More to _______ about!
A sad day in game show land...Charles Nelson Reilly passed away over the weekend.
My very first memories watching TV were watching the syndicated version of "Match Game" on WSVN (then WCKT) channel 7 in Miami. I'd watch with my grandmother who didn't speak a word of English, but loved watching the show because she thought that Gene Rayburn was Filipino! (heh) Go figure...I didn't get all the jokes at the time, but those memories of Gene, Brett, Charles, and the Star Wheel left indelible marks on my memory. I just remember the show as being so much fun. Then, 1990 came around and I saw the first ads about the new version of "Match Game." Needless to say, I was very excited and even moreso that Charles was back with the show. While not quite a perfect revival of the show, I remember being a loyal viewer of the show. Thanks to Game Show Network, I was able to rediscover the "Match Game" I first saw as a little kid and realizing why the show was so fun. I guess in a subconscious way, Charles was the first gay icon I really latched onto...
Flash forward to just a few years ago...I first found out Charles wasn't doing well when I talked to a former Fremantle colleague about the "Match Game" DVD set. The DVD set had just started pre-production. My former colleague had asked me for advice as to what would make for some fun special features on the box set. I told him that they HAD to get Charles Nelson Reilly to do commentary or some interview. He then told me that they already tried to approach him but that he "wasn't in good health."
I was a bit taken aback because just a couple of years earlier, I had seen him perform his one-man show "Save it for the Stage: Life of Reilly" live at the El Portal in North Hollywood. It was the second time I had seen the the show. The first time was at the Falcon Theater in Burbank just several months earlier.
For those of you who hadn't seen the show, it was great. It gave audiences (particularly myself) a fascinating look at Charles's career in on the stage. For those of us that had grown up watching him on game shows, it really showed how multi-dimensional and talented "Chuck" was.
We hung out after the show in the hopes that we'd get to bump into him after the show. As the theater cleared out, there just about a dozen of us. And sure enough, Charles came out to greet us and talk to us. It was wonderful...he was very gracious and kind. My friend Ted brought pics of the first "Match Game" we threw (in which Ted dressed up as Charles). Charles got a kick out of that. We thanked him for all the laughs and entertainment and went on our way. He was a sincere, kind man who apprecited his fans, new and old...It was definitely a moment Ted and I still talk about to this day and one that we never forget.
So there you go...just some ______-ing ramblings on about one of the greatest funnymen and even though he did much more than game shows, he still was one of THE best...a pioneer in many respects.
Chuck, here's to you! I just know that heaven's got a pretty damn good version of "Match Game" shaping up there!
My very first memories watching TV were watching the syndicated version of "Match Game" on WSVN (then WCKT) channel 7 in Miami. I'd watch with my grandmother who didn't speak a word of English, but loved watching the show because she thought that Gene Rayburn was Filipino! (heh) Go figure...I didn't get all the jokes at the time, but those memories of Gene, Brett, Charles, and the Star Wheel left indelible marks on my memory. I just remember the show as being so much fun. Then, 1990 came around and I saw the first ads about the new version of "Match Game." Needless to say, I was very excited and even moreso that Charles was back with the show. While not quite a perfect revival of the show, I remember being a loyal viewer of the show. Thanks to Game Show Network, I was able to rediscover the "Match Game" I first saw as a little kid and realizing why the show was so fun. I guess in a subconscious way, Charles was the first gay icon I really latched onto...
Flash forward to just a few years ago...I first found out Charles wasn't doing well when I talked to a former Fremantle colleague about the "Match Game" DVD set. The DVD set had just started pre-production. My former colleague had asked me for advice as to what would make for some fun special features on the box set. I told him that they HAD to get Charles Nelson Reilly to do commentary or some interview. He then told me that they already tried to approach him but that he "wasn't in good health."
I was a bit taken aback because just a couple of years earlier, I had seen him perform his one-man show "Save it for the Stage: Life of Reilly" live at the El Portal in North Hollywood. It was the second time I had seen the the show. The first time was at the Falcon Theater in Burbank just several months earlier.
For those of you who hadn't seen the show, it was great. It gave audiences (particularly myself) a fascinating look at Charles's career in on the stage. For those of us that had grown up watching him on game shows, it really showed how multi-dimensional and talented "Chuck" was.
We hung out after the show in the hopes that we'd get to bump into him after the show. As the theater cleared out, there just about a dozen of us. And sure enough, Charles came out to greet us and talk to us. It was wonderful...he was very gracious and kind. My friend Ted brought pics of the first "Match Game" we threw (in which Ted dressed up as Charles). Charles got a kick out of that. We thanked him for all the laughs and entertainment and went on our way. He was a sincere, kind man who apprecited his fans, new and old...It was definitely a moment Ted and I still talk about to this day and one that we never forget.
So there you go...just some ______-ing ramblings on about one of the greatest funnymen and even though he did much more than game shows, he still was one of THE best...a pioneer in many respects.
Chuck, here's to you! I just know that heaven's got a pretty damn good version of "Match Game" shaping up there!
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