Characteristics of game shows based on the producer

[GameShowGuru]

One thing I learned in my years of watching game show is that certain producers have a distinguishing feature in their shows that serve as their "trademark" if you will.  So assuming a new game show came out, could you tell who produced it just by watching the game, or even listening to the theme music?  For example, the distinguishing features of:

Mark Goodson & Bill Todman: I don't have a specific distinguishing feature per se, but I noticed that they have the uncanny knack to revamp an otherwise solid game format into something radically different and the revamp is usually more successful than the original format (Match Game, Price is Right, Password)
Jack Barry & Dan Enright: Bonus game always have an "avoid the [devil/dragon/lightning/Bust Card]" feature attached, plus the theme songs are typically composed by Hal Hidey
Merrill Heater & Bob Quigley: Celebrity and Vegas themed games
Merv Griffin Productions: Not really sure offhand, but I'm sure someone here knows or can describe it more eloquently than I can.
Bob Stewart Productions: There's some rather clever variation of "Pyramid" as it's own game (I saw the "Raise the Dead" marathon, and I wasn't surprised that a number of the unsold pilots that were presented were Bob Stewart shows, though I think a few of them should have sold).
Chuck Barris Productions: There's either an anti-something element (Gong Show is the anti-talent show, $1.98 Beauty Show is the anti-pageant show, Cheap Show is the anti-big prize show), or a social relationship element (Dating Game, Newlywed Game, 3s A Crowd)
Jay Wolpert Productions: Games has some variation of a "Blind Item" element (Double Dare, Whew, Rodeo Drive, Blackout).

There's more, but I think you get the picture. 

Please folks, I know there will be shows that are exceptions for every producer, but I'm just looking for "the rule" (lest this thread get derailed by those wanting to qualify a distinguishing feature with a show that didn't fit the norm). 

Most importantly, have fun!

[TLEberle]

I would change H-Q to making game shows out of either simple games (Gambit, High Rollers) or larger than life sets (Marble Machine, Video Village, Hollywood Squares, and so on).

[clemon79]

Bob Stewart Productions: There's some rather clever variation of "Pyramid" as it's own game

This wants to be simplified to "*Really* likes word-communication games, because the content is far cheaper to produce." Jackpot being the exception, but even then 1,001 Childhood Riddles could be had for a comparative song at the local bookstore.

[TLEberle]

This wants to be simplified to "*Really* likes word-communication games, because the content is far cheaper to produce." Jackpot being the exception, but even then 1,001 Childhood Riddles could be had for a comparative song at the local bookstore.

Certainly the case after Pyramid picked up steam and he could write his own ticket, but Eye Guess, Three on a Match and TPIR fall outside the word game umbrella, and there was actually a prize budget on those shows so the frugality wasn't for his entire career as a producer, and that seems to be his trademark, second to He Gave Us Pyramid.

[TimK2003]

If a game show used trilons, then it was very good chance that it was Bob Stewart game. 

If it was a remake of an old classic show, and they butchered the hell out of a perfectly good format, then it's definitely a Fremantle show.

[JakeT]

I think what set G/T shows apart from many others was the liberal use of chaser lights, lots of moving set pieces and stuff like that...by the 70s, their shows tended to be much brighter and flashier than the competition...and I liked that a lot!

JakeT

[BrandonFG]

Barry-Enright had quite a few variants on popular games of the era.

With Merv Griffin, variants on popular board or newspaper games.

[SRIV94]

Chuck Barris Productions: There's either an anti-something element (Gong Show is the anti-talent show, $1.98 Beauty Show is the anti-pageant show, Cheap Show is the anti-big prize show), or a social relationship element (Dating Game, Newlywed Game, 3s A Crowd)

While it is true Barris and Chris Bearde both had a hand in GONG and they worked together a couple of times as a packager/producer combo, Barris had no involvement in "The Cheap Show."

[Dbacksfan12]

Reg Grundy--Copy formats from America and replicate them as closely as possible.

[TLEberle]

He also did a couple of formats here as well, y'know. And it's not like you could identify "Blankety Blank" as from Grundy's if you didn't know that ahead of time, which is the point of the "trademark," such as it was (like how on every B&E show the champion would walk across the stage to join the host near the game board to win stuff by dodging the resident bad guy, or Jay Wolpert's games are too clever by five-sevenths.)

/as a youth I associated the cold open with announcer over a timpani roll as the Grundy trademark.

[BrandonFG]

Barry-Enright awarded an inexpensive compact car for every five wins, and outside of Joker's Wild, it seems most of their syndicated shows allowed for unlimited reigns, although I think TJW dropped the winnings limit policy c. 1983.

Each producer seemed to have its stable of announcers, except for maybe Bob Stewart...

Goodson(-Todman)
-Johnny O.
-Gene Wood
-In the 80s, Rich Jeffries picked up a few gigs

Barry-Enright
-Jay Stewart
-Charlie O'Donnell

Chuck Barris
-Johnny Jacobs

Heatter-Quigley
-Kenny Williams

There were exceptions, obviously, but it seems those were the main guys from the 60s to mid-80s.

/I did think of Mark's one-liner about Reg Grundy

[Vahan_Nisanian]

On the old GSN boards I used to go to, someone characterized production companies by these trademarks:

Goodson-Todman: Simple premises with lots of play-at-home, "yell at the TV" qualities to them.
Bob Stewart/BASADA: Celebrity word games played on chintzy-but-attractive sets.
Barry & Enright: Straight-up Q&A formats steeped in the tradition of the '50s quiz shows, with only a few minor twists to them.

[BrandonFG]

On the old GSN boards I used to go to, someone characterized production companies by these trademarks:

{snip}

Barry & Enright: Straight-up Q&A formats steeped in the tradition of the '50s quiz shows, with only a few minor twists to them.

And overwritten questions...especially if a brand new Chevette was on the line. :-P

[Casey]

On the old GSN boards I used to go to, someone characterized production companies by these trademarks:

{snip}

Barry & Enright: Straight-up Q&A formats steeped in the tradition of the '50s quiz shows, with only a few minor twists to them.

And overwritten questions...especially if a brand new Chevette was on the line. :-P

And the host building artificial suspense into asking the question if it was for a win....
"If you answer this question correctly, you'll have Tic Tac Dough, you'll win your 8th game, and added to your prior winnings, you'll have $34000, including a car."

One thing I would attribute to B&E games more than any other production company was their mic'd judge, who would correct the host or make a ruling over the PA, rather than just telling the host.

[Chief-O]

Each producer seemed to have its stable of announcers, except for maybe Bob Stewart...

Disagree strongly; Jack Clark did a bit of his shows in the 60s and 80s. Bob Clayton was, undoubtedly, Stewart's preferred announcer in the 70s [unless the show was on NBC, in which case, he'd likely use Pardo]. In the 80s, it was usually [unless Jack Clark was available] Johnny Gilbert [though "Pyramid", as we all know, went through announcers like the Ninja Turtles went through pizza].