Richard Dawson was the very first host of the Family Feud, a program that has become one of America’s most iconic game shows. As host, Dawson would earn the nickname “the kissing bandit,” due to his proclivity of kissing female contestants (an estimated 20,000 or more) on the lips. Of course, executives repeatedly tried to get him to stop. After he received criticism over his kissing activities, the host decided to ask viewers to vote on the matter by writing in their opinion of lip-smacking ways. The poll received about 200,000 replies, with a vast majority in favor of Dawson continuing his racy interactions with female contestants.
During the shows 1985 finale, Dawson explained that when he kissed his contestants, it was meant to wish them love and luck, which was something his mother did with him as a child. After leaving Family Feud, between 1979 and 1980, Dawson was in the running to host the Tonight Show, as it’s said that Johnny Carson was seriously considering leaving the show. Dawson even had two opportunities to guest host the program. Unfortunately, both did not turn out so well. On one episode, his guest Della Reese had a near-fatal aneurysm during their interview, and the rest of the episode was scrapped. The other episode featured Dawson delivering an unfortunately timed monologue about the dangers of flying as the episode was set to run on the same day of the ill-fated American Airlines flight 91 crash that took place in Chicago, which claimed the lives of all 273 people on board. Of course, as we all know, Carson reconsidered and stayed on. However, many of us still have many fond memories of Dawson, who passed away in 2012 at age 79. And during his final appearance on Family Feud, the beloved game show host delivered a stirring monologue that left many fans in tears.
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During his final monologue, as mentioned earlier, Dawson briefly addressed the kissing scandal. But he also made another significant and historic statement concerning how some folks complained when he embraced people of other races. This was a profound statement, especially for a game show host to make, not just in 1985 but during any era of television. And many did not know this, but Dawson also marched for civil rights in Selma, Alabama. One of my favorite stories was when he was offered a starring role for a 1978 ABC situation comedy about two priests in a black ghetto. Dawson replied to the offer by saying: “There’s a lot of humor there, counseling young girls about abortions and heroin.” Needless to say, the conversation ended rather abruptly as the network decided to rescind its offer. I must say, my respect and admiration for the man multiplied a thousandfold after watching his heartfelt farewell and learning about his remarkable life.
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Watch Richard Dawson’s eloquent and beautiful final address to his Family feud fans in the video below.