mg/hs hour question

[pyrfan]

Thinking about celebrities' fees for appearing on game shows, this occurred to me: Is it possible that they had a different pay structure on "Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour" because not all celebrities had the same amount of airtime?

As an example, on the final week of the show, Charles Nelson Reilly played MG all five days; Fannie Flagg played MG four times; Phyllis Diller, Roger E. Mosley, Constance McCashin, and Leonard Frey each played MG three times; and Barry Gordon and Roxie Roker played MG only two times. Would Fannie get more pay than Roxie and Barry because she had twice as much "work" as they did? Or does the fee assume you're paying for the time the celebrity has to be in the studio?


Brendan

[Matt Ottinger]

Randy West is definitely da' man when it comes to this question, but I'm reasonably sure that they'd all be paid the same.  

I assume all the performers were being paid scale, so union rules would apply.  If what little I know about the system is right, there is a break point for the minimum amount of "work" one does in order to get paid for "performing", but that's designed to differentiate between a featured performer and an extra.  All the celebrities would be considered featured players, even though some of them might be a little more featured than others.

[tvrandywest]

It's not about the money, it about spreading joy, fun and laughter.
     (sfx: crickets)
OK, it's about the money!

The short answer to your question (have I ever posted a short answer?) requires only one assumption, and it's a very safe one: that each of these celebs was working for scale (the minimum payment the union allows for the very specific type of job).

Step 1
The right contract and type of program:
Under AFTRA's "Network Code" (the applicable contract, as opposed to the Commercials, Phono or Non-Broadcast contracts to name just a few) game show pay rates are different from some other types of programs, such as dramatic shows.

Step 2
The correct rate:
The program in question is a 1 hour show (as opposed to 30 minutes or 2 hours, etc.), and each celeb falls under the category of "on-camera principal" performer. Other categories include "off-camera", "singer-solo", "singer-group", "dancer", "puppeteer", "extra", etc., etc.

Step 3
The stuff the agent is supposed to check up on:
Scheduled hours vs hours worked (possible overtime), wardrobe (bring your own and sometimes there's extra money), possible meal penalties (money if the taping runs long and a meal is skipped or late), what kind of booze is being served, and can the agent's girlfriend (or is it niece) sit on the announcer's lap   ;-)

And you thought the only thing an Associate Producer and the network's business affairs people did was lunch!


So your MG/HS celebs all were paid the same, no matter how many times their square was picked or how funny they were   ;-)


Randy
tvrandywest.com

[Jimmy Owen]

What would it have done to the timing of the show if they had had all nine stars play Match Game?  Then again we wouldn't have had the cool set transition between the MG and HS portions.

[Footix]

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Nov 5 2003, 07:27 PM\']What would it have done to the timing of the show if they had had all nine stars play Match Game?  Then again we wouldn't have had the cool set transition between the MG and HS portions.[/quote]
"It's time for the Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour-and-a-quarter!!"

Nah, just doesn't have the sime ring to it...

[chris319]

An even shorter answer than Randy's: celebs get paid to show up, go through makeup, sit on the set and utter words in response to game play. That basically describes how Richard Dawson got through his final months on MG.

Oh yes, and bring five, six or whatever changes of clothes.

[Jay Temple]

[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Nov 5 2003, 05:37 PM\'] Step 2
The correct rate:
The program in question is a 1 hour show (as opposed to 30 minutes or 2 hours, etc.). [/quote]
 Just to be clear, according to this rule, would the three celebs working only the H2 portion get paid the same as the six who did the full hour?

If it were not for the change of clothes, they could have done the five half-hours of Match Game in one day, with just the ten new players, and then bring the winners back the next day for the H2 portion.  (I don't know this, but I assume they did the Family Feud Challenge this way.)

[chris319]

[quote name=\'Jay Temple\' date=\'Nov 6 2003, 09:24 AM\'][quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Nov 5 2003, 05:37 PM\'] Step 2
The correct rate:
The program in question is a 1 hour show (as opposed to 30 minutes or 2 hours, etc.). [/quote]
Just to be clear, according to this rule, would the three celebs working only the H2 portion get paid the same as the six who did the full hour?

If it were not for the change of clothes, they could have done the five half-hours of Match Game in one day, with just the ten new players, and then bring the winners back the next day for the H2 portion.  (I don't know this, but I assume they did the Family Feud Challenge this way.)[/quote]
In case you didn't hear Randy the first time:

The correct rate:
The program in question is a 1 hour show (as opposed to 30 minutes or 2 hours, etc.).

They get paid according to show length, not camera time, game play, words spoken, correct answers given, amount won by civilian contestants, etc. I thought this was made abundantly clear.

[Jimmy Owen]

You guys remember on the Tonight show when Ed McMahon ("Snap Judgment," "Whodunit") would announce the guest list for that evening and maybe Bert Convy ("Tattletales," "Super Password") would be skedded for the show.  So you stay up and it's 12:45 and still no Bert.  Then Johnny Carson ("Earn Your Vacation," "Who(m) Do You Trust") would say "We have run out of time, so we'll have to have Bert Convy on with us on a future date."  What then, my friends?  Should Bert get paid for his time in the green room?

[chris319]

Should Bert get paid for his time in the green room?

The question is DOES Bert get paid for his time in the green room? The answer is yes. He came to the studio, brought his own wardrobe, perhaps rehearsed a song, went through make-up and a pre-interview, and sat around waiting in the green room. It's not his fault that they mis-timed or overbooked the show. If you stiff your guests they're going to start turning down your booking offers.

[tvrandywest]

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Nov 6 2003, 03:14 PM\'] The question is DOES Bert get paid for his time in the green room? The answer is yes. [/quote]
 Chis is right.... (DING!)

A "booking" can only be cancelled 24 or more hours before the gig. Even if DeCordova's people called Convy's agent in the afternoon to say they overbooked that night, he'd still be paid. But by not coming in he would have missed the free booze   ;-)

The ONLY difference between being ON the show or sitting backstage: When/if the show is re-broadcast Convy would NOT get a residual from that episode.


Randy
tvrandywest.com

[chris319]

The ONLY difference between being ON the show or sitting backstage: When/if the show is re-broadcast Convy would NOT get a residual from that episode.

That, and he wouldn't see himself on TV :-)

[Dbacksfan12]

They were paid, more than likely, by check.

[DrBear]

[quote name=\'Dsmith\' date=\'Nov 6 2003, 11:07 PM\'] They were paid, more than likely, by check. [/quote]
 I've been WAITING for that line!

[mmb5]

To steer it slightly off topic, what was the taping schedule?  Did they actually do all 5 hours in one day, or was it spread over two?


--Mike