Author Topic: New Game Show Book (Read 4400 times)

Matt Ottinger · « **on:** August 26, 2009, 10:20:24 PM »

Amazon is offering what appears to be a new general game show history book written by Tom DeMichael. I doubt it will tell us anything we don't already know. The overview breathlessly promises to tell us all about "the player who discovered the secret patterns of a TV game board using his VCR and remote control, then used that knowledge to win...BIG!" Still, it's promising hundreds of pictures, and I don't think Fred Wostbrock had anything to do with it, so there might be some shots we've not seen before.

http://www.amazon.com/TVs-Greatest-Game-Sh.../dp/0981490999/

The cover may look familiar because it's the same as an old compilation tape (and later DVD) featuring scenes from some 20 different game shows of the fifties and sixties, stuffed into a 90-minute package.

tvrandywest · « **Reply #1 on:** August 27, 2009, 12:08:46 AM »

From the author of "Lots and Lots of Fire Trucks & Firefighters: Four Color Book". Ooooooooh!

Randy
tvrandywest.com

Offshored2007 · « **Reply #2 on:** August 27, 2009, 08:51:32 AM »

[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' post=\'224214\' date=\'Aug 27 2009, 12:08 AM\']From the author of "Lots and Lots of Fire Trucks & Firefighters: Four Color Book". Ooooooooh!

Randy
tvrandywest.com[/quote]
Not on Randy's Amazon Wish List: A coloring book

BillCullen1 · « **Reply #3 on:** August 27, 2009, 11:58:32 AM »

[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' post=\'224214\' date=\'Aug 27 2009, 12:08 AM\']From the author of "Lots and Lots of Fire Trucks & Firefighters: Four Color Book". Ooooooooh!

Randy
tvrandywest.com[/quote]

Speaking of game show books, how's that book on Johnny O coming along, Randy?

calliaume · « **Reply #4 on:** August 27, 2009, 12:05:09 PM »

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'224201\' date=\'Aug 26 2009, 09:20 PM\']http://www.amazon.com/TVs-Greatest-Game-Sh.../dp/0981490999/[/quote]
Never heard of the publisher. This may be one where somebody has to break down and order it off Amazon, because the print run's probably too small to ensure it'll be on the shelf of your local Barnes & Noble.

bscripps · « **Reply #5 on:** August 27, 2009, 12:25:18 PM »

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'224201\' date=\'Aug 26 2009, 10:20 PM\']The overview breathlessly promises to tell us all about "the player who discovered the secret patterns of a TV game board using his VCR and remote control, then used that knowledge to win...BIG!"[/quote]
I like the line about how it "Includes an easy to find index...".

They're tricky nowadays, these books.

\Yes, I know what they probably mean
\\Still...first impressions.

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #6 on:** August 27, 2009, 01:06:55 PM »

[quote name=\'calliaume\' post=\'224260\' date=\'Aug 27 2009, 12:05 PM\']Never heard of the publisher. This may be one where somebody has to break down and order it off Amazon, because the print run's probably too small to ensure it'll be on the shelf of your local Barnes & Noble.[/quote]
Of note is that unlike the mainstream offerings on Amazon, this one "usually ships within 2 to 4 weeks"

"Fire up the presses, Martha, we got another order!"

I remember that I picked up the "companion" video years ago at the Chicago broadcasting museum, so it caught my attention that the favorable blurb was written by someone identified as "instructor of TV production at a Chicago communications college." Of course, that would make it seem MORE likely that you'd be familiar with the publisher. This must be one tiny operation.

/And yeah, "easy to find index". Gotta love it. Next book I write, I'm putting my index on page 73, just for kicks.

