Bill Cullen

For the Irish businessman and philanthropist, seeBill Cullen (businessman).For other people named William Cullen, seeWilliam Cullen (disambiguation).

Bill Cullen
Cullen in 1954
Born	(1920-02-18)February 18, 1920 Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	July 7, 1990(1990-07-07)(aged 70) Bel Air, California,U.S.
Alma mater	University of Pittsburgh
Occupation(s)	Television personality Radio announcer Game show host
Years active	1939–1988
Known for	Original host ofThe Price Is Right
Spouses	Ruth Ellen Harrington ​ ​ (m.1943;div.1948)​ Carol Ames ​ ​ (m.1948;div.1955)​ Ann Roemheld Macomber ​ ​ (m.1955)​

William Lawrence Cullen(February 18, 1920 – July 7, 1990) was an American radio and television personality whose career spanned five decades.Known for appearing on game shows and later as a prolific game show host, he hosted 23 shows, earning the nickname "Dean of Game Show Hosts".Aside from his hosting duties, he appeared as a panelist/celebrity guest on many other game shows, including regular appearances onI've Got a SecretandTo Tell the Truth.

Early life

Cullen was born inPittsburgh,Pennsylvania, the only child of William and Lillian Cullen. His father was a Ford dealer in Pittsburgh.

He survived a childhood bout withpoliothat left him with significant physical limitations for the rest of his life. Cullen was a pre-med student at theUniversity of Pittsburgh,but had to withdraw because of financial problems. After he achieved some success in radio, he returned to the university and earned a bachelor's degree.

Radio

Cullen's broadcasting career began in 1939in Pittsburgh atWWSWradio,where he worked as a disc jockey and play-by-play announcer orcolor commentatorforPittsburgh Steelers(NFL) andPittsburgh Hornets(minor league hockey) games. In 1943, Cullen left WWSW for a brief job at rival stationKDKAbefore leaving Pittsburgh a year later to try his luck in New York. A week after arriving in New York, he was hired as a staff announcer atCBS.

To supplement his then-meager income, he became a freelance joke writer for some of the top radio stars of the day, includingArthur Godfrey,Danny Kaye,andJack Benny;he also worked as a staff writer for theEasy Acesradio show.

His first venture into game shows was in 1945, when he was hired as announcer for a radio quiz calledGive And Take.In the summer of 1950, he was quizmaster onHit the Jackpot,the summer replacement forAmos 'n' Andyon CBS radio.After a brief stint atWNEWin 1951, he hosted a popular morning show atWNBCradio from 1955 to 1961.

Military service

Cullen was a pilot for theUnited States Army Air Forcesin World War II. Cullen served in theCivil Air Patrolas an instructor and patrol aircraft pilot in his native Pennsylvania duringWorld War II(having failed to qualify for combat duty due to his physical disabilities), and was interested in mechanics.

TV career

Cullen's first television game show was the TV version ofWinner Take All,which premiered on NBC in 1952. In 1953, Cullen hadThe Bill Cullen Show,a weekly morning variety program on CBS.He hostedBank on the Starsin 1954.From 1954 to 1955, he hosted NBC'sPlace the Face,a program in which celebrities identified people from their past;he simultaneously hosted CBS'sName That Tune.From 1956 to 1965, he hosted the initial daytime and primetime versions ofThe Price Is Right,another Goodson-Todman production. He was also a panelist onI've Got a Secretfrom 1952 to 1967, andTo Tell the Truthfrom 1969 to 1978, where he also guest-hosted on occasion. After relocating toSouthern California,Cullen guest-hostedPassword Plusfor four weeks in April 1980 while original hostAllen Luddenwas being treated for stomach cancer.

Cullen was initially in the running to host the 1972 revival ofThe Price Is Right,but the physical demands of the new format were deemed too strenuous for him. Consequently, when CBS picked up the daytime version,Bob Barkerwas selected to host the daytime version whileDennis James(who sold the pilot with Mark Goodson) hosted the syndicated nighttime version. Barker remained the show's daytime host until his retirement in 2007. Occasional references to Cullen have been made by currentThe Price Is RighthostDrew Carey.

Other game shows Cullen hosted includedEye Guessin the 1960s;Three on a Match,Blankety Blanks,The Love Experts,How Do You Like Your Eggs?(QUBE cable interactive program)and the syndicated version ofThe $25,000 Pyramidin the 1970s; and later in his careerChain Reaction,Blockbusters,Child's Play,Hot PotatoandThe Joker's Wild(his final hosting job from 1984 to 1986, following the death ofJack Barry).

In a 1984TV Guidearticle, Cullen commented on the ease with which he seemed to land his hosting jobs:

"This is how it happens every time," says Cullen. A known packager comes up with the idea for a new show. The network says, do a run-through. They do. The network likes it, and they say, we'll give you a pilot. Then the network says, Who are we going to get to host it?

Packager: Who do you have in mind?

Network: Let's go with someone new.

Packager: Great idea. Who?

Network: Don't you know anybody?

Packager: No. There's so-and-so, but we tried him in a run-through and he didn't work out... How about you? You know someone?

Network: No.

Now, the sets are constructed, the game is worked out, the staff is hired, it's two weeks before the show is to go on, they are ready to shoot the pilot.

