To straddle...or not to straddle....

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'scully24\' date=\'Jan 23 2004, 03:07 PM\'] I'm having trouble remembering, but on shows that straddled and had celebrities, what are the different ways they wrapped things up on the Friday shows, so that they could switch over to fresh celebrities for the next week? [/quote]
 Lotta times, they didn't. On the Passwords, they just finished the last puzzle of the day, left the game in progress, and they picked up with the new celebs next time. Ditto Match Game, I think.

[calliaume]

[quote name=\'scully24\' date=\'Jan 23 2004, 05:07 PM\'] I'm having trouble remembering, but on shows that straddled and had celebrities, what are the different ways they wrapped things up on the Friday shows, so that they could switch over to fresh celebrities for the next week? [/quote]
 On most shows (the various Passwords, Hollywood Squares, MG '7X, Magnificent Marble Machine, You Don't Say!, Showoffs), I don't believe it had an effect -- they just picked up where they had left off with new bodies in the chairs, regardless of whether it was a new game, the score was 18-7 or there were two circles and an X on the board.  (This was only a drag to the contestant whose partner had turned from Betty White to, say, Juliet Prowse.)

The only exception I can think of was Match Game '79-'82, where the proceedings were either rushed along or were allowed to drag in order to end the Friday show with the second game between a given set of contestants coming to its proper endgame conclusion.

[sshuffield70]

In the case of latter MG 7X, the show was structured that the week would end with the Super Match.  That was, of course, due to all the bicycling of the eps.  Which also explains why there was never a billboard of next week's celebs.

[Jay Temple]

I seem to recall at least one instance on MG7x where a game was interrupted at the end of Friday's show, and Gene said that a particular celeb did not play in Round 2 on Monday because the celeb in that spot matched in Round 1 on Friday (or maybe the other way around).

[melman1]

[quote name=\'Jay Temple\' date=\'Jan 23 2004, 09:44 PM\'] I seem to recall at least one instance on MG7x where a game was interrupted at the end of Friday's show, and Gene said that a particular celeb did not play in Round 2 on Monday because the celeb in that spot matched in Round 1 on Friday (or maybe the other way around). [/quote]
Happened quite often, yes.

sshuffield70, "MG7x" refers to the network run (Fall '73 to Spring '79).  The syndicated show where the tapes were bicycled around was the so called "Syndie MG" from Fall '79 to Spring '82.

[That Don Guy]

[quote name=\'calliaume\' date=\'Jan 23 2004, 06:12 PM\']On most shows (the various Passwords, Hollywood Squares, MG '7X, Magnificent Marble Machine, You Don't Say!, Showoffs), I don't believe it had an effect -- they just picked up where they had left off with new bodies in the chairs, regardless of whether it was a new game, the score was 18-7 or there were two circles and an X on the board.  (This was only a drag to the contestant whose partner had turned from Betty White to, say, Juliet Prowse.)
[/quote]
Reminds me of a Monday episode of The Magnificent Marble Machine when Jimmie Walker was a celebrity panelist; he made a (mock) big deal over the fact that he was already starting with something like a 3-0 lead (first to five wins) in the game in progress.

Personally, I prefer shows that don't straddle, unless they need to invent ways to prevent it.  (Classic Concentration, for example, would have been much better if the second game each day didn't end up with a "reveal the puzzle one square at a time until somebody buzzes in" situation.)

(Speaking of Concentration and buzzing in, does anybody remember what happened in the old Narz version if somebody buzzed in and didn't get the puzzle right?  I don't think it happened in the first two seasons, and that's all that ever aired in San Francisco.)

-- Don

[Jay Temple]

Some shows that had to straddle, in approximate order of how essential it was:

• Blockbusters
  
• The Joker's Wild
  
• Tic Tac Dough
  
• Password, all versions
  
• WWTBAM
• High Rollers
  
• Gambit
  

Shows that suffered in at least one incarnation because they didn't straddle:

• Hollywood Squares
  
• Concentration
  
• Lingo
  

Shows that don't absolutely need to be self-contained, but wouldn't be as good if they straddled:

• Jeopardy!--By playing out most of the board, it becomes something like a marathon.  
  
• Wheel of Fortune--You could make it the first to two or three puzzles, or a dollar figure, but that could take too long.
  
• Family Feud--Something about the 1970's scoring system and the current one just "works."
  

Shows that should always be self-contained:

• Pyramid, all incarnations  (A few games straddled, but those were variations from an established format.)
  
• all panel shows (TTTT, IGAS, etc.)
  
• all shows where two people try to match each other (Newlywed Game, I'm Telling)
  
• most shows w/o defending champions, most notably TPIR
• anything with a really big end game (Russian Roulette)
  

I've only seen one show that really worked both ways:  MG, though MGPM did have one flaw, which is having to rush through the tiebreaker in the 3-question version.

I've never thought that H2 really worked self-contained.  In order to make sure the last game(s) matter, they have to make them so big that the first games don't matter:
1000-0
2000-0
4000-0
4000-4000
tiebreaker
It would've worked better if they just allowed for the occasional blow-out.

[gameshowguy2000]

[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Jan 23 2004, 10:59 AM\'] [quote name=\'gameshowguy2000\' date=\'Jan 23 2004, 11:47 AM\'] Some episodes of TJW90 straddled? Are you talking about the second season shows?

 [/quote]
There was no straddling on the second season shows because a second season of the 1990s edition of The Joker's Wild was not produced.
Pat Finn's explanation at the end of those first and only season of shows where the Joker Machine game had to be played at the top of the next program was usually, "We've had so much fun with the new rules that we've run out of time". [/quote]
 Oh, sorry!

I thought the format change led to a second season! Forgive me!

Anyway, the format change led to the straddling, right? (Money to categories on the wheels for the Front Game)

[TLEberle]

I doubt it.  I think what happened is that a front game ran extra long one day, so they played the bonus the next day, and the next front game ended as time ran out.  So, they played the bonus game as the first business of each show for about two weeks, until a front game took up so little time that they could fit in the other bonus game.  One didn't cause the other, it just happened.

Travis

[Jimmy Owen]

Well, hello everybody and a very cordial welcome to the straddling post.  In my last post, I mentioned I would give an opinion on the topic at hand and I'll do that right after this.....No wait.  I'll do it now. I like straddling because it gives the viewer a reason to tune in again the next day, plus it allows for a game show to play out without rushing or slowing down so it can fit into a self contained half hour.