Paul Lynde Movies

With the exception of Marion Lorne, who passed away in the spring of 1968, the familiar cast members of the fantasy sitcom Bewitched are all back on the job as the series enters its fifth season. Heading the cast as always are Elizabeth Montgomery as attractive witch Samantha "Sam" Stephens; Dick York as her long-suffering mortal husband, ad executive Darrin Stephens; Agnes Moorehead as Sam's overbearing witch mother, Endora; and Erin Murphy (occasionally spelled by her twin sister Diane Murphy) as Sam and Darrin's daughter, Tabitha, who has obviously inherited her mom's special conjuring skills. Making more and more appearances during this season is Sam's funloving, hippie-like identical cousin, Serena, who is given a marvelous showcase in the two-part "Cousin Serena Strikes Again." As in previous seasons, the actress playing Serena is billed as "Pandora Spocks," though one would have to be extremely naïve or obtuse not to recognize her as Elizabeth Montgomery. Conversely, series co-star Dick York is noticeably absent from several episodes. The industry rumor at the time was that York was tired of playing Darrin Stephens, and was staying home to protest the sillier aspects of his character. The truth, which was carefully hidden from the public for many years, was that the actor was suffering from back injuries sustained years earlier while filming the theatrical feature They Came to Cordura. As it turned out, Dick York left Bewitched at the end of season five, paving the way for the legendary "Darrin Number Two," (aka Dick Sargent). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Paul Lynde makes his second I Dream of Jeannie guest appearance, this time in the role of famous Hollywood film director Allen Kerr. Arriving in Cocoa Beach to make a picture about an average day in the life of an average astronaut, Kerr chooses Tony (Larry Hagman) as his subject. However, a series of misunderstandings leads Roger (Bill Daily) to conclude that it is he who is being groomed for movie stardom--and it's up to Jeannie (Barbara Eden) to prevent Roger's delusions from resulting in disaster. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Paul Lynde guests stars as IRS agent Harry Huggins, who knocks on the door of the Nelson household while Tony (Larry Hagman) is elsewhere. In a misguided attempt to impress Huggins, Jeannie (Barbara Eden) magically conjures up several rooms full of valuable furniture and rare pieces of art, not to mention a full retinue of servants. Not surprisingly, the rapacious Huggins is delighted at the prospect of auditing poor Tony within an inch of his life! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Zany Uncle Arthur moves into the Stephens household, wanting to be near baby Tabitha. Enter Endora, who accuses Arthur of being a bad influence on the child. When Arthur makes the same charge against Endora, she decides to move in as well -- and woe betide poor Samantha and Darrin. Paul Lynde, still billed as "special guest star," makes his second series appearance as Uncle Arthur. First telecast on October 20, 1966, "Endora Moves in for a Spell" was written by Ruth Brooks Flippen. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

