The Top 10 Gameshow Newsmakers...

[TimK2003]

Rod's passing is by far one of the largest, if not THE largest game show news items in recent memory.  

If we were to comprise a list of the top 10 most significant game show news items in the past 20 years, whether or not the internet was around, of course, what would they be.  

I have 5 strong nominations:

1) Obviously, the news of Rod Roddy's health problems and the ensuing chain of events...

2) Johnny Olson's passing.

3) The creation of Game Show Network.

4) & 5)  The sudden, unexpected suicides of Jay Stewart & Ray Combs.


Anyone else?

[inturnaround]

Here's my list (in no particular order):

1. The creation of Game Show Network
2. Game shows come back to primetime with WWTBAM
3. The death of Johnny Olsen
4. The Major cheating scandal on WWTBAM
5. The fall of primetime game shows
6. The return of Richard Dawson to FF
7. The blurring of the line between game show and unscripted event television
8. The continued success of TPiR
9. The suicide of Ray Combs
10. The end of the daytime network gameshow (except TPiR)

[Matt Ottinger]

That's actually a very good list.

[zachhoran]

[quote name=\'inturnaround\' date=\'Oct 30 2003, 08:54 PM\'] 3. The death of Johnny Olsen
 [/quote]
 I think we can add the deaths of Bill Cullen and Mark Goodson to that list.

Honorable mention: Game shows shifting from being mostly produced by "Mom and Pop" companies to larger companies(Coca-Cola and later Sony buying Griffin shows, All American/Pearson buying Goodson-Todman shows, Disney's stake in several succesful game shows, Sony buying the Barris, Barry/Enright, and Bob Stewart libraries of shows)

[inturnaround]

[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Oct 30 2003, 09:04 PM\'] [quote name=\'inturnaround\' date=\'Oct 30 2003, 08:54 PM\'] 3. The death of Johnny Olsen
 [/quote]
I think we can add the deaths of Bill Cullen and Mark Goodson to that list.

Honorable mention: Game shows shifting from being mostly produced by "Mom and Pop" companies to larger companies(Coca-Cola and later Sony buying Griffin shows, All American/Pearson buying Goodson-Todman shows, Disney's stake in several succesful game shows, Sony buying the Barris, Barry/Enright, and Bob Stewart libraries of shows) [/quote]
 Yeah, that's a good call. That does reach the outer limits of the 20 years, but it does fit the criterion. My mind was really thinking of late 80s-and the whole of the 90s, so there may be things I missed from 83 to about 88.

Feel free to fill in the holes.

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'TimK2003\' date=\'Oct 30 2003, 07:51 PM\'] Rod's passing is by far one of the largest, if not THE largest game show news items in recent memory.  

If we were to comprise a list of the top 10 most significant game show news items in the past 20 years, whether or not the internet was around, of course, what would they be.  

I have 5 strong nominations:

1) Obviously, the news of Rod Roddy's health problems and the ensuing chain of events...

2) Johnny Olson's passing.

3) The creation of Game Show Network.

4) & 5)  The sudden, unexpected suicides of Jay Stewart & Ray Combs.


Anyone else? [/quote]
 How about John Carpenter's run on Millionaire. It was a huge thing, just considering the fact that when Millionaire first came out, it was a big deal that a game show was offering $1 million, not counting Chance of a Lifetime from the 80s. The fact that people huddled around their sets, waiting to see the "impossible" happen was pretty big at the time.

[Winkfan]

Here are a couple of others:

1.) The passings of Gene Rayburn, Allen Ludden, Bert Convy, and Peggy Cass.

2.) Press Your Luck contestant Michael Larsen 'beating the system' to win over $100k.

Cordially,
Tammy Warner--the 'Carol Merrill of the Big Board!'

[brianhenke]

My list would be:

   1. Game shows disappear from ABC and NBC daytime, and all of CBS daytime except for TPIR. I've been hoping for some time now that Fox starts a daytime block, and if it does happen, there will be at least one game

   2. WWTBAM launches primetime quiz craze in 1999, falls from grace after too many celeb editions, too many airings a week and killing off the phone game. There's talk that Regis might return to face the hotseat players in summer 2004...can they ever regain the magic?

   3. AllAmericanPearsonFremantle buys G-T formats, but gives us TPIR94, CS2001 and 98 MG revival (only FF resembles the original). If I want to watch a man on the street game (like CS2001), I want to watch Street Smarts.

