A Larry Blyden thought

[Bob Zager]

This week (First full week of June, 2022), Larry Blyden is seen on WML? in the morning, and original Password in the afternoon on BUZZR.  It led me to look up his hosting history in the EOTVGS, and I'd figured something out that I don't know if anyone else has mentioned before.

In sequential order, Blyden hosted the following:

Personality
You're Putting Me On
The Movie Game
What's My Line?

It later struck me, that after Personality was cancelled by NBC, each of the other shows Blyden hosted had been on the air with a different host originally!  The Monday after Personality was cancelled, Blyden succeeded Bill Leyden on YPMO.  Eventually, he succeeded Sonny Fox on The Movie Game in syndication, and then took over WML? from Wally Bruner.

During his time on WML?, he subbed for Bill Cullen on Three on a Match, but I don't know how long it was for.

Of course, we know he tragically died not too long before he was going to host Showoffs, but wonder if he would've helped the show, or hosted more shows later on, had he lived.

[Jimmy Owen]

"Showoffs" would have been a 26 week show, no matter who hosted it.  Larry would have would have paneled on TTTT and do pilots for Bob Stewart, which would have sold for one of the networks.  He would be active on Broadway, either on stage or behind the scenes.

[calliaume]

I've noted before--and this is just an opinion--that Larry Blyden hosted game shows because of what had happened in his personal life. He and his wife Carol Haney divorced and she died two years after that in 1964, which tied him down in New York with his kids for the most part. (The year before he'd done an NBC sitcom, Harry's Girls, which filmed mostly in Europe.) He was successful on Broadway, but not every show is a success and a long run at that point was a year or eighteen months, not ten or twenty years like A Chorus Line or Cats. So game shows provided an easy, additional line of steady income. Whether he wanted to do them or not is another question altogether.

But I don't think Larry Blyden's presence on Showoffs would have made it a success. I doubt a huge percentage of the viewing public realized that Bobby Van was only hired because of Blyden's death; most viewers didn't read the trades that faithfully. (I did, but I'm a geek.)

[Jimmy Owen]

You have to wonder if Bobby Van would have not become a host.  He might have been just a panelist. Would there be no Fun Factory or Make Me Laugh?

[clemon79]

Would there be no Fun Factory or Make Me Laugh?

Would anyone have noticed?

[Jimmy Owen]

Would there be no Fun Factory or Make Me Laugh?

Would anyone have noticed?

Some have a fondness for MML.

[BrandonFG]

4/10. I’m being generous because it’s Friday.

[Scrabbleship]

Larry would have would have paneled on TTTT

I don't just think he would've just paneled. I think that in an alternative 1977 with Larry Blyden in it he takes over TTTT once Garry Moore retires. Not that it would've helped a bunch, the show was already tired regardless of who hosted it, but I think his time on WML? would've pushed him over Joe Garagiola.

[clemon79]

Some have a fondness for MML.

Having Frank Zappa on that show was the equivalent of Tom Douglas doing Battle Salmon on Iron Chef. That "you gotta be farking kidding me" look while Bruce Baum went through his zany histronics was 100% genuine.

/also he was prolly tripping balls