New Buzzr lineup effective 9/30

[calliaume]

Make it four. Wasn’t he also on Empty Nest?

Yep. He played Dinah Manoff’s character’s artist boyfriend for a season, IIRC.

He did everything.  Half-season sitcom with Brian Keith (The Pursuit of Happiness), and also combined with Teri Polo to replace Rob Morrow in the last season of Northern Exposure.

[PYLdude]

My main criticism with the show has always been with the Hollywood Squares portion. I never liked the idea of a win by default but here, considering the pacing

Considering what, though? I can see the point of wanting to award money to people as quickly as possible, and as much as I like the comedians being funny where the game dropped its leg of the couch, something has to move the game along and making sure that a game won't go more than nine questions helps.

Correct. Which is why I conceded it as a necessary evil. (Sorry I didn't respond right away, somehow I missed this.)

With that settled, why couldn't they just do a simple 2 out of 3 match, or 3 out of 5?

If they had it where Match Game was two rounds and Hollywood Squares was best of three you have the issue where three games happen every two shows. Whether that's a terrible thing is up for debate (it certainly wouldn't feel as draining) they probably have to go back to the old 500-250-100 payoffs for Audience Match and a top payoff of $15,000 which isn't as eye-watering as thirty grand in daytime.

I don't know... you raise a good point; maybe there just wasn't a solid way to do HS at that juncture.

Speaking of, one thing I seem to notice more and more...is it just me or does that HS setup look incredibly cramped?

was Tom Kennedy too busy hosting nothing I can recall? Would Bert Convy not pick up the phone? I realize that Peter Marshall was PNG at that point but my GORD there had to be someone else in the stable to handle that portion.

Bert was doing Tattletales when the show launched. Tom wasn't but if I had to venture a guess, maybe he felt burned out a bit.

So who did that leave? Could that have been an excuse to try a young John Davidson?

[JasonA1]

Could that have been an excuse to try a young John Davidson?

FWIW, John Davidson is about 6 years older than Jon Bauman. At the time MGHSH launched, he already had his syndicated talk show behind him and "That's Incredible" still on the air.

-Jason

[ivoryman1986]

In addition, Bert was ineligible to appear on this show anyhow since his daytime series was on another network. Tom Kennedy was still semi-retired when the MG/HS Hour premiered. Now for Bill Cullen, when he appeared, he was billed as "From Hot Potato", considering it was previewed to debut the following week. A question for Matt Ottinger, when Bill was introduced for the Hollywood Squares portion, do you recall if he and 2 other celebrities already seen seated when the Hollywood Squares setting was unveiled?

[Adam Nedeff]

was Tom Kennedy too busy hosting nothing I can recall? Would Bert Convy not pick up the phone? I realize that Peter Marshall was PNG at that point but my GORD there had to be someone else in the stable to handle that portion.

Bert was doing Tattletales when the show launched. Tom wasn't but if I had to venture a guess, maybe he felt burned out a bit.

So who did that leave? Could that have been an excuse to try a young John Davidson?

It wasn't really a matter of who was available and who wasn't. Somebody at NBC was really high on Jon Bauman, and part of the deal for this show was that Goodson HAD to use Bauman for the Squares half.

Speaking of, one thing I seem to notice more and more...is it just me or does that HS setup look incredibly cramped?

A friend attended a taping as a child. He vividly remembers Gene Rayburn visibly sucking in his gut just to sit down. So yes, cramped.

[BrandonFG]

Speaking of, one thing I seem to notice more and more...is it just me or does that HS setup look incredibly cramped?

That's something I've noticed about quite a few older shows that were shot/filmed in 4:3, and weren't converted to 16:9 or widescreen. Having seen a few studios in person, I was always blown away by how small they were in person. Watching older shows in 4:3, I no longer get that optical illusion.

[tvmitch]

In addition, Bert was ineligible to appear on this show anyhow since his daytime series was on another network. Tom Kennedy was still semi-retired when the MG/HS Hour premiered. Now for Bill Cullen, when he appeared, he was billed as "From Hot Potato", considering it was previewed to debut the following week.

As an aside, can everyone just take a moment to imagine Bill hosting the HS portion of this show?

It would have been magnificent. 15 questions per show? Ha ha!

[JMFabiano]

Say what you will about the fee plug cuts, but they look a lot better when Buzzr does them, usually.  Not as abrupt/sloppy as GSN's back in the day.

/There's also not getting credit crunches as a result, allegedly, but another story for another day....

[PYLdude]

It wasn't really a matter of who was available and who wasn't. Somebody at NBC was really high on Jon Bauman, and part of the deal for this show was that Goodson HAD to use Bauman for the Squares half.

