- Chuck Barris was a genius. Crazy, no doubt, but a genius. He never took his shows too seriously because he knew game shows were a silly genre, but at the same time he knew the right mix of creativity and insanity to make them ratings hits. He was one of the true renegades in the business.
- Bill (Cullen) took me under his wing and helped me develop my own voice as a host. He was always warm and treated me with respect. What you saw on TV, he was like that in real life as well. A sly sense of humor, very intelligent, made anyone feel like the most important person in the room. A wonderful mentor who I continue to miss today.
- There are a lot of dogs in the game show business, and I've hosted my fair share of them. Sometimes you have to put your ego aside and say yes, even when you know it's going to be a disaster. One show in particular, The Diamond Head Game, was such a piece of you know what. They took a poorly designed game, shot it in Hawaii, and thought it a good idea. I hated every minute of hosting it. Luckily, it didn't hurt my career.
- I was a smart-ass, snot-nosed kid. I walked with a certain swagger and style that was different from the typical hosts at the time. I was young and into rock and roll. Times were changing and the networks wanted their game shows to push the envelope more, which I was willing to do.
- [Of his time with 'The Beatles']: When they did the Ed Sullivan Show our phones just went off the hook. Then when they announced they were going to tour America, I called them up and said, 'I've never done a concert before, but I'll buy the Beatles.' I didn't have $25,000, so I borrowed it against my house... and presented Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl in 1964.
- [on the style of 'The Newlywed Game']: You know, I used to say, 'Gosh, if I could just get a husband mad enough to take a swing at me,' but I could never get it done. The show is what it is, and we can't take it too seriously. It's a fun piece of fluff, and the nice thing about it is the answers on the show are relatable.
- [If he had ever been mistaken by Bob Barker]: No. Do I look like him? He's my father by a previous marriage.
- Retirement is not in my vocabulary. My oldest son is 60, my youngest in 16.
- [Who knew the Beatles fans were wrong, when they knew a lot of stories about the Fab Four]: I do have stories no one else has told [about the Beatles] - because they happened to me!
- My theory in life is that you have to keep re-inventing yourself, take what you know how to do and apply it in other areas. And look, I know no one's going to call me to do another game show now, so I said, 'OK, what can I do? How can I take what I know how to do and apply it somewhere else? And that's what we've done.
- The only concert promoter around at the time was used to buying Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald for $10,000, so when the Beatles wanted $25,000, he turned 'em down. So I borrowed the money on my house and presented the Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl, starting a 20-year promotion career.
- When you're on radio, you feel the community, and I could feel what was going on. It was more than anybody could ever, ever imagine. At that time, it was Elvis and Motown, but when the Beatles came in, the party was over.
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