Richard Dawson

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The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About

About this interview

In his three-and-a-half-hour interview, Richard Dawson (1932-2012) describes his path from comedy stages in the West End to game show sets in Hollywood. He discusses how he loves to make people laugh and shares how he made the jump from comedian to actor. He recalls his memorable roles on both The Dick Van Dyke Show and The New Dick Van Dyke Show, and speaks of his work as "Corporal Peter Newkirk" on Hogan's Heroes. Dawson also talks about his experiences as guest host for The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and details how he got the gig for which he's most famous: hosting Family Feud. He recounts favorite moments from his years with Family Feud, and offers advice on how to be a considerate host. Paul Brownstein conducted the interview on December 1, 2010 in Beverly Hills, CA.

All views expressed by interviewees are theirs alone and not necessarily those of the Television Academy.

"It's very important to me that on 'Family Feud' I could kiss all people... I kissed black women daily and nightly on 'Family Feud' for 11 years and the world didn't come to an end, did it?"

People Talking About ...

Highlights

Richard Dawson on kissing the ladies on Family Feud

05:15

Richard Dawson on loving the hosting spotlight of Family Feud

02:00

Richard Dawson on the magic of Family Feud - freezing a moment in time

00:41

Richard Dawson on how Family Feud fit him perfectly

02:53

Richard Dawson on working on Hogan's Heroes

04:07

Full Interview

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Chapter 1

On his childhood in England and early influences; on his childhood aspirations of working in the docks and his start in show business

On changing his name from Colin Emm to Richard Dawson; on crafting his first act as a comedian

On the first time he saw television - when he was on it; on moving to America and his start in television hosting; on his manager of 30-plus years

On acting on The Dick Van Dyke Show; on his role on Hogan's Heroes

Chapter 2

On the cast and premise of Hogan's Heroes; on the response to Hogan's Heroes once it aired; on a typical production week on Hogan's Heroes, and his favorite episodes

On the movie "Auto Focus" and Bob Crane's murder; on the legacy of Hogan's Heroes

On his role as guest star on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In; on The New Dick Van Dyke Show

On Match Game and his talent as a game show player; on Password and Family Feud

Chapter 3

On the premise of Family Feud; on the first day of taping Family Feud, kissing the ladies, and how he closed each show

On meeting his wife on Family Feud; on his favorite and least favorite contestants on the show

On what he learned about family from Family Feud; on the producers and creators of Family Feud

On celebrity episodes of Family Feud; on becoming a U.S. Citizen; on the cancellation of Family Feud

Chapter 4

On saying goodbye and then returning to Family Feud; on the subsequent hosts of Family Feud

On being guest host for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show; on appearing as one of the first judges on The Gong Show; on guest-starring as himself on The Odd Couple

On working in films; on the then-current state of game shows; on his proudest achievement; on his biggest regret

On career advice; on how he'd like to be remembered

Shows

Dick Van Dyke Show, The

Richard Dawson on getting on The Dick Van Dyke Show

05:42

Richard Dawson on working with the cast of The Dick Van Dyke Show

01:24

Richard Dawson on differences between The Dick Van Dyke Show and The New Dick Van Dyke Show

01:39

Family Feud

Richard Dawson on hosting Family Feud

04:16

Richard Dawson on Family Feud

58:46

Richard Dawson on saying goodbye and then returning to Family Feud

06:31

Gong Show, The

Richard Dawson on his appearance on the first episode of The Gong Show

01:44

Hogan's Heroes

Richard Dawson on working on Hogan's Heroes

04:07

Richard Dawson on Hogan's Heroes

29:24

Jack Benny Program, The

Richard Dawson on his first U.S. show, The Jack Benny Program

03:01

Match Game

Richard Dawson on Match Game and his talent as a game show player

05:15

New Dick Van Dyke Show, The

Richard Dawson on working on The New Dick Van Dyke Show

01:24

Richard Dawson on censorship and his character on The New Dick Van Dyke Show

06:28

Odd Couple, The (1970-75)

Richard Dawson on his appearance as himself on The Odd Couple

01:04

Password

Richard Dawson on hosting Match Game after his success at Password

02:08

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

Richard Dawson on his role as guest star on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In

