Allen Ludden didn't know this would be his last show. A contestant winning Alphabetics is a great way for him to go out. Rest easy, Allen. No matter who hosts Password, it will never be the same without you.
This became Allen Ludden's final appearance on Password Plus, from its Original 1980 Broadcast on NBC which aired October 27, 1980. And When Famous "Kennedy's" was solved as a Password Puzzle, Tom Kennedy took over at the helm from their dear friend Allen Ludden on Password Plus for the remainder of its run. And it was Betty White's husband's show, but the Phoenix will rise again.
Allen Ludden was diagnosed with stomach cancer but unfortunately he didn't survive this disease,he expired on June 9,1981 and was surrounded with family and friends at his bedside at the hospital.
+Shay White I'm pretty sure Betty was also with him when he died. She said she regretted not accepting his marriage proposal sooner so they could spend more time together.
Alan enjoyed being a Host He was a perfectionist,,,and you were never bored with him running the show floor,,,he was very witty,,,fast too think even for others guest ,,that were staged shocked and couldn't think and speak,,,Alan would grab the raines and continue right ahead...it was a VERY SAD DAY OF UNCERTAINTY FOR ALAN.
Does anybody know the airdate of this one? Or when it was taped? I don't think he looked sick, but he did look very tired. He was definitely off his game but he still can keep the show moving.
Yeah, Allen does seem to lose track of things. The first time wasn't really his fault, they forgot to put the contestant's names on his desk. However, Allen's prediction about Vicki's new series didn't come true until 1983 when she did Mama's Family.
Dang you GSN and your credit crunches! As well as your lack of respect for the classics. I know they can't air everything, but there actually *were* some respectable game shows before the 1980s. Password & its many incarnations is one. RIP to one of the greatest hosts ever...Allen Ludden. Hope you're playing Password with some of your old buddies up in heaven.
L. V.E. Before 2004 they would show the fee plugs then shrink the credits. Now as soon as they say goodbye they shrink the credits without ever going back to it.
Oh believe me I know! But they didn't do that when the network first launched. I was a fan of GSN from 1994 thru the 2010s, but when they slowly scrapped classics for newer stuff and remakes, that's when I had to say my own goodbye. ;)
I took the NBC Burbank tour in 1982. The tour guide took us into Studio 3 where gameshows were produced (including Password). Unfortunately, nothing was taping that day. All we say was a large studio with bleachers on one end. Studio 3 was across the hall from Studio 1 which was the home of the Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson.
millenniumman75 Monte Hall also taped the very first episode of "Let's Make A Deal" in Johnny Carson's Tonight Show studio in Burbank (Studio 1). You can watch it on TH-cam by searching "Let's Make A Deal - 1963 Pilot". Keep an eye out at the beginning for a glimpse of the huge RCA TK-41 color television camera.
He did tape the early episodes in studio 1. Jay Stewart once said "Studio 1 is a great place to do audience warmups, if you are a mountain goat!" I once visited NBC studios in Burbank myself and climbed down the VERY steep stairs to the stage floor. The contestants were not seated in that are, but rather, those that came to be on the show but were not selected to be on the "trading floor". A separate stage area was built ahead of the steep seats, as Monty wouldn't want to negotiate those steep stairs to get to contestants. The studio was built for Bob Hope's Show on NBC. He wanted the audience at a steep incline to be able to see their faces better. For Carson, the seating created enough distance between himself and the audience. His desk was as far back in the corner as it could go. Jay Leno didn't mind being close to the audience, so studio 3 was better for him. Anyone that sees his Tonight Show episodes, he is close enough to shake hands with audience members.
I agree that Allen looked fine. He did seem out of sorts though, which was very atypical of the way he ran the Password show. RE: Tom Kennedy. He was a family friend of the Luddens and made the best of a tragic situation. I would have liked Cullen as well, but he had at least 2 NBC shows in the hopper at the time.
Bill Cullen was considered, but he hosting Blockbusters at the time, which had just come on the air at the time. Wink Martindale would have been a good choice as well, but he was hosting Las Vegas Gambit at the time, which had also started. I will say, though, that Tom Kennedy did a good job with the show. He would have hosted Super Password, but he was hosting Body Language for CBS.
It's kind of cynical, but they would have had to completely redo the set if Cullen had taken the gig instead of Kennedy, as he had real difficulty walking from polio and a major accident as a teenager. I never even noticed that growing up, but at the end of most Blockbusters episodes he'd walk rather painfully over to the contestant stands to chat. Every show he hosted, since I've now seen episodes of most of them I hadn't seen when they were first on, the show was set up so he didn't have to move around at all. It was why he was only very briefly the host of The Price Is Right, since that show required a bit of moving about.
Password Plus was never the same after Allen died, Tom Kennedy is a good host to be sure, but hes no Allen Ludden. Its a shame they Couldn't get Bill Cullen but he was busy hosting Blockbusters at the time and was not available so Tom Kennedy was chosen instead.
