All About Paul
A Tribute to Paul Lynde
5 p.m. Saturday, June 24, 2000
Caravan of Dreams
Like most gay kids, my first real memories of camp humor came from my daily dose of The Hollywood Squares. And sitting dead center was the reason I tuned in, Paul Lynde. I even secretly scolded contestants for not choosing him even if they could choose Goldie Hawn for the win. I needed my quip fix even if couldn't explain why some of them made me laugh harder than others.
"Why do motorcyclists traditionally wear leather?" Peter Marshall queried.
"Because chiffon wrinkles," Paul said with a cackle.
By the time Bewitched entered my psyche, I was all about Paul prompting me to take a look back at just what made us all laugh so much. With the help of an Internet Lynde junkie, I've been able to assemble an assortment of Paul's work in film and television, from his show-stopping performance of Kids in Bye Bye Birdie to his drag appearance opposite Doris Day in 1966's The Glass Bottom Boat to an obsure guest spot on the Donny and Marie Show Star Wars Special.
The highlight of the presentation, however, is a 16mm
complete episode of his short-lived TV series, The Paul Lynde Show.
(60 min.)16mm and video, b&w and color.