Author Topic: Match Game 85 (Read 40944 times)

tvwxman · « **Reply #45 on:** February 28, 2009, 03:32:05 PM »

[quote name=\'calliaume\' post=\'209101\' date=\'Feb 28 2009, 03:08 PM\']
[quote name=\'mmb5\' post=\'209089\' date=\'Feb 28 2009, 03:14 PM\']
Fall of '87 it is.
[/quote]
Cool ad. But if I'm a station manager on January 1, 1987 with any kind of memory, [/quote]

You can stop right there. Most Stat Mgrs are morons with no memory whatsoever.

And I'd counter to say that if the S.Mgr had a memory, he'd rather run with something that was tried, tested, and successful, than a complete unknown format. But who knows? Lingo made it, and Gambit and Match did not.

calliaume · « **Reply #46 on:** February 28, 2009, 03:44:41 PM »

[quote name=\'tvwxman\' post=\'209103\' date=\'Feb 28 2009, 04:32 PM\']
[quote name=\'calliaume\' post=\'209101\' date=\'Feb 28 2009, 03:08 PM\']
[quote name=\'mmb5\' post=\'209089\' date=\'Feb 28 2009, 03:14 PM\']
Fall of '87 it is.
[/quote]
Cool ad. But if I'm a station manager on January 1, 1987 with any kind of memory, [/quote]
You can stop right there. Most Stat Mgrs are morons with no memory whatsoever.
[/quote]
Really? I ought to apply for a station manager position -- admittedly, I only have half the (dis)qualifications mentioned above.

"Duh, don't try nuttin' funny. Ya can't fool me, cause I'm a moron!"

The Pyramids · « **Reply #47 on:** February 28, 2009, 03:53:03 PM »

A bit off topic but I wonder who, if anyone, was pictured in ads for 'The Nightime Price Is Right' in '85.

Don Howard · « **Reply #48 on:** February 28, 2009, 04:00:37 PM »

[quote name=\'PaulD\' post=\'209106\' date=\'Feb 28 2009, 03:53 PM\']
A bit off topic but I wonder who, if anyone, was pictured in ads for 'The Nightime Price Is Right' in '85.
[/quote]
Tom Kennedy in two pics. I remember seeing them in Variety magazine.

clemon79 · « **Reply #49 on:** February 28, 2009, 04:08:20 PM »

[quote name=\'tvwxman\' post=\'209103\' date=\'Feb 28 2009, 12:32 PM\']
You can stop right there. Most Stat Mgrs are morons with no memory whatsoever. [/quote]
But goddamn if they don't look good shaking hands in a suit, don't they?

aaron sica · « **Reply #50 on:** February 28, 2009, 04:12:19 PM »

[quote name=\'mmb5\' post=\'209089\' date=\'Feb 28 2009, 02:14 PM\']

Fall of '87 it is.
[/quote]

Mike, thank you VERY much. Now that I saw it, that's exactly the ad I remember seeing back in '87. And Gene definitely didn't look like that in '87....'83 maybe.

Oh, and Curt's assessment of Saturday Morning is spot on as well....He definitely had fun doing that show.

Don Howard · « **Reply #51 on:** February 28, 2009, 04:28:46 PM »

[quote name=\'TroubadourNando\' post=\'209006\' date=\'Feb 27 2009, 06:49 PM\']
Is there any weight to Gene Wood's comment that Rayburn was 'dragged kicking and screaming into the hour?'
[/quote]
Yes, dragged kicking and screaming by the allure of big money and a network audience.

chris319 · « **Reply #52 on:** February 28, 2009, 08:34:25 PM »

Quote

Didn't Goodson always oppose the idea of playing MG for laughs though? He was surely smart enough to realize Gene inadvertantly and effectively saved him from a 13-week failure in 1973 by insisting it be played for laughs. Being the highest rated show on daytime is no small feat; I'd also imagine that if Goodson hated that direction so much, he wouldn't have wanted Gene back in 1983, 1987 and 1990 and what we saw with Ross Shafer would have been very different.

You basically answered your own question. From the lips of Bobby Sherman, they (including Goodson) decided six weeks into the run of MG to make it all comedy questions. The show lasted many years after that. When I read Goodson's memo I remember wondering if he hadn't watched the show in a couple of years (distinctly possible) because not that much had changed. When MG left CBS they became more aggressive about editing the panel writing time.

chris319 · « **Reply #53 on:** February 28, 2009, 08:42:04 PM »

Quote

why not have Marshall host the Squares segment of MG/HS and have someone else host the MG portion? (Possible answers: Marshall had just failed with Fantasy, Goodson was unused to working with Marshall, Goodson always brought the original host back unless bridges had been napalmed {see Dawson, Richard}.)

