Fact or fiction? Herpes tests on "Feud"

[BrandonFG]

It may have been a different time, but sexual harassment was already against the law, and if the woman .had to agree to kiss Dawson to get on show, it is no different than being forced to kiss the boss, then Mark Goodson is lucky he never got sued.

Keeping in mind that 9 to 5 didn't come out until 1980, and Dawson frequently mentioned that viewers sent in letters overwhelmingly supporting kissing contestants, I wouldn't go that far. In other words, people realized what sexual harassment was, but I doubt the outrage was as high as it would be now. And even when I see a Gen-Z-oriented social media post expressing shock, the most someone might say is "Ewww! Creepy..."

[JasonA1]

I believe each lady was asked before the show if it was alright if Dawson kissed her.  There were a handful that said no, and he usually kissed them on the cheek instead.

This is exactly what a Dawson-era contestant told me, as well.

-Jason

[Kevin Prather]

I believe each lady was asked before the show if it was alright if Dawson kissed her.  There were a handful that said no, and he usually kissed them on the cheek instead.

This is exactly what a Dawson-era contestant told me, as well.

-Jason

Just the other day I had to explain this to a coworker who was indignant that Dawson was "only kissing the attractive women."

[jjman920]

Maybe it's me, but yeah, it wasn't uncommon for plenty of women to want to get a kiss from their favorite male star? Would it be possible that the male star could take advantage of that and take it too far? Sure. But in the case of Dawson, I definitely think he gets a bad rap for something that from all accounts was completely consensual.

Watching FF and MG now I'm struck by how lecherous both Dawson and Rayburn were back then. I'd have loved to see Dawson kiss the wrong lady and get his nose bloodied. Dawson was all over some of those female contestants. I think he was so embittered by his divorce from Diana Dors that he was trying to find the next Mrs. Dawson, and he did.

The women ran to him on MG though. They chose him constantly in the Super Match, not the other way around. He's not going to kiss the wrong lady, because the wrong lady isn't going to go over to him with puckered lips. He was a good game player and in addition to hoping to go for a kiss with him because he was so smooth and cool, they also picked him because they knew they could count on him for a win if they got the right prompt. He didn't wave them over and demand a kiss as a thank you for getting them the win.

Maybe women shouldn't have been as willing to kiss a stranger back then and times have changed, but in the controlled environment of a TV studio, on camera and, in the case of Feud, with consent, I just don't love trashing on Dawson for that. And I don't mean this to say it was okay or a tradition that should still be carried until today, just that I don't think it was a big deal or should be seen as a big deal when analyzing the legacy of Dawson/Feud.

[chris319]

During commercials Dawson used to light up a cigarette, smoke about half of it and then hand it off to Gene Wood. Getting kissed by Dawson must have been accompanied by a great deal of cigarette breath.

[ScottyJ]

During commercials Dawson used to light up a cigarette, smoke about half of it and then hand it off to Gene Wood. Getting kissed by Dawson must have been accompanied by a great deal of cigarette breath.

Most definitely.  I went to many Dawson tapings and I can't remember a moment when he wasn't on camera that he didn't have a cigarette in his mouth.  Don't recall him spraying any Binaca either before resuming the kissing.

[whewfan]

Cathy Dawson is on Facebook; ask her. Why she keeps that a-hole's surname, I don't know.

I'm certainly not a fan of his.  He seemed like a nice guy on the early days of Match Game, but around early '77 he started to get unbearable.  At least that 1984 TV Guide article told the truth about him.

Watching FF and MG now I'm struck by how lecherous both Dawson and Rayburn were back then. I'd have loved to see Dawson kiss the wrong lady and get his nose bloodied. Dawson was all over some of those female contestants. I think he was so embittered by his divorce from Diana Dors that he was trying to find the next Mrs. Dawson, and he did.

The E.P. of FF once remarked, "I'd rather have 100 Allen Luddens than one Richard Dawson.". Allen was what you would call a "pill".

One thing that strikes me about Rayburn that I didn't really pick up on before is that he seemed quite full of himself.  He seemed like a nicer guy than Dawson though.

By Roger Dobkowitz's account, Gene wasn't all that nice off camera. I'm sure the frequent flying from Cape Cod to LA and back wasn't always pleasant, and it affected his demeanor. This, and also having to bend over backwards to make what he considered a weak format entertaining on TV. Regarding Howard Felscher, I've heard from one reliable source that he was just as difficult sometimes. Ray Combs had his own methods of getting laughs, and Howard wasn't always a fan of this. Still, Ray was not at all the big ego that Dawson was. As for Cathy keeping the family name, yes Richard was difficult, but that didn't mean that when he gets home, he has the same demands. I get the impression he was a very loving father that didn't bring his work home with him. Cathy was married to Mark Dawson, so I assume that their marriage wasn't so bad that it compelled her to go back to her maiden name.

[chris319]

Rayburn could just as well have relocated to L.A. but elected to remain in Osterville and commute. Johnny Olson had an even crazier arrangement but he also had an apartment in West Hollywood.

I don't think Cathy and Mark Dawson are married any more.

[BillCullen1]

In his book, Adam mentions that Goodson requested Gene to move to L.A. When he refused, Goodson told him he was not including airfare as part of the show's budget, since he considered moving to L.A. a reasonable request. So Gene paid out-of-pocket for his travel expenses.

[Neumms]

I never heard any such thing around the office. I worked for the E.P. of Family Feud and something like that would have gotten around. I once heard "Richard made a contestant cry" but that's about it.

Chris, I know Felsher wasn’t involved in Match Game, but it seems like Goodson staffs mingled and Rayburn did guest on P+, so…did you hear Rayburn was hard to work with or worse than Ludden? I’ve heard Roger’s cue card story and gripe about not getting a Xmas present, but Adam’s book didn’t have many complaints.

[TimK2003]

In his book, Adam mentions that Goodson requested Gene to move to L.A. When he refused, Goodson told him he was not including airfare as part of the show's budget, since he considered moving to L.A. a reasonable request. So Gene paid out-of-pocket for his travel expenses.

I wonder if Kline & Friends was nice enough to pay for Gene's airfare during his brief involvement with Break The Bank?

[chris319]

Chris, I know Felsher wasn’t involved in Match Game, but it seems like Goodson staffs mingled and Rayburn did guest on P+, so…did you hear Rayburn was hard to work with or worse than Ludden? I’ve heard Roger’s cue card story and gripe about not getting a Xmas present, but Adam’s book didn’t have many complaints.

There weren't many secrets around the G-T office.

I knew everyone who worked on MG except Dick DeBartolo and didn't hear many complaints about working with Rayburn.

Remember, Allen used to watch his shows at home and count his close-ups. One time he called George Choderker at home to complain about getting only six close-ups.

I very much doubt Rayburn's commuting expenses were covered on BtB.

[chris319]

It is not unrealistic to suppose Rayburn was making $5,000 per taping day on MG. He would typically tape two days over a weekend so that's $10,000 in salary per trip to L.A. What did a round-trip ticket between Boston and L.A. cost in 1977? Maybe $500? I don't know where he stayed in L.A. Maybe the Beverly Hills Hotel?

[Mike Tennant]

I don't know where he stayed in L.A. Maybe the Beverly Hills Hotel?

Everyone knows it was that motel in Encino.

[Neumms]

Remember, Allen used to watch his shows at home and count his close-ups. One time he called George Choderker at home to complain about getting only six close-ups.

Thanks, Chris! Geez. Thank heavens Ludden had Steve Allen around to make sure his close-ups were well lit.