Talk:Paul Lynde

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Gay[edit]

Okay, so Paul Lynde was gay. It doesn't need to be in the article twice, as in, "Paul Lynde was a gay American actor and comedian" and again at the end, "Paul Lynde was gay." That's just poor writing/editing, any gay pride considerations aside. And, he does belong in the category "Gay people" if Wikipeida is going to have such a category, and it seems to be decided that it will (even though I tend to agree with the comment that is something like having a category "white people"). A better question: Does it belong in the article that he generally played sterotypical gay characters who were flamboyant and somewhat "swishy", even where the characters' sexualities were never referred to or at issue? Rlquall 17:29, 24 Aug 2004 (UTC)

Twice? I count 15 uses of 'gay' in five short paragraphs. Someone's being a big silly. :) Cheers, Madmagic 04:55, May 4, 2005 (UTC)
He actually played all straight characters. I know that in his television show, they made a point for him to have a wife and daughter. Mike H 07:51, May 4, 2005 (UTC)
I have repaired this page, making use of a thesarus and putting more emphasis on Paul Lynde as an actor rather than Paul Lynde the Gay Guy who happened to be an actor. Remember, being gay makes you just as special as being straight...it's what you do with it that ccounts. If there are any issues with this edit, please feel free to e-mail me at stowsux@hotmail.com. Guest User: PsychoDale 14:54 May 5, 2005 (EST)

Rumor[edit]

Whoever wrote, "A story that Lynde died while using poppers during sex with a male prostitute, who left and did not call the police, has no basis in truth." I would be very interested in seeing a source. Sarcasticus 13:31, Nov 15 2005 (EST)

Still no source - I'm excising it. When a source comes along, someone can put it back in. Fishhead64 05:15, 16 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Rotten.com's library, which is surprisingly accurate, states the claim, sans prostitute. The same applies for NNDB. Here's an excerpt from the former: "One night in January of 1982, Paul missed a dinner appointment with a group of long-time friends. Concerned, they rushed to his home on North Palm Drive in Beverly Hills. He was found naked and dead, surrounded by amyl-nitrate poppers, an inhalant used primarily by gay men to enhance sex. His death was ruled a heart attack." --AWF
It was mentioned on the E! True Hollywood Story "Hollywood Squares". They mentioned that the rumor was false on the show.--67.85.214.140 23:02, 19 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]


Who is "Dean Ditman" and why doesn't he have a page? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.124.116.101 (talk) 12:07, 27 January 2019 (UTC)[reply]

In order for this person to remain in Category:Gay icons, the article needs to mention this "fact" in the body and cite reliable sources to support it. The fact the man is gay and matched gay stereo-types, doesn't make him a gay icon. We need a notable source, to actual use the term "gay icon" when referring to him. --Rob 17:52, 15 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

PAUL WAS NOT 'SURROUNDED' BY POPPERS OR ANYTHING ELSE. HE WAS ALSO FULLY CLOTHED IN BED CLOTHES INCLUDING WEARING HIS BATHROBE. I SHOULD KNOW, I FOUND HIS BODY. -- PAUL BARRESI — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:6C51:757F:49FB:214:51FF:FEED:19DB (talk) 15:57, 2 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Removed material[edit]

I removed the "Hollywood Squares quips" section from the page. If you feel that this was in error, you're welcome to put it back on the page. As it stands, however, the section was not encyclopedic, and there already is a link to it on the Rotten page in the external links section (from where, without citation, it was taken.) Contrary to what the overeager Ryulong says, my removal of it was not vandalism and does not "compromise the integrity of [the] page." Quite the contrary, including a list of quips on an encyclopedia page compromises the integrity of the article: if one of them is deemed particularly amusing, however, they can be placed in a "Quotes" section. 66.229.160.94 01:48, 9 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm thinking of removing the Samurai Pizza Cats and Talking Mirror trivia bits. I don't know the talking mirror but the Big Cheese is obvously a Lynde imitation. But just cause the characters have squawky, nasal effeminate voices doesn't mean they should be listed without reference. 68.166.66.164 13:13, 10 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I must agree with 66.229.160.94 01 how can we get this section removed permanantly ( it has been tagged since August) 68.48.57.3 (talk) 20:58, 25 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Emmy Awards[edit]