F Troop launches its second season with the series' first color episode, in which Paul Lynde guest stars as singing Mountie Sgt. Ramsden, an incongruous new arrival at Fort Courage in Kansas. When not entrancing Wrangler Jane (Melody Patterson) with his splendid tenor voice, Sgt. Ramsden is searching for the notorious "Burglar of Banff" (emphasis on the second "F")--who may or may not be French-Canadian trapper Lucky Pierre (Larry Storch), the lookalike cousin of F Troop's Corporal Agarn (also Larry Storch. With this episode, Don Diamond becomes a regular in the role of timorous Hekawi Indian Crazy Cat. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Season three of the fantasy sitcom Bewitched not only marks the series' switchover from black-and-white to color, but also introduces several new regular and recurring actors. Joining series stars Elizabeth Montgomery (as glamorous witch Samantha Stephens), Dick York (as Samantha's nervous mortal ad exec husband, Darrin Stephens) and Agnes Moorehead (as "Sam"'s overbearing witch mother) is child actress Erin Murphy, making her first appearance as Darrin and Sam's daughter, Tabitha, who purportedly was born halfway through season two. (Tabitha was previously portrayed by two sets of twin babies, Heidi and Laura Gentry and Tamar and Julie Young; and even after Erin Murphy was established in the role, she was occasionally spelled by her own twin sister, Diane Murphy.) Likewise added to the cast is Paul Lynde as Sam's Uncle Arthur, a wacky warlock devoted to practical jokes; and Bernard Fox as Dr. Bombay, a zany warlock physician who appears out of nowhere from time to time with a vast array of remedies to certain witch ailments. Additionally, two new actors are brought in to replace a couple of departing performers. Sandra Gould steps into the role of Darrin and Sam's nosy neighbor Gladys Kravitz, taking over from the late Alice Pearce. Also, Kasey Rogers replaces Irene Vernon in the recurring role of Louise Tate, the wife of Darrin Stephens' obstreperous boss, Larry Tate. Among the season's best episodes are those in which Sam's befuddled Aunt Clara (Marion Lorne), likewise a witch, accidentally conjures up famous historical characters. These include "Aunt Clara's Victoria Victory," guest-starring Jane Connell as Queen Victoria, and "My Friend Ben" and "Samantha for the Defense," both of which feature Fredd Wayne as Benjamin Franklin. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Eddie (Butch Patrick) is so upset at being called "Shorty" by his classmates that he is on the verge of running away from home. As Herman (Fred Gwynne) tries to figure out a way to make Eddie feel better about himself, Grandpa (Al Lewis) takes more direct action by cooking up a potion intended to increase the boys' height. Not surprisingly, the mixture misfires--and Eddie ends up with a mustache and goatee! Paul Lynde makes his third and final appearance as the befuddled (but curiously no longer nearsighted) Dr. Dudley. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Part of American-International's "Beach Party" series, Beach Blanket Bingo was directed by William Asher. Frankie (Frankie Avalon) briefly deserts Dee Dee (Annette Funicello) in favor of pop star Sugar Kane (Linda Evans). Also around and about is a mermaid, appropriately named Lorelei (Marta Kristen). Scurrilous cycle gang leader Eric Von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck) finds time to sing a tune, while Paul Lynde sneers a lot, Don Rickles insults a lot, Buster Keaton mimes a lot, and columnist Earl Wilson lets everybody know who he is by exclaiming "That's Earl, brother." The whole cast rushes to the rescue when South Dakota Slim (Timothy Carey) binds the lovely Sugar Kane to a buzzsaw. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Light and laugh-filled, Send Me No Flowers is typical Rock Hudson and Doris Day fare. George (Hudson) is a hypochondriac married to Judy (Day) in this marital comedy. When George goes to visit the doctor, he overhears two doctors talking about a diagnosis of a terminally ill patient. George believes they are talking about him and that he is doomed to die. He recruits his friend Arnold (Tony Randall) to find a new husband for Judy. Judy thinks George is covering up for an illicit affair and throws him out of the house. George locates Judy's old college flame Bert (Clint Walker), now a Texas oil millionaire. Excellent performances by Edward Andrews as Dr. Morrissey and Paul Lynde as the aggressive cemetery-plot salesman help this feature along. Although not as solid as the Day/Hudson pairing in Pillow Talk or Lover Come Back, Send Me No Flowers is still a good romantic comedy. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Hired to babysit the son of Dr. and Mrs. Dudley (Paul Lynde, Marilyn Lovell), Marilyn (Beverly Owen) informs her family that a "little visitor" will soon grace the Munster mansion. At the same time, Lily (Yvonne DeCarlo) is sneaking around in an effort to purchase a car as a birthday present for husband Herman (Fred Gwynne). Misreading Marilyn's comments and Lily's secrecy, Herman jumps to the obvious (and dead wrong!) conclusion that Lily is about to have a baby. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

George Sidney's adaptation of the satiric Broadway musical smash by Michael Stewart, Charles Strouse, and Lee Adams -- about an Elvis Presley-inspired rock star, who is drafted into the army and who creates a near-riot in a small Midwestern town when he stops there for one last publicity junket -- takes good-natured swipes at popular culture, rock n' roll, and American family life. Dick van Dyke re-creates his Broadway role of Albert Peterson, a down-on-his-luck songwriter for the rock-n'-roll idol Conrad Birdie (Jesse Pearson). When Birdie is drafted into the army, Peterson is worried about his future as a songwriter. His secretary, Rosie (Janet Leigh in a brunette wig), with whom Albert has long been romantically attached, convinces Albert to write a farewell song for Birdie that he will sing on The Ed Sullivan Show to a specially selected fan. The lucky fan turns out to be Kim McAfee (Ann-Margaret) of Sweet Apple, Ohio. When Birdie arrives in this hick town, the population goes crazy and in the ensuing madness, Albert must deal with the celebrity-fawning population, Kim's manic father (Paul Lynde, also re-creating his Broadway role), and his own domineering mother (Maureen Stapleton), while he loses Rosie to the Shriners. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Jack Lemmon stars as Hogan, who lives a bachelor's dream as the manager of an apartment building that caters only to single women. Hogan likes to romance his tenants, and he sets his sights on a newcomer named Robin (Carol Lynley). Robin and her boyfriend David (Dean Jones) have moved in together, intending to see how compatible they are while maintaining a platonic relationship. This arrangement is the result of a suggestion from Irene (Edie Adams), a marriage counselor who is subletting her apartment to Robin while living with her own boyfriend, Charles (Robert Lansing). Irene thinks that Robin and David need to discover whether they are suitable as marriage partners without letting sex cloud their judgment. Hogan finds out about the arrangement and schemes to get David away so he can seduce Robin. The film is based on a hit stage play by Lawrence Roman. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi