...a little less sassy and a lot more funny.
If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed. If you do...you are misinformed---Mark Twain
Oh my goodness! ANYTHING with Paul Lynde would've been funnier. I can't imagine Sue Ann ever topping any of his wisecracks. Unlike Murray, he had a full head of hair so that would've been a big loss to her arsenal of insults.
shareI like Gavin's portrayal of Murray. I think the sass is funny and he is also a true friend to Mary, even though he shoots off the one liners he brings humanity to the role. Murray in Love https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfGJFYAQ3pQ
Maybe funnier, but also maybe wackier, and I think that MTM was trying to get away from the "wackiness ensues" of 1960s sitcoms and more toward a sitcom in which the laughs arose organically, from a more realistic and less contrived perspective. MTM already had Ted Knight, whose Ted Baxter was already the resident buffoon, and Paul Lynde might have tipped the balance too much in that direction.
Lynde did star in an early-1970s one-season sitcom, The Paul Lynde Show, that was inspired in part by All in the Family, so Lynde may have been able to handle a more "serious" persona. I've never seen the show, so I cannot say. However, Lynde seemed always to be the comedian, and that may have limited him for the role.
Gavin McLeod too had extensive comedy experience, some pretty high-profile (e.g., Kelly's Heroes), but he could also do drama, again pretty high-profile (e.g., The Sand Pebbles), and that balance I think gave more dimension to his MTM character Murray. With Lynde, you would always be looking to him for the snarky one-liner, which becomes cliche and predictable, whereas McLeod could--and did--provide a bit of emotionalism. That is the depth that made MTM distinctive and not just another yukfest.
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"Meretricious persiflage!" -- D.H. Lawrence
Yes, excellent points that I can't disagree with.
If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed. If you do...you are misinformed---Mark Twain
Me too! I have to go along with that assessment. I guess I'll have to get my Paul Lynde "fix" on his Hollywood Squares appearances on youtube.
shareI would have loved seeing a subtler Paul Lynde as Murray matures throughout the series as does everyone else - only because I've never seen him be subtle.
I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked.
There's at least segments of one episode of "The Paul Lynde Show" on YouTube. I haven't watched them yet.
I've been busy watching this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XXhhXYlg20
If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed. If you do...you are misinformed---Mark Twain
I agree paul would have upset the balance of the show ted was the perfect buffoon and the show didnt need two of them.
sharePaul Lynde was a comedic genius and the way the networks underused him is a shame (although I'm sure it had to do with his personal life)
shareI prefer Gavin over Paul for Murray.
I think the foursome of Murray, Mary, Lou and Ted are just perfect as they are. Each has a very specific niche in the group, and it works fantastically.
Ted Baxter provides ample comedy relief, Replacing Gavin with Paul would have essentially just produced two Ted Baxters.
Scariest words in English: We’re from the federal government and we’re here to help. R. Reagan
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Lynde was a renowned performer who would chew the scenery to garner as many laughs as possible. As funny as he was, he would not have suited the role of Murray.
Oddly enough, I could see him as Ted Baxter given that character's bombastic and at times over the top nature
Besides at that point, Lynde had grown tired of being a second banana and was pushing his career towards leading roles so I don't think he would have accepted being part of an ensemble
Would have been funnier with Paul Lynde as Murry