I switched the infobox over to the actor version, which has a field for Emmy Awards. I see lots of notes in various biographies that Lynde won two Emmy Awards for his work on Hollywood Squares, but I'd like to put the details (year and specific award) into the infobox. I haven't had any luck finding the specifics though; if anybody has them, it'd be great if you could add it to the infobox. Brad E. Williams 15:00, 11 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

i removed the text regarding the emmy awards altogether. all 'reliable' sources on the matter including the emmys site , the envelope please, imdb, and amg have no record whatsoever of lynde ever receiving an emmy.--emerson7 16:51, 3 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]


Lynde never received an Emmy award, as the sites you already looked at clearly indicate. The quote from this article "In 1976, Lynde received an Entertainer of the Year Emmy award for being voted the funniest man of the year, which he immediately turned over to host Jackie Gleason (who never won an Emmy award during his lifetime), citing him as "the funniest man ever." The unexpected gesture shocked Gleason." never happened either. I was curious to see this moment and after a bunch of googling found that not only does the Emmy not have a category for "funniest man of the year" Gleason never hosted the Emmys and Lynde never won any Emmy award. The award show Gleason hosted was the "American Guild of Variety Artists 5th Annual Entertainer of the Year Awards" which was a CBS program. There's no video of it or their interaction. Sorry for probably bad format on this edit just wanted to throw in something I found after reading this article. -some random person — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2604:6000:1526:7D:DCBD:C57C:6C9A:5E36 (talk) 03:28, 4 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Fair use rationale for Image:Uncle arthur.jpg[edit]

Image:Uncle arthur.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images lacking such an explanation can be deleted one week after being tagged, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

Where is the source that he was gay[edit]

It should be insulting to any gay person, that because he acted like the stereotipical image of the 'gay queen' that he must be gay. I'm not saying he's not gay, but I know men who talk like and have the same mannerisms that aren't gay. Please site sources. J. D. Hunt (talk) 00:22, 8 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

He was outed by Boze Hadleigh in his 1996 book Hollywood Gays: Conversations with Cary Grant, Liberace, Tony Perkins, Paul Lynde, Cesar Romero, Brad Davis, Randolph Scott, James Coco, William Haine. Lynde's homosexuality isn't in any sort of dispute, but if you'd like a source, that's a starting point. --Jere7my (talk) 06:57, 9 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Well, then Liberace should be labelled as such but there's a huge debate on his discussion page. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.72.27.204 (talk) 04:00, 25 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

BetacommandBot (talk) 02:33, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Longtime Companion

"The two had been drinking for hours before 24-year old Bing Davidson either jumped or fell eight stories."

"Lynde is interred next to his brother Johnny and long-term companion, Bing Davidson..."

Um. Bing Davidson was 24 years old when he died. Longterm companion here implies that Paul started dating him when the guy was like 3 years old.

Randal Oulton (talk) 11:47, 19 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

"Um"? You don't sound very certain. — Walloon (talk) 02:25, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I notice that a photo of Lynde's grave shows the names of Johnny and Helen on it (two of Lynde's siblings), not Davidson. Is Davidson really buried next to Lynde? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 165.189.169.190 (talk) 19:37, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, Davidson was buried next to the Lynde plot. See this link: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=17104026 Clockster (talk) 01:50, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Actually, now that I see this has been removed, I'll add the part about Bing's grave back in along with the source. Clockster (talk) 01:54, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The article is correct in that Paul Lynde is buried in Amity, Ohio; however. clicking the Amity, Ohio link goes to the wrong Amity, Ohio. He is buried in Amity Cemetery (Amity, Ohio) in Knox County, north of Mt. Vernon. The cemetery is off Rt. 3, and his gravestone can be seen from the short road going past the cemetery. I believe (but I'm not certain, it having been years since I've been there) that he is buried near his parents, in addition to siblings. Paul Lynde and my stepfather were in the same class at Mt. Vernon Senior High School, and Paul'ts brother-in-law, Ralph Rice, was one of my high school history teachers. I would change the Amity, Ohio link, but don't know how to do so. 24.140.146.16 (talk) 00:53, 27 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I noticed, too. Fixed it - my first edit! GeorgeofOrange (talk) 02:04, 12 January 2018 (UTC)[reply]

What kind of drug abuse?[edit]

What drugs did he abuse? (Schweinkenstein (talk) 13:55, 20 April 2008 (UTC))[reply]

