Betty White: "Kids Don't Get It"

[William A. Padron]

Well, today's (Tuesday 6/15/2010) New York Post has a brief article about Betty White's comments during an episode of The View she appeared on, and in regards to the claim that "technology is to blame for ruining game shows like Password."  Take a read at this, and already there is a comment (not too pleasant though) towards Betty herself.

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/k...CG8Xt2k5NTbTv8I

[Matt Ottinger]

Whenever I think this forum gets out of hand with rude remarks, I read the comments section of...practically anything.

[WarioBarker]

I applaud Betty here. She's definitely right -- technology is fine when used properly, but an over-reliance on it means that game shows today are nowhere near as physical as they used to be. One could argue that some of them are not as fun as they used to be, either (2:1 odds somebody says Wheel Of Fortune...which means I said it, which means I win).

But I think technology is only partly to blame for ruining game shows like Password. While there are many other things to blame -- dark sets, moody music, and FILLER! being very high up there -- there is the matter (where applicable) of Fremantle somehow thinking that they have to change time-tested formats to appeal to the modern generation (Exhibit A: Temptation).

I wish Fremantle could understand that a solid game, inviting set, warm host, great music package, and brilliant execution will appeal to the young ones...not screaming morons, horrid emcees, soul-less music, barely-lit sets, and bastardized style-over-substance "gameplay".

[Mr. Armadillo]

[quote name=\'Dan88\' post=\'242502\' date=\'Jun 15 2010, 08:17 AM\']I wish Fremantle could understand that a solid game, inviting set, warm host, great music package, and brilliant execution will appeal to the young ones[/quote]

You seem to be under the assumption that young ones care about a solid game, inviting set, warm host, great music package, and brilliant execution.  That could be the source of the misunderstanding right there.

She says Password moves too fast for young people nowadays...if anything, it's too slow.  In the space of one given clue and one guess, they've sent four text messages to their friends about how lame this show is.  Twenty-somethings just have much better ways to spend their weekends than sit in front of their televisions and see if Craig Ferguson can guess whether the password is 'Calm' or 'Yellow'.

To my generation, TV is for entertainment and explosions, not cerebral anything.  You want to say that the 21st century isn't passing game shows by...but what does Jeopardy! or Password gain from being displayed in Glorious Hi-Def on a 63-inch plasma?  A lot less than pretty much anything else does, that's what.  

(Granted, I'm not sure they care about any of the crappy stuff we're getting today either...but it's easier to produce, so that's what we get.)

/Okay, not all twenty-somethings
//I know I'd be riveted

[1984Gameshowsfan]

I have to say i'm in my mid twenties, and I love watching classic game shows for various reasons, while none of them have to do with music, gameplay, or other factors, they are important to make a show better. The main reasons why I watch classic game shows(on Youtube and GSN, on occasion) are because they're fun, they're great entertainment, they're great time capsules(when I watch one for example I tend to get a sense of what things in the world and country were like in a certain period).

Also I don't mind usually today's technology to make shows that are still on the air better, Wheel Of Fortune for example has gotten better since they introduced the Million Dollar Wedge(at least IMO) and the touch screen puzzle board; however there are drawbacks to technology, like Temptation or Card Sharks 01, I think bringing back a show like it used to be, old music, partly old set, but with new technology is just fine; for example if Concentration were ever to come back, you could use a wall of video monitors for the puzzle board, I would have no problem with it.

I kind of agree with the fact that Password moves a bit too slow, I tended to like Password Plus/Super Password more than the original because the later shows have more of a play along element; Password was a game that came about when the country was a lot simpler, no computers, no internet, nothing like that, I think of Freemantle had brought back Password the right way, it would have worked out a lot better. My format for Million Dollar Password might have been something like a Pyramid style format, play a Super Password type format, then(if it got a regular timeslot) you could have maybe contestants who win five games go on to a Million Dollar Tournament; if it was like it was and the show aired every so often, maybe you could have still had a Super Password type main game and then a tougher alphabetics/super password in stages, maybe to win a million dollars you would have to get 10 words in 45 seconds(or 35 seconds to make it really tough).

As for shows that I watch besides game shows, I watch ESPN Classic and most sports channels every so often, maybe sometimes Boomerang or Cartoon Network(although at this point there are only two shows on that network that I watch); I despise most of the talk shows that are on, mostly Maury and Jerry Springer(although after watching the the two of them host game/reality shows, America's Got Talent for Jerry and Twenty One for Maury, I think the two of them should end their talk shows and start hosting game shows; but again that's just me); there are a few talk shows that I really find enjoyable(Ellen particularly, she's hillarious).

Frankly speaking I think Freemantle could do a lot better job of reviving shows though, and I wish they would do a better job with most of their shows.

[geno57]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'242501\' date=\'Jun 15 2010, 07:36 AM\']Whenever I think this forum gets out of hand with rude remarks, I read the comments section of...practically anything.[/quote]

I absolutely detest reading comments from people who barely have three brain cells to rub together.  Consider the source, I suppose.  The New York Post.  Yeesh.

[J.R.]

It's funny because it's true: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19/ (Possibly NSFW)

[chad1m]

As a "young person" and a former contestant, I've put up a special About.com blog with my response to Betty's remarks.

[WarioBarker]

[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'242524\' date=\'Jun 15 2010, 05:11 PM\']As a "young person" and a former contestant, I've put up a special About.com blog with my response to Betty's remarks.[/quote][quote name=\'1984Gameshowsfan\' post=\'242512\' date=\'Jun 15 2010, 12:33 PM\']{awesome, awesome post}[/quote]
I found myself agreeing, nearly 100%, with both of you. Two very valid, very well-presented, viewpoints.

