Obit: "Family Feud" host Richard Dawson at 79

[CrankyYankee]

Dawson also portrayed POW Cpl. Peter Newkirk on "Hogan's Heroes."
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bostonglobe/obituary.aspx?n=richard-dawson&pid=157924960

 

[Tim-In-Houston]

Rest in Peace, Mr. Dawson, you will be missed.

It occurs to me that I didn't realize was so young. As a youngster, he looked "old" as host of Family Feud...but he would have only been in his 40s, then. Now that I'm in my mid-30s, 79 doesn't seem so old.

 

[rnigma1]

Sorry to hear this - I thought he died some time ago.

 

[CrankyYankee]

May I HIGHLY reccomend that you read this blogpost by Mark Evanier about Richard Dawson.
http://www.newsfromme.com/2012/06/03/richard-dawson-r-i-p/

 

[bpatrick]

For me, Richard Dawson was "Family Feud," and I
don't think any other version has been nearly as good
(although I think his 1994 comeback attempt was a huge
disappointment, as apparently a lot of people did).

But somebody goofed when, in 1988, Dawson made a pilot
for a revived "You Bet Your Life." I can remember thinking
during his years on "Feud" how much his style reminded me
of Groucho's: gentle sarcasm. He would have been great
filling Groucho's shoes, if that's possible, but it never got
on the air (Buddy Hackett and Bill Cosby are more or less
forgettable as hosts of that show).

Dawson was an innovator in another way: when a contestant
gave an obviously dumb answer he let them know it. Say, for
example, the question was "Name a country in Europe. Top six
answers are on the board." The family comes up with England,
France, Germany, Italy, Spain, but can't come up with the sixth
and, under the pressure of time, happens to say something like
Sweden, which didn't make the survey. Dawson wouldn't be too
rough; the answer fits but wasn't up there. But if that same
family said Japan he might suggest they go back to school and
relearn their geography. No host had ever taken that approach
(although Groucho sometimes came close) but he made it OK.

It's just a shame that his ego finally got out of control and he was
getting people fired from "Feud." I remember the 1984 TV Guide article
in which some of his peers pointed that out and how he had alienated
himself from the game-show community. Somehow, too, he was perfect
as Damon Killian in Ahnult's "The Running Man."

Dawson was like a breath of fresh air on game shows. And BTW, nobody's
mentioned that he did a brief stint on "Laugh-In."

 

[firepoint525]

With Dawson's passing, I believe we have lost all the regulars from the '70s-era Match Game. Dawson, Brett Somers, Charles Nelson Reilly, and Gene Rayburn (host). Some recurring panelists, like Debralee Scott, have also died.

Dawson was the go-to guy in that head-to-head final match on Match Game. That is, until they instituted that stupid wheel that contestants had to spin to find out who they would be matched with! :

For me, Richard Dawson was "Family Feud," and I
don't think any other version has been nearly as good
(although I think his 1994 comeback attempt was a huge
disappointment, as apparently a lot of people did).

Probably because he didn't kiss the female contestants, as he had in his previous incarnation as host of the show.

 

[Mario500]

May I HIGHLY reccom[m]end that you read this blogpost by Mark Evanier about Richard Dawson.
http://www.newsfromme.com/2012/06/03/richard-dawson-r-i-p/

That post has some nice memories about him.

 

[anotherguyTN]

Dawson used to do occasional Groucho imitations on Match Game and possibly Family Feud as well. (I didn't get to see it as often except for occasional GSN reruns.)

With Dawson's passing, I believe we have lost all the regulars from the '70s-era Match Game.  Dawson, Brett Somers, Charles Nelson Reilly, and Gene Rayburn (host).  Some recurring panelists, like Debralee Scott, have also died.   

I was just thinking about that last night. Other semi-regulars that have died are Nipsey Russell, McLean Stevenson, and Dick Martin. Ones that are still alive include Gary Burghoff, Bill Daily (I think), Fannie Flagg, Joyce Buliffant (I think), and of course Betty White is still alive and well.

