America's Favorite Creepy Uncle Passes at 79

Whether you actually had one in your own family or not, in the 70's Richard Dawson gave all of us an opportunity to have a creepy uncle figure in our lives. He was an actor in some shows that I've never really seen, and is probably most notable for hosting Family Feud. I remember watching him, with his giant pinky-ring and incredible tan, kissing every female contestant. It's the first time I can recall thinking that I wouldn't mind being creeped on, if only it were by him. "Damnit, if only my family had enough character and enthusiasm to be chosen to play the feud. And if it were 1973."

However, Dawson can be seen at his best on the game show Matchgame. Among my other favorite panelists like Charles Nelson Reilly and Betty White (before she got way too played out), watching was like being at happy-hour with your best bad-influencing friends. The humor was dry and so were the cocktails (presumably). The-dirty-without-being-too-dirty jokes were often juvenile, but brilliantly charming. I'm sure the fill-in-the-blank skills I've learned watching endless seasons of Matchgame will be useful eventually, but when they are, I'll know who to thank.