TV Buzz Celebrity Birthday of the Day: November 20, 2009
On the second day of our newest feature, we remember a game-show host who's suddenly flirting with his twilight years
By Kenny Herzog Nov 20, 2009 9:36AM
Yesterday was an important day in the history of televised entertainment. Not just because some multi-billionaire daytime talk-show host announced she'd soon be relegating future interviews with gun-toting former VP candidates and celebrity incest victims to her cable channel. But also because it represented the launch of TV Buzz' newest feature, Celebrity Birthday of the Day. (It sounded way more triumphant in my head.)
Just to reiterate the guidelines, pre-requisites for eligibility are simple: You must be instantly familiar to more than several thousand people (not including your Facebook friends), have experienced a pronounced period of your stardom via the small-screen and be either genuinely awesome or a really easy target for needless mockery.
So without further arbitrary surveying, I would like to say happy 77th to:
RICHARD DAWSON
Before it was en vogue to sexually harass women half your age, longtime "Family Feud" host Richard Dawson was a pioneer of uncomfortably entering into a young lady's personal space. And more or less making out with her. On television. In front of her family. Come to think of it, maybe Oprah should consider hiring the wily septuagenarian to replace her on ABC. Yes, while portly Louie Anderson, TV handyman Richard Karn and "Seinfeld"/"Dancing With the Stars" alum John O'Hurley have all commandeered the "Family" reins, no one occupied that particular pulpit with the same creepy combination of boozy banter and inappropriate come-ons as Mr. Dawson. It was no surprise, then, to see the one-time sitcom actor sink his big-screen teeth into "The Running Man" as, you guessed it, a transparently scummy game-show host. Jeesh. At least Bob Barker had the decency to keep his alleged sexual indiscretions behind the scenes.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Variety show/comedy legend Dick Smothers; and Bob Einstein, better known to some as the recently resurrected Super Dave Osborne and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" curmudgeon Marty Funkhauser (fun fact: Osborne actually starred alongside Dawson in a 1980 sketch-comedy special called "Bizarre").
Just to reiterate the guidelines, pre-requisites for eligibility are simple: You must be instantly familiar to more than several thousand people (not including your Facebook friends), have experienced a pronounced period of your stardom via the small-screen and be either genuinely awesome or a really easy target for needless mockery.
So without further arbitrary surveying, I would like to say happy 77th to:
RICHARD DAWSON
Before it was en vogue to sexually harass women half your age, longtime "Family Feud" host Richard Dawson was a pioneer of uncomfortably entering into a young lady's personal space. And more or less making out with her. On television. In front of her family. Come to think of it, maybe Oprah should consider hiring the wily septuagenarian to replace her on ABC. Yes, while portly Louie Anderson, TV handyman Richard Karn and "Seinfeld"/"Dancing With the Stars" alum John O'Hurley have all commandeered the "Family" reins, no one occupied that particular pulpit with the same creepy combination of boozy banter and inappropriate come-ons as Mr. Dawson. It was no surprise, then, to see the one-time sitcom actor sink his big-screen teeth into "The Running Man" as, you guessed it, a transparently scummy game-show host. Jeesh. At least Bob Barker had the decency to keep his alleged sexual indiscretions behind the scenes.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Variety show/comedy legend Dick Smothers; and Bob Einstein, better known to some as the recently resurrected Super Dave Osborne and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" curmudgeon Marty Funkhauser (fun fact: Osborne actually starred alongside Dawson in a 1980 sketch-comedy special called "Bizarre").
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Deanna Barnert | Los Angeles, Calif.
Entertainment journalist Deanna "TVDeeva" Barnert visits sets, interviews industry players and critiques the final product. Buzz's daytime TV queen covers it all for MSN TV, but loves her sitcoms, soaps and any juicy drama that doesn't call itself Reality TV.