Dawson was the go-to guy in that head-to-head final match on Match Game.  That is, until they instituted that stupid wheel that contestants had to spin to find out who they would be matched with!  :

Dawson didn't stay too long after the Star Wheel was added and I've it may have been the final straw that caused him to leave, but he was already trying to get out because of his work load anyway. It looks like they could have timed that better to add it after he left. I did think that was a good additition after he left to pick who to match with, and it added the chance to double the money that was being played for.

 

[Ultimajock]

Dawson used to do occasional Groucho imitations on Match Game and possibly Family Feud as well. (I didn't get to see it as often except for occasional GSN reruns.)

...Dawson's impersonation of Groucho Marx was also part of his Laugh-In schtick; it was most often done in blackouts with Patti Deutsch as a partner...

 

[firepoint525]

I was just thinking about that last night. Other semi-regulars that have died are Nipsey Russell, McLean Stevenson, and Dick Martin. Ones that are still alive include Gary Burghoff, Bill Daily (I think), Fannie Flagg, Joyce Buliffant (I think), and of course Betty White is still alive and well.

...Dawson's impersonation of Groucho Marx was also part of his Laugh-In schtick; it was most often done in blackouts with Patti Deutsch as a partner...

Is Patti Deutsch still with us? I seem to recall that she was the "airhead" of the show who often gave answers that contestants couldn't match. Supposedly, contestants were deadlocked in 5-5 ties, with Deutsch being the panelist that neither of them could match.

 

[Mario500]

I was just thinking about that last night. Other semi-regulars that have died are Nipsey Russell, McLean Stevenson, and Dick Martin. Ones that are still alive include Gary Burghoff, Bill Daily (I think), Fannie Flagg, Joyce Buliffant (I think), and of course Betty White is still alive and well.

...Dawson's impersonation of Groucho Marx was also part of his Laugh-In schtick; it was most often done in blackouts with Patti Deutsch as a partner...

Is Patti Deutsch still with us?  I seem to recall that she was the "airhead" of the show who often gave answers that contestants couldn't match.  Supposedly, contestants were deadlocked in 5-5 ties, with Deutsch being the panelist that neither of them could match.

According to the Internet Movie Database, Patricia (Patti) Deutsch is still living among us.

 

[Ultimajock]

I was just thinking about that last night. Other semi-regulars that have died are Nipsey Russell, McLean Stevenson, and Dick Martin. Ones that are still alive include Gary Burghoff, Bill Daily (I think), Fannie Flagg, Joyce Buliffant (I think), and of course Betty White is still alive and well.

...Dawson's impersonation of Groucho Marx was also part of his Laugh-In schtick; it was most often done in blackouts with Patti Deutsch as a partner...

Is Patti Deutsch still with us? I seem to recall that she was the "airhead" of the show who often gave answers that contestants couldn't match. Supposedly, contestants were deadlocked in 5-5 ties, with Deutsch being the panelist that neither of them could match.

...Deutsch and comedy writer/husband Donald Ross, both frequently seen on Match Game '7x and Tattletales throughout the '70s, are indeed still alive, working and married to each other (the only other Tattletales mainstay couple of the '70s that are also still married are Charlie Brill and Mitzi McCall; interestingly, both Deutsch and McCall started performing comedy in their childhood home town of Pittsburgh). The problem with Deutsch's Match Game answers was definitely not that she would be an airhead (Joyce Bulifant and Sarah Kennedy, also still with us), but that she would be so imaginative and witty that the answers would be too smart for the room...

 

[LKellerIII]

I was just thinking about that last night. Other semi-regulars that have died are Nipsey Russell, McLean Stevenson, and Dick Martin. Ones that are still alive include Gary Burghoff, Bill Daily (I think), Fannie Flagg, Joyce Buliffant (I think), and of course Betty White is still alive and well.