Donnie & Marie[edit]

Shouldn't the Television section include references to his frequent guest appearances on the Donnie & Marie show as "Carroll Crump," an author-explorer who would do a monologue that inevitably ended with him in some dangerous yet hilarious predicament? 76.21.8.213 (talk) 19:11, 21 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Age at death[edit]

If he was born in '26 and died in '82 I doubt he was 54. Is it the years or age that's wrong? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.181.212.241 (talk) 05:40, 24 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

There are photos on find a grave that has is birth year as 1927. Sadicarnot (talk) 04:03, 10 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]

DOB[edit]

According to findagrave.com his year of birth is 1927 not 1926Benjito (talk) 18:57, 17 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I am the author (and was also a friend) Paul Lynde a Biography: His Life His Love(s) & His Laughter which was published Dec 2014. I contacted findagrave and had his correct birthdate changed to June 13, 1926. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.56.152.188 (talk) 20:34, 18 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Northwestern U racism incident[edit]

Not sure if this is significant enough to go in the article, but I've seen a few references (in interviews and such) to Paul Lynde getting in trouble late in his career due to an incident where he made racist remarks to a black professor from Northwestern at a Burger King. The details were always vague, so I thought maybe it was an urban legend, but I've found a contemporary source for the incident. It's a November 1977 copy of Jet magazine on Google books. Paul Lynde had led a Homecoming parade at Northwestern earlier that day, and made the offensive remarks to sociology professor James P. Pitts, who happened to be in line at Burger King behind him. --99.165.91.202 (talk) 01:30, 21 September 2009 (UTC) I can verify that this event did actually happen. Although I didn't witness it myself, I was a student at Northwestern at the time and I lived near the Burger King in question and I remember reading an account of the incident in the student paper shortly after it happened. Lynde was on campus as celebrity guest during Homecoming Weekend in November, 1977 and according to the story he entered the Burger King late Saturday night quite drunk and proceeded to racially insult a black Northwestern Professor who was there waiting to get his food. There was quite a bit of fuss about the incident on campus at the time, but it never made the national or even local news at the time, and for the most part the story has been forgotten. — Preceding unsigned comment added by JamesADavidson (talkcontribs) 22:11, 18 September 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Not to be an apologist for boorish behavior, but one must consider a few items concerning the alleged and highly possible incident. First being his age, hence era of maturing and racial relations in the US. THEN considering the intoxicated state of the idiot at the time in question. Then, considering the professor, who one would expect greater grace of and attempting to seek an apology from a sober person the next day, rather than seeking hyperbole instead. My own 82 year old father was quite ready to drop the "N bomb", but was highly respectful of his co-workers who were black, even to inviting them to our own home in a racially charged neighborhood at the time. It's how some were raised, which the ugliest side becomes exposed when intoxicated.Wzrd1 (talk) 05:45, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Following on this reversion, I googled around a bit and found surprisingly few mentions of this on the web [1], [2], [3], a few others. There may or may not be some mention in the biography Center Square ([4]). Wtmitchell (talk) (earlier Boracay Bill) 00:14, 14 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Queer Duck: Is It Notable?[edit]

Queer Duck is a three-minute TV short, of which 20 episodes were ever made, 20 years after Paul Lynde's death, plus a "feature film" that appeared on the LOGO channel...? Why is this show notable, as opposed to, say, episodes of Bewitched, Hollywood Squares, and cartoons using Lynde's voice work that are still airing today? Jessemckay (talk) 22:45, 22 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Paul Lynde & Alice Ghostley[edit]

I have watched and been a fan of Bewitched since early childhood. I remember being told or reading somewhere that Lynde and Ghostley were in fact brother & sister. But neither is mentioned under the sub-headings "Personal Life". Can someone verify this please —Preceding unsigned comment added by 115.128.6.161 (talk) 06:11, 15 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I can verify that Alice Ghostley was *not* the sister of Paul Lynde. See my article Alice Ghostley for her biography with sources cited.Wjhonson (talk) 23:50, 15 November 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Pronunciation[edit]

How did he pronounce his name? Was the y long (as in "line") or short (as in "linear")? Was it one or two syllables ("Lin-dee"?) Thanks, 207.237.243.185 (talk) 05:27, 6 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It's pronounced with a short I sound, as in "linear" --- like the woman's name "Linda," without the A. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 38.115.185.13 (talk) 18:20, 23 September 2010 (UTC) A. One syllable. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.58.71.233 (talk) 15:31, 22 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Partner[edit]

