Paul Lynde - A Biography (20 page)

The last time I saw Paul was in August of 1980, with my friend, Debbie Braun. We went to see him perform in
Plaza Suite,
in Toronto, Canada. Paul took us out to a Chinese restaurant after the show. It was Debbie’s first time meeting him, and she was so nervous and kept thanking him profusely for his hospitality. Paul kept trying to reassure her saying, “Calm down, it’s all right.”

The waiter brought over a tray with a dead fish that was over a foot long, and he placed it on our table. It had two huge eyes that were bulging out at us. Debbie and I freaked, so Paul took his fork and stuck it right in the eyeballs, “Now you’ll stop staring,” he joked.

After dinner, we returned to his hotel, and Paul became very quiet as he sat sipping a diet soda, while Debbie and I played with his dog, Alfred. He wasn’t drinking, but I was, and when I went over to pour myself another drink, Paul gave me a disapproving look.

Later, when I was heading out, I handed Paul a brochure from the play and asked him to sign it. He said, “Cathy, you don’t need my autograph, you have it. We are beyond that.” I insisted. He seemed annoyed, but signed it anyway. I did not know how to tell him that I needed his words to hold onto until I would see him again. When it was time to go, I mistakenly said, “Good-bye,” and Paul quickly said, “Please don’t say that, just say I’ll see you soon.” That would be the last time I saw him. Paul died in January.

When I was seventeen, my prayers were answered when I found Paul’s phone number. I think now it was because God knew we needed each other.

At our first meeting, Paul asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I said “an author.” Later, I wrote thanking him for letting me into his life and that I hoped one day I could do something for him. Well Paul, I hope you like it.

Paul can still be seen on reruns of
Bewitched
as well as in many movies. His voice is imitated by Michael Airington, as the talking mirror on Disney’s
The Suite Life on Deck.
Michael also performed as Paul for years in Hollywood in his show
Oh My Goodness It’s Paul Lynde,
and he is planning to bring the show back soon.

Seth Macfarlane told an audience that Paul was the inspiration for the voice of Rodger the Alien on
American Dad.
His jokes from
The Hollywood Squares
are still passed around on the Internet. Not too long ago, Ellen DeGeneres, in honor of Paul, held his picture when she sat in the center square on the newer
Hollywood Squares.

Maybe soon, some wise network will bring
The Paul Lynde Show
back on television.

For more Paul, please visit the author’s website:

www.paullyndeabiography.com

broadway plays

New Faces 1952

Bye Bye Birdie 1960

New Faces 1956
(written and directed only)

summer stock

Visit To A Small Planet

Panama Hattie

The Impossible Years

Don’t Drink the Water

Plaza Suite

My Daughter’s Rated X

Mother is Engaged

Stop, Thief, Stop!

television

Bewitched

Bob Hope Chrysler Theater

Hollywood Palace

Dean Martin and The Golddiggers

The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast

The Red Buttons Show

The Jackie Gleason Show

Ed Sullivan Show

Burke’s Law

The Jack Paar Show

Colgate Comedy Hour

The Jack Benny Show

Hollywood Palace

Smothers Brothers

Gypsy Rose Lee Show

The Farmer’s Daughter

The Dean Martin Show

Dean Martin Presents the Gold Diggers

The Jonathan Winters Show

The Steve Allen Show

Beverly Hillbillies

Jerry Lewis

The Tonight Show

Bob Hope Chrysler Theatre

Kraft Music Hall

F-Troop

The Flying Nun

The Glen Campbell Show

The Paul Lynde Show

The Dinah Shore Show

I’ve Got A Secret

That Girl

Donny and Marie

The Mac Davis Show

The Martha Raye Show

The Andy Williams Show

The Arthur Godfrey Show

The Patty Duke Show

Henry Fonda and Family

Grindl

Celebrity Game

Hallmark Hall of Fame

The Munsters

The Mike Douglas Show

The Pierre Berton Show

The Merv Griffin Show

The Hollywood Squares

The Dating Game

Truth or Consequences

I Dream of Jeanie

Art Linkletter

That’s Life

The Mothers-In-Law

Where’s Huddles?

Laugh-In

Gidget Grows Up

Gidget Gets Married

The New Temperatures Rising Show

The $10,000 Dollar Pyramid

Ruggles of Red Gap

Love, American Style

The Paul Lynde Special

Paul Lynde at the Movies

The Paul Lynde Comedy Hour

The Paul Lynde Halloween Special

Paul Lynde Goes M-a-a-ad

The Paul Lynde Show

The Phil Silvers Show

feature films

New Faces 1952

Bye Bye Birdie

Under the Yum Yum Tree

Return To The Land of Oz

Son of Flubber

Beach Blanket Bingo

For Those Who Think Young

Send Me No Flowers

The Glass Bottom Boat

How Sweet It Is

Charlotte’s Web

Hugo the Hippo

Rabbit Test

The Villain

paul lynde’s diet waffles

1 egg white

3/8 cup cake flour

1 tsp. baking powder

3/8 cup skim milk

1/8 tsp. salt

Beat egg white until stiff. In a blender, combine milk, flour and salt. Add baking powder and beat until smooth. Pour batter in a bowl and gently fold egg white into it. Cook until crisp in a pre-heated waffle iron. (Cook a little longer than regular waffles.)

