Survey Says...Richard Dawson: The E! True Hollywood Story - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

stevearino · 03-15-2018, 07:30 PM

SURVEY SAYS...As many of you are aware, Richard Dawson died on June 2, 2012 in Los Angeles, California, at age 79, 3 weeks after being diagnosed with aggressive Esophageal Cancer (which Dawson initially mistook for heartburn).

In his loving memory, that being said, I'd like to share with you some interesting facts about Richard Dawson that I think are very interesting.

For starters: according to his "E! True Hollywood Story" episode, he was born and raised British (a fact not even I knew til seeing the said episode), but by the 1970s, when he began hosting "Family Feud" for the ABC Television Network, he lost his British accent and in its place gained a neutral U.S. American accent.

Also: his real name was Colin Emm--as in Colin Lionel Emm, the name he was given upon his birth on November 20, 1932 in Hampshire, England, UK; at age 14, young Colin dropped out of the British equivalent of the U.S. High School, knowingly lied about his age and enlisted in the U.S. Marines. Upon his honorable discharge, Colin adopted the stage name Dickie Dawson (later changed to Richard Dawson) and moved with his then-wife, British model Diana Dors (with whom he had 2 grown sons, Mark and Gary) to Los Angeles, California, where Colin began a career as an aspiring actor, making his U.S. acting debut as Racy Tracy Rattigan on an episode of "The Dick Van Dyke Show." His pinnacle as an actor came when Bing Crosby (yes, HIM!!!) created a sitcom in 1965 titled "Hogan's Heroes," eventually casting Colin Emm as Cpl. Peter Newkirk, one of several POWs in World War II's fictional Stalag 13.

After the end of "Hogan's Heroes" in 1971, Colin Emm became a regular panelist on the revived CBS game show "Match Game," a show that would eventually lead Mark Goodson and Bill Todman to create a spin-off game show called "Family Feud," for which Emm became original host, with Gene Wood as his announcer (although Johnny Olsen was in that capacity for the Pilot).

The original "Family Feud" enjoyed a 9-year run on the ABC Television Network from July 12, 1976 - June 14, 1985; after its ABC cancellation, Dawson hosted an unsold Pilot revival for "You Bet Your Life" in 1988, the same year Ray Combs succeeded him as "Family Feud" host. After over a year of declining ratings, Ray Combs was fired by Mark Goodson's son, Jonathan, in early 1994 and was replaced as host by original host Richard Dawson.

Upon his return to the "Feud," Dawson was by this time happily married to Gretchen Johnson (who coincidentally had been a Contestant on the original "Family Feud"), with whom he had a toddler daughter, Shannon Nicole, who persuaded her Daddy to not only quit smoking, but also quit kissing other women who weren't his wife (as he'd notoriously done in the '70s).

At the time of his death in 2012, Richard Dawson was survived by wife Gretchen, daughter Shannon, and sons Mark and Gary.

SURVEY SAYS...Richard Dawson is greatly missed.

03-15-2018, 07:30 PM	#1
stevearino Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Oct 15, 2017 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 249	Survey Says...Richard Dawson: The E! True Hollywood Story SURVEY SAYS...As many of you are aware, Richard Dawson died on June 2, 2012 in Los Angeles, California, at age 79, 3 weeks after being diagnosed with aggressive Esophageal Cancer (which Dawson initially mistook for heartburn). In his loving memory, that being said, I'd like to share with you some interesting facts about Richard Dawson that I think are very interesting. For starters: according to his "E! True Hollywood Story" episode, he was born and raised British (a fact not even I knew til seeing the said episode), but by the 1970s, when he began hosting "Family Feud" for the ABC Television Network, he lost his British accent and in its place gained a neutral U.S. American accent. Also: his real name was Colin Emm--as in Colin Lionel Emm, the name he was given upon his birth on November 20, 1932 in Hampshire, England, UK; at age 14, young Colin dropped out of the British equivalent of the U.S. High School, knowingly lied about his age and enlisted in the U.S. Marines. Upon his honorable discharge, Colin adopted the stage name Dickie Dawson (later changed to Richard Dawson) and moved with his then-wife, British model Diana Dors (with whom he had 2 grown sons, Mark and Gary) to Los Angeles, California, where Colin began a career as an aspiring actor, making his U.S. acting debut as Racy Tracy Rattigan on an episode of "The Dick Van Dyke Show." His pinnacle as an actor came when Bing Crosby (yes, HIM!!!) created a sitcom in 1965 titled "Hogan's Heroes," eventually casting Colin Emm as Cpl. Peter Newkirk, one of several POWs in World War II's fictional Stalag 13. After the end of "Hogan's Heroes" in 1971, Colin Emm became a regular panelist on the revived CBS game show "Match Game," a show that would eventually lead Mark Goodson and Bill Todman to create a spin-off game show called "Family Feud," for which Emm became original host, with Gene Wood as his announcer (although Johnny Olsen was in that capacity for the Pilot). The original "Family Feud" enjoyed a 9-year run on the ABC Television Network from July 12, 1976 - June 14, 1985; after its ABC cancellation, Dawson hosted an unsold Pilot revival for "You Bet Your Life" in 1988, the same year Ray Combs succeeded him as "Family Feud" host. After over a year of declining ratings, Ray Combs was fired by Mark Goodson's son, Jonathan, in early 1994 and was replaced as host by original host Richard Dawson. Upon his return to the "Feud," Dawson was by this time happily married to Gretchen Johnson (who coincidentally had been a Contestant on the original "Family Feud"), with whom he had a toddler daughter, Shannon Nicole, who persuaded her Daddy to not only quit smoking, but also quit kissing other women who weren't his wife (as he'd notoriously done in the '70s). At the time of his death in 2012, Richard Dawson was survived by wife Gretchen, daughter Shannon, and sons Mark and Gary. SURVEY SAYS...Richard Dawson is greatly missed.