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Candice Bergen Reveals She Burned Down Swiss Restaurant as Teen With Wine Trick

Name: Candice Bergen Reveals She Burned Down Swiss Restaurant as Teen With Wine Trick
Uploaded: 2026-07-08T12:16:00+00:00
Description: At age 14 while attending boarding school in Gstaad, Switzerland, Bergen accidentally set fire to the Olden restaurant by pouring wine into meat fondue fat, causing flames to reach the ceiling and requiring full evacuation. She was not allowed out for the rest of the year. Two decades later, a ski instructor in the village still recognized her as the woman who burned down the restaurant.

Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend · Candice Bergen (Full Episode) | Where Everybody Knows Your Name · July 8, 2026

Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

Candice Bergen (Full Episode) | Where Everybody Knows Your Name

"I said, 'Oh, let's flavor the fat. Let's put some wine in the fat.' So, I jauntily dumped my glass in the fat, and this went This flame went up onto the ceiling of the restaurant. And it We were all evacuated. It was snowing outside."

At age 14 while attending boarding school in Gstaad, Switzerland, Bergen accidentally set fire to the Olden restaurant by pouring wine into meat fondue fat, causing flames to reach the ceiling and requiring full evacuation. She was not allowed out for the rest of the year. Two decades later, a ski instructor in the village still recognized her as the woman who burned down the restaurant.

About this episode

Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen sit down with actress and cultural icon Candice Bergen for an intimate conversation covering her extraordinary Hollywood life and recent tragedy. The 80-year-old Emmy winner reveals she lost her Pacific Palisades home and irreplaceable family photographs in the recent California wildfires, leaving for New York the morning of the blaze with no warning. Bergen shares harrowing details about her narrow escape from the Manson murders, explaining how she and boyfriend Terry Melcher moved out of their house immediately after Charles Manson visited seeking a recording contract—the same house later rented to Sharon Tate. The conversation spans Bergen's unconventional upbringing as daughter of ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, who famously included dummy Charlie McCarthy in his will but not her, to wild stories from her youth including accidentally burning down a Swiss restaurant at 14. She discusses her modeling career, marriage to filmmaker Louis Malle, and working with legends like Steve McQueen on The Sand Pebbles in grueling conditions in Taiwan. Bergen reveals she turned down a correspondent position at 60 Minutes after Murphy Brown because they wouldn't let her continue making films, and candidly discusses asking to be removed from Emmy consideration after five wins because she felt the room turning against her. Throughout, Bergen displays the sharp wit, self-deprecating humor, and emotional restraint that have defined her six-decade career, with Steenburgen praising the 'naughty child' inside her friend that makes her such compelling company. The episode offers rare insight into Hollywood royalty navigating tragedy, triumph, and the absurdities of fame with characteristic grace.

Key takeaways

Candice Bergen lost her Pacific Palisades home containing irreplaceable childhood and family photographs in recent California wildfires, departing for New York the morning of the blaze.
Bergen narrowly escaped becoming a Manson murder victim, moving out of her house with Terry Melcher the day Manson's location was discovered, before Sharon Tate rented and was killed there.
Edgar Bergen included his ventriloquist dummy Charlie McCarthy in his will but not daughter Candice, believing she had become financially independent through modeling and acting.
CBS's 60 Minutes offered Bergen a correspondent position after Murphy Brown, but she declined because they refused to let her continue making movies simultaneously.
Bergen asked to be removed from Emmy consideration after winning five awards for Murphy Brown, sensing the audience had tired of her wins and believing it was Helen Hunt's turn.
At age 14, Bergen accidentally set fire to the Olden restaurant in Gstaad, Switzerland, by pouring wine into fondue fat, causing full evacuation and recognition decades later.
Bergen spent five grueling months filming The Sand Pebbles in Taiwan with Steve McQueen, who would disappear on his motorcycle mid-shoot while his entourage brawled with hotel staff on weekends.