Book Review: Center Square: The Paul Lynde Story

Question: In preparing chicken ala king or chicken Kiev, what is the first thing you should do to the chicken?
Paul Lynde: Tiptoe behind it with a hammer.

Paul Lynde was the star of daytime TV's Hollywood Squares for years, delivering hilarious responses to questions from contestants. Lists of Lynde's gag answers still make the email rounds today.

Although a good ad-libber, Lynde's gag lines on Hollywood Squares were carefully crafted by the writers. Before the show, they gave him the punchlines, without tipping him on the question, he memorized them, then shot them off after the question was asked, sometimes cracking up when he understood the punchline.

Nobody did it better than Paul Lynde. As the show's star, the writers concentrated on his gags. Cliff Arquette was provided some punchlines, so were Rose Marie and George Gobel. A few went to certain occasional guests like Vincent Price or Joan Rivers. Wally Cox and Mel Brooks ad-libbed their gags.

A Midwesterner, Lynde was a small-screen success, funny, insulting, with a sneer in his voice, able to save weak material just through his trademark sarcastic delivery which stood him well on Hollywood Squares.

There were few movies, the best-known movie role was the father in Bye Bye Birdie. His few early movie appearances did boost his career until he hit his stride on the small screen.

Occasional visits to the Squares turned into a steady gig. To his irritation, Hollywood Squares became the source of his lasting fame, even though it was lucrative and opened doors.

It took him into summer stock theater where he could do something besides his Squares character or the uncle from Bewitched. He made numerous guest appearances on other teleivision shows, headlined several network comedy/variety specials, and bombed in two series in which he starred. The authors reasonably observe that Lynde's series failures indicate that Hollywood Squares was his ideal venue because his humor was best enjoyed in small doses.