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Some thoughts on the late Richard Dawson, and on first impressions.
Richard Dawson passed away on Saturday (as I’m sure many of you know). I read his obituary in the Los Angeles Times this morning. (Damn, esophageal cancer is a lousy way to go.)
I’m struck by how little I knew about him. All I had known, really, was that he was the host of Family Feud and that he kissed female contestants on the lips as they came out. I detested most game shows, so I didn’t see much of it, and the kissing kind of freaked me out. (I thought it bordered on sexual harassment, and wondered if the women were okay with it or just too embarrassed to complain.)
Things I subsequently learned from the article:
…Richard Dawson, the British actor…
I had no idea he was British. He sounded American enough to me! According to a googled source, though, his father was American. Could Richard have gotten his accent from him?
…who went from comedy co-star in the popular TV series "Hogan's Heroes”…
Which turns out to have been a major part of his career. But I didn’t care for what I’d seen of the show, so didn’t watch that one either.
Dawson's key gimmick on "Family Feud" was something that had never been done by a game show host, and is seldom seen today — he kissed all the women players on the lips…
BLEURGH. But…
His son said the tradition started almost by accident; "There was a girl on the show who was very nervous, and my dad was trying to calm her down. So he said he would give her a kiss for luck, and he did. Then when he went to the next female player, she said, "Well, don't I get a kiss?' That's how it started and it just became this thing."
The kissing also sparked complaints from viewers who said that Dawson was getting a bit too familiar. He finally asked viewers to write in and tell him whether he should discontinue the kissing. "The mail flowed in, and it was overwhelmingly positive that he keep kissing the women," said Gary Dawson.
Okay, that sounds less creepy. I’m still iffy about it, though.
Nonetheless, now -- much to my surprise -- I kind of like the guy. So much for first impressions.
Here’s the obit at the Los Angeles Times website. Richard Dawson dies at 79; host of TV’s ‘Family Feud’
Also, Richard Dawson bio at IMDB and Richard Dawson at Wikipedia. (Keeping in mind that Wikipedia is open to anyone who wants to contribute.)
I’m struck by how little I knew about him. All I had known, really, was that he was the host of Family Feud and that he kissed female contestants on the lips as they came out. I detested most game shows, so I didn’t see much of it, and the kissing kind of freaked me out. (I thought it bordered on sexual harassment, and wondered if the women were okay with it or just too embarrassed to complain.)
Things I subsequently learned from the article:
…Richard Dawson, the British actor…
I had no idea he was British. He sounded American enough to me! According to a googled source, though, his father was American. Could Richard have gotten his accent from him?
…who went from comedy co-star in the popular TV series "Hogan's Heroes”…
Which turns out to have been a major part of his career. But I didn’t care for what I’d seen of the show, so didn’t watch that one either.
Dawson's key gimmick on "Family Feud" was something that had never been done by a game show host, and is seldom seen today — he kissed all the women players on the lips…
BLEURGH. But…
His son said the tradition started almost by accident; "There was a girl on the show who was very nervous, and my dad was trying to calm her down. So he said he would give her a kiss for luck, and he did. Then when he went to the next female player, she said, "Well, don't I get a kiss?' That's how it started and it just became this thing."
The kissing also sparked complaints from viewers who said that Dawson was getting a bit too familiar. He finally asked viewers to write in and tell him whether he should discontinue the kissing. "The mail flowed in, and it was overwhelmingly positive that he keep kissing the women," said Gary Dawson.
Okay, that sounds less creepy. I’m still iffy about it, though.
Nonetheless, now -- much to my surprise -- I kind of like the guy. So much for first impressions.
Here’s the obit at the Los Angeles Times website. Richard Dawson dies at 79; host of TV’s ‘Family Feud’
Also, Richard Dawson bio at IMDB and Richard Dawson at Wikipedia. (Keeping in mind that Wikipedia is open to anyone who wants to contribute.)
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The one thing Gene Rayburn seemed to be uptight about, for some reason I was never clear on, was people eating on camera during the show.
Anyway, here's a little something I didn't know about the Dawson till an hour or so ago...he, like many television actors out there, had a mercifully brief singing career:
eliazar
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And, now having learned that it's an anti-war song, I'm hearing it in the voice of Pete Seeger. (Not so far-fetched, actually.)
Hmm, what if Pink Floyd had done this one as well?
Oh, well, I guess it could have been worse.
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As far as why "never the guys"...if that had even been possible on network television back then, we would have been living in a very different world. It wasn't something I ever thought to ask :(