Customer Reviews

The Paul Lynde Halloween Special

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This Halloween special aired once on television, on October 29, 1976. It is perhaps the most quintessential 1970's camp classic available on DVD. Starring Paul Lynde, with a bevy of guest stars such as Tim Conway, Billy Barty, Florence Henderson, Donny and Marie Osmond, KISS, and best of all, Margaret Hamilton and Billie Hayes, this show is only 50 minutes long, but what it lacks in length it makes up for in cheese.

It is essentially a sketch comedy show with the faintest of connective sinew: Paul Lynde and his housekeeper, Margaret Hamilton, visit Hamilton's sister, Billie Hayes at her castle. Obviously this is an excuse for Hamilton to reprise her role as the most famous witch in history, the Wicked Witch of the West from "The Wizard of Oz," while Hayes dons her Witchiepoo outfit from "H. R. Pufnstuf." Along the way there are lots of lame jokes, skits, and music.

To capitalize on the then huge song "Convoy" and television show "Movin' On" there is a musical nightmare where Lynde (in a sequin jumpsuit with enormous lapels) and Conway play truckers dueling for the love of Pinky Tuscadero (Roz Kelly). Although that has nothing to do with Halloween and everything to do with the strangely popular CB radio boom, the setting quickly shifts for most of the balance of the show to Hayes' house. I especially enjoyed the interactions of Hayes and Hamilton in the castle where they introduce KISS (their first major television appearance) as chamber musicians who "make such very soothing, quiet dinner music."

There are other diversions, such as when Lynde becomes a sheik who kidnaps Florence Henderson (who he falls for after seeing her milk a cobra). He tries everything to win her heart, even sharing a decanter of hyena wine with her. In the end, she is won over by a gift of a cockatoo "once owned by Baretta," leading to the most unerotic kiss in screen history. She also gets a chance to sing "That Old Black Magic" with a disco arrangement. The entire disco scene, in fact, is surreal: the hair and costumes will haunt me for a long time, and everyone in the cast (except KISS, which looks on, mortified) dances to an excremental tutorial taught by Pinky Tuscadero titled "Disco Baby".

The show is very cheesy, as only a 1970's star-studded spectacular could be. If you want a good laugh (but not at the jokes) or a humorous reminiscence of those colorfully tacky days, this is absolutely not to be missed.

I remember watching this as a kid, but never being able to remember what it was. Watching it again brought back memories. Guest stars like Tim Conway, Florence Henderson, and of course, KISS make this a memorable show. It's definitely a slice of the 70's with Disco music and the variety show feel (skits, song-and-dance routines, occasional painfully unfunny jokes), and it's great. The only down side is the fact that it's not the best quality. It looks like an old VHS movie, but that can't be helped because it was thought lost forever and only ONE complete copy has ever been found. I wish they could have remastered it, but I'd rather have it this way than not at all.

The extras here include a "Match the Quote" game (get 30 of them right and there's a little surprise for you), Paul's Photo Album, and a few other notes. No deleted scenes or extra stuff like that, but again, at least we're getting the special out there.

Definitely worth the money!

If you are fan of 70's kitchsy camp, be sure to get a copy of "The Paul Lynde Halloween Special", released earlier this month on DVD. Originally (and only, never repeated) broadcast on October 29, 1976, the show was believed to have been lost for almost 31 years, until one of the writers recently uncovered a tape, from which the DVD has been produced (As the DVD packaging cautions, the quality and picture aren't perfect, but it was actually a lot better than I was expecting with that warning up front.)

The cast is like a wet dream of gay camp! Besides Paul (in full-out "bitchy" mode), there's Margaret Hamilton (Wicked Witch of the West from "Wizard of Oz"), Billie Hayes (as Witchiepoo from "HR Pufnstuf"), Betty White, Billy Barty, Tim Conway, and would you believe Florence Henderson ... singing a DISCO verion of "That Old Black Magic"??? Musical guests are KISS, on their first network appearance. The entire cast joins in a disco salute as the finale (which is in itself worth the price to see KISS briefly singing DISCO!)

