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Bill Cullen: Master Game Show Host
and Panelist
by Guy
Belleranti
The name Bill Cullen is synonymous with the television game show.
Actually however, this master game show host and panelist began in radio
in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he assisted with news,
sports coverage and the like.
In the mid 1940’s Cullen moved to New York where he first wrote for, and
then hosted, radio programs, including a number of game shows. One of
these was the Mark Goodson-Bill Todman production Winner Take All. This
was the first of many Mark Goodson-Bill Todman productions Cullen would
be involved with over a period of almost 40 years.
In 1952 Winner Take All moved to television, and Cullen had his first TV
hosting job.
Over the next thirty plus years he would host 24 games shows, more than
anyone else in history. Among these shows were Place the Face, Down You
Go and the classic The Price is Right (which he hosted from 1956 to
1965).
In those days most games shows were much more refined and polite than
today. People dressed up in fine clothes for their appearances as guests
on the programs and they rarely jumped around and screamed like they do
on so many game shows of today. Bill Cullen fit in with the era
perfectly. Known for his big horn-rimmed glasses and engaging smile,
Cullen was the perfect host. I remember seeing him on several game shows
of the 1960’s and was always impressed how down-to-earth and friendly he
was.
Among other game shows Cullen hosted were programs such as Eye Guess,
Three on a Match, The Joker’s Wild and The $25,000 Pyramid.
Bill Cullen was also a panelist on many game shows. And it wasn’t
unusual to find him as a panelist on one or more programs while hosting
another (oftentimes on a rival network) all in the same week. This
sometimes meant a grinding schedule of flying from one coast to the
other week after week. Among the programs Cullen was a panelist on were
the game show classics I’ve Got a Secret, Password, Match Game and To
Tell the Truth (of which he was also a substitute host).
Late in his career Bill Cullen did a number of public service
announcements for the National Society for the Prevention of Blindness.
He retired from television in 1986 after his final series The Joker’s
Wild left the air, and passed away on July 7, 1990 of lung cancer at the
age of 70.
He was, and still is, fondly remembered by many in the profession as a
one of the greats. Groucho Marx is said to have called him “the second
wittiest man on television” (with himself being first!). Dick Clark
called him “the ultimate host” who “had the great talent of making his
job look easy” and Pat Sajak called him “the broadcaster’s broadcaster”.
Indeed, if you ever watched Bill Cullen as a host or panelist you would
have to agree he was a man of intelligence, wit and class.
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