Comedian Paul Lynde: Behind the Laughter
Paul Lynde was born in Mount Vernon, Ohio, on June 13th 1926, one of six children. His father was a local police officer, who was much respected in the community. When Paul’s mother took him to see the silent film production of Ben-Hur, he decided then and there that he would become an actor. Tragedy struck his family during WWII when his older brother, Cordon, was killed in action. Years later, after he had graduated from Northwestern University and headed in search of his dream, he got his first break. Moving to New York City, he tried his hand at stand-up comedy, and was featured at the Number One Fifth Avenue nightclub. Following stints on The Perry Como Show in 1948, it was a short jump to Broadway, where in 1952 he joined the cast, along with Eartha Kitt, Carol Lawrence, and Alice Ghostly, of the New Faces of 1952 revue.
The show was made into a movie in 1954, where the actors simply played themselves in a series of skits. He kept busy with steady work on Broadway, films and on television as well. He was in both the stage and film versions of Bye, Bye Birdie and Under the Yum Yum Tree. He became a much in demand guest star on popular TV shows in the early Sixties, ranging from the Munsters to I Dream of Jeannie to Bewitched, where his recurring role as the cynical and comedic Uncle Arthur began in 1965. He would do eleven appearances on the long running sitcom, including a famous one where he makes his appearance in a big pot of beef stew!
But his personal life began to unravel in 1965. It was long rumored that Paul Lynde was gay, which was easily kept under wraps in those days. Besides being a heavy smoker, he also developed a drinking problem, and these facets of his life came together when a male friend of his fell to his death from an eighth floor window in a San Francisco hotel while they were partying. The incident was kept quiet, and Paul continued getting role after role on television and stage, despite his ongoing alcoholism. In 1967 he garnered the “center square” on Hollywood Squares, where he would stay until 1981. When Bewitched was finally cancelled by ABC, he flopped in a pair of sitcoms specifically designed for him, The Paul Lynde Show and Temperatures Rising.
In 1974, Paul Lynde was voted America’s favorite comedian in a poll. His incredibly funny one-liners, delivered from the “center square” made him immensely popular. He would receive the questions in advance, as did all the celebrities on the show, and then come up with a humorous answer. His were often risquÃ?© in nature, but not so bad that the censors would take notice.
Host Peter Marshall- “If the right part came along, would George C. Scott do a nude scene?”
Lynde- “You mean he doesn’t have the right part?”
Paul’s personal life continued to spiral out of control, with drinking at the center of many of his worst moments. In Utah, in 1978, where he was a regular on The Donnie and Marie Show, he was arrested outside a gay bar, costing him his job on the variety series. At his alma-mater, Northwestern, around the same time, he was asked to be the marshal of the homecoming parade. He did the parade and showed up at a local fast food restaurant drunk, where he proceeded to spout racial slurs at a black man in front of him. The man turned out to be a professor at the University; when he wrote a letter to the press about Lynde’s tirade, the comedian publicly apologized, citing stress and fatigue as factors in his behavior.
In 1979, Hollywood Squares fired Paul Lynde for his drinking. He had become almost uncontrollable on the set and finally the producers had enough. He sued the National Enquirer when the tabloid printed the reason for his leaving the show, but the lawsuit fizzled. As Hollywood Squares’ ratings dropped without Paul, who had been replaced in the “center square” by Henny Youngman, it asked him back. He returned, but in 1981 the show was cancelled.
The changing face of the television landscape of the early Eighties had a devastating effect on Paul’s career. Variety shows went out of vogue, along with the game shows, and the result was that the actor was out of work for the first time in his career. On January 10th, 1982, Paul Lynde was found dead in his Beverly Hills home. The Hollywood rumor mill churned out stories of him being the victim of a gay lover, or dying after having sex with a male prostitute. These were unfounded; a massive heart attack had killed him at age 55. The coroner explained that Lynde’s heart resembled that of a man much older, most likely because of his excessive lifestyle. Paul Lynde was buried in Amity cemetery in Amity, Ohio, next to his friend John, the same friend that had plummeted to his death in San Francisco in 1965.
Paul Lynde is remembered as a gifted comedian with a penchant for just the right delivery. From his trademark laugh after his jokes to his good looks, his on-camera demeanor was a far cry from his real self. However, the joy and laughter he brought to his audiences will always remain his legacy.
Some of Paul Lynde’s classic lines from Hollywood Squares-
Peter Marshall-“When you pat a dog on his head, it makes him wag his tail. What will a goose do?”
Paul Lynde- “Make him bark.”
Peter Marshall- “What do you call a man who gives you diamonds and pearls?”
Paul Lynde- “I’d call him darling.”
Peter Marshall- “It is the most abused and neglected part of your body. What is it?”
Paul Lynde- “Mine may be abused, but it certainly isn’t neglected!”
Peter Marshall- “During Richard Nixon’s recent visit to Poland, the Polish people kept shouting “Stolat, stolat, stolat!” What does stolat mean in Polish?”
Paul Lynde- “Welcome, President Johnson!”
