GSN 50 greatest game shows special...

[SRIV94]

[quote name=\'narzo\' post=\'127884\' date=\'Aug 17 2006, 11:05 PM\']
not quite 15 but 20, then 30, then 45.  Plus they didn't restart, they just picked up from where they got gonged.
[/quote]
Technicality--the Barbour week (all of which save for GSN's running of the very first ep never surfaced) was 15 seconds.  The first Barris week was indeed 20.

Doug

[Matt Ottinger]

Given the logical assumptions of the remaining top ten (and assuming The Amazing Race doesn't pop in as a spoiler), the GSN Top Ten and our own GSF Top Ten will agree on only seven.  Possibly six, depending on how our voting continues to go.

[Joe Mello]

I think there were better episodes of The Gong Show that had Steve Martin in it, like where Steve Martin actually performed.

My dad and I have been watching this together on tape (awwwbarf)  I had no desire to watch Gong, but he did.  He also wanted to watch $1.98.  I know his humor is about Chuckie's level (awful puns and all), but I guess there's still no accounting for taste. ^^;

[PYLW]

Thumbs up tonight, though I'm slightly dissappointed about no Gene Gene dancing on the epsiode of Gong. The Hollywood Squares epsiode was just fantastic (Though I am a huge Harvey Korman fan, so that might've made my rating a little biased... ). Paul was hilarious on the "They sell their first born" line. Thumbs up tonight, and a huge thumbs up for this week.

[Craig Karlberg]

What a way to wrap up week 5 on this counddowm.  We pick things up at #12 with...

...the Gong Show.  I wasn't all that intrested in the show for the most part.  Sure the prize money was cheap($516.32), but at least it was a daytime-variety show kinda cheap.  Luckily I was fortunate not to see Gene Gene do his dancing bit on this 1977 episode(I don't like it when he gets pelted by the audience), but I wished the Unknown Comic would've appeared(I liked him untill he got "hooked" off the stage).  This was the low point of the week for me here.

At #11 is my 2nd favoritte game involving celebrities, the Hollywood Squares.  Even better was a 1972 syndicated episode hosted by Peter Marshall.  Even before Match Game, this was a very funny show.  I think Dwyer was feeling a little high when he ran off a couple Paul Lynde zingers by me, yeesh!  Anyway, a teriffic end to a very strong week

Two weeks left & the Top 10 await us.  Unless there's another crapper lurking about, I am eagerly anticipating which shows got slotted in the final 10 spots.

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'Craig Karlberg\' post=\'127894\' date=\'Aug 18 2006, 03:41 AM\']
I think Dwyer was feeling a little high when he ran off a couple Paul Lynde zingers by me, yeesh![/quote]
Or maybe he was just trying to imitate Lynde. Gee, you don't say!

/That's another show
//Geez!!!

[TonicBH]

[quote name=\'Scott\' post=\'127876\' date=\'Aug 17 2006, 08:38 PM\']
(I'm guessing they'll run Billy Crystal's 26-second Winner's Circle, since some promos end with a brief shot of Billy's Pyramid ep.).[/quote]

They don't have that episode. It's gone to that tape-wipe place in the sky. GSN only has... 1978-1980 I believe of the ABC Pyramid era.

The clip of him breaking the record comes from a ...I wanna say 1978 ep, with Crystal vs Sal Viscuso.

[SRIV94]

[quote name=\'TonicBH\' post=\'127903\' date=\'Aug 18 2006, 07:46 AM\']
[quote name=\'Scott\' post=\'127876\' date=\'Aug 17 2006, 08:38 PM\']
(I'm guessing they'll run Billy Crystal's 26-second Winner's Circle, since some promos end with a brief shot of Billy's Pyramid ep.).[/quote]

They don't have that episode. It's gone to that tape-wipe place in the sky. GSN only has... 1978-1980 I believe of the ABC Pyramid era.

The clip of him breaking the record comes from a ...I wanna say 1978 ep, with Crystal vs Sal Viscuso.
[/quote]
Thanks for confirming that, B.J.  I would think the ep with that clip is one that's gonna run for PYRAMID.

Y'know, I'm beginning to suspect that PYRAMID might just be 7 or 8 on the list--so that they can show the Crystal ep and a $100K win.

Doug

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'SRIV94\' post=\'127911\' date=\'Aug 18 2006, 06:59 AM\']
Y'know, I'm beginning to suspect that PYRAMID might just be 7 or 8 on the list--so that they can show the Crystal ep and a $100K win.
[/quote]
I am appalled that it's that low.

But, ya know, Studs.

[SRIV94]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'127912\' date=\'Aug 18 2006, 09:02 AM\']
I am appalled that it's that low.

But, ya know, Studs.
[/quote]
Maybe they took points off for Osmond's version.  

Doug

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'SRIV94\' post=\'127915\' date=\'Aug 18 2006, 07:14 AM\']
Maybe they took points off for Osmond's version.  
[/quote]
Frighteningly, that occurred to me.

But, you know, friggin' STUDS.

[Chelsea Thrasher]

For what's it's worth, the final week's numbers per night hit the listings services:
From hereon:
8/22: 10 and 9
8/23: 8
8/24: 7
8/29: 6 and 5
8/30: 4 and 3
8/31: 2 and 1

Hmm, maybe:  DG, LMAD, WWTBAM, Pyramid, NG, J!, WoF, MG, FF, TPiR?
(And no, that isn't my personal top 10 by a LONG shot)

[Ian Wallis]

So if, during the first 5 or 10 minutes of the show, a contestant hits the plunger and lands on money or some prize, of course the contestant squeals with delight - but a Whammy will inevitably take that prize away.

That quite frequently happened.  The famous Flokati Rug was offered in Round 1, but very few contestants actually ever won it.  Usually the Whammy would come along and take it.

I love the strategy of PYL -- hoping your opponent gets a Whammy is often a large part of that strategy, but so is not passing your opponent so many spins that even if they do hit a Whammy, they can build their total back up again to beat you. And then if they hit a couple of "+ one spin" spaces...

There definately was stretegy to the game.  One thing I always thought for Round 2 was before you pass, calculate the number of spins you have times 2000.  2K was roughly the average for Round 2, so if you had 3 spins left and were more than $6000 ahead, then pass.  If you were only $2-3000 ahead, it's better to keep spinning.  At least that's what I always thought...

[Ian Wallis]

Isn't the only surviving video of that the tape shown when Crystal and Sal Viscuso were booked? Meaning that the original episode of that WC run doesn't exist?

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know the exact air date for the Crystal win?  I know GSN only has 78-80, but I thought it did occur sometime in '78.

[SRIV94]

[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' post=\'127921\' date=\'Aug 18 2006, 09:50 AM\']

Isn't the only surviving video of that the tape shown when Crystal and Sal Viscuso were booked? Meaning that the original episode of that WC run doesn't exist?

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know the exact air date for the Crystal win?  I know GSN only has 78-80, but I thought it did occur sometime in '78.
[/quote]
IMDB shows it as having occured in November 1977, which may or not be accurate.

Details and other trivial nuggets here.

Doug