Let’s Make a Deal host Monty Hall dead at 96; his legacy
Hall’s daughter first confirmed the news to the New York Times this weekend, with the cause of death being heart failure at his home in Beverly Hills. Hall first hosted the iconic game show in 1963, one that eventually became one of the liveliest (and funniest) daytime programs of its kind. He would find a way to orchestrate key decisions with contestants in the blink of an eye, often convincing them to give up money for the sake of whatever was behind door #1 (or any other door, for that matter). Contestants eventually started showing up in silly outfits and costumes to get Hall’s attention, and that eventually became a hallmark of the show. They were loud, they were silly, and he had to match their energy while also not veering the show off-course. It helped that he hosted the show for decades and on thousands of occasions.
The original version of Let’s Make a Deal ended in the mid-seventies, but at that time there were still other editions and specials that came on the air. Hall remained a fixture of TV in the years to come, occasionally doing acting gigs as himself including That 70’s Show and appearing on The Surreal Life or Hollywood Squares. He remained involved in various new editions of Let’s Make a Deal over the years, and even made an appearance on the modern version of the show hosted by Wayne Brady years ago. The fact that this show is still on the air, more than five decades after it originally premiered, shows its impact and helps you to see more that Hall is up there with Pat Sajak, Bob Barker, and Alex Trebek as one of the most influential game-show hosts of all time. Without him, this show certainly wouldn’t still be on the air now in any shape or form.
We often like to include videos as a reference point anytime that there is this sort of sad news to report, and you can see one version of Hall hosting the show over at the link here. This was a fun show for families to get together than watch, or a way to cheer someone up on a rainy day.
We’ll admit that Hall’s version of Let’s Make a Deal was a little before our time, but we still remember seeing clips of it over the years and marveling at his energy and professionalism, even in the midst of some surrounding craziness. He will be sorely missed. (Photo: Let’s Make a Deal.)