A friend ordered 30 copies for all his gay friends as Christmas presents! DVD extras include some lots of photos, exerpts from interviews with Paul Lynde, a multiple choice test on some of his "Hollywood Squares" responses, and an interview with that show's host, Peter Marshall, with remembrances of the late Mr. Lynde.

The Paul Lynde Halloween Special is a surreal, kitschy hunk of 70's cheese, long thought to be lost for over three decades. Variety show in structure while underpinned with the thinnest of plot lines, it's a virtual text book of trash culture circa 1976: Billy Barty, Tim Conway, Betty White, Florence Henderson (singing "That Old Black Magic" in a dreadful disco number), Roz Kelly (Pinky Tuscadero of "Happy Days), the rock band Kiss, Billie Hayes (as Withchiepoo from "H.R. Pufinstuf"), Margaret Hamilton (gamely reprising her Wicked Witch of the West character), discotheques, line dancing, CB radios, truckers, desert sheiks, neon lights, candy colored sets, canned laughter, rhinestone-studded outfits and probably some shag carpet and olive-colored appliances. All this and Donny and Marie Osmond, too.

Holding it all together (and that's not easy) is the bitter charm of Paul Lynde. His spiky comebacks seem more acerbic on "Hollywood Squares" (blame the writers), but his sarcastic delivery is still dead on and he more or less carries the show. Lynde even gets an opening musical number in the winking "Kids", which sends up bratty children, sentimentality and Halloween altogether. His cackling rapport with pal Margaret Hamilton (one of the few personalities who could stand toe-to-toe with him), is where he truly feels at home and based on his checkered past, suggests a kinship with the Wicked Witch of the West. The cover art more than asserts this notion.

As stated on the package, this may possibly be the Holy Grail for Kiss Kollectors, documenting in entirety their first prime-time appearance on national television. The band hams it's way through three numbers, "Detroit Rock City", "Beth" and "King Of The Nighttime World" and their presence brings much-needed electricity to the proceedings, especially lead singer Paul Stanley, who manages to leap around like Baryshnikov in six-inch platform shoes. The lip syncing, staged destruction and edited songs may turn off hardcore fans, so acquiring this DVD for a rare, albeit contrived, Kiss performance might be for completists only, though I've never met a Kiss fan who wasn't one.

As for the quality of the video, the distributors acknowledge its flaws: The transfer is not up to average DVD standards, but it's not unwatchable either, considering it's probably been stashed in a musty closet next to Dorothy's shoes somewhere in West Hollywood. The extras are generous for such an endeavor: A fun interactive trivia game, a nice photo scrapbook supplied from family and friends and witty quotes. But the real highlight is an interview with "Hollywood Squares" host Peter Marshall, in a candid but G-rated reminiscing on Lynde's life and times.

If you have the right frame of mind, a healthy appreciation of camp and are looking for some trashy fun, you'll enjoy this newly rediscovered piece of 70's memorabilia. For everyone else, well, it just might haunt you.

I saw this when it first came out in '76 when I was 9 yrs old and was absolutely hypnotized by the delirious display of 70s camp flickering on the TV screen. Paul Lynde. Pinky Tuscadero. KISS. Florence Henderson. Billy Barty. Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch, Billie Hayes as Witchie-Poo. Tim Conway. DISCO. Bad jokes. Flat comedy sketches. CB Radios. UTTER GENIUS. I've been waiting for this to be released on DVD for years. Every home should have one.

This is bad, but representative of the holiday specials the networks used to put on TV. If you're into KISS then you'll be in heaven but for the most part this is a collection of lame jokes, horrible opportunities by actors to sing songs and sketch comedy performed by Tim Conway and Paul Lynde. The extras on this DVD (particularly the quote quiz) makes up for the painful Halloween antics of this special... at least if you're a fan of Paul Lynde.

I had heard about this video for years but had never seen it. I finally saw it at a friends Halloween party last year. It was a hoot and I just had to have it. It is so 70's tacky but so much fun!!! I recommend that you get it and share with your friends of a certain age. If you grew up in the 70's then you remember all of the tacky specials like this.
At the time they were so cool but now, cringe worthy! Enjoy!!!