   4. Wheel of Fortune  and Jeopardy! dominate syndicated games for 20 years, keeping fresh with new wrinkles (Jackpot Round, new money displays, etc.) and ideas (Million Dollar Masters). (see #6).

   5. GSN launches, airs classic games for the first time in years, but airs mostly crappy new shows until Bob Boden takes over (and yet I still can't see it!)

   6. The six new syndicated shows of 1990-91, which all failed to make season two and probably led to the syndie game show drought for the rest of the 90s and into the 2000s (compared to the 1980s). Let's not remember rapping dragons or games of definitions. Speaking of which...

   7. Bill Cosby's You Bet Your Life - what seemed to be a sure thing for success - revival flops after one season, 1992-93
 
   8. John Carpenter wins the million on WWTBAM and makes the cover of People. This was supposed to be the sign that Millionaire was to be a big hit for years on end...but it wasn't to be.

   9. Nickelodeon has game show hits (Double Dare, which aired on Fox as Family Double Dare and in syndication, and others) but cuts the shows in favor of animation.

   10.  Decline of game show blocks on USA and CBN/Family Channel (now ABC Family). A mix of originals (the Canadian-based Jackpot, BUmper Stumpers) and classics like PYL.  
 
   11. Deaths of Bill Cullen, Jack Barry, Dan Enright, Gene Rayburn, Arlene Francis, Mark Goodson, Johnny Olsen, Gil Fates, Bert Convy, Johnny Olsen, Rod, Randy Amasia, Michael Larsen (see #12), and so many others. We miss you.
 
   12. Michael Larsen on PYL. When TV Guide was still a good magazine, they ran a story about his PYL run.

   13. The torture game shows (The Chamber, which deserved to die a quick death and The Chair) in 2002.  Who knows what might have happened if both had been in a race to get to the air first?
   
   14. Ben Stein becomes more than the guy who yells BUELLER!  when he hosts COmedy Central's Win Ben Stein's Money, which would go on to Daytime Emmy success.

   15. The rejection of trashy game shows. I don't mean Singled Out or reality shows like Fear Factor. Examples: Chamber, Chair, CS2001, Strip Poker, Burt Luddin's Love Buffet, Extreme Gong, etc. Game shows are a genre where the classy shows outshine the trash in the ratings.

   16. Pax becomes a game show fan's delight, with Supermarket Sweep, STYD, Beat the Clock 2002, the short-lived Dirty Rotten Cheater, etc. The net's financial situation makes it doubtful we will ever see more games from them, aside from the new STYD episodes.

   17. The rejection of the Dating/Newlywed Hour in 1996-97. Sony brought the classic formats and classic hosts (Woolery, Eubanks), but the damage was already done. The shows limped into reruns in the 1999-2000 season.

 
    Brian
 
    Wary blue waters?

    We want some more pro wrestling (STILL) and NASCAR questions!

[chris319]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Oct 30 2003, 05:58 PM\']That's actually a very good list.[/quote]
There are a few good ones in there, but the original post specified news items. "The continued success of The Price Is Right" no more qualifies as a news item than "George W. Bush continues to be president" or "Jack Barry is still dead".

Celebrity deaths practically always make news. Why is the passing of Ray Combs or Peggy Cass more momentous in the world of game shows than that of, say, Dan Enright (whose passing was also given news coverage)?

Among the obvious "WWTBAM starts prime time quiz craze" and "The passing of (insert name of emcee or announcer)" there was no mention of Barker and the myriad lawsuits involving former models.

[MyCapableAssistant]

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Oct 31 2003, 03:51 AM\'] [quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Oct 30 2003, 05:58 PM\']That's actually a very good list.[/quote]

Celebrity deaths practically always make news. Why is the passing of Ray Combs or Peggy Cass more momentous in the world of game shows than that of, say, Dan Enright (whose passing was also given news coverage)?

Among the obvious "WWTBAM starts prime time quiz craze" and "The passing of (insert name of emcee or announcer)" there was no mention of Barker and the myriad lawsuits involving former models. [/quote]
That's a difficult question to answer. I imagine it will depend upon
whom you ask... I think ALL deaths of folks we are familiar with
are sad.. but in my opinion, the death of Ray Combs was a sad one for
me because he appeared to be such a "happy-go-lucky," AND genuine
person. He meant a lot of things to a lot of different folks, and they
found it easy to "identify" with him; like they've known him for YEARS.