...Dawson's impersonation of Groucho Marx was also part of his Laugh-In schtick; it was most often done in blackouts with Patti Deutsch as a partner...

Is Patti Deutsch still with us? I seem to recall that she was the "airhead" of the show who often gave answers that contestants couldn't match. Supposedly, contestants were deadlocked in 5-5 ties, with Deutsch being the panelist that neither of them could match.

...Deutsch and comedy writer/husband Donald Ross, both frequently seen on Match Game '7x and Tattletales throughout the '70s, are indeed still alive, working and married to each other (the only other Tattletales mainstay couple of the '70s that are also still married are Charlie Brill and Mitzi McCall; interestingly, both Deutsch and McCall started performing comedy in their childhood home town of Pittsburgh). The problem with Deutsch's Match Game answers was definitely not that she would be an airhead (Joyce Bulifant and Sarah Kennedy, also still with us), but that she would be so imaginative and witty that the answers would be too smart for the room...

True. Call me crazy, but at the time, I thought Patty Deutsch was hot, in an offbeat kind of way. What irritated viewers is that she made no attempt to match the contestants - she just wanted to provide a witty and unconventional answer.

 

[azumanga]

Dawson used to do occasional Groucho imitations on Match Game and possibly Family Feud as well. (I didn't get to see it as often except for occasional GSN reruns.)

...Dawson's impersonation of Groucho Marx was also part of his Laugh-In schtick; it was most often done in blackouts with Patti Deutsch as a partner...

Speaking of which, a clip from his game show, "Masquerade Party", has surfaced on YouTube, featuring Richard as Groucho, with Harpo played by mystery guest and his partner-in-crime on "Match Game", Charles Nelson Reilly...

http://youtu.be/WaduoQ0mjLY

 

[LKellerIII]

Dawson used to do occasional Groucho imitations on Match Game and possibly Family Feud as well. (I didn't get to see it as often except for occasional GSN reruns.)

...Dawson's impersonation of Groucho Marx was also part of his Laugh-In schtick; it was most often done in blackouts with Patti Deutsch as a partner...

Speaking of which, a clip from his game show, "Masquerade Party", has surfaced on YouTube, featuring Richard as Groucho, with Harpo played by mystery guest and his partner-in-crime on "Match Game", Charles Nelson Reilly...

http://youtu.be/WaduoQ0mjLY

Thanks for digging that up! I actually mentioned some other links over on BuzzerBlog's post (Allen Ludden on "Masquerade Party", one of his appearances on the 1970 revival of "Can You Top This?", and his appearance with Bill Bixby on "The Dating Game")...

http://buzzerblog.flashgameshows.com/breaking-richard-dawson-passes-away

Yeah, I agree. I was not aware of Masquerade Party. Aside from demonstrating how versatile Richard Dawson was, it also showed how smart Lee Meriwether was...and is, for that matter.

It just occurred to me - with the death of game shows, all second-tier celebrities have nothing but reality shows to keep them gainfully employed. And now I guess they need to reveal a personal peccadillo - an addiction or something similar.

 

[rnigma1]

Entertainment Tonight had an obit on Dawson today. However, the onscreen graphic identified him as "Richard Dawkins."
???

 

[Kurt Toy]

I remember Masquerade Party. Richard was a great host. R.I.P.

 

[firepoint525]

Dawson was an innovator in another way: when a contestant
gave an obviously dumb answer he let them know it. Say, for
example, the question was "Name a country in Europe. Top six
answers are on the board." The family comes up with England,
France, Germany, Italy, Spain, but can't come up with the sixth
and, under the pressure of time, happens to say something like
Sweden, which didn't make the survey. Dawson wouldn't be too
rough; the answer fits but wasn't up there. But if that same
family said Japan he might suggest they go back to school and
relearn their geography. No host had ever taken that approach
(although Groucho sometimes came close) but he made it OK.

I'm thinking that Rayburn did something similar to that on Match Game. He would always refer to the "definitive answer." It's possible that Dawson may have picked that up from him.