I removed the "partner" reference from the info box. The source did not support it--it only calls Bing his "companion". I don't dispute that they had a sexual relationship (though that source doesn't say so), but since Bing died when he was 24 it seems suspect to list him as Lynde's "partner", especially when the source doesn't agree. Perhaps it can be re-added, or perhaps Lynde had a more significant relationship later in life that would be more appropriate to list there. Bing was apparently buried near the Lynde family plot, for what that's worth. 75.76.162.89 (talk) 06:54, 8 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Drowned?[edit]

I remember hearing he drowned in his swimming pool, and here's plenty of corroboration, but we're saying he was found dead in his bed? What gives? -- Jack of Oz [Talk] 09:44, 28 September 2012 (UTC)[reply]

was his dad Hispanic?[edit]

His dad's name was Hoy Coradon Lynde. I guess (to me) the Hoy and Coradon sound Hispanic.

Fact Needs Checked[edit]

In the movie credits list, it says he provided a voice in the 1997 movie "Jungle Emperor Leo." I've checked Imdb and do not see his name mentioned anywhere with that movie, or the 1965 television series it was based upon. Could this be intentional mis-information or just wrong information, or have I overlooked something? HaarFager (talk) 04:37, 25 March 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Death Date[edit]

The death date shown in the cited source as well as the date shown on his death certificate is January 11, 1982, not January 10, 1982. I changed it to the correct date. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Cbs527 (talkcontribs) 01:11, 20 June 2016 (UTC)[reply]

"Open secret in Hollywood" gives readers the wrong impression[edit]

Revert good faith edits: The article can keep stories of Lynde joking about Ann-Margret and other women's genitalia, but revert good faith edit about "open secret." Must add text explaining that during Paul Lynde's lifetime, American media did not investigate the private lives of game show regulars. If any television entertainer's privacy was violated, it was the star of a sitcom that was rerun over and over for years and years or a distinctive singer like Cher.

"Social norms of the time" is OK, but "open secret in Hollywood" is a subjective, meaningless cliché. It insinuates that in the early 1980s when Lynde was doing whatever he was doing in private, millions of Los Angeles residents were robots who could not think for themselves. Wrong. And everyone who lived in Los Angeles County worked in the entertainment business back then. Also wrong. Even long ago, most people with full-time jobs always were intelligent enough to understand that if they didn't witness something, they didn't know for sure what had happened. And incidents that affect their own well-being, such as an earthquake or a political election, are the only incidents that really matter.

I'm reverting the good faith edits that "Mlpearc" is doing. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.183.42.58 (talk) 22:15, 21 September 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Also, if you read this Wikipedia article closely, you notice that during the 1970s, Lynde caused trouble in public in Salt Lake City and near the campus of Northwestern University in Chicago. So if you argue that the term "open secret" can have meaning, then his negative behavior would have to have been an open secret in Salt Lake City and Chicago. That assumption is weird, don't you think? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.183.42.50 (talk) 19:18, 26 September 2016 (UTC)[reply]

References to Elton John, Merv Griffin and Dinah Shore are relevant because they illustrate that no matter what Paul Lynde did off-camera -- pick up strangers at gay bars, drunkenly insult a black man who was a university professor, or whatever -- the American media and rumor mills ignored it because he was a game show performer at the time.

Game shows and syndicated talk shows engendered the least gossip before A Current Affair changed everything in 1986. Merv Griffin had a situation similar to Paul Lynde in the era before A Current Affair. Nobody knew or cared about his hit song from thirty years earlier, "I've Got A Lovely Bunch of Coconuts," so baby boom television viewers thought he was a talk show host, nothing more. When Griffin was sued in 1981 by a man claiming to be his former gay lover, few people paid attention. Had Elton John been involved in a similar lawsuit in 1981, millions of people would have paid attention and attended the courtroom hearings. He was a star of arena rock, and that was at the top of the ladder near the sports world. Billie Jean King's same-sex relationship was announced on the cover of People magazine in 1981 because she was a sports star, which engendered a lot of curiosity and gossip, and she, too, was the defendant in a lawsuit that had to do with a same-sex relationship.

