June 13, 1926– Paul Lynde, my favorite anecdote:
In the early 1960s, Lynde was on trans-continental flight. A rather dreadful child was not being supervised by her parents & was running up & down the aisle making noise & annoying the other passengers. The mother obviously thought this behavior was precious. When Lynde could take no more of the tot’s shenanigans, he rose from his seat & approached the mother, emphatically stating:
“Madam, if you don’t control your child this instant, I will have to fuck her.”
Lynde was one of the first personalities that I identified as gay when I was a child, before I ever understood that it meant. I thought his way with a one-liner & his unique delivery was just too funny. I loved him in the film of Bye Bye Birdie (1963) in a role he originated on Broadway. He was only just barely a closet case with his camp & snarky demeanor & delivery.
He guest starred on nearly every sitcom & variety show in the late 1950s to the 1980s, from I Dream Of Jeannie to Love American Style, Kraft Music Hall to Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In. Lynde’s best known sitcom role was, of course, on Bewitched (1964-1972), the gayest sitcom in TV History, as Endora‘s brother, Uncle Arthur, along with gay actors Maurice Evans, Agnes Moorehead & Dick Sargent.
For all his considerable talent, Lynde is most famous as the “Center Square” on the popular game-show Hollywood Squares & it’s most iconic star. He began as just another guest, but was so popular the he quickly assumed the permanent place in that center square, guaranteeing that he would be called upon by contestants at least once in every round. The show gave Lynde the showcase his special talent for short one-liners, delivered in his trademark sniggering delivery. Many of these gags were thinly veiled allusions to his gayness. Asked:
“You’re the world’s most popular fruit. What are you?” Lynde answered: “Humble”.
Other Hollywood Squares classics:
Peter Marshall: “Paul, why do Hell’s Angels wear leather?”
Paul Lynde: “Because chiffon wrinkles too easily.”
Peter Marshall: “What’s the one thing you should never do in bed?”
Paul Lynde: “Point & laugh!”
Peter Marshall: “In The Wizard Of Oz, the Tin Man wanted a heart & the Lion wanted courage. What did the Straw Man want?”
Paul Lynde: “He wanted the Tin Man to notice him.”
Lynde starred in a short-lived ABC sitcom, The Paul Lynde Show (1972), which got the Bewitched slot. It co-starred Jerry Stiller & the late, great Anne Meara, along with Alice Ghostly, also of Bewitched. It lasted a single season & it seems to me that like so many character actors, Lynde’s gift was more apparent in supporting roles. Plus, the network brass at ABC were nervous about Lynde’s perceived gayness. Still, he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award that year. He was given a yearly variety special from 1974-1980.
Lynde was sought after club performer, director, recording artist, an actor on Broadway, films, TV, cartoons & summer stock, & he was one of Hollywood’s finest chefs, with his own cookbook & a noted gracious host. Lynde:
“I can’t even get 3 weeks off to have cosmetic surgery!”
In 1965, Lynde was involved in an accident where his 24 year old boyfriend fell 8 stories to his death from the window of their hotel room in San Francisco’s Sir Francis Drake Hotel after a night of drinking. The event was witnessed by a 2 policemen, but the story was largely kept out of the press.
In 1976, a People Magazine piece on Lynde featured him with his “chauffeur/bodyguard.” In 1978, Lynde was arrested for drunkenness outside of a gay bar in Salt Lake City. After the arrest, he was released from his guest starring role on The Donny & Marie Show.
Lynde spent his life engaged in constant personal struggles in his private life, as the tabloids occasionally reported, but he remained appreciated by those in his profession, friends & fans, although I understand he could be a mean drunk. A gifted comic actor & performer, he is still perhaps most famous just for being Paul Lynde. The enigmatic Lynde:
“I don’t know who the hell Paul Lynde is, or why he’s funny, & I prefer it to be a mystery to me. An actor shouldn’t undergo psychoanalysis, because there are a lot of things you’re better off not knowing.”
Lynde was found dead in his Beverly Hills home by his pal Paul Barresi on January 11, 1982. Lynde enjoyed a precarious life of men, drinking & partying. He was just 55 years old when he took that final bow. Seth McFarlane counts him as an influence. Mel Brooks is a fan & said that Lynde was: “capable of getting laughs by reading a phone book, tornado alert or seed catalog.”
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