Paul Lynde

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Paul Lynde
The Paul Lynde Show Paul Lynde 1972 No 2.jpg
Lynde in 1972
Birth name Paul Edward Lynde
Born (1926-06-13)June 13, 1926
Mount Vernon, Ohio, U.S.
Died January 11, 1982(1982-01-11) (aged 55)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Resting place Amity Cemetery
Amity, Ohio, U.S.
Medium Comedian, TV personality, actor, voice artist
Alma mater Northwestern University
Years active 1954–1982

Paul Edward Lynde (/lɪnd/; June 13, 1926 – January 11, 1982)[1][2] was an American comedian and actor. A character actor with a distinctively campy and snarky persona that often poked fun at his barely in-the-closet homosexuality, Lynde was well known for his roles as Uncle Arthur on Bewitched and the befuddled father Harry MacAfee in Bye Bye Birdie. He was also the regular "center square" panelist on the game show Hollywood Squares from 1968 to 1981, and he voiced four Hanna-Barbera productions: he was Templeton the gluttonous rat in Charlotte's Web, Mildew Wolf from It's the Wolf (a segment of Cattanooga Cats), neighbor Claude Pertwee on Where's Huddles? and The Hooded Claw in The Perils of Penelope Pitstop.

Early life[edit]

Paul Lynde was born in Mount Vernon, Ohio, the son of Hoy Coradon and Sylvia Bell (Doup) Lynde. He graduated from Mount Vernon High School in 1944, and then studied drama at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where his fellow students included Cloris Leachman, Charlotte Rae, Patricia Neal, Jeffrey Hunter and Claude Akins. At Northwestern, he joined the Upsilon chapter of Phi Kappa Sigma and is listed among the more famous members of the fraternity. He graduated in 1948 and moved to New York City, where he initially worked as a stand-up comic.[3]

Career[edit]

Lynde made his Broadway debut in the hit revue New Faces of 1952 in which he co-starred with fellow newcomers Eartha Kitt, Robert Clary, Alice Ghostley, and Carol Lawrence.[4] In his monologue from that revue, the "Trip of the Month Club," Lynde portrayed a man on crutches recounting his misadventures on the African safari he took with his late wife.[5] The show was filmed and released as New Faces in 1954.

Lynde as Uncle Arthur with Elizabeth Montgomery in the 1968 Bewitched episode, "The No Harm Charm"

After the revue's run, Lynde co-starred in the short-lived 1956 sitcom Stanley opposite Buddy Hackett and Carol Burnett, both of whom were also starting their careers in show business. That year, he guest starred on NBC's The Martha Raye Show.

Lynde returned to Broadway in 1960 when he was cast as Harry MacAfee, the father in Bye Bye Birdie. He also played the role in the 1963 film adaptation. That year, he recorded a live album, Recently Released, issued as an LP record. All six tracks were written by him. Once he could afford writers, he rarely used his own material until his tenure on Hollywood Squares years later.

Lynde was in great demand in the 1960s. During the 1961-62 television season he was a regular on NBC's The Perry Como Show as part of the Kraft Music Hall players with Don Adams, Kaye Ballard and Sandy Stewart. He was a familiar face on many sitcoms, including The Phil Silvers Show, The Patty Duke Show, The Munsters, The Flying Nun, Gidget, I Dream of Jeannie, F Troop, and variety shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show and The Dean Martin Show. He also was featured in a number of 1960s films, including Send Me No Flowers and The Glass Bottom Boat, both starring Doris Day.

Lynde's best known sitcom role was on Bewitched, where he made his debut appearance in the first-season episode "Driving Is the Only Way to Fly." His role as Samantha Stephens' nervous driving instructor Harold Harold was well received by viewers, as well as series star Elizabeth Montgomery and her husband, director/producer William Asher, with whom Lynde became good friends. Asher then created the recurring role of Endora's practical-joking brother Uncle Arthur. Lynde made 10 appearances on Bewitched as the beloved character, and was regularly seen with Montgomery and Asher off the set as well.[6]

Lynde also did extensive voice work on animated cartoons, particularly those of Hanna-Barbera Productions. His most notable roles included The Hooded Claw in The Perils of Penelope Pitstop, Mildew Wolf from It's the Wolf (a segment of Cattanooga Cats), and Pertwee from Where's Huddles?. He also voiced gluttonous rat Templeton in the animated feature Charlotte's Web. Lynde's sardonic inflections added a dimension to such lines as the sly, drawn-out whine, "What's in it for meeee?" His distinctive voice remains popular among impressionists. Although it is sometimes assumed that actress Alice Ghostley based her speech patterns and mannerisms on Lynde's, according to actress Kaye Ballard "it was Paul who was influenced by Alice".[7]

Hollywood Squares[edit]

In 1966, Lynde debuted on the fledgling game show Hollywood Squares and quickly became its iconic guest star. Eventually he assumed a permanent spot as the "center square," a move which ensured that he would be called upon by contestants at least once in almost every round. Despite an urban legend to the contrary, Lynde remained in the center at the producers' discretion.

