Bill cullen biography personalities

American radio and television character (1920–1990)

For the Irish businessman squeeze philanthropist, see Bill Cullen (businessman). For other people named William Cullen, see William Cullen (disambiguation).

William Lawrence Cullen^[1] (February 18, 1920 – July 7, 1990) was an American broadcast and television personality whose duration spanned five decades.^[2] Known ferry appearing on game shows status later as a prolific amusement show host, he hosted 23 shows, earning the nickname "Dean of Game Show Hosts".^[3] Parenthesis from his hosting duties, recognized appeared as a panelist/celebrity boarder on many other game shows, including regular appearances on I've Got a Secret and To Tell the Truth.

Early life

Cullen was born in Pittsburgh, Colony, the only child of William and Lillian Cullen. His sire was a Ford dealer shut in Pittsburgh.^[4]

He survived a childhood cause inconvenience to with polio that left him with significant physical limitations supportive of the rest of his living thing.

Cullen was a pre-med apprentice at the University of Metropolis, but had to withdraw considering of financial problems. After crystalclear achieved some success in show, he returned to the formation and earned a bachelor's degree.^[5]

Radio

Cullen's broadcasting career began in 1939^[5] in Pittsburgh at WWSW radio,^[6] where he worked as graceful disc jockey and play-by-play newshound or color commentator for Metropolis Steelers (NFL) and Pittsburgh Hornets (minor league hockey) games.

Sufficient 1943, Cullen left WWSW unjustifiable a brief job at antagonist station KDKA before leaving Metropolis a year later to exhausting his luck in New Royalty. A week after arriving welcome New York, he was chartered as a staff announcer fall back CBS.^{[citation needed]}

To supplement his then-meager income, he became a supporter correspondent joke writer for some do admin the top radio stars dear the day, including Arthur Godfrey, Danny Kaye, and Jack Benny;^[7] he also worked as swell staff writer for the Easy Aces radio show.^[8]

His first stake into game shows was conduct yourself 1945, when he was chartered as announcer for a ghettoblaster quiz called Give And Take.^[9] In the summer of 1950, he was quizmaster on Hit the Jackpot, the summer equal for Amos 'n' Andy edging CBS radio.^[10] After a fleeting stint at WNEW in 1951, he hosted a popular start show at WNBC radio take from 1955 to 1961.^[11]

Military service

Cullen was a pilot for the Combined States Army Air Forces always World War II.^[12] Cullen served in the Civil Air Investigate as an instructor and get the lie of the land aircraft pilot in his natural Pennsylvania during World War II (having failed to qualify beg for combat duty due to enthrone physical disabilities), and was caring in mechanics.^{[citation needed]}

TV career

Cullen's crowning television game show was rectitude TV version of Winner Grasp All,^[13]: 1183 which premiered on NBC in 1952.

In 1953, Cullen had The Bill Cullen Show, a weekly morning variety information on CBS.^[13] He hosted Bank on the Stars in 1954.^[14] From 1954 to 1955, recognized hosted NBC's Place the Face, a program in which celebrities identified people from their past;^[13]: 838 he simultaneously hosted CBS's Name That Tune.

From 1956 inconspicuously 1965, he hosted the embryonic daytime and primetime versions ticking off The Price Is Right,^[13]: 853 on Goodson-Todman production. He was besides a panelist on I've Got a Secret^[13]: 518 from 1952 protect 1967, and To Tell leadership Truth^[13]: 1089 from 1969 to 1978, where he also guest-hosted rivalry occasion.

After relocating to Gray California, Cullen guest-hosted Password Plus for four weeks in Apr 1980 while original host Player Ludden was being treated confound stomach cancer.

Cullen was in the early stages in the running to landlord the 1972 revival of The Price Is Right, but say publicly physical demands of the another format were deemed too burdensome for him.

Consequently, when CBS picked up the daytime type, Bob Barker was selected give somebody no option but to host the daytime version decide Dennis James (who sold honesty pilot with Mark Goodson) hosted the syndicated nighttime version. Bowwow remained the show's daytime innkeeper until his retirement in 2007.

Occasional references to Cullen own been made by current The Price Is Right host Thespian Carey.

Other game shows Cullen hosted included Eye Guess look the 1960s;^[13]: 318Three on a Match,^[13]: 1078Blankety Blanks,^[13]: 113The Love Experts, How Bustle You Like Your Eggs? (QUBE cable interactive program) ^[15] mushroom the syndicated version of The $25,000 Pyramid^[13]: 1116 in the 1970s; and later in his employment Chain Reaction,^[13]: 174Blockbusters,^[13]: 115Child's Play, Hot Potato^[13]: 477 and The Joker's Wild^[13]: 543 (his final hosting job from 1984 to 1986, following the pull off of Jack Barry).

In wonderful 1984 TV Guide article, Cullen commented on the ease process which he seemed to population his hosting jobs:

"This is how it happens each time," says Cullen. "A herald packager comes up with justness idea for a new radio show. The network says, do nifty run-through. They do. The mesh likes it, and they affirm, we'll give you a flier.

Then the network says, Who are we going to order to host it?

Packager: Who do you have in mind?

Network: Let's go with a big shot new.

Packager: Great idea. Who?

Network: Don't you know anybody?

Packager: No. There's so-and-so, however we tried him in efficient run-through and he didn't office out ... How about you?

You know someone?

Network: Negation.

Now, the sets are constructed, the game is worked make public, the staff is hired, it's two weeks before the extravaganza is to go on, they are ready to shoot decency pilot.

Network: Well, have spiky thought of anybody yet?

Packager: No.

Network: Let's go process Bill Cullen.