MyronMMeyer · « **Reply #7 on:** August 27, 2009, 02:04:51 PM »

Link to the book on the publisher's web page:

http://www.marshallpublishinginc.com/tv39s...s-am395060.html

-M

rialtus · « **Reply #8 on:** August 27, 2009, 02:44:06 PM »

[quote name=\'MyronMMeyer\' post=\'224271\' date=\'Aug 27 2009, 11:04 AM\']Link to the book on the publisher's web page:

http://www.marshallpublishinginc.com/tv39s...s-am395060.html[/quote]And a corresponding DVD with the same cover to boot!
http://www.marshallpublishinginc.com/tv39s...funniest-s.html

calliaume · « **Reply #9 on:** August 27, 2009, 03:21:02 PM »

Matt's right; they're not far from where I live but yet I've never heard of them. And a Starbucks shows up when I entered the address into Google maps -- which leads me to think it's a real mom 'n' pop (maybe without the pop) operation.

Two to four weeks for delivery indicates either the book is backordered or it's a print on demand product.

Either way, don't expect the 2009 equivalent of EOTVGS.

tvrandywest · « **Reply #10 on:** August 27, 2009, 03:45:20 PM »

[quote name=\'BillCullen1\' post=\'224257\' date=\'Aug 27 2009, 08:58 AM\']Speaking of game show books, how's that book on Johnny O coming along, Randy?[/quote]
Thanks for asking!

Johnny left such a legacy of goodwill. His former friends, co-workers, distant relatives and even former contestants from shows he hosted in the 1950s have been so generous in helping to sketch out as many details as possible. From folks you'd expect (Roger Dobkowitz, Barbara Hunter, Jonathan Goodson, etc.) to people nobody knew still had warm memories and stories of their time with Johnny (DuMont crew members, a Broadway producer from John's experience in a Broadway musical, a former limo driver, a neighbor in West Virginia, etc.) I've been putting the pieces together to tell what I think is really an interesting, compelling story.

Thanks to the personal notes that Johnny left and the help of the archivists at the historical societies where some pieces of his life will safely remain, the book is rich in insight into the man and his journey - imagine being the youngest of 10 kids who all live in a small farmhouse with only ONE bedroom? It's also full of the details about the shows, studios and behind-the-scenes history of broadcasting - when David Sarnoff expelled ABC (the former NBC Blue network) out of the RCA building on short notice, and into a TV studio that was a converted stable, with birds still flying into camera range. And that studio is STILL in use... it was on ABC-TV all last week!

And there's Johnny's own personal recollections: "...when they were taking medium close-ups of me doing a commercial, I’ve even had one crew man crawl on the floor, roll up my pants leg, light a match and move it against the hairy calf of my leg, just to try to throw me off equilibrium."

See how Johnny marked his scripts for that magical delivery we all enjoyed, and read his serious reflections on making merry in his warm-up shtick.

And I've included all the nonsense that us geeks will love: Did you know the original 1972 TPiR was to have THREE showcases in each episode? Did you know that Mark Goodson played the drums? Wanna know the address of Johnny's apartment when he lived in L.A.? Anitra remembering the day her bikini bottom slipped off, and she was nude from the waist down, right in front of Johnny?

It's 58 years of broadcasting as seen from one guy who was a constant as the industry changed. Stars, shows, producers and even entire networks came and went while Johnny kept working, and kept his mouth shut during the scandals. From a radio vocalist in a farmhouse studio at age 14, to his tiny dressing room at CBS studio 33, I'm loving the work of compiling Johnny's story.

It's 125,000 words with 90 photos, and it's all with the publisher. Last night I spoke to the typesetter who will now start laying it out. I'll see the proofs and make any final changes asap. I'm promised a November 1st release. I can't wait for folks to know more about the guy that left such an impression on me when we first met when I was a teenager, and then gave me the encouragement to live my dream!

Thanks for asking!! I haven't been so passionate about anything in a long time ;-)

Randy
tvrandywest.com

Fedya · « **Reply #11 on:** August 27, 2009, 04:35:00 PM »

Quote

Anitra remembering the day her bikini bottom slipped off, and she was nude from the waist down, right in front of Johnny?

