Gene Rayburn's Career Wasn't a Blank

No answers about tinkling, no Old Man Periwinkle, no Brett or Charles.

You wouldn’t find those on the original version of The Match Game which debuted on Boxing Day 1962.

One thing you would find was host Gene Rayburn, asking pretty tame questions like “Name something you eat for breakfast.” (Goodson-Todman Productions got a lot of mileage out of that format. The company shifted it over to Family Feud when the second version of The Match Game was filled with double entendres and celebrities having a few nips in between tapings). Rayburn had been around NBC for a good period of time by that point and was perhaps best-known for being the announcer on Tonight with Steve Allen.

Hosting a game show was not Rayburn’s driving ambition. He wanted to sing and dance. In fact, he did. He replaced Dick Van Dyke on Broadway in Bye Bye Birdie. But game shows got in the way.

Here are a couple of stories from the time of the original Match Game. First, from the Associated Press of January 31, 1964.

Panel Shows Not So Easy, Says Rayburn
By CYNTHIA LOWRY
NEW YORK (AP) — Gene Rayburn, the witty incisive young man who guides NBC's day-time "Match Game," with the gentle firmness of an English nanny, insists that participating in a panel show is not as easy as it looks.
Players and host not only must concentrate on the game but also give the session "dimensions of vitality, lightness and humor, he says.
Rayburn often turns up as a panelist on other shows.
"To Tell the Truth," he says, is the most difficult.
"People seem to think the panel has some advance information about the contestants," he said. "We don't know a single thing until the information is read off. It's a fast game in which a lot of information helps. Peggy Cass, on the panel, absolutely amazes me."
Page Boy to Star
Rayburn grew up in Chicago, got into radio by becoming an NBC page boy and moved on to announcing. In 1942 he had a radio show on a New York station, then teamed with Jack Lescoulie (now of "Today") for a comedy show and built a reputation for light-handed wit and nonsense. For the past 12 years Gene has worked as a single—announcing, hosting, sitting on panels and occasionally doing a dramatic role.
The five "Match Game" programs are taped over a period of two days a week, but Rayburn's job occupies most of his time.
"I've been a host so long, that's no problem any more," he said. "My biggest headache is trying to figure out new ways of introducing the panelists, i write out five different sets of introductions for the show's celebrities each week."
After all his experience, what is Rayburn's favorite occupation.
"I love to act," he said, almost wistfully.

This is a feature piece from the Hartford Courant, July 14, 1963. Again, he hopes for an acting career that never happened.

Beauties and Brains All in a Day Far Busy Emcee Gene Rayburn
By H. VIGGO ANDERSEN
Sunday Editor
Some guys have all the luck! Imagine having to drop everything, rush down to Miami, live in the plushest of surroundings, and spend your days and evenings with some of the most beautiful girls in the world, all of whom are trying to impress you with their beauty, poise and intelligence.
That's what's happening to Gene Rayburn all this week in preparation for the finals of the annual Miss Universe Beauty Pageant which you can look in on Saturday night, July 20, from 10:00 to 11:30 on Channels 3 and 12. Gene will be the on-stage master of ceremonies, just as he was last year.
Gene called this writer the other day from New York to talk about the pageant and his share in it. When I told him be was a lucky stiff on a very soft touch, he snorted in indignation.
"Emceeing a beauty pageant of this stature is anything but a soft touch," he disagreed. "You've no idea how much behind the scenes preparation goes into one of these affairs. We work long, long hours. Sure you meet some interesting people and most of them are beautiful. But it can get to be a grind.
Enjoyable Experience
"After a period of getting acquainted with the girls—and it goes without saying, this is highly enjoyable—we get to the business of setting up routines, finding out what we want to do and then learning to do it. This isn't as easy as you might think. | "Then we go into four nights of elimination, on stage, each a formal black tie affair for me before an audience. Now we are really underway, as the girls are judged in swim suits and evening gowns, and for poise and personality." His sympathetic sigh came over the telephone wire. "Here's where the heartbreak conies in when, one after another, girls are eliminated until only 15 have been chosen for the white-tie-and-tails event Saturday night, July 20, when the finals are broadcast over the CBS-TV network for 90 minutes, with Lord knows how many viewers looking in from all parts of the country."
Disagreed With Judges

Rayburn is by no means always in agreement with the judges of the pageant. Last year his choice for Miss Universe was Miss Republic of China.
"She had everything," he enthused, "a beautiful face, lovely figure, lots of poise, and she was one of the most gracious people I've ever met. I hated to see her lose out to Norma Nolan of Argentina. Not that Norma hasn't plenty on the ball too," he hastened to add. "She's gorgeous."
Let's hope Miss Nolan doesn't read this between now and next Saturday night. She'll be on stage with Gene and John Daly, to hand over the sceptre and crown of her office to the new Miss Universe.
But to depart from the beauty mart. After all, Rayburn's participation in this annual Miami marathon is one of the least of his claims to fame. The voice that was coming to me over the phone has been familiar to millions of radio listeners and TViewers for years. He came to New York via Chicago and Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois, with the ambition to get into broadcasting and before you could say NBC he was with it—as a page! But the ambitious Gene wasn't satisfied with this. He enrolled in the network's announcing school, studied hard, and then was sent to Station WGNY, Newburgh. N.Y., where he remained for a year.
Subsequently be saw duty in Philadelphia, Baltimore, etc., until another form of duty called and he enlisted in the Air Force. After his discharge. Gene went to Station WNEW, New York, where he teamed up briefly with Jack Lescoulie, and subsequently with Dee Finch. Their program, "Rayburn and Finch," was to become one of New York City's all time popular radio shows. It lasted five years.
Switches to TV
Inevitably, of course, came the switch to television and Gene made it with the greatest of ease, his first big impact coming when be became the announcer on the Steve Allen Show. When Steve landed the "Tonight" berth, Gene went right along with him. He was in the big time now and he has stayed there ever since. Currently he is host of "Match Game" on NBC-TV, one of the highest rated daytime television programs in the country.| Concerning any and all quiz shows—and he has taken part in a good share of them—Gene feels that the amount or quantity of the prizes is not the important thing. "Putting on a good show is what really matters," he says. "For example, on 'To Tell the Truth,' the prize money, usually split three ways, was $50, no great shakes, you'll admit. Yet that show had a tremendous following."
But while his emceeing chores have brought him wealth and fame Gene likes to think of himself as an actor, and the highlight of his career, he told me, was when he replaced Dick Van Dyke in "Bye Bye Birdie" in New York. Be stayed with that smash Broadway musical for 26 weeks. "And the funny part of it is that I'm neither a singer nor a dancer, but somehow I managed to do both. How I got by I'll never know. But I'd like more of same."
With this difference, however. Next time he doesn't want to replace anyone, but create a role. He has read a play that has been offered to him but confessed he is not enthusiastic about it. "And you've got to be or it's not good," he said.
In the meantime he has plenty to keep him busy, what with the Miss Universe Pageant, "Match Game" and his 3-hour radio stint every Saturday on "Monitor." A busy, happy, successful man, Gene Rayburn is married to the former Helen Ticknor and is the father of a daughter, Lynn. They reside in New York City. As I said in the beginning, some guys have all the luck!

Considering Rayburn never accomplished a song-and-dance or dramatic career, maybe he didn’t have all the luck. But he had a fine career.