Network: Well, have you thought of anybody yet?

Packager: No.

Network: Let's go with Bill Cullen.

That's almost exactly how NBC picked the host ofHot Potato.

Cullen appeared as a celebrity guest on many other game shows, includingI've Got a Secret,What's My Line?,To Tell the Truth,Personality,The Cross-Wits,Password,Password Plus,Match Game,Tattletales(with his wife Ann),Break the Bank,Shoot for the Stars,and all of the versions ofPyramid(excluding the $50,000 and $100,000 versions). Cullen hosted a number of pilots for his close friend, quiz producerBob Stewart,who createdThe Price Is Right,Truth,andPasswordfor Goodson-Todman andPyramidfor his own company. Cullen thus became the only person to host each of these formats on a full- or part-time basis. He also appeared as a panelist on game shows hosted by his favorite understudy,Bob Eubanks,includingTrivia Trap,Rhyme and Reason,andAll Star Secrets,and he made guest appearances with Eubanks onFamily Feud.

In 1982, Cullen made an appearance onThe Price Is Rightto promote his new game show,Child's Play.It was the only time he ever appeared on the revival ofThe Price Is Right,but no mention was made of his role as the show's original host.

Achievements

Cullen didcolor commentaryoncollege footballgames early in his career, and also broadcast track and field on NBC. OnI've Got A Secret,producers Mark Goodson and Bill Todman and hostGarry Moorequickly learned to never start the questioning with Cullen if the guest's secret was anything sports-related or mechanical, because chances were good that he would guess it immediately.

During his television career, Cullen was nominated three times for Emmy Awards; his only win was a Primetime Emmy for hostingThree On A Match(1973). He was later nominated for Daytime Emmys for his work onBlockbusters(1982) andHot Potato(1985).

Throughout his entire career in radio and television, Cullen hosted more than 25,000 individual episodes of radio and television shows.

Personal life

Marriages

Cullen was married three times and had no children. His first marriage was a brief one while still living in Pittsburgh. His second marriage (1948–1955) was to singer Carol Ames. On December 24, 1955, Cullen married former dancer and model Ann Roemheld Macomber, born Elise Ann Roemheld (whose sister was, at the time, married to game show announcer and future emceeJack Narz), the daughter of composerHeinz Roemheld;this marriage lasted until his death in 1990. She occasionally worked as a model on Bill'sThe Price Is Rightand made several appearances with him onTattletales.She died on July 21, 2018, aged 90.

Physical disability

Cullen contractedpolioin August 1921, when he was 18 months old. The long-term sequelae of that illness, combined with injuries sustained in a serious motor vehicle accident in 1937 requiring a nine-month hospitalization, made it difficult for him to walk or stand for an extended period of time.

Directors on his game shows took great care to limit the extent that Cullen was shown walking on camera. Each show's set was designed to accommodate Cullen's limitedrange of motion;the podiums, game boards, props, and any physical movements by contestants were arranged so that Cullen could, for the most part, remain stationary. Rather than making an elaborate entrance like most game show hosts, Cullen began each show either already seated or hidden on set behind a prop just a few steps from his podium.Similar accommodations were made when he appeared as a guest on other game shows.

As a consequence of these arrangements, many of Cullen's peers were likewise unaware of his disability, which occasionally led to awkward situations. In the August 2010 issue ofGQunder the heading "Epic Tales of Embarrassment",Mel Brooksrelated the following story to writer Steve Heisler:

The week of October 17–21 in 1966—that would make me about 40—was a special celebrity week onEye Guess.Bill Cullen was the host. The game was very similar toConcentration.I was teamed up withJulia Meade.Remember her? Actress, very pretty young lady, blonde... Okay, never mind. I don't think I won, but I did get the take-home game. Anyway, the show is over, and I start walking toward the podium to say good night to Bill, to thank him for having me on. He starts coming toward me cross-stage, and I don't know what he's doing. His feet are flopping. His hands are flying everywhere. He's doing this kind of wacky walk-of-the-unfortunates thatJerry Lewisused to do. So I figured, what the hell, I'll join him. I start doing, I dunno, this multiple-sclerosis walk, flapping my arms and doing the Milton Berle cross legs—my own Jerry Lewis impression... And Julia is whispering, "No! He's crippled, Mel!" I don't even hear her. Finally we meet in the middle, we hug, and he says to me, "You know, you're the only comic who's ever had the nerve to make fun of my crippled walk. Everyone's so careful, it makes me feel even worse." And I realize, Oh, my God,this guy is really crippled!It was my worst moment — and if you weren't me, probably the funniest thing that ever happened.

In the fall of 1969, shortly afterEye Guessended, Cullen fell seriously ill. Diagnosed withpancreatitisand requiring major surgery, Cullen took time off from work to recuperate. When he returned to television, particularly his position on the panel forTo Tell The Truth,his physical appearance had drastically changed; along with letting his hair grow out, his pancreatitis had caused him to lose over 30 pounds (14 kg), leaving his face gaunt and wrinkled.

Hobbies

Cullen was amidget-car racer,and he was a member of theUnited States Civil Air Patrol.

Death

Cullen died in 1990. His widow, Ann Roemheld Macomber, died on July 21, 2018.

External links

• Bill CullenatIMDb
• The Bill Cullen Archive