Semi OT: Game Show host guest star

[gsgalaxy82]

For anyone interested, Celebrity Sweepstakes host Jim McKrell will do a two episode guest apperance on reruns of Dallas on Soapnet, ABC's 24 hour soap opera network, Thursday and Friday, at 1 pm and 6 pm (same episode at both times). The episodes aired in January of 1982, quite awhile after his last game show gig I believe. He did try and start a acting career sometime after that, from what I've heard.

Thought I'd pass it along!
David

[zachhoran]

[quote name=\'gsgalaxy82\' date=\'Jan 8 2004, 02:13 AM\'] For anyone interested, Celebrity Sweepstakes host Jim McKrell will do a two episode guest apperance on reruns of Dallas on Soapnet, ABC's 24 hour soap opera network, Thursday and Friday, at 1 pm and 6 pm (same episode at both times). The episodes aired in January of 1982, quite awhile after his last game show gig I believe. He did try and start a acting career sometime after that, from what I've heard.

Thought I'd pass it along!
David [/quote]
 Later in the 80s, he did a small role in Michael J. Fox's Teen WOlf movie and as a game show host on an episode of the GOlden Girls, as well as doing a few unsold GS pilots and his Sweethearts and Couch POtatoes announcing gigs.

[aaron sica]

And now this thread has me wondering something, picking my brain trying to remember..

At the time, I had no idea who Jim McKrell was, but he played HIMSELF on a show that used to run on Nickelodeon back in the late '80s (circa 1987/1988). It was part of some anthology series that ran on Nickelodeon back then where they showed specials......The episode w/ McKrell was made in the mid/late '70s..

I'm trying to remember the name of it,  but it had to do with a teenage girl who won some kind of contest or something like that, and she got to meet Jim McKrell....That's about all I remember - I'd love to see it again, but I don't remember the name of it....Even a search at us.imdb.com came up blank

[Don Howard]

[quote name=\'aaron sica\' date=\'Jan 8 2004, 07:32 AM\'] And now this thread has me wondering something, picking my brain trying to remember..

At the time, I had no idea who Jim McKrell was, but he played HIMSELF on a show that used to run on Nickelodeon back in the late '80s (circa 1987/1988). It was part of some anthology series that ran on Nickelodeon back then where they showed specials......The episode w/ McKrell was made in the mid/late '70s..

I'm trying to remember the name of it,  but it had to do with a teenage girl who won some kind of contest or something like that, and she got to meet Jim McKrell....That's about all I remember - I'd love to see it again, but I don't remember the name of it....Even a search at us.imdb.com came up blank [/quote]
I remember this. The program you're thinking of first ran as an installment on the ABC Afterschool Special in the late 1970s. It was a breath of fresh air as it was one of the few afterschool specials that didn't deal with divorce or some kid dying.

[calliaume]

[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Jan 8 2004, 07:27 AM\'] [quote name=\'gsgalaxy82\' date=\'Jan 8 2004, 02:13 AM\'] For anyone interested, Celebrity Sweepstakes host Jim McKrell will do a two episode guest apperance on reruns of Dallas on Soapnet, ABC's 24 hour soap opera network, Thursday and Friday, at 1 pm and 6 pm (same episode at both times). The episodes aired in January of 1982, quite awhile after his last game show gig I believe. He did try and start a acting career sometime after that, from what I've heard.

Thought I'd pass it along!
David [/quote]
Later in the 80s, he did a small role in Michael J. Fox's Teen WOlf movie and as a game show host on an episode of the GOlden Girls, as well as doing a few unsold GS pilots and his Sweethearts and Couch POtatoes announcing gigs. [/quote]
 Here's his IMDB list.

I've been lucky enough to have occasional contact with Jim (although we haven't touched base in awhile) -- he got in touch with me after finding my Celebrity Sweepstakes page and had some contributions and corrections.  (That page has been a magnet; Ralph Andrews and a Burt Sugarman representative found it, too!)

The reason he didn't do as much hosting after Celebrity Sweepstakes ended was because he wanted to give acting a whirl, and NBC wouldn't let him do both.  (He doesn't know why, either.)  He actually got a hint the show would end sooner than anyone else; not long after buying a new house in 1976, NBC contacted him about hosting a new pilot -- never a good sign.

Anyway, last I heard he was still living and working in Houston.  Good guy.

And on to the question everyone asks:  he doesn't have any more Celebrity Sweepstakes episodes than the rest of us do.

[GSWitch]

[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Jan 8 2004, 06:27 AM\'] Later in the 80s, he did a small role in Michael J. Fox's Teen WOlf movie and as a game show host on an episode of the GOlden Girls. [/quote]
 I love that Golden Girls episode, Grab That Dough!  Jim McKrell was great on that episode.

JIM:  Finish this well known saying, "Better Late Than..."
(Rue rings in)
RUE:  PREGNANT!

JIM:  It's an electric skillet!  It frys, it boils, it bakes...
BEATRICE:  It stinks!
JIM:  My apologies to the Quick Fry Corporation.

[uncamark]

And while we're at it, a few weeks ago in the regular rotation of the 70s syndie "LMAD"s on GSN, Monty introduced in the audience "a young man who's become a big star" named Jim McKrell.  He stood up and took a bow--dressed as a guava.

Kidding about the last part of that sentence.

[cmjb13]

JIM:  Finish this well known saying, "Better Late Than..."
(Rue rings in)
RUE:  PREGNANT!

Jim: That is not correct, but certainly not untrue.

JIM:  It's an electric skillet!  It frys, it boils, it bakes...
BEATRICE:  It stinks!
JIM:  My apologies to the Quick Fry Corporation.

IIRC, it was Fry Quick