Had it not been for "Hour Magazine" Gary might be remembered as Mr. Mary
Ann Mobley; none of his primetime shows ("The Wackiest Ship In The Army,"
"Iron Horse," "The Sixth Sense," and "Born Free") lasted more than a couple of
seasons. Indeed, he's probably remembered more as a host than as an actor.
He also emceed the Miss America Pageant for a time in the '80s; I think he
replaced Ron Ely, who in turn replaced Bert Parks after the controversial firing
of Parks (for age reasons) in 1979.
"Hour Magazine" may have avoided the tabloidy topics embraced by Phil, Oprah,
Sally, Geraldo, et. al., but it was quite popular; I remember it dominating the 4-5
PM slot on WSPA when I lived in Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville; I also remember
that its syndicator, Group W, owned the NBC affiliate in Charlotte and briefly carried
the show; it didn't catch on there until it moved to WBTV.
