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Charles Nelson Reilly dies in ones

He was Paul Lynde without the venom, and out there in as many ways when his Claymore Gregg on The Ghost & Mrs. Muir was up against Lynde's Uncle Arthur on Bewitched. From his wild, double entendre appearances on The Match Game and Hollywood Squares and The Tonight Show in the Seventies to his later roles in The X-Files, The Drew Carey Show and SpongeBob SquarePants-- to Alec Baldwin's great imitation on Saturday Night Live-- Charles Nelson Reilly was one of television's cheerful subversive anarchists-- and a fine actor and director to boot.

Word comes that he died Friday at 76.

It's just too bad that the gossip site TMZ chose to note his passing with the same smirky kissoff they offered Jerry Falwell. Especially since he helped make the world safe for their smarmy double entendre riffs...

--Tabloid Baby

Comments (2)

America's Next Top Fan [TypeKey Profile Page]:

As a kid I cried watching CNR on Match Game he was sooo funny. I watch it today and wonder how the hell did the censors let all that stuff air. The sex talk and the drinking. CNR would be fined by the FCC if he was on air today. RIP CNR.

punkrox:

CNR was a great entertainer and also an incredible teacher. Many of us in Chicago will miss him dearly.

RIP

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