The campiness/kitsch factor is almost unbearably high in this "Classic" TV Special from 1976. Depending on your perspective, you will either be trapped in Halloween Heaven or Halloween Hell.
The dated "Comedy Skits" with Tim Conway, Roz ("Pinky"; one of Fonzie's girls from "HAPPY DAYS") and Florence Henderson fall embarrassingly flat. Who told Roz Kelly she could act, sing, dance, or otherwise "entertain"? By the same standard, the sight of Florence Henderson singing a disco version of "That Old Black Magic" is enough to make me barf up my Halloween candy!! Scary!!
The reasons to watch are: Margaret Hamilton returning to her signature role as The Wicked Witch Of The West from "THE WIZARD OF OZ." Billie Hayes returns as Witchiepoo from "H.R. PUFNSTUFF." The original KISS lineup of Ace, Gene, Peter, and Paul are here in their original costumes, make-up, and sexy personas. Billy Barty, Betty White, and Donny and Marie Osmond make brief cameo appearances. And, of course, there is Paul Lynde himself. I remembered Paul and cast singing "Disco Baby." OH, my God!!
DVD Extras include a Paul Lynde Photo Scrapbook, Paul Lynde Trivia Test, The Wit and Wisdom Of Paul Lynde (famous quips, etc.) and an audio interview with Peter Marshall, who was closely associated with Paul Lynde during the long run of the original, ultra-campy TV game show "HOLLYWOOD SQUARES."

Oh, my. You mean people back in 1976 really didn't know that Paul Lynde was gay? The only thing missing here is Paul strutting down Fifth Avenue in a full length fur with a peacock on a leash! Lynde, who inexplicably built a career on playing frustrated straight husbands on Broadway and television, minced, pranced, sneered, snickered, and cackled through three decades of show business and game shows. He could deliver a comic line better than Jack Benny. By the time that he made this odd special, he was bloated from alcoholism (he had four DUI's), pills, a three pack a day cigarette habit, and endless nightlife with male hustlers (who he would favor with hundred dollar tips if they pleased him). Hilarious onscreen, he was a terror off. People dreaded working with him. He had an acid sharp tongue and either loved you or despised you. He would get drunk during breaks and let his co-stars have it afterward. He was insanely popular. Women sent him marriage proposals.
What we have here is a very strange Halloween special starring Lynde, KISS (a good choice for Halloween), Margaret Hamilton (The wicked witch from Oz), Florence Henderson, Pinky Tuscadero (remember her from Happy Days? If you do, you are one of the very few) doing a lousy disco number (with Lynde kicking up his light heels and doing a simplified version of the Bus stop dance from the disco era), bad jokes, campy and funny good jokes. My favorite sketch (because it is so very bad) features the sloppy fat Lynde with a chest wig (to make him look like he has an absurdly hairy chest - you'd think that was shrubbery growing there) prancing around with Pinky and Tim Conway in a saloon.
Back in 1976, this was considered wholesome family entertainment. Today, it looks like a very gay, very campy spoof on the kind of network variety specials that flooded the airwaves in the sixties and seventies. The only thing missing is a couple of drag queens and men in leather (wait, The members of "KISS," bare and hairy chested, cover the leather angle).
Jaw dropping at times, at other times so awful that you will groan, this is definitely the one to get for your next adult Halloween party - you know, the one where you give out adult novelties as trick or treat gifts to your swinging friends in the theater, fashion, and cosmetics industries.
Be forewarned: this is not good entertainment unless you are able to see it through a very campy lens. Think John Waters if he produced the Carol Burnett show.

ok, I watched this once and thought, "never again": It's really, REALLY bad. But then recently I thought I'd watch it again, and...it's so totally bad, so mindlessly stupid, so moronic...it really is a work of accidental genius. You can't possibly watch this without suspending all rational critical faculties. "That Old Black Magic", "Disco Baby", Paul Lynde's pained and self-loathing delivery, and the participation of Kiss make this something beyond criticism. It's not something I'll watch often, but it is truly one-of-a-kind, and when viewed in the correct mood will leave you aghast, appalled and thrilled.