A MGHS Hour question...

[Steve_Bier]

Having become addicted to the of this show on BUZZR, I have a question regarding the set. When Gene Rayburn and Jon Baumann are introduced, they walk down a set of steps in the middle of the flashing marquee. However, there are steps on the right and left side, as well. Is this just for decorative purposes, or were these originally intended to be used during the intros?

[TLEberle]

I only see those two middle pieces of the light wall split open so it stands to reason that people behind them will enter that way--maybe it's for symmetry's sake? I don't have the pilot episode(s) nor was I present for any rehearsals.

[Neumms]

Huh. I'll be darned. The other steps would allow each to walk out his own door, so maybe they wanted that as an option?

[JMFabiano]

Another question....as we saw (I believe for the first time) the MG tiebreaker on last night's show...it made me wonder: did a game ever go to 6-6 early (i.e. before round 3) on MG/HS? 

[whewfan]

James,

I read somewhere that they did have a game end before round 3, and I think they had a high school band or something like that play to kill the time between MG and HS.

[JasonA1]

Matt, you've had a pretty bad track record with this stuff lately - where in the heck would you have read that?

-Jason

[TLEberle]

Matt, you've had a pretty bad track record with this stuff lately - where in the heck would you have read that?

If he's right I presume it would have been re-told as well, or we'll get to it.

Why not just add that time back to Hollywood Squares which could have used it?

[calliaume]

Why not just add that time back to Hollywood Squares which could have used it?

Not enough questions written?  I assume there was an allotment for a certain number of questions within the HS portion of the show; they probably wrote about 20 percent more than that as a safety.

[JakeT]

I read somewhere that they did have a game end before round 3, and I think they had a high school band or something like that play to kill the time between MG and HS.

For a game to have ended before round 3 (and without any 3rd round played), this would have required a 6-6 tie in round 1, resolved with a 1 round tiebreaker...considering the writing of the MG questions in this version, I have serious doubts of this occurring...and they definitely could have found much better easier ways to kill the time...

And I have to ask...where would a high school band have suddenly come up with their instruments while sitting in the studio audience?

JakeT

[Loogaroo]

Three staircases along the wall look like a interesting feature on the set. One staircase along the wall looks like a tongue that spits the hosts out onto the stage.

[whewfan]

Matt, you've had a pretty bad track record with this stuff lately - where in the heck would you have read that?

-Jason

Not sure I can pull out a source that I read years ago. Maybe it wasn't because the game was over in 2 rounds, but for some other reason the game ended much faster than anticipated. Now that I think of it, the game couldn't end with just two rounds played, because the trailing player would still play a question in round 3 if they didn't catch up to the other in round 2.

[whewfan]

Okay... I have pulled up a source that might be of some redemption...

"Dave Zinkin said on ATGS he remembered a 6-6 tie after 2 rounds of MG on MG/HS. Instead of playing a normal MG tiebreaker, they played the sudden death tiebreaker that MG/HS used, and then the show had cheerleaders in the audience to come on stage to show some cheerleader moves. Mike Miller, associate producer of MG/HS and Super Password, remembered the cheerleaders coming on stage between shows on MG/HS when interviewed in the September 1986 issue of The TV Game Show Magazine"

So I was wrong about the high school band, but it seems there was this time killer that happened when only 2 rounds of MG needed to be played. I don't know why they didn't play a third round as a tie breaker, as I think that would've made more sense. Maybe the official rules were that a 6-6 tie would be broken with the fill in the blank with 4 possible choices for that fill in, regardless if it happened in round 2 or 3.

[TLEberle]

It sounds like they were playing the game by the time table of three people playing two questions, because the odds of three people matching everyone in round one are so tiny that you wouldn't plan for it--if one person gets everyone then have Gene stretch when canvassing the answers. If you have an entire round of the game disappear that is a large news hole to fill if there's no content available for it.

Presumably if it sticks around we'll get to that episode in due time.

[whewfan]

I suppose they wanted to give both shows equal time, but the extra time could've also been used to play more HS questions (providing the panel doesn't eat up that time with other schtick or contemplating their responses.) The answer writing for Match Game was also almost always edited out completely, but that's probably for the best as 9 times out of 10 nothing notable happened during those times.

[JMFabiano]

Okay... I have pulled up a source that might be of some redemption...

"Dave Zinkin said on ATGS he remembered a 6-6 tie after 2 rounds of MG on MG/HS. Instead of playing a normal MG tiebreaker, they played the sudden death tiebreaker that MG/HS used, and then the show had cheerleaders in the audience to come on stage to show some cheerleader moves. Mike Miller, associate producer of MG/HS and Super Password, remembered the cheerleaders coming on stage between shows on MG/HS when interviewed in the September 1986 issue of The TV Game Show Magazine"

So I was wrong about the high school band, but it seems there was this time killer that happened when only 2 rounds of MG needed to be played. I don't know why they didn't play a third round as a tie breaker, as I think that would've made more sense. Maybe the official rules were that a 6-6 tie would be broken with the fill in the blank with 4 possible choices for that fill in, regardless if it happened in round 2 or 3.

I got this same answer too...that's all I'll say about that.