Jump to content

Paul Lynde

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 75.76.162.89 (talk) at 06:48, 8 June 2012 (Undid revision 496557071 by 75.76.162.89 (talk) Messed up reference...). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Paul Lynde
File:Lynde1973.jpg
in 1973
Born
Paul Edward Lynde

(1926-06-13)June 13, 1926
Mount Vernon, Ohio, United States
DiedJanuary 10, 1982(1982-01-10) (aged 55)
Beverly Hills, California, United States
Cause of deathHeart attack
OccupationActor/Comedian
Years active1952–81
PartnerBing Davidson[1]

Paul Edward Lynde (June 13, 1926 – January 10, 1982)[2][3] was an American comedian and actor.

A noted 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 Harry MacAfee, the befuddled father in Bye Bye Birdie – both the stage musical and the film-version. He was also the regular "center square" guest on the game show Hollywood Squares from 1968 to 1981.

Early life

Paul Lynde was born in Mount Vernon, Ohio, and 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 amongst the most famous members of the fraternity. He graduated in 1948 and moved to New York City, where he initially worked as a stand-up comic.[4]

Career

Lynde made his Broadway debut in the hit revue New Faces of 1952 in which he co-starred with fellow newcomers Eartha Kitt, Alice Ghostley, and Carol Lawrence.[5] 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.[6] The show was filmed and released as New Faces in 1954.

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 out their careers in show business. That same year, he guest starred on NBC's The Martha Raye Show, a comedy/variety show.

In 1960, Lynde returned to Broadway when he was cast as "Harry MacAfee," the father in Bye Bye Birdie. He reprised the role in the play's film adaptation, which was released in 1963. That same year, he recorded a live album, Recently Released, issued as an LP record (no other formats are available). 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 as Uncle Arthur on Bewitched, 1968.

Over the years, Lynde made regular appearances on sitcoms such as The Phil Silvers Show, The Munsters, and I Dream of Jeannie, and variety shows such as The Perry Como Show and The Dean Martin Show. Lynde first appeared in episode 26 of Bewitched, "Driving is the Only Way to Fly," as Samantha's driving instructor Harold Harold, before taking on the recurring role of Uncle Arthur, Endora's brother. He was also a frequent guest on the 1976-79 variety show, Donny and Marie.

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 (though he was uncredited), Mildew Wolf from It's the Wolf (a segment of Cattanooga Cats), and Pertwee from Where's Huddles?. He also voiced the role of Templeton the gluttonous rat 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?" Lynde's distinctive voice is popular among impressionists. In the 1999 animated series Queer Duck the character Bi-Polar Bear (voiced by Billy West) speaks with an imitation of Lynde's voice. 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]

In 1972, Lynde starred in the 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, which was a contractual fulfillment to ABC in place of a final season of Bewitched, was canceled after only one season. The network, and producer William Asher, then "transferred" Lynde to another comedy series that had debuted in 1972, Temperatures Rising, for the 1973 season, but his presence in the cast did not help flagging ratings and this series, too, was not renewed and was replaced by Happy Days. The series’ failure reportedly exacerbated Lynde’s drinking problem, which led to numerous run-ins with the law and frequent arrests for public intoxication.[4] According to Peter Marshall ("Florence Henderson Show", 2008) and Kaye Ballard ("E True Hollywood Story", 2000) the comedic actor would sometimes verbally ridicule his friends when inebriated.

In 1978, Lynde guest starred as a weatherman for WSPD-TV in Toledo, Ohio.[8]

The Hollywood Squares

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, Paul Lynde remained in the center at the producers' discretion. Many NBC tour guides have claimed that Lynde was afraid of earthquakes and the center square proved to be the safest square of the show's set. However, an anecdote related during the A&E Biography on Lynde described an earthquake that occurred during the Hollywood Squares taping that frightened and alarmed many of the guests. Lynde, however, remained in his seat, tapping his fingers, asking if they were going to finish the show.

It was on Hollywood Squares that Lynde was best able to showcase his comedic talents with short, salty one-liners, delivered in his trademark sniggering delivery.[4] Many of these gags were thinly-veiled allusions to his homosexuality. Asked "You're the world's most popular fruit. What are you?" Lynde replied, "Humble."[9] 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."[10]

Other jokes relied on double entendre, an alleged fondness for deviant behaviors, or dealt with "touchy" subject matter for 1970s television. One example:

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.[11][12]
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![13][14]

Lynde left the show in 1979 after thirteen seasons, but returned for the 1980–81 season.

