Author Topic: Most obscure game shows (Read 72956 times)

golden-road · « **Reply #75 on:** July 05, 2011, 07:38:34 PM »

Quote from: fostergray82 on July 03, 2011, 11:28:29 AM

MTV's had a few obscure ones as well...one that comes to mind is Kidnapped c. 2002, which was actually a pretty fun show.

I remember it too, with VJ-reject Dave Holmes. You had three friends, one was "kidnapped", and the other two had to answer questions and do stunts to raise enough points (or money on occasion) to "free" her and win a big prize. Otherwise all three had to perform some humiliating task.

JasonA1 · « **Reply #76 on:** July 05, 2011, 07:42:13 PM »

Sadly taking a trip out of the neat and/or 70s realm, there was a kids game show Discovery aired at one time (late 90s IIRC) called "Zap It." It was a rather quiet and generic quiz with a remote control nomenclature. Contestants chose channels for questions, and could "rewind" or "fast forward" with their remote to gain advantages. Here's more information, but having seen a show or two when it aired, I'm not surprised or miffed at the lack of circulating episodes. They used the rather odd mechanic of a wrong answer (or unsuccessful stunt) giving the points to each of your opponents.

-Jason

JasonA1 · « **Reply #77 on:** July 05, 2011, 07:45:40 PM »

Quote from: golden-road on July 05, 2011, 07:38:34 PM

Quote from: fostergray82 on July 03, 2011, 11:28:29 AM
MTV's had a few obscure ones as well...one that comes to mind is Kidnapped c. 2002, which was actually a pretty fun show.
I remember it too, with VJ-reject Dave Holmes.

I only caught a segment once, but I remember the really neat eggcrate display - big numbers, and staggered, to fit a ransom note-type feel.

-Jason

WarioBarker · « **Reply #78 on:** July 05, 2011, 09:17:45 PM »

Quote from: Ian Wallis on July 05, 2011, 05:38:16 PM

...but if we're listing series with no known video or audio is available, I'll start with a few off the top of my mind:

Snap Judgement

Here's an opening on audio:

There was also an audio recording of a Big 5 playing on YouTube at one point. Archival Television Audio, Inc. holds the August 19, 1968 episode (also on audio).

Quote from: fostergray82 on July 05, 2011, 07:05:53 PM

Jason mentioned at the top of the thread he's seen an episode [of Shopper's Casino], and I've seen the show listed on one or two tape trading lists. That's definitely A/V evidence.

By all accounts, the episode in question aired September 8, 1987...and I've heard that the commercials are just as bad.

While I'd love for it to be on YouTube, I'm pretty sure I know why it isn't -- nobody wants to be the one who uploads it.

Chief-O · « **Reply #79 on:** July 05, 2011, 10:35:41 PM »

Quote from: JasonA1 on July 05, 2011, 07:42:13 PM

Sadly taking a trip out of the neat and/or 70s realm, there was a kids game show Discovery aired at one time (late 90s IIRC) called "Zap It." It was a rather quiet and generic quiz with a remote control nomenclature. Contestants chose channels for questions, and could "rewind" or "fast forward" with their remote to gain advantages. Here's more information, but having seen a show or two when it aired, I'm not surprised or miffed at the lack of circulating episodes. They used the rather odd mechanic of a wrong answer (or unsuccessful stunt) giving the points to each of your opponents.

Better than what I remember about the show---which was, that it seemed quite lame. Of course, I was a few years older than the key demographic by that time.

There was another kids' show I remember called "Scramble", hosted by an ex-NFL player whose name I'll have to find out.....[ETA: Randall Cunningham, says this page]

TimK2003 · « **Reply #80 on:** July 05, 2011, 11:04:18 PM »

So George Schlatter has most, if not all, episodes of "Laugh In" preserved on tape. Does anyone know if the game show spinoff "Letters To Laugh In" was preserved on tape by Schlatter as well?

