Edd Byrnes

Edd Byrnes (born Edward Byrne Breitenberger July 30, 1933) is an actor famous for his role as Gerald Lloyd "Kookie" Kookson III on the hit 1958-64 series 77 Sunset Strip. In September 1974, Byrnes hosted the second and third pilots of Wheel of Fortune for NBC; he was the second person to ever host the show, and the first to do so under its more familiar title (Chuck Woolery hosted the 1973 pilot, Shopper's Bazaar).

Hosting Style
In his 1996 autobiography Kookie No More, Byrnes admitted that he was drunk during the pilots. This reflected onto his hosting – on the first taping, he made faces at the camera; on the second, he made a variety of noises as the Wheel spun. He further bullied a contestant into spinning again, yelling "No! You only have $300! You can't solve yet!"

Test audiences claimed that Edd simply did not fit, and it was rumored for years that he was caught reciting his vowels backstage by series creator Merv Griffin (which, if true, would have been a result of his intoxication).