Happy 96th Birthday Paul Lynde

Today is the 96th birthday of Paul Lynde.  He had a lengthy and varied career, but I remember him best as Uncle Arthur.  Also, there is the EPIC of Halloween episode of The Paul Lynde Show.  Don’t worry, I included the whole episode below.  I cannot even prepare you for the experience.  It is everything.  The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left.

Peter Marshall: Paul, why do Hell’s Angels wear leather?
Paul Lynde: Because chiffon wrinkles too easily.

NAME: Paul Lynde
OCCUPATION: Film Actor, Television Actor, Comedian, Game Show Host
BIRTH DATE: June 13, 1926
DEATH DATE: January 10, 1982
EDUCATION: Northwestern University
PLACE OF BIRTH: Mount Vernon, Ohio
PLACE OF DEATH: Beverly Hills, California
CAUSE OF DEATH: Heart Attack
REMAINS: Buried, Amity Cemetery, Amity, OH

BEST KNOWN FOR: Actor Paul Lynde is best known for his work on the fledgling game show Hollywood Squares, where he worked for 15 years.

Paul Lynde studied drama with classmates Charlotte Rae, Patricia O’Neal and Charlton Heston. He moved to New York in 1948 to hone his comedic skills by performing stand-up routines. In 1960 he was cast as the father of a star-struck teenager in the Broadway production Bye, Bye Birdie, the success of which led to the recording of a comedy album and regular spots on The Perry Como Show.

Actor. Born June 13, 1926, in Mount Vernon, Ohio. Lynde attended Northwestern University, where he studied drama with classmates Charlotte Rae, Patricia O’Neal, and Charlton Heston. In 1948, upon his graduation, he moved to New York and honed his comedic skills by performing stand-up routines.

In the early 1950s, Lynde landed a role in a Broadway revue New Faces of 1952. Featuring the now-classic monologue “The Trip of the Month Club,” Lynde was singled out for his manic portrayal of a hapless but determinedly upbeat survivor of a tourist trip to Africa. Despite an auspicious Broadway debut, Lynde did not return to stage work for quite some time. Over the next eight years, he made guest appearances on variety and radio shows.

In 1960, Lynde was cast as the father of a star-struck teenager in the Broadway production Bye, Bye Birdie a role that he reprised in the 1963 film adaptation, which starred Dick Van Dyke and Ann-Margaret. For Lynde, the success of Bye, Bye Birdie led to the recording of a comedy album and regular spots on The Red Buttons Show and The Perry Como Show.

Over the next few years, Lynde appeared in supporting roles in lighthearted films like Under the Yum-Yum Tree (1963), Beach Blanket Bingo (1965), and The Glass Bottom Boat (1966). Lynde forged a lucrative career as a character actor with parts on the popular TV series The Munsters, I Dream of Jeanie, and Bewitched. In 1967, he debuted on the fledgling game show Hollywood Squares, where, as the permanent center square, he found an outlet to showcase his comedic talents for the next 15 years.

In 1972, playing an uptight attorney and father at odds with his liberal-minded son, Lynde starred in the short-lived sitcom The Paul Lynde Show. The series’ failure exacerbated Lynde’s pre-existing drinking problem, which led to numerous run-ins with the law and frequent arrests for public intoxication.

On January 10, 1982, at the age of 55, Paul Lynde died of a massive heart attack brought on by years of substance abuse.

TELEVISION
Bewitched Uncle Arthur (irregularly, 1965-71)
The Paul Lynde Show Paul Simms (1972-73)
Temperatures Rising Dr. Paul Mercy (1973-74)
The Hollywood Squares Center Square (1968-79 and 1980-81)

FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
The Villain (20-Jul-1979)
Rabbit Test (9-Apr-1978)
Hugo the Hippo (25-Dec-1975) [VOICE]
Journey Back to Oz (5-Dec-1974) [VOICE]
Charlotte’s Web (22-Feb-1973) [VOICE]
Gidget Gets Married (4-Jan-1972)
Gidget Grows Up (30-Dec-1969)
How Sweet It Is! (21-Aug-1968)
The Glass Bottom Boat (9-Jun-1966) as Homer Cripps
Beach Blanket Bingo (14-Apr-1965) as Bullets
Send Me No Flowers (14-Oct-1964) as Mr. Akins
For Those Who Think Young (Jun-1964) as Sid Hoyt
Under the Yum Yum Tree (23-Oct-1963) as Murphy
Bye Bye Birdie (4-Apr-1963) as Mr. McAfee
Son of Flubber (16-Jan-1963)
New Faces of 1952 (19-Feb-1954) as Himself