Allen Ludden

**Allen Ludden** (born **Allen Packard Ellsworth**, October 5, 1917—June 9, 1981) was an American Television personality, emcee, and Game Show Host. He was best known as the original host of *Password* and its revival *Password Plus* during the first season on NBC. He also appeared as a semi-regular panelist on the classic CBS game show *Match Game*.

Born Allen Packard Ellsworth in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. The first child of Elmer Ellsworth, a Nebraska native living in Mineral Point, Wisconsin and working as an ice dealer and his wife Leila M. Allen, a Wisconsin native and housewife. On January 6, 1919, his father Elmer, at the young age of 26, died the next winter, a victim of the worldwide Spanish flu epidemic.

When Ludden was about five years old, Leila Ellsworth married a second time. She married Homer Ludden, Jr., an electrical engineer and the son of H.D. Ludden, the town physician, a Chicago native who had practiced in Mineral Point since 1906. Allen was given his adoptive father's name and became Allen Ellsworth Ludden. The family lived briefly in the Wisconsin towns of Janesville, Elkhorn, Antigo and Waupaca before residing in Texas when Allen was still a small child.

In 1940, Ludden graduated from the Universary of Texas where he majored in English and dramatics and graduating with Phi Beta Kappa honors. He received his Master of Arts in English from the same university a year later. He served in the U.S. Army, received a Bronze Star, and was discharged with the rank of captain in 1946. During the late 1940s and early 1950s he carved out a career as an adviser for youth in teen magazine columns and on radio. His radio show for teenagers, *Mind Your Manners*, received a Peabody Award in 1950.

Allen then moved on to the field where he would become well known: Game Shows. He previously hosted the game show *GE College Bowl* (from 1959-1962) but it wasn't until 1961 when he hosted a new game show titled *Password*, debuting October 2 on CBS to powerhouse ratings and a few months into its incarnation, a nighttime version followed (beginning January 2, 1962). The daytime version of *Password* aired 1,555 episodes from its premiere until its end on September 15, 1967. An additional 1,099 daytime episodes aired on rival network ABC from April 5, 1971 to June 27, 1975. The nighttime version of *Password* ran from January 2, 1962 to September 9, 1965 and again from December 25, 1966 to May 22, 1967. His opening TV catch phrase, "Hi doll," was directed toward his beloved real-life mother-in-law, Tess White, mother of Betty White. He ended episode of *Password* with a "password of the day," and then "So long, see you tomorrow, I hope." While hosting the ABC version of *Password*, Ludden won an Emmy for Outstanding Game Show Host and the show itself won the Emmy for Outstanding Game Show.

In early 1979, Ludden returned to the hosting podium with a new updated version of the game, titled *Password Plus*, debuting in January of that year on NBC.

Other shows Ludden hosted include *Liar's Club*, *Win with the Stars*, and *Stumpers!*. He also hosted the original pilot for *The Joker's Wild* and hosted a talk-variety show, *Allen Ludden's Gallery*. As a panelist he appeared regularly on the game shows *Match Game*, *Tattletales* and *The Gong Show*. In 1980, shortly before he became ill, Allen competed against his fellow game show colleagues Gene Rayburn, Bill Cullen, and Wink Martindale on a special "Game Show Hosts Tournament" on the NBC game show *Card Sharks*, hosted by the late Jim Perry.

Ludden married twice, first to Margaret McGloin on October 11, 1943. On October 30, 1961, just almost two weeks after their 18th wedding anniversary, Margaret passed away from cancer. Together they had three children: son David and daughters Martha and Sarah.

He proposed to twice to divorcee Betty White, whom he had met on *Password*, at least twice before she finally accepted and they married on June 14, 1963. They appeared together in an episode of *The Odd Couple* titled (ironically enough) "Password" in which Felix and Oscar appeared on *Password* (aired December 1, 1972). Allen and Betty also appeared together from time to time on *Match Game* (in 1975 and 1980). One episode in 1974, Ludden appeared on the panel with White sitting in the audience as she was prompted to rip apart one of Ludden's wrong answers on camera. The two appeared together on the game show *Tattletales*.

After Ludden was diagnosed with stomach cancer in early 1980, he took a month-long leave of absence from *Password Plus* (fellow game show colleague Bill Cullen stepped in as a fill-in host) for chemotherapy treatment and returned to his hosting podium a month later. In late October 1980, he slipped into a coma while on vacation. It was initially reported that he had suffered a stroke, but the coma was actually caused by high levels of calcium from medication taken to help fight the cancer.

Fellow game show colleague Tom Kennedy took over the hosting reigns of *Password Plus* and although Ludden hoped to return to the show, his cancer grew worse and he never returned. On June 9, 1981, at the age of 63 and just days before his 18th wedding anniversary to Betty White, Allen lost his battle with stomach cancer. His body was flown back to his hometown of Mineral Point, Wisconsin where he was buried beside his father in the Ellsworth family plot in Graceland Cemetery. Tom Kennedy hosted the remainder of *Password Plus* until its end in 1982.

A walkway at the Los Angeles Zoo was named in his memory (Betty White is a board member at the Zoo) and an artificial lake in Mineral Point was named Ludden Lake in his honor. A Labrador Retriever was named "Ludden" and donated to Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, California, by White in memory of her late husband. In an interview on *Larry King Live*, when asked whether or not she would remarry, Betty replied by saying, "Once you've had the best, who needs the rest?"

Ludden was mentioned in passing in an episode of *The Mary Tyler Moore Show* titled Don't Break the Chain (Season Two, Episode 10), in reference to his allegedly sending the character Lou Grant a chain letter.