I felt sorry that such a classic star was reduced to appearing on this show. Plus he wasn't even married to the lady (at the time). I know he had a TV show on CBS around that time so maybe they forced him to do it. It'd be like the Duke or Jimmy Stewart or Gable appearing.
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Glenn Ford was never in the same league as Stewart, Wayne or Gable. He did TV later in his career. The show Cade's County was around that time, wasn't it? TV stars were encouraged to do game shows in the 70's, for publicity.
Maybe he was showing off his much younger, good-looking girlfriend. Glenn & Cynthia married, divorced, and Glenn remarried before he died.
Glenn Ford was no Wayne or Gable but he was probably on par with Stewart, who wasn't a heart-throb or big western star. In fact, Ford was a pretty big star in his time...they didn't just chose anyone to star opposite Rita Hayworth in Gilda. He had a major career in the 40's, and had a varied, prolific career throughout the 50's and 60's. He certainly was a major star compared to all the other celebrity guests on Tattletales, who were mainly D-list tv actors/actresses.
Also, since you mentioned that Ford had a tv show, it's worth noting that James Stewart guest-starred on several Tv shows during the sixties, and had two of his own tv shows during the sixties and seventies, but neither were a success. John Wayne guest-starred on a few tv shows as well, and who knows if he would have had his own show had it not been for the fact he was in ill-health for several years prior to his death. Another famous actor from their era, Robert Young, also had a tv show at the same time as Ford but he never appeared on gameshows, though his co-star (James Brolin) did. It's not a reach to guess that some older actors needed to do tv because they wanted to stay in the public eye and pay the bills.
I have no idea why Ford did Tattletales but he definitely appeared to regret it as time went on...he got grumpier and more impatient with the questions and his co-stars towards the end of his time on the show.
Glenn was a huge star from the mid-40s to probably the early 60s. I love most of his westerns and The Big Heat and Blackboard Jungle are two of my all-time favorites. He could do dramas, westerns and comedies. I just can't see him doing this silly show. Could you imagine Mitchum doing a show like this? That's kind of the way I feel about Glenn doing this show.
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I agree with you, he seemed really out of place on the show, but his fiancée seemed to enjoy it. AFAIK, he is the only actor from his era to appear. None of his contemporaries were ever on, which says a lot, as I'm guessing there was quite a few older stars who could have done with the exposure, not to mention the extra money.
I wonder if his young fiancée persuaded him to do it?
I like the show, but it was what it was, a show for lesser stars, and I enjoy it for what it is, but Glenn was too big a star to be on there, imo.
I can picture Glenn's young girlfriend wanting to get some attention and help fight off boredom. I guess she at least got him out of the house.
Shall we play a game?
Glenn would have only been in his spry mid-50s when he did Tattletales. I'm sure he wasn't a house flower.
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He does seem grumpy and disinterested, but I did read that, although he eventually did marry and divorce the young lady he appeared on Tattletales with, he remained close to her for the rest of his life...something he could not say for the rest of his wives.
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