Center Square: The Paul Lynde Story

Make 'Em Laugh

2009-03-01T20:39:00.002-05:00

If you like Paul Lynde, you'll want to get your hands on a copy of the companion book for the recent PBS documentary: Make 'Em Laugh. There's a nice write-up about everyone's favorite game show panelist. The show was nice, too.

Dody Goodman

2008-06-23T20:02:00.003-04:00

Dody Goodman has passed away. She co-starred with Paul Lynde in a "Best of New Faces" production in Florida in 1957, among other work, but is best remembered for her appearances on Jack Paar's Tonight Show , Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, and the Grease movies. I'm of the generation who first came to appreciate her because of her appearances on Diff'rent Strokes.

On a related note, she also appeared three times for the Kenley Players: Plain and Fancy, with Peter Marshall, My Daughter, Your Son, with Vivian Vance, and George Washington Slept Here, with James Coco.

Paul Lynde, Weatherman

2008-06-22T14:21:00.002-04:00

I've seen lots of rare Paul Lynde video over the years. This is one of the best!

(Thanks to Mary Lou!)

A Festive Halloween Shopping Idea

2007-10-02T05:55:00.000-04:00

Don't forget to buy your copy of the Paul Lynde Halloween Special, which comes out on DVD today! Maybe this'll motivate Sony to release The Paul Lynde Show. Even after years of collecting bootlegs, I'm still a couple of episodes short of having a complete set. Heck, maybe this'll motivate someone to release the first Paul Lynde variety special. I desperately want to see his performance of "Love Will Keep Us Together," which he did with Nancy Walker and the Osmonds! I'm probably the only person in the world who has a bootleg audio version of this landmark moment on his iPod.

Alice Ghostley

2007-09-22T07:55:00.001-04:00

Tony-winning actress Alice Ghostley has died. Like Paul Lynde, she was one of the New Faces of 1952, a frequent guest-star on Bewitched, and even one of the Kenley Players when she appeared with Paul in Stop, Thief, Stop in 1975. Paul and Alice often worked together, as this list illustrates, and were mistaken for siblings almost from the get-go. (As an aside, I always thought she was hilarious on Designing Women.)

Paul Lynde on DVD

2007-07-16T05:40:00.000-04:00

Here's more news about the upcoming release of The Paul Lynde Halloween Special. I've owned a bootleg copy for years, so I have proof when I say this'll make a nice addition to anyone's TV-on-DVD collection. It's an entertaining hour of '70s variety show magic!

More CNR

2007-05-30T18:59:00.000-04:00

Here's a nice appreciation of Charles Nelson Reilly, with a bit of Paul Lynde included.

Charles Nelson Reilly

2007-05-28T08:34:00.000-04:00

Peter Marshall: Oh, Paul, what would we ever do without you?
Paul Lynde: Replace me with Charles Nelson Reilly!

DVD News

2007-05-04T19:34:00.000-04:00

A friend sent word that a special Paul Lynde DVD is coming. I found this on the 'net:

On October 2, we'll be releasing the amazingly bizarre, iconic and entertaining "Paul Lynde Halloween Special" as a single DVD at $14.99! Not only is the resplendent Lynde in fine form in this October 1976 TV special, he's joined by Margaret Hamilton (who dons the entire costume from "The Wizard of Oz" for the only time since the original 1939 release, including the green make-up). She is joined by Witchie Poo (Billie Hayes) from "H.R. Pufnstuf" playing her 'sister', Tom Conway, Donnie and Marie Osmond, Billy Barty, Roz 'Pinkie Tuscadero' Kelly, Betty White, Florence Henderson and as musical guests...KISS, in their first TV appearance! KISS performs 3 songs and the footage of them on stage 'talking' with Lynde is priceless.

Of course, it's "Tim" Conway..."Donny" Osmond...and "Pinky" Tuscadero, but that's OK. It's very exciting news - and a great price!

Stacy Says

2007-03-10T08:54:00.000-05:00

This is nice!

DEAR STACY: The late Paul Lynde was one of the funniest performers ever. He died at a fairly young age, didn't he? When did he die and what was the cause? I've heard different things, such as that he died of AIDS. — Noah J., Westchester, N.Y.

DEAR NOAH: The prolific funnyman of "Hollywood Squares," "Bewitched" and "Bye Bye Birdie" fame was 55 when he was found dead by a friend in his Beverly Hills home in 1982. The coroner ruled his death a heart attack, though his alcoholism certainly contributed to his poor condition. The extensively researched biography "Center Square: The Paul Lynde Story" by Steve Wilson and Joe Florenski has the details of Lynde's death as well as his successful-yet-unhappy life.

Bootleg Files

2006-12-22T15:30:00.000-05:00

Phil Hall at Film Threat has a great article about Paul Lynde's 1977 Christmas special for ABC: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. I agree with Hall when he says, "For Paul Lynde addicts expecting supersized swish and bile, ''Twas the Night Before Christmas' will disappoint." It's not one of my favorite Lynde credits, but I do love its all-star cast, including the criminally forgotten George Gobel.

(Oddly enough, the same month in which Paul was busy reciting the poem on primetime TV, I was being forced to recite it to every other class in my elementary school. My friend Karen and I both memorized it for a class project, and our teacher asked us to share our talent with the kids from other grades. Three decades on, I'm still pretty good at remembering the words, although admittedly I need an occasional prompt.)

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-07T21:21:00.000-05:00

Paul Lynde & Bob Hope, 1967
Bob Hope Christmas Special: Miracle on the Freeway

Paul's Favorite Co-Star

2006-09-29T06:31:00.000-04:00

Elizabeth Allen, the Tony-nominated actress who played Paul's wife on The Paul Lynde Show and on stage in a number of Kenley Players' productions, has passed away. She was 77.

A Baby!

2006-09-09T18:54:00.000-04:00

Well, here's something you don't see everyday: a picture of Paul Lynde holding a baby & smiling!

From a "Phillips Family" photo collection from webshots.com

Talk Show Host Mike Douglas

2006-08-11T15:58:00.000-04:00

Mike Douglas, the legendary talk show host, has passed away. He's the source of one of my favorite Paul Lynde stories:

Paul Lynde could deliver one-liners that stopped the whole show in its tracks. Paul seemed so harmlessly pleasant, he could get away with anything, and often did. I remember when Rocky Graziano was on the show, talking about his boxing career and looking tough enough to step back into the ring at the sound of the next bell. Paul was the co-host. He sat there listening for a while, hands crossed in his lap, while Rocky described a particularly brutal bout. At the end, he reached over and tapped Rocky playfully on the shoulder, gave him that crocodile grin and sassy wriggle. "Touched you last." For a moment, I didn't know if Rocky was going to laugh or break him in two. Thank goodness everybody else was already rolling in the aisles. Including me.

Paul was a frequent co-host and guest on the daytime talk show, although my only (possibly faulty) memory of the show is of a young Melissa Gilbert singing “If They Could See Me Know.” Both stars were headliners for the Kenley Players, although Douglas only performed once for John Kenley, as the lead in Girl Crazy in 1962.

Kaye Ballard's Book

2006-08-05T23:33:00.000-04:00

When we were doing interviews for the Paul Lynde book, we tried to get Kaye Ballard to answer a few questions because Paul often said that she had motivated him to move to New York after college. She refused because she had a book coming out. To be honest, I really didn't believe her, but I should have! Her book will hit stores next month.

And for those who are wondering just who Kaye Ballard is, I can't think of anything that she's done that is readily available for viewing. Like Paul, so much of her work was in areas that aren't rerun-friendly. Fortunately, according to her website (which I didn't realize existed until now) there may soon be a DVD-release for The Mothers-in-Law, a '60s sitcom in which she starred with Eve Arden. Naturally, Paul appeared as a guest star on one episode, so I can't wait to see it.

Kenley Players (Again)

2006-07-22T22:18:00.000-04:00

In February, I mentioned that I'd been thinking about doing a book about the Kenley Players. For the past six months, I've been doing extensive research on the topic. I spent 5 hours today thumbing through newspapers from 1962 (actual newspapers, not microfilmed copies, which I've long since come to despise, despite a degree in library science) and I have to admit I am amazed at what John Kenley did as a theatrical producer: a dozen shows in as many weeks, summer after summer for nearly 30 years. Wow! Anyway, I've compiled a more updated list of actual Kenley Players productions, including entire seasons that I knew nothing about (1957, 1982-1986, 1995).

