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| Written By Rick
Ellis, Monday, March 31st, 2008 Actor Patrick Duffy returns to TV tonight as host of the new GSN game show "Bingo America." I spoke with Duffy this morning just after his "Today Show" appearance, and we talked about the show, and his thirty-year career. Q: Had you ever considered hosting a game show before you signed on to do "Bingo America?" A: Never. I had appeared on a couple of game shows in the past. My wife and I did the Bert Convy game show "Tattletales" years ago with Alan Ludden and Betty White. And I've done a couple of other celebrity things. But I didn't have any experience with game shows, and didn't think I would end up hosting one. Q: So how did the experience match up with your thoughts before you started the show? A: I was amazed at how difficult it was to do. You're juggling so many things at once, and it can really be daunting. It's like...you know, you have that experience where you're walking down a steep hill, and you start walking faster and faster. And suddenly you're running so fast you're nearly out of control and you struggle to just stay upright? Hosting a game show is like that. It's these periods of really frantic action, but when it's over, it feels good to get through it. Q: Was there some point where you started to feel a bit more comfortable with hosting? A: At about show two, I told a friend that I half expected the producer to come to me and tell me it wasn't working out. But about five or six shows in, it started to feel a bit more comfortable. And I have to say, I really do enjoy doing the show. One of the interesting things is that I talk to the contestants in the breaks, and you really start to bond with both of them. You want them to do well, and that's not always possible in a game show. Q: Are there times when one of the contestants makes a move and you just say to yourself, "Oh, why did you do that!" A: (laughing). Sure. As I said, you start to develop a bond with them, and it's tough to see them hit a rough spot. But I try and tell them in situations like that to remember that they started the show with nothing, so whatever they win or lose is just a bonus. Q: I'm guessing that every time you're interviewed, you're asked about "Dallas." But when I was preparing for the interview, the thing that struck me was that you've had an enormous amount of success outside of that show. For instance, "Step By Step" was a real solid hit for a number of years. A: Thanks for remembering that show. It's tough, because "Dallas" was really an appointment program, and people turned in specifically to watch it. You know, with "Step By Step," it was part of ABC's old "TGIF" programming block, and a lot of viewers tuned in for the entire night. "Step By Step" doesn't get the respect it probably deserves, but that's just the way things are sometimes. Q: You seem very comfortable with your career, and the choices you've made when it came to roles. A: I've been very lucky. I've been doing this for thirty years, and honestly, there hasn't been a day when I haven't enjoyed myself. My first day on the set of "Dallas," I became friends with Larry Hagman, and we're still friends to this day. As a matter of fact, I just spoke with him for quite awhile on the phone just before I left for this trip to New York. And when I went to "Step By Step," I quickly became close friends with Suzanne Sommers. She jokes that I'm her second husband and I feel like she's my second wife. I've stayed close to her as well, and I consider myself really blessed to have made the friends I have over the years. Q: Are there any roles that you wouldn't take, or anyone you wouldn't want to work with? A: Not really. I'm just kind of a day laborer when it comes to acting. I go where I'm supposed to go, and that generally has worked out well for me. One day I'm digging ditches and the next day I'm mowing the lawn. And to be honest, if it were up to me, I would would have turned down all my best roles if I had went by gut intuition. Q: Do have any pet projects that you'd like to get off the ground, or any role that you'd really like to play? A: It's going to sound boring, but the truth is that I don't. I don't know what I'll be doing five years from now. Other than wrapping up another season of "Bingo America," that is (laughing). |
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