06:10

Topics

Censorship / Standards & Practices

Richard Dawson on censorship on The New Dick Van Dyke Show

06:28

Characters & Catchphrases

Richard Dawson on his Hogan's Heroes character, "Peter Newkirk"

01:05

Richard Dawson on his Hogan's Heroes character, "Peter Newkirk"

02:18

Pop Culture

Richard Dawson on his Hogan's Heroes character, "Peter Newkirk"

01:05

Richard Dawson on his Hogan's Heroes character, "Peter Newkirk"

02:18

Television Industry

Richard Dawson on censorship on The New Dick Van Dyke Show

06:28

Professions

Comedian

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Richard Dawson on crafting his first act as a comedian and getting into acting

13:27

Game Show Host

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Richard Dawson on hosting Match Game and Family Feud

11:17

Richard Dawson on how hosting Family Feud fit him perfectly

02:53

Richard Dawson on advice to aspiring game show hosts

01:17

Hosts

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Richard Dawson on his start in television hosting with Mike Stokey

03:49

Richard Dawson on hosting Match Game and Family Feud

11:17

Richard Dawson on how hosting Family Feud fit him perfectly

02:53

Richard Dawson on advice to aspiring game show hosts

01:17

Performers

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Richard Dawson on crafting his first act as a comedian and getting into acting

13:27

Genres

Comedy Series

Richard Dawson on getting on The Dick Van Dyke Show

05:42

Richard Dawson on getting cast as "Peter Newkirk" on Hogan's Heroes

04:07

Richard Dawson on Hogan's Heroes

29:24

Game Shows

Richard Dawson on Family Feud

58:46

People

Arnold Schwarzenegger

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Richard Dawson on working with Arnold Schwarzenegger in "The Running Man"

06:26

Betty White

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Richard Dawson on Betty White's talents at Password

00:55

Bill Todman

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Richard Dawson on Bill Todman

02:11

Bob Barker

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Richard Dawson on hosting a show that Bob Barker gave him

00:37

Bob Crane

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Richard Dawson on his Hogan's Heroes co-star Bob Crane and how the two of them would play practical jokes on cast members

05:31

Richard Dawson on his off-camera relationship with Hogan's Heroes co-star Bob Crane

01:54

Bobby Darin

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Richard Dawson on working with Bobby Darin on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In

00:40

Carl Reiner

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Richard Dawson on getting on The Dick Van Dyke Show

05:42

Chuck Barris

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Richard Dawson on his appearance on the first episode of The Gong Show

01:44

Dan Rowan

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Richard Dawson on his role as guest star on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In

00:45

Dick Martin

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Richard Dawson on his role as guest star on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In

00:45

Dick Van Dyke

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Richard Dawson on working on The New Dick Van Dyke Show

01:23

Fred de Cordova

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Richard Dawson on guest-hosting The Tonight Show, produced by Fred De Cordova

05:50

Groucho Marx

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Richard Dawson on doing a Groucho Marx Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In sketch with Steve Lawrence

02:09

Jack Benny

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Richard Dawson on his first U.S. show, The Jack Benny Program

03:01

John Wayne

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Richard Dawson on doing a sketch with John Wayne on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In

00:36

Mark Goodson

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Richard Dawson on hosting Family Feud

04:16

Richard Dawson on the premise of Family Feud

02:20

Richard Dawson on the genius of Mark Goodson and his involvement with day to day operations of Family Feud

05:06

Michael Dann

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Richard Dawson on Michael Dann wanting Dawson to change his character's accent on Hogan's Heroes

05:20

Mike Stokey

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Richard Dawson on his start in television hosting with Mike Stokey

03:49

Phil Silvers

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Richard Dawson on wanting to do his part of Hogan's Heroes as Phil Silvers doing "Sgt. Bilko"

02:29

Ronald Reagan

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Richard Dawson on Ronald Reagan as President

03:48

Sheldon Leonard

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Richard Dawson on getting on The Dick Van Dyke Show

04:20

Steve Lawrence

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Richard Dawson on doing a Groucho Marx Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In sketch with Steve Lawrence

02:09

Tony Randall

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Richard Dawson on his appearance as himself on The Odd Couple

01:03

William Shatner

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Richard Dawson on how William Shatner came close to becoming the host of Family Feud

02:10

William Wyler

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Richard Dawson on making William Wyler laugh

01:06