On Hollywood Squares Lynde was best able to showcase his comedic talents with short, salty one-liners, spoken in his signature sniggering delivery.[3] Many gags were thinly veiled allusions to his homosexuality. Asked, "You're the world's most popular fruit. What are you?" Lynde replied, "Humble."[8] Asked how many men on a hockey team, Lynde said, "Oh, about half." Asked, "Who's generally better looking, a fairy or a pixie?," he objected, "Looks aren't everything!" and then, after a pause, quipped, "I think I'll take the fairy." Asked whether it was against the law in Texas to call a marine a "sissy," Lynde quipped, "I guess I'll have to take the law into my own hands."[9]

Other jokes relied on double entendre, an alleged fondness for deviant behaviors, his misogyny, or dealt with touchy subject matter for 1970s television. Examples include:

Q: "What unusual thing do you do if you have something called 'the gift of tongues'?"
Lynde: "I wouldn't tell the grand jury. Why should I tell you?"
Q: "The great writer George Bernard Shaw once wrote, 'It's such a wonderful thing, what a crime to waste it on children.' What is it?"
Lynde: "A whipping."[10][11]
Q: "Paul, any good boat enthusiast should know that when a man falls out of your boat and into the water, you should yell 'Man overboard!' Now what should you yell if a woman falls overboard?"
Lynde: "Full speed ahead!"[12]

Lynde garnered considerable fame and wealth from the series, appearing a total of 707 times.[13] He bought Errol Flynn's old Hollywood mansion[14] and spent an enormous amount of money on renovations and decorations.

The Paul Lynde Show and Temperatures Rising[edit]

In 1972, Lynde starred in a short-lived ABC sitcom, The Paul Lynde Show, playing an uptight attorney and father at odds with his liberal-minded son-in-law. The series was a contractual fulfillment to ABC in place of an aborted ninth season of Bewitched.[15][citation needed]

Lynde starred as Paul Simms, the father of a family that consisted of wife Martha (Elizabeth Allen) and daughters Barbara (Jane Actman) and Sally (Pamelyn Ferdin). It also starred John Calvin as Barbara's husband, Howie, and Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara as Howie's parents. Critics perceived the show as a derivative of All in the Family, then television's most-popular primetime program, although many admitted the writing was top notch and the sexual connotations gave it an extra bit of spice. Lynde was nominated for a Best Actor Golden Globe for the show. Scheduled opposite the first half of the Top 30 hit The Carol Burnett Show on CBS and the Top 20 hit Adam-12 on NBC, the series garnered low ratings and was canceled after a single season.[citation needed]

Media reports at the time about ABC programs indicated that research showed viewers liked another ABC show, Temperatures Rising, but disliked star James Whitmore, whereas viewers liked Lynde but not The Paul Lynde Show. Therefore, the network and producer William Asher decided to dismiss Whitmore and combine the positive elements of both series. Lynde was "transferred" to Temperatures Rising for the 1973–74 season. The trick backfired and the ratings for The New Temperatures Rising were even lower than the previous season. ABC cancelled the show and its time slot was taken by mid-season replacement Happy Days. ABC decided to resuscitate the program, with additional cast changes (most notably, Alice Ghostley replaced Sudie Bond in the role of Lynde's sister, Edwina) and a new premise, in the summer of 1974, when it ran for two months. Neither actor's presence in the cast helped the show's sinking ratings and the series was cancelled for good.

In addition to the unsuccessful The Paul Lynde Show and Temperatures Rising, Lynde starred in four failed television pilots in the 1960s:

  • Howie (1962, CBS)
  • Two's Company (1965, ABC)
  • Sedgewick Hawk-Styles: Prince of Danger (1966, ABC)
  • Manley and the Mob (1967, ABC)

Of the four shows, only the Victorian detective spoof Sedgewick Hawk-Styles: Prince of Danger was initially picked up by ABC, only to be cancelled at the last minute. William Asher commented in the A&E Biography entry on Lynde that ABC had reservations about Lynde, most notably his increasingly erratic offscreen behavior and the persistent rumors of his homosexuality.[3]

Lynde was regularly admired by his peers during his lifetime. Mel Brooks once described Lynde as being capable of getting laughs by reading "a phone book, tornado alert, or seed catalogue."[6] In 1976, Lynde received an Entertainer of the Year Emmy award for being voted the funniest man of the year, which he immediately turned over to host Jackie Gleason (who never won an Emmy award during his lifetime), citing him as "the funniest man ever." The unexpected gesture shocked Gleason.

