Editing Allen Ludden (section)

==Education and career==
[[File:College Bowl Princeton v Georgetown 1959.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Allen Ludden hosting a match between Princeton University and Georgetown University on the General Electric College Bowl, televised by CBS Television on February 3, 1959.|Ludden hosting a match between [[Princeton University|Princeton]] and [[Georgetown University]] on the [[General Electric]] ''[[College Bowl]]'' in 1959]]
[[File:Allen Ludden Werner Klemperer Password 1971.jpg|thumb|right|Ludden with [[Werner Klemperer]] on ''[[Password (American game show)|Password]]'' in 1971]]
[[File:Elizabeth Montgomery Allen Ludden Password 1971.jpg|thumb|right|Ludden with [[Elizabeth Montgomery]] on ''Password'' in 1972]]
[[File:Allen Ludden Jack Klugman Tony Randall Odd Couple.JPG|thumb|right|Ludden with [[Jack Klugman]] and [[Tony Randall]] of ''[[The Odd Couple (1970 TV series)|The Odd Couple]]'' on ''Password'' in 1973]]
[[File:Stumpers Mike Farrell Allen Ludden Jamie Farr 1976.jpg|thumb|right|Ludden (''center'') with ''[[M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H]]'' stars [[Mike Farrell]] (''left'') and [[Jamie Farr]] (''right'') on the game show ''[[Stumpers (game show)|Stumpers]]'' in 1976.]]
An English and dramatics major at the [[University of Texas at Austin|University of Texas]] (now known as the University of Texas at Austin), Ludden graduated with [[Phi Beta Kappa]] honors in 1940 and received his Master of Arts in English from the same university in 1941. He served in the [[United States Army]] as officer in charge of [[Special Services (entertainment)|entertainment]] in the Pacific theater, received a [[Bronze Star Medal]] for meritorious service, and was discharged with the rank of [[Captain (United States O-3)|captain]] in 1946.<ref name=nyt/>

In 1948, Ludden became the program director at radio station [[WCBS (AM)|WCBS]] in New York City.<ref name="dn">{{cite news |last1=Gross |first1=Ben |title=Collegians Don't Like 'Easy' Gals |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news/126056305/ |access-date=June 8, 2023 |work=Daily News |date=March 29, 1959 |location=New York, New York City |page=92|via = [[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> He left that position in June 1959 to become program coordinator for all CBS owned-and-operated radio stations.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Adams |first1=Val |title=Another Official Resigns at C. B. S. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/06/03/archives/another-official-resigns-at-c-b-s-t-h-ryan-to-join-hubbell-robinson.html |access-date=June 8, 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=June 3, 1959 |page=71|url-access=subscription}}</ref> During the late 1940s and early 1950s he began his career as an adviser for youth in teen magazine columns and on radio. His radio show for teenagers, ''Mind Your Manners'', received an honorable mention [[Peabody Award]] in 1950.<ref>{{cite web| title=Mind Your Manners| url=http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/mind-your-manners| website=The Peabody Awards| access-date=24 August 2018}}</ref>

Ludden hosted many game shows, including the ''[[College Bowl]]'', but he was most well known for hosting both the daytime and prime time versions of ''[[Password (American game show)|Password]]'' on [[CBS]] and [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] between 1961 and 1975. His opening TV catch phrase, "Hi doll," was directed toward his mother-in-law, Tess White, the mother of his wife, actress and television personality [[Betty White]].<ref>{{cite book| last=White| first=Betty| title=Here We Go Again: My Life In Television 1949-1995| url=https://archive.org/details/herewegoagainmyl0000whit| url-access=registration| quote=Hi doll.| location=New York City| publisher=Scribner|date=October 12, 2010| isbn=978-1451614268| access-date=August 24, 2018}}</ref>

Ludden began hosting an updated version of the game, ''[[Password Plus and Super Password|Password Plus]]'', on [[NBC]], in 1979, but [[chemotherapy]] treatments for [[stomach cancer]] forced him off the show in late October 1980. Other shows hosted by Ludden include ''[[Liar's Club]]'', ''[[Win with the Stars]]'', and ''[[Stumpers (game show)|Stumpers!]]'' He also hosted the original pilot for ''[[The Joker's Wild]]'' and hosted a talk-variety show, ''[[Allen Ludden's Gallery]]''.

At the request of the publishers Dodd, Mead & Co., Ludden wrote and published four books of "Plain Talk" advice, plus a youth novel, ''Roger Thomas, Actor'' (1959), all for young readers. He received the 1961 [[Horatio Alger Award]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.horatioalger.org/members/about-our-members/ |title=Members |publisher=Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans |access-date=August 24, 2018}}</ref> He released an album called ''Allen Ludden Sings His Favorite Songs'' on [[RCA Records]] in [[1964 in music|1964]].