'Dating Game' Host Jim Lange Dies at 81
By Suzy Byrne 20 minutes ago Yahoo TV
View photoJim Lange, who played matchmaker to many as the original host of "The Dating Game," has died.His wife, Nancy Fleming, told The Associated Press that he passed away Tuesday after suffering a heart attack at his Mill Valley, California, home. He was 81.
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The Dating Game host Jim Lange has died. (Everett Collection)
Lange started out in radio, then made the jump to TV as the announcer and sidekick to Tennessee Ernie Ford on "The Ford Show" in 1962.
However, he'll best be remembered as host of "The Date Game," which debuted in 1965. The game show format had a bachelorette or bachelor asking a series of questions to three potential love interests, who were out view, to find the best match. Based on their responses, a suitor would be picked and then the twosome would go on a date paid for by the show.
Occasionally, there were celebrity guests on the show as well, including Michael Jackson, Steve Martin, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and "Brady Bunch's" Maureen McCormick and Barry Williams.
Several stars, including Farrah Fawcett, Suzanne Somers, and John Ritter, appeared as contestants before becoming famous. The late Ritter was especially funny — a drama student at the time, he mugged for the camera in a very Jack Tripper way. Fawcett was "a former beauty title holder" and aspiring artist, who "hoped to own her own gallery."
Lange, who had a smooth voice, was known for being professional and moving the show along, but he also showed his humorous side, lobbing jokes — especially ones about love and dating — throughout each episode. He remained as host until 1980.
Lange, who was a Minnesota native, went on to host other game shows including "$100,000 Name That Tune," "Bullseye," and "The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime."
He also made appearances as himself on shows including "Bewitched," where he played the host of the fictional TV show "Sweetheart Parade," and "Laverne & Shirley" in an episode during which the girls auditioned for the show... and Lenny and Squiggy ended up as the contestants.
For four decades, Lange also worked as a disc jockey in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area.
He is survived by his second wife, a former Miss America whom he married in 1978, a sister, five children, two stepchildren, and four grandchildren.
'Dating Game' Host Jim Lange Dies at 81 | Yahoo TV - Yahoo TV
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