Summer stock theatre[edit]

Lynde was a fixture[16] on the Kenley Players summer stock theatre circuit, appearing in Don't Drink the Water (1970, 1979), The Impossible Years (1969, 1978), Mother is Engaged (1974), My Daughter is Rated X (1973), Plaza Suite (1971), and Stop, Thief, Stop! (1975).[17] In all he appeared in nine Kenley Players productions, more than any other headliner.[18]

Final years[edit]

The Paul Lynde Comedy Hour (1975) with Nancy Walker

Lynde's continuing popularity led to his being signed by ABC to host a series of specials from 1975 to 1979, including:

Lynde was a regular guest on the 1976–79 variety show Donny & Marie until 1978. He lost his guest-starring role following an alcohol-related arrest.[20]

As demand for his services declined, he accepted a wider variety of job offers. He appeared as a guest weatherman for WSPD-TV in Toledo, Ohio in 1978, to publicize both Hollywood Squares and a summer stock performance.[21] He appeared as Indian chief Nervous Elk alongside former Bye Bye Birdie co-star Ann-Margret in the 1979 comedy The Villain (released as "Cactus Jack" in the UK), which was to be his final film role. Lynde had become disenchanted with being what he called "boxed into" Hollywood Squares and departed the series that same year. Acting jobs continued to be scarce, although it is unclear if this was due to Lynde's known substance abuse and alcohol problems, which made him difficult to work with.[6]

In 1980, Hollywood Squares was experiencing a downward trend in Nielsen ratings. Lynde was approached about returning to the program and initially declined, but changed his mind when told he would receive co-star billing with host Peter Marshall. He returned to the series in the spring of 1980 and remained with the show until its cancellation in February 1981.

In November 1980, the Beaux Arts Society, Inc. (founded in 1857) designated Paul Lynde "King" of the Beaux Arts Ball. Kitty Carlisle was designated "Queen" that year. Paul Lynde remained a Life Member of the Beaux Arts Society from 1980 until his untimely death.[22]

Death[edit]

On January 11, 1982, after Lynde had failed to attend a birthday celebration, his friend actor Paul Barresi became concerned. When he and another friend, actor Dean Ditman, could not get an answer on the phone or from knocking on his door, Barresi broke into the side entrance to Lynde's home in Beverly Hills, California and found him dead in his bed. He was 55 years old. Stories suggesting Lynde had a visitor at the time of his death who fled the scene circulated but could not be proven,[3] as the comedian regularly activated his house alarm before retiring for the evening. When Barresi broke in, the alarm blared, implying Lynde was alone at the time of his death and that he had died in his sleep.[23][24] The coroner ruled the death a heart attack.[23] Lynde's cremated remains are interred at Amity Cemetery, in Amity, Knox County, Ohio, next to those of his brother Johnny and sister Helen. His father and mother are buried at the same cemetery.[25]

Legacy[edit]

Lynde's popularity and high regard from the public have been maintained since his death. A biography was published in 2005, titled Center Square: The Paul Lynde Story. Authors Steve Wilson and Joe Florenski described Lynde as "Liberace without a piano" and that to most 1970s-era viewers, he was "a frustrated bit player and character actor on a daytime game show". To the homosexual community, his reputation was less than stellar: "In some ways, he came to symbolize what's perceived to be a self-loathing era for gay culture."[6]

Lynde's distinctive vocal delivery has also been widely imitated:

Personal life[edit]

Despite his campy and flamboyant television persona, Lynde's private life and sexual orientation were not directly acknowledged or discussed on television or in other media during his lifetime. According to an essay on the web site for The Biography Channel, in the 1970s, entertainment journalists did not investigate the private lives of performers who were best known as game show regulars.[29] In 1976, a People magazine article on Lynde included text about Stan Finesmith; the latter was described as Lynde's "suite mate" and "chauffeur-bodyguard." The magazine did not include a photograph of Finesmith. During Lynde's lifetime, this was as close as the media came to hinting at his homosexuality.[6] Cathy Rudolph, a friend of Lynde's who published a 2013 book entitled Paul Lynde: A Biography – His Life, His Love(s) and His Laughter, stated in a 2018 interview that "being gay and having to hide it frustrated him."[30]

In 1965, Lynde was involved in an accident in which a young actor fell to his death from the window of their hotel room in San Francisco's Sir Francis Drake Hotel. The two had been drinking for hours before 24-year-old James "Bing" Davidson slipped and fell eight stories.[31]

Lynde struggled with alcoholism and had numerous run-ins with the law and frequent arrests for public intoxication.[3] Marshall[32] and Kaye Ballard[33] confirmed that Lynde, when inebriated, would sometimes ridicule his friends. Lynde was involved in an incident at his alma mater, Northwestern University, in October 1977. He was the Grand Marshal for homecoming. At a fast food restaurant after the homecoming parade, he made racist remarks and gestures to African American NU professor James Pitts. Lynde later blamed his behavior on fatigue and inebriation.[34]

Lynde suffered from weight-control problems and was honored in 1977 by Weight Watchers. That year, Lynde's beloved dog, Harry MacAfee, died.[14] Lynde could not stay in the house without him and later bought a new home. He spent heavily to redecorate and renovate the house.

