Paul Lynde Biographical Feature in Development

[calliaume]

From Deadline:

https://deadline.com/2020/07/billy-eichner-paul-lynde-movie-man-in-the-actor-stigmatized-for-being-gay-eichner-feels-things-havent-changed-for-gay-actors-1202990876/

[JakeT]

From Deadline:

https://deadline.com/2020/07/billy-eichner-paul-lynde-movie-man-in-the-actor-stigmatized-for-being-gay-eichner-feels-things-havent-changed-for-gay-actors-1202990876/

Absolutely GENIUS casting...and I think Billy is right about the stigma for the most part...

JakeT

[Neumms]

Absolutely GENIUS casting...and I think Billy is right about the stigma for the most part...

You can't say there's no stigma, but...Paul Lynde played one role. It was hilarious, but he had a couple chances and it wore thin as the lead.

Billy contradicts himself when he laments that Paul had to play straight when he got his own sitcom and also that gay men weren't cast as straight men.

[BillCullen1]

I read somewhere a few years back, some interviewer asked Paul why he never married. Paul reportedly looked at him and asked "Do you live in a cave?"

Also read somewhere, someone described Paul Lynde as "Liberace without the piano."  Made me LOL.

He had his problems, but his fame earned him enough to buy Errol Flynn's house.

[JakeT]

Billy contradicts himself when he laments that Paul had to play straight when he got his own sitcom and also that gay men weren't cast as straight men.

OUT gay men are rarely cast in straight roles upon coming out...there are a few exceptions but the stigma does still exist very strongly...

JakeT

[Neumms]

OUT gay men are rarely cast in straight roles upon coming out...there are a few exceptions but the stigma does still exist very strongly...

True, but as BillCullen1 also points out, Lynde wasn't hiding much, yet he was cast as straight in The Paul Lynde Show. It was more his comedic persona: a little was great, a lot was too much.

[BillCullen1]

OUT gay men are rarely cast in straight roles upon coming out...there are a few exceptions but the stigma does still exist very strongly...

True, but as BillCullen1 also points out, Lynde wasn't hiding much, yet he was cast as straight in The Paul Lynde Show. It was more his comedic persona: a little was great, a lot was too much.

Indeed, that's why "Hollywood Squares" was the perfect vehicle for Paul. He was almost guaranteed to get called on once for each game since he sat in the center. He would say his joke, answer the question and the game moved on. Paul was one of those performers who was better off in small doses.

[mystery7]

I've seen the Paul Lynde Show on Antenna TV. His character, Paul Simms, was known to fly into yelling fits quite often. I couldn't help but wonder how much of that yelling was Paul Simms's frustration at the situation and how much was actually Paul Lynde venting some personal aggression.

Fun fact: in one episode, Roy Rowan plays the host of Beat The Buzzer, a game show Paul's son-in-law Howie appears on.

[Neumms]

His character, Paul Simms, was known to fly into yelling fits quite often. I couldn't help but wonder how much of that yelling was Paul Simms's frustration at the situation and how much was actually Paul Lynde venting some personal aggression.

That's pretty funny. How was the show? Did it earn its cancellation or was it pearls before swine?

[mystery7]

I'd probably be watching something else the night it was on. Paul Simms was basically a white-collar Archie Bunker (an attorney) with much less bite to his bark. Everyone in the cast was basically Paul Lynde's straight man.

Like Lynde, William Asher was contracted to ABC and with his ex-wife-to-be Liz Montgomery not wanting to do a 9th season of Bewitched (who could blame her?), this was the show he came up with. Gotta say, there were some good guest stars: Tom Bosley, Stiller & Meara as son-in-law Howie's parents, Charlotte Rae...and Shorty Rogers did some great music for it.

[Mike Tennant]

Everyone in the cast was basically Paul Lynde's straight man.

No pun intended, I'm sure.

[BillCullen1]

Everyone in the cast was basically Paul Lynde's straight man.

No pun intended, I'm sure.

Lynde's wife on the show was played by Elizabeth Allen, who appeared on Tattletales for a week with Charles Nelson Reilly as her "partner." To quote Arte Johnson, "Verrry interesting."