Howard Felsher obit

Howard Felsher Obituary

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October 18, 1927 - July 23, 2018 The first good thing about Howard was that he loved my sister, Nancy. It was love at first sight for him when she auditioned on The Family Feud. Howard was the producer of the TV game show at that time. The fact that they married on Valentine's Day demonstrated their mutual love. The second good thing about Howard was that he was an interrogator. That is a compliment! At first it was intimidating when he would fire questions at us, but then we came to appreciate that he was genuinely inquisitive. He didn't talk about himself. He was interested in you. The third good thing about Howard was that he was generous beyond what people could ever imagine! He gave to people in need, people less fortunate, people of diversity. He saw the inner person, not the outer shell. The fourth good thing about Howard was that he was intelligent, educated and well-read. He read novels and non-fiction, newspapers and periodicals. He could back his opinions with facts from his wealth of knowledge. His library included many books signed by the author. The fifth good thing about Howard was that he was sophisticated and cultured. He supported all the fine arts. He played classical music in his home and held season tickets to the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He attended plays and movies. He especially enjoyed hearing his grandson, Cameron play the trumpet during band concerts at Calabasas High School, and watching his granddaughter, Olivia's dance recitals. He appreciated the Art of the Masters. Nancy and Howard were Dodger's season ticket holders because of Nancy's love of the game! As a couple they traveled internationally which gave them an inclusive world view. The sixth good thing about Howard was that he was an adventurous eater! He loved all food, especially ethnic food. He ate with abandon from street vendors like Big Jim's in Anguilla to Michelin star restaurants around the world. The seventh good thing about Howard was that he had strong political views. He never backed down from a good discussion. He ran for an office in Congress; he wrote a book The Press in the Jury Box. He contributed to causes he believed in. He fought for the underdog. He made a difference! The eighth good thing about Howard was he was a true and faithful friend. He had many life-long friends from journalism, radio and the TV industry where he spent most of his professional career. Howard retired from Mark Goodson Productions in 1995. He treasured the many international friends he made. He also had many faithful companions from the pet world! The ninth good thing about Howard was his devotion to his family. Relatives from near and far were always welcomed and treated generously both in Tarzana and Anguilla. Both Howard's side of the family and Nancy's side were welcomed with opened arms. He took us all sailing on his beautiful boat christened "Winding Down". He loved family gatherings with his son, Andy, daughter-in-law, Sharon and his five precious grandchildren, Justin, Janae, Julianne, Cameron and Olivia. His legacy lives on! He was predeceased by his first wife, Elaine (Tex) in June 2009 and his brother, Joel in May 2013. The tenth good thing about Howard was that even when he lost his sight and his health failed, he stayed engaged with family, friends and his devoted health care providers, particularly Ashie, Maliza and Marilyn. He lived a long full life! Godspeed Howard! In lieu of flowers contributions in memory of Howard Felsher would be gratefully accepted at UCLA Stein Eye Institute, 100 Stein Plaza, Suite 1-124, For the Research of Dr. Joseph Caprioli, #41571. Los Angeles, CA 90095

He produced shows such as Tic Tac Dough; Password; Password Plus; Super Password; He Said, She Said; Concentration; and most notably, Family Feud. Felsher was known as the "Game Show Doctor" in certain circles for his ability to come in and fix a show.

Felsher also wrote a book with Michael Rosen entitled The Press in the Jury Box which has since been retitled Justice, U.S.A. This book deals with the dangers of trying an accused in the press before a trial.

In 1982, Felsher ran for the Republican nomination to be the congressman from the 26th district of California. He lost in the primary to Harold K. Phillips (who would lose to Howard Berman in the general election).

Felsher was best known for his work on the original version of Family Feud.

When the show was rising in popularity in the late 1970s, Felsher noticed that host Richard Dawson's ego was becoming a major issue. Richard Dawson was known to yell and argue with Felsher (sometimes on camera) when Dawson disagreed with calls and judgements made by Felsher. On one occasion, when their friendship was more amicable, Dawson and Felsher switched positions during a question for fun. At one point in 1981, Dawson ordered Felsher to get off the set, which he did. Dawson ultimately had a falling out with Felsher, and in 1982 Family Feud packager Mark Goodson agreed to keep Felsher distant from Dawson by promoting him to executive producer, thereby relieving him of his studio duties, and promoting Cathy Hughart Dawson (Dawson's then daughter-in-law) to producer. Felsher recalled this in the 2002 E! True Hollywood Story on Family Feud.

On the final original Dawson-era episode of Family Feud in 1985, Dawson publicly apologized about any misgivings, disagreements, or brawls he may have had with producers, particularly Felsher. However, according to Felsher, Dawson regretted making the remarks the next day. Dawson ordered his daughter-in-law, the producer, to cut the speech from the show and it was not seen for 14 years until Game Show Network re-aired the episode on December 31, 1999, as part of their "Y2Play" marathon of game show finales.

As producer of the TV game show Tic Tac Dough, Felsher was in charge of all aspects of production including choosing contestants. Sixteen-year-old Kirsten Falke auditioned as a folk singer, but became a contestant on the show. Felsher provided the young singer with answers and hints to win on the show and promised to showcase her singing talent. "I botched it up", reported Kirsten. She requested her categories in the wrong order and walked away with $800.

A grand jury subpoenaed Falke to testify and Felsher implored her to lie. Felsher admitted to congressmen that he urged roughly 30 former show contestants and all of his production staff to lie to the grand jury and that he had lied under oath himself. Felsher estimated that about 75% of Tic Tac Dough nighttime shows had been rigged. Felsher was fired by NBC.

Felsher has a son, Andrew Felsher, who has also directed a number of game shows, and currently is an executive at RTL Group, which is the successor company to the Goodson-Todman production company where his shows were produced.

Felsher died on July 23, 2018, at the age of 90.