Now, I don't think Million-Dollar Password was the best revival, but the young ones today generally won't watch a show unless it has tons of suspense through "NOW NOW NOW" pacing...even though I (a young one) prefer a slower game with the stuff I mentioned earlier in this thread.

/My opinion's worth two pennies.
//And I've got plenty of pennies.

[LetsGoMets2003]

You know why I still watch game shows at 23 years of age? Very simple answer!

They're fun. When I'm feeling down, bored or anxious (and who isn't these days), I know I can turn on The Price is Right or Wheel of Fortune or Millionaire and "escape" from how I'm feeling. I've always believed that shows like TPiR...how do I put this...the reason why Drew and Bob have done so well is because that show is just plain fun. Like Bob has said, it's a big party.

Could I do without "Million Dollar Hangman" as a viewer? Yes. Then again, if I ever get on Wheel...a million bucks may not be so bad. And call me old-fashioned, but I never tweeted or texted while watching MDP....I was glued to it - except when Shatner did so poorly.

Look, game shows can add all the bells and whistles (and buzzers) they want; as long as you see people being happy and having fun, that's all that really counts. I know Betty would love for us to go back to the golden age, but it's tough because technology is advancing and the teens today (most of them, anyway) care about what Disney stars are being churned out next. I think, if Betty is saying technology is "ruining" game shows, sadly, it's "ruining" pretty much everything in society, as others have noted.

Thank god for technology, though, because we can see Betty, Allen, etc. any time we want.

EDIT / PS: Awesome response, Chad!

[Joe Mello]

[quote name=\'LetsGoMets2003\' post=\'242551\' date=\'Jun 16 2010, 04:03 AM\']and the teens today (most of them, anyway) care about what Disney stars are being churned out next.[/quote]
Though, I feel this was always the case in some form or another.

[Ian Wallis]

I kind of agree with the fact that Password moves a bit too slow, I tended to like Password Plus/Super Password more than the original because the later shows have more of a play along element; Password was a game that came about when the country was a lot simpler, no computers, no internet, nothing like that, I think of Freemantle had brought back Password the right way, it would have worked out a lot better. My format for Million Dollar Password might have been something like a Pyramid style format, play a Super Password type format, then(if it got a regular timeslot) you could have maybe contestants who win five games go on to a Million Dollar Tournament; if it was like it was and the show aired every so often, maybe you could have still had a Super Password type main game and then a tougher alphabetics/super password in stages, maybe to win a million dollars you would have to get 10 words in 45 seconds(or 35 seconds to make it really tough).

While I like watching reruns of the original Password, I agree that the '60s and '70s style game is too slow for today's audiences.  One thing that bugged me about Million Dollar Password is that, after the excitement of watching first-run episodes again wore off, the hour sometimes seemed hard to get through.  I've heard comments like this from other fans on this forum in the past.  If this is coming from us game show lovers, it's no surprise that Mr. Joe Average out there didn't make it a must-see.

If they try this again in the future I hope they go back to the past and maybe add a puzzle to determine the winner - I think that would have made the show more interesting and gotten home viewers to play along more.

[TimK2003]

[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' post=\'242686\' date=\'Jun 17 2010, 03:13 PM\']I kind of agree with the fact that Password moves a bit too slow, I tended to like Password Plus/Super Password more than the original because the later shows have more of a play along element; Password was a game that came about when the country was a lot simpler, no computers, no internet, nothing like that, .[/quote]


I agree on "Original Recipe" Password being too slow.  But once the game show scandal of the 50s hit, most games were simply that:  simple parlor games.  When Password Plus premiered, there was always a secondary puzzle associated with each 'password' -- it was either part of a clue to a puzzle, or it was one item in a list of 10 that were in alphabetical order.  

What hooked me into game shows when I was a kid was the colors, the lights, the music and the familiar celebrities that seemed to skip around from show to show each week.  Nevermind if I understood the game at the time or not, to me they were just faster-moving shows that were 'adult versions' of kid shows found on PBS.  I learned things about people, places and history.  

When most shows now are done on dark stages, with limited colors, lights, and host-announcer interaction, I just don't see it as appealing to the younger crowd because if they want lights, color, cool music and familiar faces -- they just flip on their X-Box.  

Newer game shows need to take a step back to the days of the 70s when creating their shows.  Today's longest-running game shows were around in the 70's and for the most part, they have retained their 70's "feel" with the necessary 21st-century adjustments. And with a few exceptions, all of these workhorses have and still do crank out the episodes in just about the same amount of time as the show's length.

[Jimmy Owen]

Maybe it's because I really got into game shows in 1975, but I liked the format used for All-Stars, if not with all stars.

[Neumms]

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'242726\' date=\'Jun 18 2010, 09:32 AM\']Maybe it's because I really got into game shows in 1975, but I liked the format used for All-Stars, if not with all stars.[/quote]

I just liked the arrow that popped up when a player buzzed in. And its "bwoooop!" sound effect.

Back to the post, it would be easier to buy the "it moves too slow" argument if Deal or No Deal and 5th Grader among others didn't move glacially slowly. And $1M Password did well initially and probably deserved a chance to come back for a third run in the summertime. What killed it wasn't that the young people couldn't play along. I think a lot of it was the editing--every game felt exactly the same, Regis wasn't as loose as he is on Millionaire and with Kelly Lee, fakey reaction shots. And that's where they could learn from the shows in the 70s.