Personal life

Paul Lynde's sexual orientation was something of an open secret in Hollywood, although, in keeping with the prejudices and social mores of the time, it was not acknowledged or discussed in public.

In 1965, Lynde was involved in an accident in which a young actor, reputed to be his lover, 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[1] and fell eight stories, an event witnessed by two policemen, yet the event was largely kept out of the press, thus saving Lynde's career.

Despite his campy television persona, Lynde never publicly came out as being gay and the press generally went along with the deception. In 1976, a People magazine article on Lynde featured him and Stan Finesmith; the latter was dubbed Lynde's "suite mate" and “chauffeur-bodyguard.” In the 1970s, this was as close as the press would come to hinting at his sexuality.[15]

In 1978, Lynde was arrested outside of a gay bar in Salt Lake City. As a result of the arrest, he lost his guest starring role on The Donny and Marie Show. Increasingly in the late 1970s, acting jobs became harder for him to find, although it is unclear if this was because of anti-gay prejudice or his substance abuse problems and noted erratic behavior, which often made him difficult to work with.[15] He had been arrested for drunk driving and, while under the influence of alcohol, he was known to make rude and racist public comments towards people. Lynde finally became sober and drug free in the early 1980s, shortly before his death. Lynde also suffered from weight control problems, and was honored in 1977 by Weight Watchers.

Death and legacy

Lynde was found dead in his Beverly Hills, California, home by friend Paul Barresi on Monday, January 11, 1982.[16] The coroner ruled the death a heart attack. Lynde's cremated remains are interred at Amity Cemetery, in Amity, Ohio, where he is buried next to his brother Johnny and sister Helen.

Paul Lynde's popularity has continued after his death. According to cartoon creator/voice actor, Seth MacFarlane, the voice of Roger the Alien on the Fox television show American Dad! was modelled after him.[17] The voice and humor of Queer Duck character Bi-Polar Bear – voiced by Ren & Stimpy and Futurama actor Billy West – is also done in the style of Paul Lynde, as was the supervillain The Scoutmaster in the Simpsons episode Radioactive Man. Steve Carell reprised Lynde's role as "Uncle Arthur" in the 2005 film Bewitched, very much in Lynde's style. The voice and humor of William A. Mummy on the new GSN game show Late Night Liars is performed in the vein of Paul Lynde as well.

Actor/comedian Michael Airington also plays Paul Lynde in the show Oh My Goodness it's Paul Lynde and An Evening with Paul Lynde, recreating Lynde's 1976 live show, and in Off Center: The Paul Lynde Show.[18] Airington licenses the rights from the Paul Lynde Estate.[19]

Filmography

See also

References

Notes
  1. ^ a b "Bing Davidson Biography". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2008-01-25.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Paul Edward Lynde, born 13 June 1926, died 11 January 1982. Ancestry.com. California Death Index, 1940–1997 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2000.
  4. ^ a b c "Paul Lynde Biography (1926–1982)". Biography.com. Retrieved 2008-01-25.
  5. ^ "Paul Lynde". What A Character!. Retrieved 2008-01-25.
  6. ^ Vincent Canby (21 June 1998). "A Lost Theatrical Form Returns With a Smile". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-01-25.
  7. ^ Dennis McLellan (22 September 2007). "'Bewitched's' Esmeralda Dies at 81". The Los Angeles Times.
  8. ^ "Paul Lynde doing the Weather..." Retrieved 26 May 2011.
  9. ^ www.life.com/gallery/41132/image/2192797
  10. ^ http://www.PaulLynde.info/audioclips/Other/audioclips.htm
  11. ^ Zingers from the Hollywood Squares LP, Event Records, 1974
  12. ^ Paul Lynde: Off Center, A&E Home Video, 2001
  13. ^ I Love the 70s: 1971, VH1, 2003
  14. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059995/quotes
  15. ^ a b mikesacks.com
  16. ^ Rush & Molloy (1 September 2005). Lynde bio squarely denies he OD'd. New York Daily News
  17. ^ Paul Lynde Biography The Jacksonville Confidential Dec 07, 2006
  18. ^ "An Evening with Paul Lynde - Trailer - Cast - Showtimes - NYTimes.com". Movies.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
  19. ^ "Paul Lynde play at Exit Theatre gets pulled over copyright claim | Culture Monster | Los Angeles Times". Latimesblogs.latimes.com. 2009-02-28. Retrieved 2009-10-29.

Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paul_Lynde&oldid=496557165"