Bob Barker brings a very special talent, or gift to TPIR each day he
hosts the show, and I think it will go uncontested that his skills
will NEVER be matched, certainly not TOPPED. In the same vein,
and in MY opinion, I think Ray Combs had a similar gift as well,
his was with the way he related to folks on a very genuine basis.

Relating to folks in a friendly, genuine, and comfortable way is a talent.
And that's one of the talents I think Ray Combs had.

[Matt Ottinger]

There are a few good ones in there, but the original post specified news items. "The continued success of The Price Is Right" no more qualifies as a news item than "George W. Bush continues to be president" or "Jack Barry is still dead".

Fair enough, but most of the guy's items weren't like that, and there are certainly ways to word the TPIR "story" in a more newsworthy structure.  "TPIR becomes the longest-running game show in history" or something like that.

Celebrity deaths practically always make news. Why is the passing of Ray Combs or Peggy Cass more momentous in the world of game shows than that of, say, Dan Enright (whose passing was also given news coverage)?

Well, he didn't include Peggy Cass on his list.  He named only two notable deaths, both of whom were active in the business at the time of their passing, and both of which were surprises to the public.  I'm not defending how the news industry works, but those deaths are typically considered bigger stories than the advanced-age deaths of people who had been out of the business for years.

Barker and the Models?  Sure, a great story.  There are some others too that could certainly be considered Top Ten-worthy.  But especially compared to some of the other choices people are offering, I just wanted to compliment inturnaround for putting some thought into his choices.

[chris319]

most of the guy's items weren't like that, and there are certainly ways to word the TPIR "story" in a more newsworthy structure. "TPIR becomes the longest-running game show in history" or something like that.

A milestone such as TPIR's XXXXth episode or XXth anniversary or TPIR breaking a previously-existing record is a story. That TPIR was on the air today as it was yesterday and the day before is right up there with "TPIR is nu-nu-nu".

Well, he didn't include Peggy Cass on his list. He named only two notable deaths, both of whom were active in the business at the time of their passing, and both of which were surprises to the public. I'm not defending how the news industry works, but those deaths are typically considered bigger stories than the advanced-age deaths of people who had been out of the business for years.

Peggy Cass came up in a subsequent list. In terms of the general media you are correct but in the trades Goodson probably got bigger play than Peggy. The general media liked the Ray Combs story because of the unusual circumstances and salacious allegations of marital infidelity and drug use.

[inturnaround]

Well, if intention means anything then I'll clarify my intentions on the TPiR entry. What I meant about continued success is that it kept bulldozing television records and became a legend. 20 years ago, the show was 11 years old in the Barker incarnation. A great run, sure, but not legendary by any means. Since then it's broken about every television record it could and lasted far longer than anyone could ever have imagined. If that's not newsworthy then I don't know what is.

The deaths of Ray Combs and Johnny Olsen made my list simply because they were still doing game shows at the time and they shocked viewers when they heard about it. I suppose an argument could be made than Johnny O's death was less shocking than Ray's and as such less newsworthy, but hey...I wrote the darn thing in 5 minutes...what do ya want from me?

So, here's a revised, leaner and meaner top 10 (again in no particular order):

1. The creation of Game Show Network
2. The rise and fall of Primetime network game shows (beginning with WWTBAM)
3. Michael Larsen's legendary run on PYL
4. The Major cheating scandal on WWTBAM
5. The death of Johnny Olsen
6. The return of Richard Dawson to FF
7. The blurring of the line between game show and unscripted event television
8. TPiR becomes longest running game show in history
9. The suicide of Ray Combs
10. The end of the daytime network gameshow (except TPiR)

It's all my opinion, of course, and subject to debate (which I love about this place), but I feel this is a solid place to start.

[tommycharles]

[quote name=\'inturnaround\' date=\'Oct 31 2003, 02:02 PM\'] 6. The return of Richard Dawson to FF
 [/quote]
 I wasn't in the country or old enough to care at the time, but was this really big news? It doesn't seem to me that it was that big of an event.

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'tommycharles\' date=\'Oct 31 2003, 02:18 PM\'] [quote name=\'inturnaround\' date=\'Oct 31 2003, 02:02 PM\'] 6. The return of Richard Dawson to FF
 [/quote]
I wasn't in the country or old enough to care at the time, but was this really big news? It doesn't seem to me that it was that big of an event. [/quote]
 Not hardly. I didn't even know he was going to be the host until that season's premiere.