According to the BIll Cullen biography by Adam Nedeff, everyone liked Cullen and the way he handled PW+ while Allen was gone, but they did want someone that could move the game a little faster. In theory, they could've gotten Bill to do PW+ and give Blockbusters to Tom Kennedy, but Blockbusters was too new to get a new host and Bill was already doing a super job with that show. Betty White said in her book that she thought Tom was an excellent choice too. (But she also liked Bill).
I think BETTY should have gotten the show. When they came out with Million Dollar Password, I said they had no business putting anybody else up there- Regis shut me down, but still...
What was up with Vicki Lawrence? She nipped at Ludden's heels throughout the show. Your heart has to go out for him as he valiantly tried to do his show. Allen thanked Vicki Lawrence at the end of the show but during this game she acted rather unlovely to him
Allen Ludden didn't know this would be his last show. A contestant winning Alphabetics is a great way for him to go out. Rest easy, Allen. No matter who hosts Password, it will never be the same without you.
He didn't really look ill.
Ken Wiencko I STILL miss him. He was SO cool!
Betty loved Allen so much that any other man just couldn't take his place.
I have all three of the "Password Plus" board games in memory of host Allen
Ludden
This became Allen Ludden's final appearance on Password Plus, from its Original 1980 Broadcast on NBC which aired October 27, 1980. And When Famous "Kennedy's" was solved as a Password Puzzle, Tom Kennedy took over at the helm from their dear friend Allen Ludden on Password Plus for the remainder of its run. And it was Betty White's husband's show, but the Phoenix will rise again.
10/24/1980,to be exact.It was Allen's Final appearance on the show.He had to depart,due to ill health.he passed away 8 months later at the age of 63.
R.I.P. Allen Ludden.10/5/1917-6/9/1981.
Today would have been his 100th birthday.
We will miss Allen Ludden
R.I.P. Gene Wood (The Show's Announcer).10/25/1925-5/21/2004.
Allen Ludden was diagnosed with stomach cancer but unfortunately he didn't survive this disease,he expired on June 9,1981 and was surrounded with family and friends at his bedside at the hospital.
Right U are Shay & LOL!
+Shay White I'm pretty sure Betty was also with him when he died. She said she regretted not accepting his marriage proposal sooner so they could spend more time together.
RIP Allen Ludden
HOW DID HE DIE
I asked myself the same question????
+ZACHERY ALDERTON Cancer
ZACHERY ALDERTON Stomach cancer. Yuck.
RIP, Allen.
5/21/2014 marks over a Decade when Gene Wood (One of the Announcers on the Show),passed away.
Allen Ludden didn't look sick to me. He looks just fine.
Does anyone have the NBC version where they have a voiceover plastered onto the opening explaining what has happened?
Alan enjoyed being a Host He was a perfectionist,,,and you were never bored with him running the show floor,,,he was very witty,,,fast too think even for others guest ,,that were staged shocked and couldn't think and speak,,,Alan would grab the raines and continue right ahead...it was a VERY SAD DAY OF UNCERTAINTY FOR ALAN.
Does anybody know the airdate of this one? Or when it was taped?
I don't think he looked sick, but he did look very tired. He was definitely off his game but he still can keep the show moving.
Looking back, his timing was off like something was wrong.
RIP Allen Ludden aka Mr Betty White!!
THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES
Anytime!
Yeah, Allen does seem to lose track of things. The first time wasn't really his fault, they forgot to put the contestant's names on his desk. However, Allen's prediction about Vicki's new series didn't come true until 1983 when she did Mama's Family.
That's the first series I thought of....maybe it was prophetic :).
Dang you GSN and your credit crunches! As well as your lack of respect for the classics. I know they can't air everything, but there actually *were* some respectable game shows before the 1980s. Password & its many incarnations is one. RIP to one of the greatest hosts ever...Allen Ludden. Hope you're playing Password with some of your old buddies up in heaven.
L. V.E. Before 2004 they would show the fee plugs then shrink the credits. Now as soon as they say goodbye they shrink the credits without ever going back to it.
Oh believe me I know! But they didn't do that when the network first launched. I was a fan of GSN from 1994 thru the 2010s, but when they slowly scrapped classics for newer stuff and remakes, that's when I had to say my own goodbye. ;)
I just hope that Buzzr does not go the path of GSN where the credits are crunched and the fee plugs are edited out.
Please bring back Password anything.
10:00 So that's why Bert blew this exact puzzle - he had seen it before!
This was the final form of Password to be emceed by Allen Ludden. Sadly, he wasn't able to continue, so they chose Tom Kennedy.
R.i.p. Alan
I took the NBC Burbank tour in 1982. The tour guide took us into Studio 3 where gameshows were produced (including Password). Unfortunately, nothing was taping that day. All we say was a large studio with bleachers on one end. Studio 3 was across the hall from Studio 1 which was the home of the Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson.
Today Studio 3 is known as the iHeart Radio Theater.