Bobby Sherman liked Jon Bauman and they apparently didn't want an unknown quantity emceeing MG.

chris319 · « **Reply #54 on:** February 28, 2009, 08:43:19 PM »

Quote

Is there any weight to Gene Wood's comment that Rayburn was 'dragged kicking and screaming into the hour?' I've always taken that to mean he had a contract with Goodson that made him unable to refuse the spot.

When MG was not in production Gene didn't have a contract with G-T.

I don't believe they did a pilot for MG '87.

See, Gene Rayburn and Gene Wood might do interviews but they (and all emcees and announcers) are out of the decision-making loop (unless they are also a producer, such as Monty Hall or Jack Barry). To find out what really went on you'd have to interview Goodson or Jerry Chester (both deceased) or Ira Skutch or Bobby Sherman, but the media doesn't talk to them. In the two years I was there, no emcee ever went into a show's production offices. Instead they might be called in to do a run-thru in a room on the 14th floor specifically for that purpose. Allen and Betty, Jim Perry, Bob Hilton, Dick Martin and Pat Sajack all came to the 14th floor to do run-thrus at various times. Gene Rayburn and Bill Cullen both came in once to be on the panel of a run-thru for TTTT '90. Richard Dawson was never in the building. Monty Hall never came to the G-T offices. The only time I saw Barker in the building was years after I left when he came to the CNN bureau to do an interview about animal rights and I had to shoot him in profile because he had a bandage on his face from surgery for ... um, right. Bill Todman was never in the building but his son Billy was after his Pop passed away, and Gil Fates used to come in from time to time.

mmb5 · « **Reply #55 on:** February 28, 2009, 11:24:54 PM »

[quote name=\'tvwxman\' post=\'209098\' date=\'Feb 28 2009, 03:00 PM\']
Did you find any other cool ads with shows coming soon? I always loved those, and would sometimes spend hours in the library searching for them . (Bonus answer : Yes, I know I'm a dork.)
[/quote]
There was a generic Split Second one with Monty and two stills from a game. The ToC one had four stills, but no host mention. The PYL one was (old and irrelevant) demo information superimposed on a game board. Not really any other that I saw.

--Mike

chris319 · « **Reply #56 on:** March 01, 2009, 04:35:56 AM »

What do you know about Crosswits?

whewfan · « **Reply #57 on:** March 01, 2009, 06:33:51 AM »

I wouldn't totally blame Gene for Break the Bank failing. That show was an utter disaster, and this is coming from someone who got twisted enjoyment out of Eubanks Dollar a Second.
[/quote]

If anything, Gene was led into thinking that he could add in his own hijinks to BTB. If you watch the two episodes from the first week of BTB, Gene seems to be injecting a lot more fun stuff in the bonus game than he did in later episodes. Apparently Kline and Friends disliked his antics and told him they wanted a more serious show. Match Game started off as a pedestrian, dull game which Gene saved with his spontaneous, zany humor. Obviously he thought the same thing could be done to a dull, weak format that Break the Bank was.

Another problem with the first week of shows was that Gene was obviously not briefed about the stunts, nor their location in the prize vault. Most of the time, he was scrambling asking "where's that?!" Also, because he was obviously going into the bonus game with no preparation, it took him longer to explain the stunts. They later wisely decided to stop the clock during Gene's explanations.

The stunt format had its flaws, but I think taking out the stunts shortly after Joe Farago took over was not the right move. BTB was just another dull Q&A without the stunts, and Joe Farago was pretty much a straightforward MC that added nothing to the show. He wasn't so bad, but he wasn't exactly memorable either. If it was me, I would've taken out the quiz element and somehow incorporated stunts or mini games into the main game.

TheLastResort · « **Reply #58 on:** March 01, 2009, 11:05:07 AM »

[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'209157\' date=\'Feb 28 2009, 08:34 PM\']From the lips of Bobby Sherman, they (including Goodson) decided six weeks into the run of MG to make it all comedy questions.[/quote]

Didn't DeBartolo have a lot to do with that? He has said that MG '73 was on the verge of cancellation when he asked Goodson if he could toss in some comedy questions. Goodson said do whatever you want - the show is gone in a few weeks anyway.

chris319 · « **Reply #59 on:** March 01, 2009, 11:20:53 AM »

[quote name=\'TheLastResort\' post=\'209211\' date=\'Mar 1 2009, 08:05 AM\']
[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'209157\' date=\'Feb 28 2009, 08:34 PM\']From the lips of Bobby Sherman, they (including Goodson) decided six weeks into the run of MG to make it all comedy questions.[/quote]

Didn't DeBartolo have a lot to do with that? He has said that MG '73 was on the verge of cancellation when he asked Goodson if he could toss in some comedy questions. Goodson said do whatever you want - the show is gone in a few weeks anyway.[/quote]
If you asked Frank Wayne he'd tell you he invented all game shows because he invented oxygen, and you can't do game shows without oxygen.

Ira Skutch and Bobby Sherman ultimately decided which questions were used on MG.