Best/Worst Hollywood Squares Hosts

[Matt Ottinger]

I have the best job...

This afternoon, at an open house in honor of WKAR's 50th anniversary, I got to spend some time talking with Caroll Spinney and his wife.  When they learned that I was not only a local host but a fan of game shows, they thoroughly enjoyed chatting about his various GS experiences.  I guess it beats being asked for the 912th time where Big Bird is.  (He doesn't travel with the bird suit, but he did bring Oscar along.)

Peter Marshall was Spinney's favorite of the Squares hosts, mostly for his ability to keep the game moving.  Spinney also had nice words for Tom Bergeron's wit and for the modern show in general, but I kind of got the impression he preferred the simplicity of the original show.  On the other hand, while he said John Davidson was a nice guy, he said that John was so bad at running the game that it would take them an hour to do a half-hour show (and this was back when you really, really tried to crank these things out live to tape).   Naturally, WE know how bad Davidson was from the stuff that DID air, but it was interesting hearing it from everybody's favorite eight-foot-tall, six-year-old canary.

He also had stories about his visits to To Tell The Truth and What's My Line, including how he accidentally disqualified Henry Morgan by introducing himself to Morgan before the show.  His wife Debi was a contestant on Three on a Match in 1973, and she also loved being able to talk about her experience with someone who knew what she was talking about.  She thinks she has some audio tape of her appearances (she was on for six days!) and if she can find them, I'll be happy to make copies and get them on the circuit.

Amazingly, they don't have any video of his appearances, but they will soon.  That's right, I now have Big Bird's home address.

I have the BEST job...

[inturnaround]

I am a huge Muppet fan, so I read your story with great interest. Carroll Spinney is a legend who gets almost no recognition. When he was announced as the graduation speaker at Villanova University this year, some students complained because he was "just a guy in a bird suit", but he's so much more than that. I'm fairly certain I learned more from Big Bird than I ever did in kindergarten or First grade.

He's been on "Sesame Street" for over 35 years now and he's only just begun taking on an apprentice. Matt Vogel plays Big Bird in the "Journey to Ernie" segments and the occasional Street segments (Vogel also is the understudfy for Spinney's other character Oscar the Grouch) and while you can notice a bit of a voice difference if you're paying attention, Spinney has done a good job of training the young man.

Sorry if this post is a whole lotta nothing, but Carroll Spinney is, to me, a living legend. Very few people cause that reaction in me, but he's certainly one. One of these days I want to pick up his book "The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch)".

You should see his art...

[whewfan]

I know this is veering a little off topic, but I remember meeting Big Bird as a young boy. My Mom and Dad took me someplace where he happened to be, and he did speak to me. (So this isn't some other guy in a knockoff Bird outfit, this was the real deal) Also, in 4th grade, I had met Roscoe Orman, who's played Gordon for 31 years, and more recently, Kevin Clash (the puppeteer of the ever present Elmo)

To steer this on topic of game shows, what other muppets have appeared on game shows?

Kermit the Frog- HS (Bergeron), TTTT 2k, Family Feud (Louie Anderson, along with Sweetums and the cast of Muppets Tonight)
Miss Piggy- HS (Bergeron, sometimes with Kermit)
Elmo- HS (Bergeron of course)
Big Bird and Oscar (all three versions of HS, Big Bird was also on WML and Carol appeared as himself on Moore TTTT, as previously posted)

[mystery7]

No "nothing" about it, man. Carroll Spinney is one of those people who's so identified with doing just one thing (or two in this case) people have no idea that there's a whole 'nother person outside that suit who's talented in ways they'd never imagined. When people find out, they're floored.

If you remember the episode of Sesame Street where Mr. Hooper died, there was a picture of Mr. Hooper that Big Bird drew for everyone. The real artist behind that picture: yup, Carroll Spinney.

I'll have to look for that book, and suggest "Sesame Street Unpaved" to you in the meantime, if you haven't read it already. Great behind-the-scenes stories.

Just about everyone on Sesame Street has hidden talents, but I'll save them for off-forum chat if you're so inclined.

[inturnaround]

In 2001, an all Muppet team headed up by Kermit played the Dixie Chicks on Louie Anderson's Family Feud.

Among the Muppets involved were: Kermit, Johnny Fiama, Sal, Pepe, Mo the Frackle, Dr Phil Van Neuter and Sweetums.

I mention this again because there's a great write up about it here.

Kermit has also played Who Wants to be A Millionaire.

The Bear in the Big Blue House, while not technically a Muppet, was a regular visitor on the Bergeron Squares and was created by Jim Henson's company.

[tvwxman]

Michi-Matt, thank you for the best post of the week. That story was fantastic.  Being in TV has been very good to me in terms of 'hanging' with tv folk who both inspired me growing up, AND encourage me today to continue on my craft.

Meeting Carroll Spinney wouldn't cut it for most. For others, like myself, tapping into one man's personal history of televsion, AND getting some great game show stories out of it, is huge.

Just to say "I have Big Bird's home address" though, is the LINE OF THE DAY!

Connecti-Matt

[mystery7]

I'll second all that from wxman's post (except possibly the "TV has been good to me" part), and add to inturnaround's:

Kermit has done the Bergeron Squares too, with Miss Piggy if I remember.

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'tvwxman\' date=\'Jun 19 2004, 10:00 PM\'] Michi-Matt, thank you for the best post of the week. That story was fantastic.  Being in TV has been very good to me in terms of 'hanging' with tv folk who both inspired me growing up, AND encourage me today to continue on my craft.

Meeting Carroll Spinney wouldn't cut it for most. For others, like myself, tapping into one man's personal history of televsion, AND getting some great game show stories out of it, is huge.

Just to say "I have Big Bird's home address" though, is the LINE OF THE DAY!

Connecti-Matt [/quote]
 Thanks, Matt.  I actually spent a lot more time with his wife, who obviously didn't have as many obligations at the event and ended up hanging with me on the QuizBusters set.  We talked about all sorts of stuff related to the Muppets, game shows, and those wonderful moments when the two collide.  We talked about how Jim Henson was often fairly uncomfortable in ad-lib situations like game shows, and how, for all Henson's genius, Steve Whitmire is probably better at that sort of thing today.  We talked about how Spinney thinks of Big Bird as being a little older ("more like twelve") when he plays Squares.  I reminded her of some of the rules to Three on a Match she had forgotten.  We talked about her mother's experience on -- of all things -- Merv Griffin's Word for Word.  An afternoon I'll never forget.

All this of course while I'm supposed to be greeting everyone as your genial quizmaster, when the kids were really there to see teenagers dressed as Clifford and Arthur.