I think the studio where Johnny Carson was taped was also the studio where Monty Hall did the first season of the All-New Let's Make a Deal in 1984.
millenniumman75 Monte Hall also taped the very first episode of "Let's Make A Deal" in Johnny Carson's Tonight Show studio in Burbank (Studio 1). You can watch it on TH-cam by searching "Let's Make A Deal - 1963 Pilot". Keep an eye out at the beginning for a glimpse of the huge RCA TK-41 color television camera.
He did tape the early episodes in studio 1. Jay Stewart once said "Studio 1 is a great place to do audience warmups, if you are a mountain goat!" I once visited NBC studios in Burbank myself and climbed down the VERY steep stairs to the stage floor. The contestants were not seated in that are, but rather, those that came to be on the show but were not selected to be on the "trading floor". A separate stage area was built ahead of the steep seats, as Monty wouldn't want to negotiate those steep stairs to get to contestants. The studio was built for Bob Hope's Show on NBC. He wanted the audience at a steep incline to be able to see their faces better. For Carson, the seating created enough distance between himself and the audience. His desk was as far back in the corner as it could go. Jay Leno didn't mind being close to the audience, so studio 3 was better for him. Anyone that sees his Tonight Show episodes, he is close enough to shake hands with audience members.
I heard today would have been Allen Ludden’s 100th birthday.
Trevor Panno wow really!!!!!
I agree that Allen looked fine. He did seem out of sorts though, which was very atypical of the way he ran the Password show. RE: Tom Kennedy. He was a family friend of the Luddens and made the best of a tragic situation. I would have liked Cullen as well, but he had at least 2 NBC shows in the hopper at the time.
Bill Cullen was considered, but he hosting Blockbusters at the time, which had just come on the air at the time. Wink Martindale would have been a good choice as well, but he was hosting Las Vegas Gambit at the time, which had also started. I will say, though, that Tom Kennedy did a good job with the show. He would have hosted Super Password, but he was hosting Body Language for CBS.
It's kind of cynical, but they would have had to completely redo the set if Cullen had taken the gig instead of Kennedy, as he had real difficulty walking from polio and a major accident as a teenager. I never even noticed that growing up, but at the end of most Blockbusters episodes he'd walk rather painfully over to the contestant stands to chat. Every show he hosted, since I've now seen episodes of most of them I hadn't seen when they were first on, the show was set up so he didn't have to move around at all. It was why he was only very briefly the host of The Price Is Right, since that show required a bit of moving about.
When he hosted The Price is Right in the 50s and 60s, he was seated at a counter the whole show, so he didn't need to move around.
Geoff Edwards would've gotten the job, IF he didn't accept the return of 'Treasure Hunt'.
Another legend gone, too. Maybe he and Allen are hosting shows up in heaven.
He looked exhausted
Does anyone have the OB version of this with the announcement dubbed into th eopening?
I enjoy seeing Robert Donner on the show; I hadn't seen him in anything but the outrageous character roles such as Exidor.
This was a very SAD way for Allen to end his storied career as Password's host. He looks tired, sick and out of sorts in this episode.
he definitely was not well....but he ran it thru.. God BLess him...There will never be a better host of a game show.
Password Plus was never the same after Allen died, Tom Kennedy is a good host to be sure, but hes no Allen Ludden. Its a shame they Couldn't get Bill Cullen but he was busy hosting Blockbusters at the time and was not available so Tom Kennedy was chosen instead.
They tape five game show episodes per day so Bill Cullen could have hosted Password if NBC allowed it.
According to the BIll Cullen biography by Adam Nedeff, everyone liked Cullen and the way he handled PW+ while Allen was gone, but they did want someone that could move the game a little faster. In theory, they could've gotten Bill to do PW+ and give Blockbusters to Tom Kennedy, but Blockbusters was too new to get a new host and Bill was already doing a super job with that show. Betty White said in her book that she thought Tom was an excellent choice too. (But she also liked Bill).
Jack Narz could have hosted Password Plus.
I think BETTY should have gotten the show. When they came out with Million Dollar Password, I said they had no business putting anybody else up there- Regis shut me down, but still...
Roddy mcdowel did not play merlin, he played mordred.
Aida Rashid: I don't think he looked ill at all !
no, he looked fine, but he was struggling....
I got a Sister-in-law, by that name.
so Tom took over mid-week?
possibly, because he said "we trust you'll be with us tomorrow" which would lead one to believe this wasn't a Friday episode
Christina Marinoff is from Chicago.
Allen Ludden did look sick to me.
Yes he definitely wasn't as vibrant as his other episodes. You could tell he was slowing down.
He seemed a bit nervous and I wouldn't blame him.
I'm surprised GSN didn't banned this episode for the use of the word Redskin
LOL - Here's an alphabetics round clue
CRAP
political
correctness
don't give them any ideas
What was up with Vicki Lawrence? She nipped at Ludden's heels throughout the show. Your heart has to go out for him as he valiantly tried to do his show. Allen thanked Vicki Lawrence at the end of the show but during this game she acted rather unlovely to him