Author Topic: the NBC gameshows (Read 4497 times)

14gameshows · « **on:** July 04, 2009, 01:08:52 PM »

Recently I've been watching a lot of old NBC gameshows from the 80s and I've noticed several trends in most of them and that's the laid back, easy going, comic relief element that were in the shows. Was this type of atmosphere encouraged from the NBC brass or were they up to the producers of the shows who just enjoyed a little laughter and easy going on their shows to make the contestants feel better??? Watch the early seasons of Super Password, most of Scrabble and Sale of the Century, Classic Concentration, Blockbusters, and Wheel of Fortune.

Also on most NBC game shows was when the departing contestants were about to leave they always gave a shout out to the contestant coordinators....was the staff at NBC really "that cool". I never heard the contestants say that about the coordinators on the CBS shows and ABC shows.

clemon79 · « **Reply #1 on:** July 04, 2009, 03:04:01 PM »

[quote name=\'14gameshows\' post=\'219470\' date=\'Jul 4 2009, 10:08 AM\']Also on most NBC game shows was when the departing contestants were about to leave they always gave a shout out to the contestant coordinators....[/quote]
You're seeing what you wanted to see, then, because I've never noticed this as a trend at ALL.

chad1m · « **Reply #2 on:** July 04, 2009, 03:16:08 PM »

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'219474\' date=\'Jul 4 2009, 03:04 PM\']You're seeing what you wanted to see, then, because I've never noticed this as a trend at ALL.[/quote]I disagree. I can't attest to the other games he mentioned, but it happened often on Super Password.

clemon79 · « **Reply #3 on:** July 04, 2009, 03:33:40 PM »

[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'219475\' date=\'Jul 4 2009, 12:16 PM\']I disagree. I can't attest to the other games he mentioned, but it happened often on Super Password.[/quote]
Great. That's one show, and not "always."

We're at the half of Words Have Meanings...gentlemen, step to the rear and we'll bring the ladies out here after this...

Don Howard · « **Reply #4 on:** July 04, 2009, 03:53:21 PM »

And I'VE noticed that when an NBC game debuted (Chuck Woolery on Scrabble, Tom Kennedy on Wordplay and Jim Perry on $ale of the Century, the emcee during their greeting on the debut program would mention how "great it is to be back at NBC". No host seemed to give a flying fickle if they were back at it on CBS or ABC. Was hosting shows on NBC that special? Opine.

Jimmy Owen · « **Reply #5 on:** July 04, 2009, 04:24:15 PM »

Remember on P+, Allen said something like "It's great to be back on NBC. Not that I ever was for very long" (referring to Stumpers).

A good number of the shows were either straddled or played until "time's up" which allowed for a host to pace it at his discretion.

As far as thanking the contestant coordinators, I think that would happen if a contestant had been there a good number of games and was leaving after a long run. You wouldn't see that on, say, Price, because you were only on for a short time and really didn't have that much interaction with the coordinator.

SRIV94 · « **Reply #6 on:** July 04, 2009, 05:32:06 PM »

[quote name=\'Don Howard\' post=\'219478\' date=\'Jul 4 2009, 02:53 PM\']And I'VE noticed that when an NBC game debuted (Chuck Woolery on Scrabble, Tom Kennedy on Wordplay and Jim Perry on $ale of the Century, the emcee during their greeting on the debut program would mention how "great it is to be back at NBC". No host seemed to give a flying fickle if they were back at it on CBS or ABC. Was hosting shows on NBC that special? Opine.[/quote]
It'd be hard for Woolery or Perry to say "it's great to be back on" a different network, since I don't believe they ever hosted game shows on a different network (syndie doesn't count--not that LOVE CONNECTION ever was a game show anyway).

I forget--had Kennedy hosted anything for CBS prior to BODY LANGUAGE? I know he did SPLIT SECOND for ABC, but most of his shows if I'm not mistaken were at NBC (notably YOU DON'T SAY, NTT, P+ and the aforementioned WORDPLAY).

76GMC · « **Reply #7 on:** July 04, 2009, 05:48:07 PM »

TK did "WHEW!" for CBS, 4/79 to 5/80......came on right before TPIR at the time

SRIV94 · « **Reply #8 on:** July 04, 2009, 05:52:40 PM »

[quote name=\'76GMC\' post=\'219486\' date=\'Jul 4 2009, 04:48 PM\']TK did "WHEW!" for CBS, 4/79 to 5/80......came on right before TPIR at the time[/quote]
Yep, I just remembered that. Thanks.

Jimmy Owen · « **Reply #9 on:** July 04, 2009, 07:32:09 PM »

On CBS, the only hosts that came back after a somewhat successful run were Tom, Dick, Bert and Wink. If I'm missing anyone, corrections welcome. Anybody else that had two or more CBS games (Bill Cullen, Jim Lange, Bob Goen and Jeff Marder) were coming back after short-lived shows.

DJDustman · « **Reply #10 on:** July 04, 2009, 08:47:39 PM »

The one "trend" I enjoy most is the overuse of their audience track. It was almost like their signature.