An Obscure Obituary

2006-07-22T21:34:00.000-04:00

What this says about me, I don't know, but one of the first pages I check every morning before heading off to work is the obituary section at the New York Times. One reason for this ritual is that I need to know when an Oscar nominee has passed away. (Of course, "need" is probably too strong a word.) Some time ago, I compusively compiled a list of all Oscar nominees, living and dead, which I keep updated in Microsoft Excel. If someone dies, I stop listing them in bold. The most recent update, if you haven't heard, is Jack Warden. (Despite the fact that I clearly had him identified as living, I'd thought he'd long since passed away.)

I also check for names of people who have an association with Paul Lynde, and this small confession leads me to the entire point of my post. I doubt I'll ever come across a more obscure connection to Paul Lynde in the Times obits, but here it is: theater critic Henry Hewes passed away this week. In the 1960 Variety poll of New York first-stringers, the Saturday Review critic cast the sole vote for Paul Lynde for "Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Either Straight Play or Musical)." Paul was then appearing as Harry MacAfee in "Bye Bye Birdie." Unfortunately for Paul, Robert Morse earned 4 nods and the award.

More Obituaries

2006-07-13T17:46:00.000-04:00

A few Paul Lynde-related obituaries to note:

Red Buttons, the star of the eponymously titled situation comedy on NBC in early 1955 that featured an up-and-coming young comedic actor named Paul Lynde, has passed away. Of course, Buttons is far more famous as an Academy Award winner and member of the original Poisiden Adventure ensemble.
June Allyson passed away last Saturday. In the early '70s, she nixed an opportunity to star as Paul's wife on Paul's own eponymously titled sitcom. She eventually worked with Paul on an occasional episode of Hollywood Squares.
Kasey Rogers, the second Louise Tate on Bewitched, has also passed away. She is preceeded in death by the first and second Darrin Stephens and the first and second Gladys Kravitz. [Update: The first Louise Tate is also with God.]

Jan Murray

2006-07-05T18:05:00.000-04:00

Comedian Jan Murray has passed away at 89. In addition to his countless appearances on Hollywood Squares, Murray worked with Paul Lynde on a couple of Jerry Lewis's TV shows. He did Paul one better by also appearing in a Jerry Lewis film, although it was Which Way to the Front, not one of Jerry's better ones.

Bye Bye Birdie

2006-07-01T20:17:00.000-04:00

Thanks to the good people at CAPA Columbus, Paul Lynde fans in the central Ohio area can see one of his movies on the big screen this month. I had the pleasure of watching Bye Bye Birdie twice in actual movie theaters while promoting the book. (I gave a couple of talks before shows in Cleveland and Pittsburgh.) It's nothing great, but Paul sure is fun to watch!

Another Milestone

2006-06-14T06:01:00.000-04:00

Today's the 50th anniversary of the Broadway opening of New Faces of 1956, the less successful follow-up to the legendary New Faces of 1952. The '56 edition earned Paul Lynde his only directing credit. He realized he wasn't cut out for it and never officially directed anything again.

Paul Lynde's Birthday

2006-06-13T06:25:00.000-04:00

Today would have been Paul Lynde's 80th birthday.

(Thanks Mary Lou for the reminder!)

Donny & Marie on DVD

2006-05-29T10:26:00.000-04:00

The Donny & Marie DVDs should be out soon (August)! Please, please, let them include the infamous Star Wars episode. Paul Lynde telling Chewie to "Get your big ape hands off me!" should be considered essential viewing to anyone interested in TV history.

Richard Dreyfuss

2006-05-11T18:10:00.000-04:00

I came across this observation in Time from Richard Dreyfuss, who plays a gay character in the upcoming disaster remake, Poseiden:

Q&A Richard Dreyfuss
Was it your first gay role? No, I did the Larry Kramer play The Normal Heart. When I was a kid, I did TV shows with ambiguous characters like Bewitched. I thought they were just well dressed.
Time, May 15, 2006

Of course, no one was as well dressed and as ambigious on Bewitched as Paul Lynde. Odd, in a way, that Paul also had a cruise ship movie among his credits, although it's considered a disaster film for reasons that had nothing to do with genre.