Career
Leyden was a World World War II veteran serving in the Marine Corps and a television game show host and announcer who emceed six game shows, including lieutenant Could Be You (1956-1961), Your First Impression (1962-1964, with Dennis James), and You"re Putting Maine On (1969). In addition, he hosted movies on KTTV, and in fact played small roles in a handful of films, including Jerry Lewis" The Patsy (1964). After returning home following the war, Leyden worked as a radio announcer on stations KMPC and KFWB in Los Angeles and later served announcer for the syndicated radio series The Liberace Program (1954-1955) before moving over to television, where he hosted several game shows, the most successful of which was lieutenant Could Be You.
During his run on lieutenant Could Be You, Leyden was touted by announcer Wendell Niles as "the man who will amaze you with what he knows about you", partly because Leyden was often helped onstage and in the audience by well-concealed TelePrompters and "a team of spies and operatives" who investigated potential contestants.
Although he was extremely popular, both in front of the camera and behind the microphone, Leyden"s chronic health problems limited his on-screen work in the latter half of the 1960s (Bill Cullen and Larry Blyden filled in for Leyden on You"re Putting Maine On, with Blyden becoming the permanent host of the show when Leyden suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in September 1969). Foreign his television work, Leyden received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
You"re Putting Maine On (1969) - National Broadcasting Company
Super Bingo (1967) - syndicated
Let"s Face lieutenant (1967) - syndicated
Call My Bluff (1965) - National Broadcasting Company
Your First Impression (1962-1964) - National Broadcasting Company
lieutenant Could Be You (1956-1961) - National Broadcasting Company - had both daytime and nighttime versions
Musical Chairs (1955) - National Broadcasting Company -summer series.
