Editing Paul Lynde (section)

=== ''The Hollywood Squares'' ===
{{quote box
| quote = '''Q:''' "Why do motorcyclists wear leather?"
: '''Lynde:''' "Because chiffon wrinkles." (the first ''Hollywood Squares'' zinger)<ref name=marshall-obit>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-15 |title='Hollywood Squares' host and Broadway star Peter Marshall dies at 98 |url=https://apnews.com/article/peter-marshall-dead-eb30a22ed1cf4766bb6d83de0b8bb5d1 |access-date=2024-08-15 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref>
'''Q:''' "You're the world's most popular fruit. What are you?"
: '''Lynde:''' "Humble."<ref name="2014biog" />
'''Q:''' "How many men on a hockey team?"<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj3P7bC9tWc&t=104s&ab_channel=spookylorre | title=PAUL LYNDE SILLY SAVAGES! Fairies, Pixies, WILDEST Hollywood Squares Moments | via=YouTube }}</ref>
: '''Lynde:''' "About half."
'''Q:''' "Who's generally better looking, a [[fairy]] or a [[pixie]]?"
: '''Lynde:''' "Looks aren't everything! (pause) I'll go for the fairy."
'''Q:''' "Is it against the law in Texas to call a Marine a 'sissy'?"
: '''Lynde:''' "I guess I'll have to take the law into my own hands."<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.PaulLynde.info/audioclips/Other/audioclips.htm |title=Paul Lynde Clips |website= Paullynde.info |date=June 5, 1960 |access-date= September 21, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017153440/http://paullynde.info/audioclips/Other/audioclips.htm |archive-date=October 17, 2013 }}</ref>
'''Q:''' "What unusual thing do you do if you have something called 'the gift of tongues'?"
: '''Lynde:''' "I wouldn't tell the [[grand jury]]. Why should I tell you?"
'''Q:''' "The great writer [[George Bernard Shaw]] once wrote, 'It's such a wonderful thing, what a crime to waste it on children.' What is it?"
: '''Lynde:''' "A whipping."<ref>''Zingers from the Hollywood Squares'' LP, Event Records, 1974</ref><ref>''Paul Lynde: Off Center'', A&E Home Video, 2001</ref>
'''Q:''' "...when a man falls out of your boat and into the water, you should yell 'Man overboard!' Now, what should you yell if a woman falls overboard?"
: '''Lynde:''' "Full speed ahead!"<ref>''I Love the 70s: 1971'', VH1, 2003</ref>
'''Q:''' "The Tin Man wanted a heart and the Lion wanted courage. What did the Straw Man want?"
: '''Lynde:''' "He wanted the Tin Man to notice him."
'''Q:''' "At what famous place in America will you find couples strolling arm-in-arm along Flirtation Walk and smooching at a place called Kissing Rock?"
: '''Lynde:''' "Oh, [[United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth|Leavenworth]] prison."
'''Q:''' "In what state was Abraham Lincoln born?"
: '''Lynde:''' "Like the rest of us; naked and screaming!"
'''Q:''' "Is it difficult to train an ostrich to become a sheepdog?"
: '''Lynde:''' "Yes it is; they can't lift their leg without tippin' over."
'''Q:''' "What is the major cause of itching in old folks?"
: '''Lynde:''' "Oh, Eating shredded wheat in bed."
'''Q:''' " Why was Daniel thrown into the den of lions?"
: '''Lynde:''' "For jay walking in Jerusalem."
'''Q:''' "in ancient times it was illegal to park your chariot in certain places in the biblical city of Nineveh. What was the penalty if you did so?"
: '''Lynde:''' "They'd let the air out of your horse!"
'''Q:''' "Who determines the sex of a child?"
: '''Lynde:''' "I say let the child make up its own mind!"
'''Q:''' " According to the Bible, [[King David]] was not allowed to build a temple because he sinned; what was Moses not allowed to do because of his sin?"
: '''Lynde:''' "Build a shopping center near the temple."
'''Q:''' "What do we call a gelded rooster?"
: '''Lynde:''' "Is that the one that just goes "a-doodle-doo"?"
'''Q:''' " Paul, true or false...Your teeth are about the same size and shape as a pig's."
: '''Lynde:''' "Look who's talking, beaver face!"
| author = Paul Lynde (Zingers (jokes) from ''The Hollywood Squares'')
| align = right
| width = 42%
}}

In 1966, Lynde debuted on the fledgling game show ''[[Hollywood Squares|The Hollywood Squares]]'' and quickly became its iconic guest star.<ref name="marshall-obit"/>  Eventually, he assumed a permanent spot as the "center square", a move that ensured that he would be called upon by contestants at least once in almost every round. Despite an urban legend claiming Lynde's contract guaranteed him the center square, he remained in the center at the producers' discretion. On ''The Hollywood Squares'', Lynde was best able to showcase his comedic talents with short, salty one-liners, spoken in his signature snickering delivery.<ref name="biog" /> Many gags were thinly veiled allusions to his homosexuality. Other jokes relied on [[double entendre]] or an alleged fondness for deviant behaviors, or dealt with touchy subject matter for 1970s television.

Appearing in 1,083 episodes, Lynde garnered considerable fame and wealth from the series.<ref>"[[Peter Marshall (entertainer)|Peter Marshall]], [[Kaye Ballard]]", ''[[E! True Hollywood Story]]'', 2000</ref> He eventually became disenchanted with being what he called "boxed in" to ''The Hollywood Squares'' and he departed the series in 1979. In 1980, ''The Hollywood Squares'' experienced a downward trend in [[Nielsen ratings]] and Lynde was approached about returning to the program. He initially declined, but changed his mind when told he would receive co-star billing with host Peter Marshall. He returned to the series in the spring of 1980, and remained with the show until its cancellation in February 1981.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}