1991 "Entertainment Weekly" article

[tpirfan28]

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,315114,00.html

Here's an article from 1991 talking about three game shows of that time: TPiR, Davidson $100K Pyramid, and Combs' Feud.  The writer seemingly rips TPiR, destroys Feud, and goes giggity over $100K.

Here's the grades they gave:

The Price Is Right: B+ The $100,000 Pyramid: A Family Feud: B-

Thoughts?  Remember, this is 1991-era of these shows.

(I'd give TPiR an A, Pyramid a B, and Feud an A-, FWIW.)

[BrandonFG]

Depending on who you ask, all three shows have declined in quality in the 16 years since, with revivals or (d)evolution of the shows. Wonder what he'd say about Richard Karn or Donnymid...

Recent game-show ventures such as Trump Card and MTV's smug game spoof Remote Control were dull, but an old standby like the $100,000 pyramid (syndicated; check local listings) is absolutely indestructible.

Gee, I thought it destructed quite nicely in 2002.

/okay it wasn't THAT bad.
//or THAT good.

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'tpirfan28\' post=\'155559\' date=\'Jun 19 2007, 12:33 PM\']
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,315114,00.html

Here's an article from 1991 talking about three game shows of that time: TPiR, Davidson $100K Pyramid, and Combs' Feud.  The writer seemingly rips TPiR, destroys Feud, and goes giggity over $100K.[/quote]

In a book he wrote in between his first and current stint at EW, Ken Tucker pretty much laid waste on "TPIR" even more, although those who bought the book will probably recall his contempt for everything "Star Trek" even more.  (Don't remember the title of the book.)

I do agree with him that "Pyramid" in its condition back then was still so strong that a schmuck like Davidson could only minimal damage to it.

[Jimmy Owen]

I would agree with the critic's assessment.  Pretty good critique, IMO.

[DrBear]

Considering the audience answer given to Mel Harris, "giggity" seems to be an appropriate word.

[TLEberle]

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'155567\' date=\'Jun 19 2007, 11:28 AM\']I would agree with the critic's assessment.  Pretty good critique, IMO.[/quote]I could not disagree with that more. In fact, I think he had one correct assessment in the entire piece, and that pertained to the sleep-inducing qualities of Trump Card.

This guy was tripping all over himself to get in his next jab about how dumb the shows are (at least Price and Feud), and to the untrained observer (me), it seems like the guy isn't a fan of the genre at all; that he grudgingly took on the task of reviewing the shows and somehow found an angle he liked.

Just because a show has mass appeal doesn't make it bad, but this guy was too busy looking down his nose at the shows he was watching to notice anything good.

[Jimmy Owen]

He seemed to like Pyramid and correctly, IMO, favored Clark over Davidson as host.  At the time, Price was the most garish game show on TV and Barker smoothly ran the procedings.  Feud has never been a game that required book lernin'.  In the end no show received less than a B-, so I think he liked them overall.

[Joe Mello]

Yeah, B's aren't exactly what I consider indicative of "ripping" a show.  F's are.

/As are Z minuses
//I know they aren't real.
///I'll raise it to a Z.