I was looking for something in my files and came across this old piece from around 1994. It was an experiment with ink on bristol board, which is a very slick surfaced paper. I was just seeing how different inks reacted on different surfaces by painting a small block and dropping ink into the thinned paint. I ended up with this little block and I immediately was reminded of the original Hollywood Squares television gameshow. I even scrawled a title on this at the time, I’ll Take Paul Lynde to Block.
It wasn’t the greatest gameshow. I mean the questions weren’t challenging and they made it no secret that the celebrities were given the questions beforehand. It didn’t inspire a lot of confidence in the intelligence of the celebrities or the contestants and, even as a kid, I found myself wondering where they found these contestants who often didn’t have a clue. But it was entertaining. The regulars were all comics or comic actors like Paul Lynde, Wally Cox and Charlie Weaver, who had a regular schtick for the questions which were delivered by the affable Peter Marshall. I always think of his son, Peter LeCock (Marshall’s real last name), who was major league baseball player.
The show has continued through the years and I have never watched it since those days with Paul Lynde. It’s odd how a strange little piece reminds you of a very small part of your past spent sitting on the couch during snowdays as a kid, watching daytime TV.
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