Richard S. Kline obit

Richard S. Kline, Emmy-Nominated Producer and Director of News and Game Shows, Dies at 79

Richard S. Kline, an Emmy-nominated producer and director of news and game shows, died Saturday in Connecticut following a long illness, his wife, Annabelle, tells The Hollywood Reporter. He was 7 

He was not on the list.

Richard S. Kline, an Emmy-nominated producer and director of news and game shows, died Saturday in Connecticut following a long illness, his wife, Annabelle, tells The Hollywood Reporter. He was 79.

Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Kline served in the U.S. Army reserves in the ’60s before embarking on a career in television. He started at CBS in New York, working as a production supervisor on soap operas and CBS News broadcasts including coverage of Apollo 9 at Cape Canaveral with Walter Cronkite.

Kline left CBS to become associate producer on The Dick Cavett Show and Betty White’s Pet Set and then a director, producer and eventually partner at Barry & Enright Productions, which specialized in game shows. There, throughout the ’70s, he directed and/or produced a wide variety of programming, from The Joker’s Wild and The New Tic Tac Dough to a live international broadcast of the presidential inauguration in 1981.

After the company’s eponymous Jack Barry (and Joker’s Wild host) died unexpectedly in 1984, Kline started his own shingle, Kline & Friends, which was behind Break the Bank, Strike It Rich, Win, Lose or Draw, The Marsha Warfield Show and Pictionary, among many other programs.

Along the way, Kline accrued six Daytime Emmy nominations: for Win, Lose or Draw, outstanding game/audience participation show and outstanding directing in a game or audience participation show in 1988 and 1989, and outstanding game/audience participation show in 1990; and for Pictionary, outstanding audience participation show/game show in 1998.

In addition to his wife, survivors include his 15 children, Staci, Jenifer, Kim, Beau, Jeremy, Jordan, Miguel, Korell, Samantha, Sasha, Logan, Cameron, Tatiana, Amy and Emily; his brother, Dr. Larry Kline; and numerous grandchildren, nieces, nephews and in-laws.

Producer

Jimi Hendrix: The Dick Cavett Show (2002)

Jimi Hendrix: The Dick Cavett Show

7.6

Video

associate producer

2002

 

Pictionary

TV Series

executive producer

1997

3 episodes

 

Masters of the Maze

7.2

TV Series

producer (1994)

1994–1995

 

Win, Lose or Draw (1987)

Win, Lose or Draw

6.2

TV Series

producer

1987–1990

569 episodes

 

Marsha Warfield in The Marsha Warfield Show (1990)

The Marsha Warfield Show

6.1

TV Series

executive producer

1990

225 episodes

 

3rd Degree! (1989)

3rd Degree!

5.4

TV Series

producer

1989

2 episodes

 

Strike It Rich

3.8

TV Series

executive producer (1986)

1986

 

Conrad Hurtt in Friends (1986)

Friends

producer

1986

 

Break the Bank

4.9

TV Series

executive producer

1985–1986

 

Soap World (1982)

Soap World

TV Series

executive producer

1982–1984

 

We've Got Your Number

TV Special

producer

1975

 

Hollywood's Talking

TV Series

executive producer

1973

1 episode

 

The Joker's Wild (1972)

The Joker's Wild

6.7

TV Series

associate producer

executive producer (1972-1975, 1990-1991)

1972–1991

 

Betty White in The Pet Set (1971)

The Pet Set

8.8

TV Series

associate producer

producer

1971

31 episodes

 

The Dick Cavett Show (1968)

The Dick Cavett Show

8.3

TV Series

associate producer

1968–1970

124 episodes

 

Director

Pictionary

5.2

TV Series

Director

1998

3 episodes

 

Pictionary

TV Series

Director

1997

3 episodes

 

Masters of the Maze

7.2

TV Series

Director (1994)

1994–1995

 

Pick Your Brain

7.9

TV Series

Director (1993-1994)

1993–1994

 

Win, Lose or Draw (1987)

Win, Lose or Draw

6.2

TV Series

series director

1987–1990

569 episodes

 

Marsha Warfield in The Marsha Warfield Show (1990)

The Marsha Warfield Show

6.1

TV Series

Director (1990)

1990–1991

 

3rd Degree! (1989)

3rd Degree!

5.4

TV Series

Director

1989

2 episodes

 

Strike It Rich

3.8

TV Series

Director (1986)

1986

 

Conrad Hurtt in Friends (1986)

Friends

Director

1986

 

Break the Bank

4.9

TV Series

Director (1985-1986)

1985–1986

 

The Joker's Wild (1972)

The Joker's Wild

6.7

TV Series

Director

1972–1984

4 episodes

 

Hot Potato (1984)

Hot Potato

7.4

TV Series

Director

1984

65 episodes

 

Soap World (1982)

Soap World

TV Series

Director

1982–1984

 

Celebrity Bullseye

6.6

TV Series

Director

1980–1982

 

Play the Percentages

7.9

TV Series

Director

1980

1 episode

 

Joker! Joker!! Joker!!!

TV Series

Director

1979–1981

 

The New Tic Tac Dough (1978)

The New Tic Tac Dough

7.1

TV Series

Director

1978–1986

 

Hollywood Connection (1977)

Hollywood Connection

TV Series

Director

1977

 

Break the Bank (1976)

Break the Bank

7.2

TV Series

Director

1976

76 episodes

 

Way Out Games

6.3

TV Series

Director

1976–1977

 

Betty White in The Pet Set (1971)

The Pet Set

8.8

TV Series

Director

1971

1 episode

 

Second Unit or Assistant Director

Betty White in The Pet Set (1971)

The Pet Set

8.8

TV Series

associate director

1971

3 episodes