Another of my long-standing interests is silent film and as improbable as it may seem, there are some parallels between these two areas:
--silent films and game shows have suffered extensive losses, either from neglect or deliberate destruction. As such, the question of exactly what survives is a common question in both groups of fans. Queries as to why and when these destructions took place are another frequent topic.
--both areas are fairly marginal in the public arena, aside from certain personalities & films/programs. More people will always know and care about "Jeopardy!" and Charles Chaplin than will ever be interested in "Now You See It" and Constance Talmadge.
--the economics of availability is another troublesome parallel between the two. Silent films on DVD rarely sell more than a few thousand copies, often making it difficult to justify releasing obscure films. Private viewings in archives and festival screenings can usually be arranged, but many hundreds of extant silents will likely never reach large audiences. In the same vein, GSN's repeats have never drawn the same kind of viewership that much of Nick at Nite's or TV Land's have. The investment required to license the more obscure game shows and transfer them to modern formats is unlikely to be recouped in any large way and the sheer number of episodes makes comprehensive DVD releases a dubious proposition.
It's hard to judge which group of fans is larger--silent films tend to get more mainstream respect and a surprising number of media write-ups, but OTOH game shows continue to be produced and attract new fans who may know little or nothing about the genre's history. Silent films *do* outnumber quiz shows in terms of books published and scholarly research conducted. Indeed, thanks to archival databases we actually have a pretty solid idea of which silents exist and which don't, but we're much less certain about many game shows.
