This Week's Game Show Milestone

[AH3RD]

JUNE 9, 1981

 
One of the worst game show tragedies in history occurred: the untimely death of famed Password emcee Allen Ludden, at the age of 61.

Ludden was enjoying a spectacular comeback to NBC's Password+Plus, following a 4-week leave of absence to have surgery done on him for stomach cancer (Bill Cullen emceed in Ludden's stead), when suddenly, a massive stroke in October 1980 forced him off the show for good. Tom Kennedy suceeded him for the rest of Password+Plus' run. On the series' finale on March 26, 1982, Tom said a few kind words about Allen: "This is the last in our series of Password+Plus. Even though our dear friend Allen Ludden is not with us at this particular moment, as you well know he hosted this show as only as he could do for something like 18 years. I was very proud to have the last year and a half here at the helm. All I can say is you know the show is going to be back soon. . . ."

Ludden left behind a lovely, doting wife, Betty White, and several children (I am not sure how many). Aside from his work on Password, Ludden enceed the 1975-77 syndicated edition of Liars' Club, the ill-fated 1977 NBC game Stumpers, and, of course, his pre-Password game, the '50s favourite, GE College Bowl.

The charm, wit, friendliness, and neighbourly demeanor which had become Allen Ludden's trademark through out all of his shows would not soon be forgotten.

And it still isn't.


ALLEN LUDDEN
(1919-1981)

[zachhoran]

[quote name=\'AH3RD\' date=\'Jun 7 2004, 09:31 AM\']
Ludden left behind a lovely, doting wife, Betty White, and several children (I am not sure how many [/quote]
 He had three kids, but from his first marriage(he and Betty had no kids together). All Betty's kids are four-legged.

[MyCapableAssistant]

[quote name=\'AH3RD\' date=\'Jun 7 2004, 08:31 AM\']Ludden left behind a lovely, doting wife, Betty White, and several children (I am not sure how many). [/quote]
During a recent taping of Password, Ludden himself mentioned he
had three kids. He had 1 son, David, and 2 daughters, Martha, and
Sarah.

[tvwxman]

[quote name=\'MyCapableAssistant\' date=\'Jun 7 2004, 10:47 AM\']
During a recent taping of Password, Ludden himself mentioned he
had three kids. He had 1 son, David, and 2 daughters, Martha, and
Sarah. [/quote]
 And which recent taping was this?

[Brandon Brooks]

[quote name=\'MyCapableAssistant\' date=\'Jun 7 2004, 10:47 AM\'] During a recent taping of Password, Ludden himself mentioned he
had three kids. He had 1 son, David, and 2 daughters, Martha, and
Sarah. [/quote]
 How recent was this taping?  :-)

Brandon Brooks

[MyCapableAssistant]

[quote name=\'Brandon Brooks\' date=\'Jun 7 2004, 09:50 AM\'] [quote name=\'MyCapableAssistant\' date=\'Jun 7 2004, 10:47 AM\'] During a recent taping of Password, Ludden himself mentioned he
had three kids. He had 1 son, David, and 2 daughters, Martha, and
Sarah. [/quote]
How recent was this taping?  :-)

Brandon Brooks [/quote]
 The Password is: "rerun."

In a previous GSN rerun, it was noted by
Mr. Ludden, that he has 3 children..."

Now Gentlemen, surely you don't want to tangle
with the wit of a female...  ;-p

Hope I've answered your questions...

[rugrats1]

Ludden enceed the 1975-77 syndicated edition of Liars' Club...

Actually, that run of Liar's Club ran from 1976 to 1979, with Ludden at the helm from 1977 to 1979 (Bill Armstrong (?) hosted the first season).

[Jimmy Owen]

No mention of "Win With the Stars"?

[HairMetalLives]

And then there's the "Joker's Wild" pilot from-- what 1969?

[whampyl03]

And then there's the "Joker's Wild" pilot from-- what 1969?

According to This website:

It is believed that Jack Barry came up with the idea of "The Joker's Wild" during his stint with Goodson-Todman in the 60's. So, in 1969, Barry produced a pilot at CBS TELEVISION CITY. Since he was black-balled from tv due to the scandals, popular PASSWORD host Allen Ludden was tapped as host to this pilot. 

Although I wasn't alive in the frame of time that Allen was hosting the various Passwords, from what I have seen from him, he's easily ranked by me forever as one of my favorite game show hosts of all time.  Mr. Password was truly one of the best.

[Don Howard]

[quote name=\'AH3RD\' date=\'Jun 7 2004, 09:31 AM\'] the ill-fated 1977 NBC game Stumpers [/quote]
Stumpers ran for the final 13 weeks of 1976.
Allen also did a commercial for a bank and appeared with Betty White in an episode
of the Jack Webb production O'Hara, U.S. Treasury starring David Janssen as O'Hara, who worked for the U.S. Treasury.

[zachhoran]

[quote name=\'HairMetalLives\' date=\'Jun 8 2004, 01:19 AM\'] And then there's the "Joker's Wild" pilot from-- what 1969? [/quote]
 Talking Pictures, Hatos-Hall celeb matching game pilot from c. 1969, and Smart Alecks, a show showcasing new inventors(a la Wink's Why DIdn't I THink of THat in the early 90s), are two more unsold Ludden pilots.

[Jimmy Owen]

Allen was also in the movie "Futureworld" at the very beginning. He also hosted a syndicated 90-min talk show of the Mike Douglas-Merv Griffin type between Passwords.

[Dbacksfan12]

[quote name=\'AH3RD\' date=\'Jun 7 2004, 09:31 AM\'] One of the worst game show tragedies in history occurred: the untimely death of famed Password emcee Allen Ludden, at the age of 61.
 [/quote]
 In history? Not really.
Besides, a certain member of this board would surely disagree with these sentiments.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Dsmith\' date=\'Jun 8 2004, 06:38 PM\'] [quote name=\'AH3RD\' date=\'Jun 7 2004, 09:31 AM\'] One of the worst game show tragedies in history occurred: the untimely death of famed Password emcee Allen Ludden, at the age of 61.
 [/quote]
In history? Not really.
Besides, a certain member of this board would surely disagree with these sentiments. [/quote]
 Or maybe not. You might not like someone, you might have difficulty working with them, but you don't wish DEATH on them. Painful rectal itch, maybe, but not death.