This makes 3 waffles of 50 calories each.

paul lynde’s diet chicken

1 chicken, cut up and skinned

Tomato juice

Celery

Green peppers

All beef cocktail franks, drained

Frozen shrimp (shelled)

Place chicken in a heavy pan and cover with ½ tomato juice and ½ water. Simmer ½ hour.

Chop the green peppers (2 or 3) and the celery (practically the whole bunch).

Add to the chicken at the end of the ½ hour, and simmer another ½ hour. During last three minutes of cooking, add the shrimp.

diet meat loaf à la lynde

2 lbs. super lean ground beef

2 egg yolks

1 cup canned okra

Salt and pepper to taste

Oregano and/or celery seed as desired

(for every pound of ground beef add egg yolk)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Mix ingredients together and place in a loaf pan. Glaze lightly with ketchup. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

In small saucepan, cook red chili peppers in a small amount of water until soft. Scrape pulp, discard skin and add pulp to the meat mixture. Cover and simmer for 6 hours, stirring occasionally.

paul lynde’s beef stew

3 lbs. stew meat

1 No. 2 can diced carrots

1 No. 2 can small onions

1 No. 2 can tomatoes

1 No. 2 can tiny peas

1 No. 2 can potatoes

1 No. 2 can small green beans (reg. cut)

½ can beef consommé

4 tbs. minute tapioca

1 tbs. brown sugar

½ cup prepared bread crumbs

1 bay leaf

½ cup white wine

1 ½ tbs. salt, pepper (to taste)

Pre heat oven to 250 degrees.

Blend all ingredients together. Bake in covered casserole 6-7 hours.

My supportive, loving sisters: Tricia Pugliesi, Maureen Stockberger, and Eileen Ruggerio. My first editors: Jocelyn Conte and Haley Rudolph. My computer experts: Joan Seaman and Ryan Rudolph. My first readers and support system: Jerry Fitzgibbon, Margo Wieland, Pam Morrow, Barbara Brinkerhoff, Tom Philbin, Al Zuckerman, Mickey Novack, Arlene Kanea, Bob Foister and E. Earle Rudolph. My other friends and family who are supporters: Ana Dolne and daughters Sandra, Cynthia, Patty and Lisabelle, Janet and Lauren Fine, Arlene Duggan, Jean Cutsail, Robin Aaron, Olive Bourne, Amy and Tom Fowler, Susan Drost, Donna Mabanta, Nancy Smith, Lea Tyrell, Claudia Kwasnik-Picarello, Mary Devine, The Callighan Clan, Jim and Anne Rudolph, Kelly Small, Rachel Dannenberg and Michael Cohen, Glenn, Barbara, Jaimie and Gavin Rudolph, Patty Reed, Debbie Braun, The Cecora Clan, The Bochicchio Clan, The Burkes and Hemphills, Lisa Tarantino, Joanne Verderosa, Frank and Cheryl Raffele. The Levittown Public Library, The Comsewogue Library Staff, Sino, Gabrielle and Michelle Pugliesi, Brittany, Melissa, and Amanda Stockberger, Dolores Santiago, Eileen Korpi, and Dorothy Heifi.

Also to Father Bill Hanson who was a constant reminder to use the talents God gave us. And to Oprah, who made an impact when she said to do what you want before you’re fifty years old. To Belle, my faithful dog, who sat beside me while I wrote the book.

Special thanks to Connie Rice and Nancy Noce, Jim Gibson of Knox County Historical Society, Reginald Adams, Daphne Welds Nichols and Diane Dalpe, Michael Airington, and Susie Lindeberg. Northwestern University and archivist Kevin B. Leonard, George Englund, Jr., Jan Forbes, Cloris Leachman, Kaye Ballard, Chita Rivera, and to Les Roberts for his history with Paul and giving me the jokes he wrote for Paul from
Squares.
Also to Peter Marshall for his kind help and time he gave me for the book. And to all Paul’s friends whose memories of Paul helped us to really get to know him.

And to all the staff at Bear Manor, including Michelle and my editor, Wendy, Sandy, Brian Pearce for all his professionalism and hard work, and especially to Ben Ohmart for giving me the chance to tell Paul’s story and making another dream come true.