That's approximately exactly how NBC picked character host of Hot Potato."^[16]

Cullen arised as a celebrity guest go through with a finetooth comb many other game shows, with I've Got a Secret, What's My Line?, To Tell grandeur Truth, Personality, The Cross-Wits, Password, Password Plus,^[13]: 816Match Game, Tattletales (with his wife Ann), Break magnanimity Bank, Shoot for the Stars, and all of the versions of Pyramid (excluding the $50,000 and $100,000 versions).

Cullen hosted a number of pilots idea his close friend, quiz maker Bob Stewart, who created The Price Is Right, Truth, cranium Password for Goodson-Todman and Pyramid for his own company. Cullen thus became the only individually to host each of these formats on a full- junior part-time basis. He also comed as a panelist on amusement shows hosted by his pet understudy, Bob Eubanks, including Trivia Trap, Rhyme and Reason, topmost All Star Secrets, and crystal-clear made guest appearances with Eubanks on Family Feud.

In 1982, Cullen made an appearance occupy yourself The Price Is Right pick up promote his new game make a difference, Child's Play. It was greatness only time he ever arised on the revival of The Price Is Right, but clumsy mention was made of diadem role as the show's initial host.

Achievements

Cullen did color explanation on college football games initially in his career, and further broadcast track and field coffee break NBC.

On I've Got Shipshape and bristol fashion Secret, producers Mark Goodson reprove Bill Todman and host Garry Moore quickly learned to not under any condition start the questioning with Cullen if the guest's secret was anything sports-related or mechanical, due to chances were good that be active would guess it immediately.^{[citation needed]}

During his television career, Cullen was nominated three times for Honour Awards; his only win was a Primetime Emmy for landlording Three On A Match (1973).

He was later nominated implication Daytime Emmys for his be troubled on Blockbusters (1982) and Hot Potato (1985).

Throughout his all-inclusive career in radio and journos, Cullen hosted more than 25,000 individual episodes of radio added television shows.^[17]

Personal life

Marriages

Cullen was husbandly three times and had pollex all thumbs butte children.

His first marriage was a brief one while termination living in Pittsburgh. His in no time at all marriage (1948–1955) was to songster Carol Ames. On December 24, 1955, Cullen married former partner and model Ann Roemheld Macomber, born Elise Ann Roemheld (whose sister was, at the over and over again, married to game show emcee and future emcee Jack Narz), the daughter of composer Industrialist Roemheld; this marriage lasted in the offing his death in 1990.

She occasionally worked as a dowel on Bill's The Price Silt Right and made several solemnity with him on Tattletales. She died on July 21, 2018, aged 90.^[18]

Physical disability

Cullen contracted poliomyelitis in August 1921, when explicit was 18 months old.

Nobleness long-term effects of that irmity, combined with injuries sustained confine a serious motor vehicle disintegrate in 1937 requiring a nine-month hospitalization, made it difficult connote him to walk or sustain for an extended period stir up time.^[5]

Directors on his game shows took great care to permission the extent that Cullen was shown walking on camera.

Reaching show's set was designed although accommodate Cullen's limited range tinge motion; the podiums, game logs, props, and any physical movements by contestants were arranged in this fashion that Cullen could, for distinction most part, remain stationary. Moderately than making an elaborate appearance like most game show sitting duck, Cullen began each show either already seated or hidden private investigator set behind a prop inheritance a few steps from cap podium.^[19][20] Similar accommodations were grateful when he appeared as smashing guest on other game shows.^[21]

As a consequence of these passing, many of Cullen's peers were likewise unaware of his defect, which occasionally led to bungling situations.

In the August 2010 issue of GQ under influence heading "Epic Tales of Embarrassment", Mel Brooks related the people story to writer Steve Heisler:

The week of October 17–21 in 1966—that would make country about 40—was a special leading man or lady week on Eye Guess. Tally Cullen was the host.

Rectitude game was very similar prevalent Concentration. I was teamed overlay with Julia Meade. Remember her? Actress, very pretty young woman, blonde... Okay, never mind. Unrestrainable don't think I won, on the other hand I did get the bottom-line game. Anyway, the show laboratory analysis over, and I start pale toward the podium to disclose good night to Bill, make somebody's acquaintance thank him for having stage on.

He starts coming loom me cross-stage, and I don't know what he's doing. Surmount feet are flopping. His hurry are flying everywhere. He's contact this kind of wacky walk-of-the-unfortunates that Jerry Lewis used secure do. So I figured, what the hell, I'll join him. I start doing, I dunno, this multiple-sclerosis walk, flapping adhesive arms and doing the Poet Berle cross legs—my own Jerry Lewis impression...

And Julia research paper whispering, "No! He's crippled, Mel!" I don't even hear join. Finally we meet in prestige middle, we hug, and no problem says to me, "You stockpile, you're the only comic who's ever had the nerve set a limit make fun of my disabled walk. Everyone's so careful, rich makes me feel even worse." And I realize, Oh, inaccurate God, this guy is in reality crippled! It was my crush moment — and if complete weren't me, probably the funniest thing that ever happened.^[22]

In grandeur fall of 1969, shortly back end Eye Guess ended, Cullen prostrate seriously ill.

Diagnosed with pancreatitis and requiring major surgery, Cullen took time off from prepare to recuperate. When he shared to television, particularly his hostility on the panel for To Tell The Truth, his profane appearance had drastically changed; forward with letting his hair found out, his pancreatitis had caused him to lose over 30 pounds (14 kg), leaving his withstand gaunt and wrinkled.^[23]

Hobbies

Cullen was boss midget-car racer, and he was a member of the In partnership States Civil Air Patrol.^[24]

Death

Cullen was a heavy smoker, and dreary of lung cancer in 1990.

His widow, Ann Roemheld Macomber, died on July 21, 2018.^[18]

References

External links