June 13

Paul Edward Lynde's Birthday
 

Paul Lynde as Uncle Arthur in Bewitched
 

Many remember Paul Lynde as the sarcastic Uncle Arthur on TV's "Bewitched', a persona very close to his own .Another generation may remember him as the popular middle square on "The Hollywood Squares" whose quip replies to host Peter Marshall's questions were some of the funniest lines on television  Here are a few of our favorites:

Peter Marshall: Paul, why do Hell's Angels wear leather?
Paul Lynde: Because chiffon wrinkles too easily.
Peter Marshall: True or false: Many people sleep better in their street clothes than they do in their pajamas.
Paul Lynde: Yes. We call them winos.
Peter Marshall: According to the World Book, is it okay to freeze your persimmons?
Paul Lynde: No. You should dress warmly.
Peter Marshall: Say Paul, what is the official currency of Puerto Rico?
Paul Lynde: Food Stamps.
Peter Marshall: According to Tony Randall, "Every woman I've been intimate with in my life has been..." what?
Paul Lynde: Bitterly disappointed
Peter Marshall: True or false, Paul - Gypsy folklore says that God created man by baking him in an oven.
Paul Lynde: [turns and looks at Leslie Uggams] Looks like you were overcooked.
Peter Marshall: Paul, how many fingers in the girl scout salute?
Paul Lynde: Gee, I don't remember. The last time I saw it was when I didn't buy their cookies.
Peter Marshall: It is the most abused and neglected part of your body-what is it?
Paul Lynde: Mine may be abused but it certainly isn’t neglected!
Peter Marshall: It is considered in bad taste to discuss two subjects at nudist camps. One is politics. What is the other?
Paul Lynde: Tape Measures
Peter Marshall: When you pat a dog on its head he will usually wag his tail. What will a goose do?
Paul Lynde: Make him bark.

Paul had several Broadway credits including "New Faces of 1952, "Bye Bye Birdie," "The Impossible Years," "Don't Drink the Water," and "Plaza Suite." He was disappointed when he reprised his role as Mr. MacAfee in in the film version of Bye Bye Birdie (1962) and remarked that "..they should have retitled it 'Hello, Ann-Margret!' They cut several of my and the other actors' best scenes and shot new ones for her so she could do her teenage-sex-bombshell act.

Paul was voted America’s favorite comedian in a 1974 poll,  But by 1978 his life started to unravel when he was arrested in Salt Lake City outside a gay bar resulting in his being dropped as a regular guest on the Donny & Marie show. Then his heavy and abusive drinking and drug use began to get out of control. He was found dead in his Beverly Hills, California, home at age 55 under somewhat mysterious circumstances and some tabloids reported that he had been murdered by a hustler. The coroner ruled the death a heart attack and reported that he had the heart of an 88-year-old man.

So to celebrate Paul's birthday, we suggest making a batch of Hollywood Squares and renting a copy of the Doris Day film The Glass Bottom Boat (1966) in which he appears in a drag scene. Paul recalled that "Doris came over and looked me up and down and told me, 'Oh, I'd never wear anything that feminine.'"

Ingredients