Granted it didn't last as long as it's parent show, nor was it as good, but one would wonder if George made an effort to keep his other work from the NBC bulkers?

Tim L · « **Reply #81 on:** July 05, 2011, 11:21:34 PM »

Quote from: alfonzos on July 05, 2011, 07:25:05 PM

Quote
WEWS-TV 5 aired A Local Game Show, "Quick As A Wink" from September 14, 1964 to March 12, 1965.
I was seven years old when this aired and I remember it vividly. Four contestants watched a blank screen. Whenever a picture would appear on the screen for a split second, the player who buzzed in first won $5 in the first round, $10 in the second round. The winners from Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday would face-off on Friday.

Thanks for that memory..BTW, I miscounted..It was a 26 week series rather than 13..

golden-road · « **Reply #82 on:** July 06, 2011, 01:44:41 AM »

Quote from: JasonA1 on July 05, 2011, 07:45:40 PM

Quote from: golden-road on July 05, 2011, 07:38:34 PM
Quote from: fostergray82 on July 03, 2011, 11:28:29 AM
MTV's had a few obscure ones as well...one that comes to mind is Kidnapped c. 2002, which was actually a pretty fun show.
I remember it too, with VJ-reject Dave Holmes.

I only caught a segment once, but I remember the really neat eggcrate display - big numbers, and staggered, to fit a ransom note-type feel.

-Jason

In fact...:
http ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb_-PViuAnw
http ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv2m4kKSEbo
http ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MevdutC-_io

davemackey · « **Reply #83 on:** July 06, 2011, 11:24:21 AM »

Until I read of its original host's death, I had never heard of the Massachusetts quiz bowl show "As Schools Match Wits" - it was actually cancelled a few years ago but is now back on the air since '07 or so. "As Schools Match Wits" premiered the same year that "It's Academic" did, 1961.

Jamey Greek · « **Reply #84 on:** July 06, 2011, 01:29:46 PM »

Pop N' Rocker Game as well as the BET Game Shows including Family Figures

MyronMMeyer · « **Reply #85 on:** July 06, 2011, 06:03:31 PM »

How about Plugged In, the game show for girls from the early days of the Oxygen network. It was supposed to be a "girl power" quiz show, but it quickly (d)evolved into a stunt show.

It was featured on the This American Life episode "Quiz Show". I've never found any video, but I did see a brief mention on the internet once that speculated part of the problem was that they were casting girls based on looks rather than quiz ability.

PYLdude · « **Reply #86 on:** July 07, 2011, 12:48:08 AM »

What about Think Twice? Short-lived, weekly, and I don't even think it was carried nationally.

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #87 on:** July 07, 2011, 10:28:06 AM »

Quote from: PYLdude on July 07, 2011, 12:48:08 AM

What about Think Twice? Short-lived, weekly, and I don't even think it was carried nationally.

Well, only in the sense that PBS shows aren't "carried nationally" the way other network shows are. PBS tries to get its member stations behind a common prime time schedule, and Think Twice was part of that schedule for its brief run. However, the locals have more latitude about scheduling or even carrying PBS shows than their commercial counterparts, and certainly there may have been a few more holdouts than usual for an untested game show with an unknown host. Bluntly, an unknown African-American host.

alfonzos · « **Reply #88 on:** July 07, 2011, 05:24:28 PM »

Who Knows You Best? A then co-worker invited me to the taping of the pilot.

Joe Mello · « **Reply #89 on:** July 07, 2011, 11:44:01 PM »

I was going to suggest The Pennsylvania Game, but Penn State's PBS station still has videos of it and it apparently ran for 10 years, so maybe that's not all that obscure.

I remember that my first taste of Joe Fowler was when he did the hosting for the Family Channel's kids competition series Maximum Drive. It was mostly offroad racing (watersports popped up on occasion), and the teams involved competed throughout the series. Good to know that the ARGO still exists.