Syndicated talk shows and game shows were near the bottom of the ladder. In Los Angeles in the 1970s and 1980s, syndicated talk host Dinah Shore was known as a well-behaved, very nice person who never got into trouble, but outside of California nobody knew that until they read her obituaries in 1994. In the 1970s and 1980s, when her syndicated talk show was in circulation outside of California, people watched an episode, then the episode ended and she disappeared until the next broadcast. When the syndication company terminated her talk show, the videotapes were not rebroadcast and nobody outside California talked about her until many years later when they learned of her death. That is very different from today, when the internet allows people to discuss Jenny Jones all they want.

So adding one more sentence to this Wikipedia article is appropriate in order to clarify why people who did not witness Paul Lynde's off-camera behavior ignored it until his sudden death engendered some curiosity. (As I said earlier, if you are going to describe his provocative off-camera behavior as an "open secret," then it would have to have been an open secret in Salt Lake City and Chicago. He caused just as much trouble when he visited those cities as he did near his Los Angeles home.) Even during the aftermath of Lynde's death, Howard Stern surprised his radio listeners by obsessing on a game show performer in order to get laughs about casual gay sex or whatever terminology Stern used when he repeated the rumors he had heard via his show business connection. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.183.42.50 (talk) 19:51, 26 September 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Disagree. Mlpearc (open channel) 19:57, 26 September 2016 (UTC)[reply]
You disagree? Are you saying Howard Stern did not ridicule Paul Lynde immediately after his death? Or maybe he did do it, and other commentators already had ridiculed Lynde for millions of people, therefore Stern was a copycat?
Are you saying Lynde's provocative behavior (gay sex, drinking, whatever) was an open secret in Salt Lake City because of how he behaved there off-camera in 1978? That was during the era before A Current Affair and before the internet. Residents of Utah who were practicing Mormons or ski instructors had nothing better to do than to gossip about an incident that wasn't reported in the Salt Lake City newspaper, they didn't witness it and it involved a visitor from out-of-state. Are you saying that was the case? They had nothing better to do than to discuss an incident that involved a syndicated game show personality who lived outside of Utah, and they couldn't read about the incident anywhere? Did the Mormon Church have psychics on its payroll in the 1970s? I don't think so. Without a psychic, nobody in Salt Lake City or its suburbs could have known what Paul Lynde did in public unless he or she witnessed it. What are you saying, Mlpearc? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.183.42.50 (talk) 20:36, 26 September 2016 (UTC)[reply]
I disagree with this edit because it's more suited for the Hollywood Squares article or Game show article, your making an indrustry claim on a BLP. Mlpearc (open channel) 22:04, 26 September 2016 (UTC)[reply]
If a Wikipedia biography makes an assumption about masses of people allegedly invading the subject's privacy, the biography must take into account the historical era when the subject could have provoked people to take away his or her privacy. In Paul Lynde's case, when people say his provocative behavior -- promiscuous sex, drinking, whatever -- was topic A in the state of Utah in 1978, these people are lying. 1978 was before A Current Affair and before the internet. Moreover, Mr. Lynde's last day on Earth in January 1982 was several years before A Current Affair started. When Howard Stern ridiculed him the morning after the news of his death circulated, that was an unusual thing to do to a game show performer.
Many of Stern's listeners in the DC area wondered why a game show performer's offscreen behavior warranted so much attention, regardless of what the behavior was. Had Stern exposed and ridiculed Mick Jagger, that would have been understandable. Arena rock was much more important than a syndicated game show, especially if the syndicated game show had been terminated prior to the death of the performer who was associated with it. This article doesn't clarify whether TV viewers could have watched Hollywood Squares immediately before they learned the news of Lynde's death. In 1982, basic cable TV didn't have reruns of dead game shows.
It's possible that millions of American and Canadian television viewers had not seen or heard Paul Lynde for several months prior to the announcement of his death, so why the bizarre rumors? Why the invasion of privacy? That was the thinking then before the advent of hundreds of basic cable channels changed people's hunger for questionable stories that originated in Los Angeles.
Many tabloids existed during and well before Lynde's career, so remarks about him passing "several years before A Current Affair started" is kinda irrelevant. Due to his television popularity he was often reported in the pop press, almost always given the "kid glove" approach afforded to others like Liberace, Jim Neighbors and Rock Hudson. Mags such as the National Enquirer in particular had a tendency to protect gays that were favorites of the housewives that bought their mags, while trashing celebrities favored by men and teens. Also quite true, and even harder to find citations for, is that a large portion of the viewers of Hollywood Squares "got" his jokes and kind of knew he was gay. A common joke in the late Seventies among us regular folk was that "everyone knew that Paul Lynde was gay except his publicist". — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:600:C580:8DF0:BC02:A34D:37F6:F243 (talk) 14:52, 17 October 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Personal Life[edit]

