What did Cullen have that none of the other game show hosts had?

He shure hosted lotsa shows.

He hosted more shows than anyone else, which if you think about it, can be good and bad. Good because that meant he was popular and bad because that means he hosted a lot of stinkers.

Yep, Cullen hosted many shows but that's not it. I'll give you a hint. It involves something personal, not really related to game shows.

He always wore his glasses in every show he did!

I remember those thick coke-bottle glasses and I sympathized with him, cause as a child, I had those thick glasses, too! He seemed very nice.

I loved him on "Hot Potato" and "Blockbusters"(both no longer on GSN)he's very kind to his contestants he doesn't expect them to like kisses he gives everybody!(Richard Dawson)And he doesn't always say whopee(Bob Eubanks)to bad he died.
I sure would want him to host some of the games today!

Yes, Cullen wore glasses but that's not it. Here's another hint: it's the reason you never saw him do something on his shows.

I read somewhere they he had trouble walking, because he had polio as a child. I don't think he moved out from behind his podium much.

BTW, Game Show Network has been showing (on weekends) the episodes of "Password Plus" when Bill filled in for Allen Ludden. I'd love to see them show the Cullen-hosted "$25,000 Pyramid" from the 70s.

That's it. Cullen had polio as a chid and it gave him a pronounced limp the rest of his life. He was always shown already seated at his mike instead of walking out as most other game show hosts did.

Wow - I never knew that about Cullen...he may have been the best game show host ever...and, he was also a great panelist on the I've Got a Secret show in the 50s and early 60s. I'm thinking he was also a panelist on "To Tell the Truth" in the mid-late 60s, after which he hosted many, many shows.

When you watch Cullen as a panelist on To Tell the Truth or I've Got a Secret, it's amazing how intelligent he was...and Jayne Meadows, who for years sat alongside Cullen on I.G.a.Secret, was incredibly intelligent too, not to mention gorgeous (in those days).

In fact, I happen to know for a fact that if you added up the IQs of EVERY celebrity EVER to appear on Whoppi's version of the "Hollywood Squares", the total wouldn't even come close to Cullen's OR Meadows'.

Sadly, Cullen passed away (I believe of lung cancer) either in 1999 or 2000. But he was great!

Bill Cullen (Rest in Peace) died in 1991.

Gene Rayburn (Match Game), died in 1999

I liked Bill Cullen, when he joked around, especially, as a guest panelist on game shows. I remember when he also hosted a game show called "Three On A Match," from 1971-74. It was one of "Let's Make A Deals'" competitors, at 1:30 in the afternoon

I've always liked Bill Cullen. He came across as a geniuinely nice man, and could be very witty when the opportunity to do so arose. My earliest recollection of him was as the host of the original version of "The Price is Right". (Yes, I know, I'm giving away my age here!). I don't think anyone else has had anything close to the number of appearances Bill Cullen made on Game Shows, as either a host, or a panelist. He did, unfortunately, pass away from Lung Cancer. However, he died around 1990 or 1991, and not more recently as someone above mentioned. (you may be thinking of Gene Rayburn, who passed away in late 1999/early 2000).

Cullen died July 7, 1990

The limp that Bill Cullen incurred in later years probably wasn't that noticeable. He hated walking around on the screen. He always wanted to be showed from the waist up on shows like I've Got a Secret and they're seen going off to the sound-proof booth (though, the limp was much less pronounced then). Eventually, all of the shows he did had to make some changes to allow for the limp. (He didn't want to let his limp get in the way of people's opinion of him as a host, not a disabled person, not that he thought he had a real big disability.) On shows like The $XXX,XXX Pyramid, they never show him going to the winners circle, and during fast money on the Game Show Host edition of Family Feud, they never showed him going up. On Password Plus while he was hosting, instead of them having him go down like Allen Ludden, they showed him already at the podium.

As was mentioned, he has hosted more game shows than any other game show hosts, and for over a period of 40 years, he could be seen or heard in one form or another one radio or television. He had been a panelist on shows like I've Got a Secret, To Tell The Truth, and You're Putting Me On, and hosted many other games.

For more information on Bill Cullen, I recommend you visit the website of a good friend of mine. It is a biography of Bill Cullen made by Matt Ottinger, and I guarantee you it is the most extensive biography of Bill Cullen IN THE WORLD! I will GUARANTEE IT! You can visit it at http://userdata.acd.net/ottinger/Cullen

I'm glad GSN took "Hot Potato" off, cuz it seemed they only made 60 or so episodes. After a couple of months, the same ones repeated, so I got tired of it. But never of Cullen. I had never seen him till the HP reruns on GSN. Thought he was a nice guy. Did some net research on him and was sad to find out (as others have stated) that he died over 10 years ago.

Funny thing about HP, it had to be the cheapest looking, with the most annoying contestants, game shows ever...but I always watched it! The chinsy sound effects that were sometimes delayed or sounded distorted. And the celebratory manner of the contestants made me wanna kill 'em. Plus, the introductions: "I'm Bill. I'm Steve. I'm Mike. And we're...beer distributors!!!"

But it had great 80s questions so I got hooked.

Originally posted by Mcfly
I'm glad GSN took "Hot Potato" off, cuz it seemed they only made 60 or so episodes. After a couple of months, the same ones repeated, so I got tired of it. But never of Cullen. I had never seen him till the HP reruns on GSN. Thought he was a nice guy. Did some net research on him and was sad to find out (as others have stated) that he died over 10 years ago.

Funny thing about HP, it had to be the cheapest looking, with the most annoying contestants, game shows ever...but I always watched it! The chinsy sound effects that were sometimes delayed or sounded distorted. And the celebratory manner of the contestants made me wanna kill 'em. Plus, the introductions: "I'm Bill. I'm Steve. I'm Mike. And we're...beer distributors!!!"

But it had great 80s questions so I got hooked.


Hard to believe but Hot Potato wasnt seen in many parts of the country the first time around thanks to NBC airing it at Noon since so many NBC stations carried news at noon. Thats what killed Hot Potato, kinda like the soap Edge of Night and Body Language.

Back in the 80s a network show airing at noon was the kiss of death. Bill cullen deserved better, better show AND a better time slot.

One of the BEST (at least after they changed the rules a bit for the better)of the clinkers the late Bill Cullen did,was the regrettably short-lived(it was pitted against CBS'powerhouse soap "Young And the Restless",and thus,died)NBC 1980 game show from Los Angeles and announced by Johnny Gilbert,"Chain Reaction".Today's game show hosts Drew Carey(who looks a little bit like the late Bill Cullen,),Wayne Brady,Jeff Foxworthy ,and Steve Harvey ,probably have ever heard of the late,great Bill Cullen(or maybe they HAVE),and cannot hold a candle to him.He was truly one of the greats.

I remember a lot of shows Bill Cullen hosted and he was definitely the best at what he did. He never overpowered the game, he had great interaction with contestants as well as celebrities and his people skills were absolutely phenomonal. Even though some of the shows he hosted were short-lived such as Pass the Buck, he made a bad show worth watching. The first show I remember watching him was Eye Guess, which was produced by his long-time friend Bob Stewart. When a contestant called a number that was a wrong answer, he injected humor well.

Not only was Cullen an outstanding host, he was also a regular panelist on I've Got a Secret and hosted a short-lived prime time version of the classic game in the 70s. He was also a regular on the Garry Moore hosted incarnation of To Tell the Truth and frequently subbed for him as host. When Moore decided to retire from his hosting duties, Cullen would have been the perfect replacement. But the producers didn't want to wreck the panel chemistry, so instead Joe Garagiola got the nod. He also was a guest on other game shows.