Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Bill Cullen, Game Show Master

I like game shows, and while watching quite a few different ones, I have found some game show hosts that I like more than others. One of my favorites is Bill Cullen (Feb, 18, 1920 - Nov. 7, 1990). Today is the anniversary of his birth.

Bill Cullen was usually positioned behind the podium as the show opened instead of running out in the beginning. He had a disability, a limp as the result of polio as a child, but he was not disabled. That was evident by his long career beginning with radio game shows in the 40's and ending in the 1980's. He hosted 23 game shows -- including the first Price Is Right -- served on panels and as a guest celebrity contestant.

Bill would sometimes laugh at a question if it was amusing or outrageous, but he demonstrated the utmost respect for contestants, the audience, both in-studio and at home TV viewers. He had fun, and he was fun to watch. He always had a smile, sometimes a laugh, and he was a master at making contestants comfortable. Games and game shows are supposed to be fun. Bill Cullen made sure they were.

The Game Show Congress, a nonprofit association that seeks to promote the game show industry, inaugurated the Bill Cullen Career Achievement Award with a posthumous honor to Bill in 2004.

Happy Birthday, Bill Cullen. Many of your programs showing on the Game Show Network continue to entertain us. Thank you.

Interesting Links:

wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Cullen

Bill Cullen Homepage


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1 comment:

Diane J Standiford said...

Grew up watching him with my babysitter. She was 70 something and had a crush on him. LOL