Bill Cullen

Infobox Person
name = Bill Cullen
caption = Bill Cullen
birth_date = birth date|1920|2|18|mf=y
birth_place = Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
dead=dead
death_date = death date and age|1990|7|7|1920|2|18|mf=y
death_place = Bel Air, California, U.S.

William Lawrence Francis "Bill" Cullen (February 18, 1920 – July 7, 1990), was an American radio and television personality whose career spanned five decades. He was best known for television game shows, where he hosted multiple series (including the original "Price Is Right", "The $25,000 Pyramid" and "Blockbusters") and served as a panelist for over twenty years combined on "I've Got a Secret" and "To Tell the Truth".

Early life

Cullen was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and survived a childhood bout with polio that left him with a limp for the rest of his life. In most of his later game shows, the set was designed in such a way that he came out from behind the curtain or from off stage riding on something of a turntable so that he never had to walk any distance across the stage. For example, on the "Pyramid" incarnations, when he served as a celebrity guest, he and his fellow guest would already be at their tables; usually the guests would walk out from behind the set to be introduced. He also wore very thick spectacles, which became a trademark.

Cullen's career began in his hometown of Pittsburgh, where he worked at WWSW radio. He assisted sportscaster Joe Tucker, who called Pittsburgh Steelers games. He was well-known for his puckish sense of humor and for playing pranks on his fellow announcers while they were on the air. Cullen decided to try his luck in New York and one of his first jobs was writing for the "Easy Aces" radio show.

Game show career

After moving to New York City he hosted several radio programs, including game shows, in the late 1940s and 1950s. His first TV game show was "Winner Take All", a Mark Goodson-Bill Todman production that aired on CBS in 1952. He hosted the daytime and prime-time versions of "The Price Is Right", another Goodson-Todman production, from 1956 to 1965. He was also a panelist on "I've Got a Secret" from 1952 until 1967 and then on "To Tell the Truth" from 1969 until 1978, where he would also guest host on occasion. Cullen guest-hosted the late-1970s revival of "Password" on NBC, known as "Password Plus." He was also in the running to be the host of the revival of the longest-running CBS game show, "The Price Is Right". However, the physical demands of the new format were considered too strenuous for Cullen. The job was instead split between Bob Barker (daytime) and Dennis James (nighttime); Barker took over both versions in 1977 and hosted "Price" until his retirement in 2007. Current "Price" host Drew Carey maintains a style of haircut and eyeglasses that was quite similar to what Cullen sported during his hosting of "Price," and often refers to Cullen during some games on the show, most notably during his running gags on Barker's Bargain Bar regarding the franchise. While much of Cullen's hosting duties were on the East Coast, one game early in his career, and those in his later years, were shot in California.

Cullen hosted 23 different game shows over the years, making him host of more game shows than anyone in television history. These shows included "Eye Guess" in the 1960s, "Three on a Match" and the nighttime version of "The $25,000 Pyramid" in the 1970s, and "Chain Reaction," "Blockbusters," "Child's Play," "Hot Potato," and "The Joker's Wild" in the 1980s, after Jack Barry died.

He appeared as a celebrity guest on many other game shows throughout his TV career, including "I've Got a Secret," "Password," "To Tell the Truth," "Match Game," and all pre-$100,000 versions of "Pyramid." Cullen also hosted a number of pilots for his close friend, quiz producer Bob Stewart, who created "Price," "Truth" and "Password" for Goodson-Todman and "Pyramid" for his own company. He thus became the only person to host each of these formats on a full- or part-time basis. He also appeared as a panelist/host on several game shows hosted by his favorite understudy, Bob Eubanks, including those of "Liar's Club", "Trivia Trap," "Rhyme and Reason," and "All Star Secrets," and also made guest appearances with him on "Family Feud."

In 1982, Cullen made a surprise appearance on "The Price Is Right" to promote his new game show, "Child's Play". This was the only time Cullen ever appeared on the revival of TPIR, and no mention was made of Cullen's original run as host.

Achievements

Cullen was a pilot during World War II and was interested in mechanics. He did color commentary on college football games early in his career, and also broadcast track and field on NBC. On "I've Got A Secret," producers Mark Goodson and Bill Todman learned that if they wanted to keep the game going for a while, they could never start with Cullen if the secret was anything sports-related or mechanical, because chances were good that he would guess it immediately.

Personal life

Cullen was married three times. His first marriage was a brief one while still living in Pittsburgh. His second marriage was to singer Carol Ames from 1949 to 1955. On December 24, 1955, Cullen married former dancer and model Ann Roemheld Macomber, daughter of composer Heinz Roemheld; this marriage would last until his death. Ann often appeared with Bill on "Tattletales" in the 70s and 80s.

Death

Cullen died on July 7, 1990, of lung cancer.

Honors

The Game Show Congress, a nonprofit association that seeks to promote the game show industry, annually presents the Bill Cullen Career Achievement Award to performers who have had distinguished careers in the genre. The first award in 2004 was given posthumously to Cullen himself, which his widow Ann accepted.

External links

*imdb|id=0191439|name=Bill Cullen
* [http://userdata.acd.net/ottinger/cullen/ The Bill Cullen Homepage]
* [http://billcullen.gameshowutopia.net Game Show Utopia: Bill Cullen]
* [http://www.gameshowcongress.com/Legends.html Game Show Congress web page on Bill Cullen award]
*Find A Grave|id=7446