Match Game Audience Participation

[PartingGift]

To me, it seems strange to watch an episode of Match Game '74 where Gene Rayburn says, \"Dumb Dora is so dumb...\" and the audience does *not* say, \"How dumb is she?\"  When did the audience start participating?

(Perhaps I'm getting the wrong impression, but in later episodes of MG, I get the impression that Gene wished the audience had never started participating.)

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'PartingGift\' date=\'Jul 8 2003, 06:18 AM\'] To me, it seems strange to watch an episode of Match Game '74 where Gene Rayburn says, "Dumb Dora is so dumb..." and the audience does *not* say, "How dumb is she?"  When did the audience start participating?

(Perhaps I'm getting the wrong impression, but in later episodes of MG, I get the impression that Gene wished the audience had never started participating.) [/quote]
 I don't remember when it started (because I don't write down the airdates of every damned episode), but I do want to say I remember Gene guiding the audience into the \"How Dumb Is She?\" response the first couple times, in great detail (as you would expect from Gene trying to get a joke across.)

So if it seems in later years like he wishes the audience would shut up and let him get on with things, I'm fairly sure he brought it on himself.

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jul 8 2003, 10:26 AM\'][quote name=\'PartingGift\' date=\'Jul 8 2003, 06:18 AM\'] To me, it seems strange to watch an episode of Match Game '74 where Gene Rayburn says, \"Dumb Dora is so dumb...\" and the audience does *not* say, \"How dumb is she?\"  When did the audience start participating?

(Perhaps I'm getting the wrong impression, but in later episodes of MG, I get the impression that Gene wished the audience had never started participating.) [/quote]
I don't remember when it started (because I don't write down the airdates of every damned episode), but I do want to say I remember Gene guiding the audience into the \"How Dumb Is She?\" response the first couple times, in great detail (as you would expect from Gene trying to get a joke across.)

So if it seems in later years like he wishes the audience would shut up and let him get on with things, I'm fairly sure he brought it on himself. [/quote]
Me, I always thought he was joking whenever he ragged on the audience. He seemed to enjoy it when the audience chimed in, all on-key, instead of scattered yelling, at least that's the impression I'm getting from MG PM...I can't really remember, but did the audience yell back on MG/HS Hour as well?

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Jul 8 2003, 08:42 AM\'] Me, I always thought he was joking whenever he ragged on the audience. He seemed to enjoy it when the audience chimed in.



 [/quote]
 I'm sure he did. This is an old-time comic we're talking about, here, good audience response is right up his alley.

I can't really remember, but did the audience yell back on MG/HS Hour as well?

Never with the same aplomb as they did on MG '7x. I remember the first time a Dumb Donald question came up on MGHSH, and it was REALLY weak. So much so that Gene made 'em do it again. It got a LITTLE better, but it was never the everyone-at-once smash that it was on the old show.

[zachhoran]

Probably Mother McKenzie got into the act of shouting along with the audience on MGHS Hour, no? It was an NBC show at the height of MM's audience sweetening.