Red Scare Bud Collyer vs Orson Bean

[JSngry]

per Wicketpedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bud_Collyer

During his 1950s heyday with Beat The Clock and To Tell The Truth, he was a leader in an overtly anti-Communist faction of the New York chapter of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. That faction supported such publications as Red Channels (the famous list of 151 reputed Communists or reputed fellow travelers, as the term was then, in radio and television) and interest groups that shared the authors' politics—groups like AWARE, Inc. (co-founded, in fact, by the man who wrote Red Channels' introduction), purporting to screen broadcast performers for actual or alleged Communist ties, pressuring networks and advertisers to shun them under threat of boycott.

An opposing faction, led by CBS radio personality John Henry Faulk and Orson Bean, defeated Collyer's faction in an election to run the New York union.

Soooo.....that's some pretty intense stuff, yet Collyer & Orson Bean never appeared at odds on years of To Tell The Truth. I guess they worked it out? Or faked it really well? Or what, is Wicketpedia providing me with alternative facts here?

[paul secor]

Political post - or just historical? Or both?

[JSngry]

Strictly historical. Been watching Collyer-era TTTT reruns on Buzzr lately and have gotten fascinated by the people of the show. I know that Bean appeared on the daytime show for a loooooong ime, and that him & Collyer never seemed to be at odds, so when I found this tidbit, it was kinda WTF?-sih, not about Collyer or Bean individually, neither surprises me, just that collision and its aftermath.

otoh, saw a Tonight show rerun with Bean as guest where he could easily have been stoned out of his gourd, he's going on about having an encounter with a butterfly and feeling like they were talking to each other and Johnny was like, you know, deferentially GET ME OUT OF THIS, you know how Johnny could be. That shit was wack, I mean, Orson Bean was SERIOUS about this butterfly shit.

[catesta]

20 hours ago, JSngry said:

per Wicketpedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bud_Collyer

During his 1950s heyday with Beat The Clock and To Tell The Truth, he was a leader in an overtly anti-Communist faction of the New York chapter of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. That faction supported such publications as Red Channels (the famous list of 151 reputed Communists or reputed fellow travelers, as the term was then, in radio and television) and interest groups that shared the authors' politics—groups like AWARE, Inc. (co-founded, in fact, by the man who wrote Red Channels' introduction), purporting to screen broadcast performers for actual or alleged Communist ties, pressuring networks and advertisers to shun them under threat of boycott.

An opposing faction, led by CBS radio personality John Henry Faulk and Orson Bean, defeated Collyer's faction in an election to run the New York union.

Soooo.....that's some pretty intense stuff, yet Collyer & Orson Bean never appeared at odds on years of To Tell The Truth. I guess they worked it out? Or faked it really well? Or what, is Wicketpedia providing me with alternative facts here?

 

Either way they showed how opposing sides politically or otherwise were able to either "act" civilly to each other or adult enough to put that shit behind them.

Something that rarely happens if ever in today's times.

And Buzzr is a great thing.

Edited January 26, 2017 by catesta

[JSngry]

So far, the only thing on Buzzr I really get into is the B&W TTTT/What's My Line/I've Got A Secret block on weeknights. Them's my jams.

I wish they would pull out the early syndicated color TTTT shows w/Gary Moore...those sets didn't just engage psychedelica, they actually advanced it!

[catesta]

I hear you but in addition the three you mentioned, I watch Match Game and the Richard Dawson Family Feud shows. Match Game is timeless. Seeing Gene Rayburn on To Tell the Truth is a trip too.

[JSngry]

I can do Match Game, but after a while....depends on how drunk the celebrities are.

What I've never seen in syndication or other wise  - and would love to - is the original B&W NBC Match Game from the early/mid 60s. Rayburn was still host, but the format was totally different and it wasn't played for laughs. But Jayne Mansfield & Nick Adams were on a lot, so you know there was entertainment.