frequent guest on The New Hollywood Squares. His acting credits include ABC's 1972 paranormal thriller The Sixth Sense, Born Free, Barnaby Jones, Police Story, Roots, Charlie's Angels, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island and, more recently, Baywatch Nights, Yes, Dear and JAG.
Next month, Collins and Mobley will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary.