Bill Cullen Entrances

[Argo]

Hi Everyone,

Just curious with all the shows Bill hosted, who's idea was it not to show him walking on camera too much? Did Bill ask not to be shown on screen, was it a producer decision, or was it just assumed or ruled not to show on screen. No doubt the shows Bill worked on were designed around him, but most game shows didn't need a lot of movement on stage anyway. And with the case of Pyramid, Dick would quickly walk to the lectern the same as Bill anyway. Not a completely different entrance.

[TLEberle]

Generally the director—he did not ask for different blocking.

[chris319]

It was Bill's call. Every experienced game-show director knew how not to shoot his entrances. Producers knew it, too.

he did not ask for different blocking

Were you there? I was.

[Adam Nedeff]

From some guy’s book about Bill:

Mike Gargiulo remembers, “Bill’s handicap was never an issue in the sense that, oh, there’s something that we have to be careful never to mention around him. It didn’t bother him, and we never showed him walking on any shows, but truth be told, it was never because he asked. He never told anybody involved in a show to hide the view of him walking, but we just did that for him as a courtesy. At rehearsals, it was something we kept in mind. We’d go over the directions for the cameramen and someone would say, ‘This is when Bill is going to walk from one side to the other, so as soon as we reveal the prize, we’re going to cut to the contestants and pan across their faces and then cut to Bill and the prize when he’s in place.’ But that was never something he specifically asked of us.“

[TLEberle]

I was going from what I remembered of Adam’s book.

[Mr. Matté]

Every experienced game-show director knew how not to shoot his entrances. Producers knew it, too.

Famous comedians on the other hand...

[Jimmy Owen]

I don't think Peter Marshall was often seen walking either.

[JMFabiano]

I don't think Peter Marshall was often seen walking either.

He got the full Password Plus intro, no?

[whewfan]

The only time I think a director goofed was when Cullen was on Family Feud. After Fast Money, Bill, apparently not aware the cameras were still rolling, walked over to the center of the stage. I didn't see him limp, per se, but it was rather, a very stiff walk.

Bill was also seen walking briefly when the IGAS panel was told to walk across the street to the new theatre where IGAS was going to be taped. On that episode, the secret was that they were striking the set to be moved across the street, and that there was going to be a party at the new theatre. So, the panel was at their desk, alone, aside from cameramen and other staff. Garry instructs them to walk down the hall and across the street to the new theatre. So the cameras were following the panel, and Bill was seen walking with the panel, but the panel quickly realized what was going on and walked in front of Bill, then the camera following them only shot from the waist up.

[Bryce L.]

The only time I think a director goofed was when Cullen was on Family Feud. After Fast Money, Bill, apparently not aware the cameras were still rolling, walked over to the center of the stage. I didn't see him limp, per se, but it was rather, a very stiff walk.

And considering that the Dawson run of Feud had the same director as Cullen's version of TPIR (Paul Alter), makes such a "goof" a bit surprising in my eyes.

[Adam Nedeff]

The only time I think a director goofed was when Cullen was on Family Feud. After Fast Money, Bill, apparently not aware the cameras were still rolling, walked over to the center of the stage. I didn't see him limp, per se, but it was rather, a very stiff walk.

And considering that the Dawson run of Feud had the same director as Cullen's version of TPIR (Paul Alter), makes such a "goof" a bit surprising in my eyes.

I think "goof" is overstating it and kind of goes to the core of my point when talking about Bill's limp in my book: he didn't want attention drawn to it, but he wasn't so obsessed with hiding his limp that he just would not walk on camera. I've seen that Family Feud episode. Look at what Bill does and HOW he does it after Fast Money. He doesn't look around first--he's not looking at a monitor nearby. He's not waiting for a stagehand to give him a signal. Bill wanted to walk across the stage, so he walked.

[calliaume]

I don't think Peter Marshall was often seen walking either.

That was because the Marshall Hollywood Squares set didn't lend itself to anyone walking around. This photo shows a wide shot of what the full set looked like, but it was never shown this way on camera.

https://eyesofageneration.com/ultra-rare-hollywood-squares-in-studio-shot-the-first-and-only-yesterday/