The "Personal Life" section is basically a list of innuendos suggesting that Lynde may have been gay, but it never actually states that he was gay. This seems rather odd. If he was gay, why not just state it outright, and provide a source for that information? If it is not know whether or not he was gay, then the laundry list of innuendo seems misplaced and over-long. The man made his career as an actor and comedian, not as a sexual activist, gay or otherwise. — Preceding unsigned comment added by ‎GeorgeofOrange (talkcontribs) 01:04, 12 January 2018 (UTC)[reply]

@GeorgeofOrange: The article cites reliable sources concerning people who have speculated about Lynde's sexuality and properly attributes that speculation, and presents facts (with citations of reliable sources) concerning various events in his personal life, some of which might encourage such speculation. We cannot change what the aggregation of those facts might suggest. The ambiguity in the article concerning his sexuality accurately reflects the ambiguity which existed at the time, and which still exists (ambiguity which Lynde may well have cultivated). No reliable sources that firmly establish his sexuality are known to exist. If any are found, they may certainly be added. General Ization Talk 03:40, 4 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Tabloid vs Encyclopedic[edit]

Stumbling upon this article, yet knowing the BLP since the 1960s, I am amazed the section Personal life hasn't been scrubbed to portray a more encyclopedic content tone. NPOV aside (which seems to weigh heavily on anecdotal stories about Lynde's gay lifestyle), each cited line is something one might gossip about after reading a tabloid magazine and not an encyclopedia biography section on a person's life. Either it needs to be re-titled to correctly reflect what the section really "contributes" to the article, or it needs a good cleaning to better honor the BLP. I vote for the latter, regardless if they are RS or not. It's heavily undue weight toward a specific content view and topic for a section entitled: "Personal life". Maineartists (talk) 00:03, 15 June 2018 (UTC)[reply]

  • The content in this section is not in keeping with WP Personal life content. The article already covers Early life, Alcoholism, arrests, and final years. That should be sufficient to allow categories for "personal life" content.
  • The inclusions found in this section deals specifically with Lynde's homosexuality and "Lynde-isms" about being gay (Bye, Bye Birde / Gilbert Gottfried). Furthermore, each "tidbit" is merely an anecdote of gossipy hearsay.
  • Most of the claims aren't even backed by RS: 1) "Lynde's private life and sexual orientation were not directly acknowledged or discussed on television or in other media during his lifetime"(RS?); 2) "The two had been drinking for hours before 24-year-old James "Bing" Davidson slipped and fell eight stories" - this isn't even correct to the source. No where does it say the two were drinking for hours; only Davidson (who did not "slip and fall").
  • "Despite his campy and flamboyant television persona, Lynde never publicly came out as gay and the media refrained from commenting about it. In 1976, a People magazine article on Lynde included text about Stan Finesmith; the latter was described as Lynde's "suite mate" and “chauffeur-bodyguard.” The magazine did not include a photograph of Finesmith. During Lynde's lifetime, this was as close as the media came to hinting at his sexuality." The RS doesn't back any of this. Not one mention of the inline content.
  • "According to an essay on the web site for the Biography channel, in the 1970s, entertainment journalists did not investigate the private lives of performers who were best known as game show regulars.[35] The American media paid the most attention to stars of movies and the worlds of rock and roll and sports, less attention to performers in sitcoms, and the least attention to off-camera behavior of television personalities best known for game shows, such as Lynde, and those best known for syndicated talk shows" This has absolutely nothing to do with Lynde.
  • "Because The Paul Lynde Show sitcom was cancelled in 1973 after a single season and was not seen in reruns, the American media did not consider his private life to be newsworthy." RS?
  • Howard Stern comments and mentioning on the day of his death. Point? Reason for inclusion? Neither one of the RS even mention Lynde to back claim.