It could have been worse: she could have been nude from the waist down in front of Bob.

gaubster2 · « **Reply #12 on:** August 28, 2009, 02:03:02 AM »

[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' post=\'224276\' date=\'Aug 27 2009, 12:45 PM\'][quote name=\'BillCullen1\' post=\'224257\' date=\'Aug 27 2009, 08:58 AM\']Speaking of game show books, how's that book on Johnny O coming along, Randy?[/quote]
Thanks for asking!

Johnny left such a legacy of goodwill. His former friends, co-workers, distant relatives and even former contestants from shows he hosted in the 1950s have been so generous in helping to sketch out as many details as possible. From folks you'd expect (Roger Dobkowitz, Barbara Hunter, Jonathan Goodson, etc.) to people nobody knew still had warm memories and stories of their time with Johnny (DuMont crew members, a Broadway producer from John's experience in a Broadway musical, a former limo driver, a neighbor in West Virginia, etc.) I've been putting the pieces together to tell what I think is really an interesting, compelling story.

Thanks to the personal notes that Johnny left and the help of the archivists at the historical societies where some pieces of his life will safely remain, the book is rich in insight into the man and his journey - imagine being the youngest of 10 kids who all live in a small farmhouse with only ONE bedroom? It's also full of the details about the shows, studios and behind-the-scenes history of broadcasting - when David Sarnoff expelled ABC (the former NBC Blue network) out of the RCA building on short notice, and into a TV studio that was a converted stable, with birds still flying into camera range. And that studio is STILL in use... it was on ABC-TV all last week!

And there's Johnny's own personal recollections: "...when they were taking medium close-ups of me doing a commercial, I’ve even had one crew man crawl on the floor, roll up my pants leg, light a match and move it against the hairy calf of my leg, just to try to throw me off equilibrium."

See how Johnny marked his scripts for that magical delivery we all enjoyed, and read his serious reflections on making merry in his warm-up shtick.

And I've included all the nonsense that us geeks will love: Did you know the original 1972 TPiR was to have THREE showcases in each episode? Did you know that Mark Goodson played the drums? Wanna know the address of Johnny's apartment when he lived in L.A.? Anitra remembering the day her bikini bottom slipped off, and she was nude from the waist down, right in front of Johnny?

It's 58 years of broadcasting as seen from one guy who was a constant as the industry changed. Stars, shows, producers and even entire networks came and went while Johnny kept working, and kept his mouth shut during the scandals. From a radio vocalist in a farmhouse studio at age 14, to his tiny dressing room at CBS studio 33, I'm loving the work of compiling Johnny's story.

It's 125,000 words with 90 photos, and it's all with the publisher. Last night I spoke to the typesetter who will now start laying it out. I'll see the proofs and make any final changes asap. I'm promised a November 1st release. I can't wait for folks to know more about the guy that left such an impression on me when we first met when I was a teenager, and then gave me the encouragement to live my dream!

Thanks for asking!! I haven't been so passionate about anything in a long time ;-)

Randy
tvrandywest.com
[/quote]
I've said it before and now again: I can't wait for this to come out! Thanks, Randy for your hard work on this. I will buy it as soon as I possibly can!!

BrandonFG · « **Reply #13 on:** August 28, 2009, 02:50:16 AM »

I'm a sucker for the trivia pages on IMDb, as well as Wiki articles on TV shows and some celebs, so I found that summary very fascinating. I now intend to purchase my copy come this fall! :-)

Thanks for that, Randy!

Mike Tennant · « **Reply #14 on:** August 28, 2009, 11:38:55 AM »

[quote name=\'Fedya\' post=\'224279\' date=\'Aug 27 2009, 04:35 PM\']

Quote

Anitra remembering the day her bikini bottom slipped off, and she was nude from the waist down, right in front of Johnny?

It could have been worse: she could have been nude from the waist down in front of Bob.[/quote]But Randy has now guaranteed that Don Howard will be buying the book.