A kitsch god has died. Charles Nelson Reilly, master of the Match Game, the weirdo of children's nightmares, this charming, vaguely effeminate wisecracking boozer passed last week and a nation, at least the part of the nation that is old enough to watch a Lifecall commercial and say, “You know what, it's cheesy but I actually need something to get me up when I fall”–or people like me, who have stayed up watching Match Game reruns more nights in our past than would be prudent to admit.
The glasses, the loud shirts, the smirk, and that little neck scarf, all these things will be fondly remembered. Reilly, of course, had a career before and after Match Game winning a Tony for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and later voicing The Dirty Bubble on Spongebob Squarepants and making lots of TV appearances. We love you CNR!
But what do you think?