For some reason I imagined the conversation consisting of NBC going to Goodson and saying "okay, we'll let you tinker with a format that worked well for us for fourteen years, but we get to pick who hosts it."

Speaking of, one thing I seem to notice more and more...is it just me or does that HS setup look incredibly cramped?

A friend attended a taping as a child. He vividly remembers Gene Rayburn visibly sucking in his gut just to sit down. So yes, cramped.

I wasn't even thinking about the panel side of the stage. Yikes.

And everything looks so big on TV.

[TLEberle]

Speaking of, one thing I seem to notice more and more...is it just me or does that HS setup look incredibly cramped?

You would know better than I about the magic of TV sets looking big on TV but in fact being small. When the HS winner gets up to go meet Gene for the Super Match it looks like they are wedged between the chair and desk because the set is so low to the ground.

So who did that leave? Could that have been an excuse to try a young John Davidson?

Trying to think of some off-the-board names that had been proven at that point, maybe Geoff Edwards. I guess.

[Chief-O]

So who did that leave? Could that have been an excuse to try a young John Davidson?

Trying to think of some off-the-board names that had been proven at that point, maybe Geoff Edwards. I guess.

Personally, I could see Geoff having done a good job with any form of HS. He was busy with "Starcade" at that time, though.

[Matt Ottinger]

A question for Matt Ottinger, when Bill was introduced for the Hollywood Squares portion, do you recall if he and 2 other celebrities already seen seated when the Hollywood Squares setting was unveiled?

We've talked about this elsewhere, but as long as my name was invoked, I'll see if I have it right.  I've never seen Bill's shows, and I'm on record as being terribly excited for them to come up.  I believe the conventional wisdom (and the distant memories of at least one member here) is that Bill played the Match Game portion all week so that they wouldn't have to face that Hollywood Squares issue in the middle of the show, and he was introduced already standing beside the panel so that he (naturally) wouldn't have to make the long trip across the stage.  Hopefully we'll see for ourselves in just a few weeks!

[Bob Zager]

I did see some episodes of Bill Cullen on MG-HS Hour, where he was introduced just like Matt had assumed.  I would imagine he played the first half each day, and if not, somebody on the bottom row may have let Bill take his/her seat, and moved up to the top row.  There were two other celebrities who were introduced but did not walk onto the stage setting.  One was George Gobel (maybe vision problems, I don't know for sure), and David L. Lander, who was in the early stages of Multiple Sclerosis (according to a People magazine article years later).

[JMFabiano]

I did see some episodes of Bill Cullen on MG-HS Hour, where he was introduced just like Matt had assumed.  I would imagine he played the first half each day, and if not, somebody on the bottom row may have let Bill take his/her seat, and moved up to the top row.  There were two other celebrities who were introduced but did not walk onto the stage setting.  One was George Gobel (maybe vision problems, I don't know for sure), and David L. Lander, who was in the early stages of Multiple Sclerosis (according to a People magazine article years later).

Did you?  Remembering from the NBC airings, or is someone out there holding out on us? 

Elsewhere it's theorized that Nedra Volz was on Match Game every day of her week so she wouldn't have to climb a lot of steps.  So I'd imagine Bill got to play MG all week too. 

Anyone know/remember if Lander and Gobel also stayed on the MG panel for the duration of their weeks?  Volz for her other weeks even? 

Speaking of, one thing I seem to notice more and more...is it just me or does that HS setup look incredibly cramped?

See, I thought they did a good job making it look like the grid we all know and love.  All camera work of course.    Still, Gene walking between the upper MG tier and the lower one made me clausterphobic. 

[Bob Zager]

I did see some episodes of Bill Cullen on MG-HS Hour, where he was introduced just like Matt had assumed.  I would imagine he played the first half each day, and if not, somebody on the bottom row may have let Bill take his/her seat, and moved up to the top row.  There were two other celebrities who were introduced but did not walk onto the stage setting.  One was George Gobel (maybe vision problems, I don't know for sure), and David L. Lander, who was in the early stages of Multiple Sclerosis (according to a People magazine article years later).

Did you?  Remembering from the NBC airings, or is someone out there holding out on us? 

Elsewhere it's theorized that Nedra Volz was on Match Game every day of her week so she wouldn't have to climb a lot of steps.  So I'd imagine Bill got to play MG all week too. 

Anyone know/remember if Lander and Gobel also stayed on the MG panel for the duration of their weeks?  Volz for her other weeks even? 

I remember from the NBC airings themselves.  However, I was just looking at an episode on YouTube. The still image of Rayburn on the telephone caught my attention.  But when playing it, George Gobel DID walk on stage to the middle level, apparently with a cane.