The more I dissect this section and its content reasoning and RS; I feel that there is not plausible merit to keep this section as Personal life - or the content should be integrated within the article if and/or where it should be placed (with RS backed) appropriately; or content scrubbed that is not in keeping with WP encyclopedic "good writing". If there is no discussion or objection, I will begin reconstruction based on the above findings. Maineartists (talk) 23:15, 17 June 2018 (UTC)[reply]

noncontroversial additions[edit]

FlightTime voiceover artist and game show panelist aren't even slightly controversial -- literally 95% of people my age know he was both of those -- not sure such noncontroversial info needs to be sourced? valereee (talk) 23:48, 27 November 2018 (UTC)[reply]

@Valereee: Yes, it does. I'm 59 so I remember also (hence my edit summary). It has nothing to do what you think people know, it's about verifiability, what other people know is not verifiable. - FlightTime (open channel) 00:09, 28 November 2018 (UTC)[reply]
It actually is sourced in the sections, and is listed in infobox, I'm going to restore valereee (talk) 13:43, 28 November 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Alcoholism[edit]

TylerDurden8823 Hi! It's a moot point; but I have to ask: what is your beef here? This is an article on the subject: Paul Lynde; not the topic of alcohol and the disorder of abuse terminology. What "literature" are you referring to: the sources found within the cited inline references for the subject? I could not find any to support your definitive term: "alcohol use disorder" associated with Lynde. If you have a soapbox argument you need or feel to fight here ("unnecessarily stigmatizing language"), this is not the place to do it. This is merely an article on Paul Lynde; and WP has associated all the terms and disorders to a single page: Alcoholism. As I said, typing in what you have changed merely takes you to the page for what was already there in the first place. Please present a clear argument as to the need for change in regards to this subject; not the topic of alcohol. Otherwise, I will revert on the basis of the above that your point: "unnecessarily stigmatizing language" is personal opinion and not WP policy. Thank you. Maineartists (talk) 23:21, 25 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill for such an innocuous change. There's no "beef" (I suggest not phrasing a question that way, it's rather rude) and I find the escalation of the matter odd. It's really not a contentious change at all to use less stigmatizing language for alcohol use disorders rather than words like "abuse", etc. And no, the literature I referred to isn't in the specific inline citations. I was speaking more generally. Specifically, I was referring to literature dedicated to the importance of avoiding the use of stigmatizing language generally when it comes to discussing or writing about substance use disorders. The need for the change is a systemic one, not unique to this biographical page. Using such terminology inappropriately perpetuates this widespread stigma about that problem. It's simply unnecessary. If you don't see that, then I don't even know where to begin in talking to you. I don't know if you have some strongly held personal or cultural belief about alcohol use disorders that makes you feel compelled to keep stigmatizing language in the article. If so, I can't relate. An example of such literature can be found here [5]. I really don't care about this specific page in particular. For what it's worth, your fixation on reverting me on this page seems excessive and unusual to me. Although this particular cited style tip is slightly different [6], the idea is essentially the same. It's best practice to use neutral language when referring to a person's substance use disorder. Anyway, do what you want and have a nice day! I have more important things to do. TylerDurden8823 (talk) 12:45, 28 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Hockey team quotation[edit]

Re-adding my previously removed edit because the question Paul was asked was "How many men on a hockey team?". Primary source for this is [7], an actual recording in which it's quite clearly audible that the word "are" was NOT included in the question. As explained in my previous edit, "How many men *are* on a hockey team?" is a common misquotation and would have meant that Paul's answer ("About half") made no sense. The wording of the question was deliberate to allow for Paul to imply that half the men on a hockey team are gay -- that punchline did not work without the omission of a verb in the question. Gregory 21:22, 16 June 2023 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Gregoryjames (talkcontribs)

MOST MEMORABLE HOLLYWOOD SQUARES ANSWER I REMEMBER BY LYNDE

Q>)"Why are motorcyclists partial to leather?"

LYNDE: "Because chiffon wrinkles so easily".

Also, Lynde regularly guest-hosted THE KRAFT MUSIC HALL on NBC-TV(Ch.4)----one sketch I remember is where he's the organist at a church wedding where the bride jilted him to marry the groom.

When the woman came down the aisle, instead of playing "Here Comes The Bride", Lynde played "Tramp,Tramp,Tramp(the boys are marching)" — Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.23.5.11 (talk) 19:50, 1 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]