On January 4, 1978, Lynde was arrested outside of a tavern in Salt Lake City at approximately 1:30 a.m. for interfering with a police officer. The officer, who was investigating a car burglary, claimed Lynde kept insisting that the officer "attend to Lynde's complaint that his briefcase with $1,000 in cash and valuables inside had been stolen."[35] The complaint was later dropped.[citation needed]

Lynde became sober and drug-free in early 1980.[citation needed]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Television[edit]

Unsold pilots[edit]

  • Howie (1962, CBS)
  • Two's Company (1965, ABC)
  • Sedgewick Hawk-Styles: Prince of Danger (1966, ABC)
  • Manley and the Mob (1967, ABC)

Recordings[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Paul E. Lynde, age 3-9/12 years. U.S. Census, 1 April 1930, State of Ohio, County of Knox, enumeration district 9, p. 7A, family 202.
  2. ^ Paul Edward Lynde, born 13 June 1926, died 11 January 1982. Ancestry.com. California Death Index, 1940–1997 [database on-line]. Provo, Utah, US: The Generations Network, Inc., 2000.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Paul Lynde Biography (1926–1982)". Biography.com. Retrieved 2008-01-25.
  4. ^ "Paul Lynde". What A Character!. Archived from the original on 2007-10-10. Retrieved 2008-01-25.
  5. ^ Vincent Canby (21 June 1998). "A Lost Theatrical Form Returns With a Smile". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-01-25.
  6. ^ a b c d e Mike Sacks (23 August 2005). "Queer as Folk". Salon. Salon Media Group. Retrieved 2013-08-01.
  7. ^ Dennis McLellan (22 September 2007). "'Bewitched's' Esmeralda Dies at 81". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
  8. ^ http://www.life.com/gallery/41132/image/2192797[dead link]
  9. ^ "Paul Lynde Clips". Paullynde.info. 1960-06-05. Archived from the original on 2013-10-17. Retrieved 2013-09-21.
  10. ^ Zingers from the Hollywood Squares LP, Event Records, 1974
  11. ^ Paul Lynde: Off Center, A&E Home Video, 2001
  12. ^ I Love the 70s: 1971, VH1, 2003
  13. ^ Peter Marshall Kaye Ballard (E True Hollywood Story, 2000)
  14. ^ a b "You Asked Us: About Funny, Fussy Actor Paul Lynde". The Montreal Gazette. 17 February 1973. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
  15. ^ "Paul Lynde". Biography.com. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  16. ^ "Paul Lynde Interview". eCommons. University of Dayton. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  17. ^ "Kenley Players Productions". Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  18. ^ "Most Appearances by a Headliner". Kenley Player History. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  19. ^ Joan Hanauer (7 December 1977). "Lynde Tries 'Different Christmas TV Special". The Youngstown Vindicator. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
  20. ^ "Paul Lynde Arrested". The Daily Item. 4 January 1978. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
  21. ^ "Paul Lynde doing the Weather". Retrieved 26 May 2011.
  22. ^ "Royal Family". Thomas Robert Stevens. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  23. ^ a b Paul Simon (12 January 1982). "Paul Lynde Suffers Heart Attack: Dead at 55". The Daily Times. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
  24. ^ Rush & Molloy (1 September 2005). "Lynde Bio Squarely Denies He OD'd". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
  25. ^ Julia Keller (11 August 2010). "Bewitched by time". Chicago Tribune.
  26. ^ The Paley Center for Media (5 October 2012). "American Dad! - Seth on Paul Lynde and Patrick Stewart". Retrieved 14 June 2017 – via YouTube.
  27. ^ "An Evening with Paul Lynde". Movies.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
  28. ^ "Paul Lynde play at Exit Theatre gets pulled over copyright claim | Culture Monster | Los Angeles Times". Latimesblogs.latimes.com. 28 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
  29. ^ "TV Stars Who Ruled the 70s". Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  30. ^ Nolasco, Stephanie (18 April 2018). "'Bewitched' star Paul Lynde struggled with childhood insecurities, pal claims". Fox News. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  31. ^ "Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Google News Archive Search".
  32. ^ Florence Henderson Show, 2008
  33. ^ Peter Marshall, Kaye Ballard; E! True Hollywood Story, 2000
  34. ^ Moseley, Ray (28 October 1977). "Lynde Apologizes for Racial Slurs to NU Prof". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  35. ^ "Paul Lynde Arrested". The Daily Item. 4 January 1978. Retrieved 2013-07-29.

External links[edit]

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