Bob Stewart....

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'The Ol' Guy\' date=\'Jun 29 2004, 03:53 PM\']Heavens..between Rich Kline's alleged profane outbursts, Bob Stewart's hellfire storms and Dawson's hissy fits, no wonder it's hard to get live audiences for game shows. Sounds like sitting in on some game shows could be classified as hazardous duty... :-)[/quote]
Not to mention, in a related category, Eric Leiber's spats with Chuck Woolery over interview treatment on "Love Connection."

But I have the feeling that Robair is probably the most correct here--the stormy argument is probably more the exception than the rule in game show tapings--and I have the feeling that Kline didn't turn on the studio PA when he was cursing like a sailor--but the crew hearing it was enough to file a union grievance.

[adamjk]

Did that happen on the set of Win Lose or Draw out of curiosity?

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'adamjk\' date=\'Jun 30 2004, 02:30 PM\']Did that happen on the set of Win Lose or Draw out of curiosity?[/quote]
It was "Bullseye" when it was taped at NBC.  Supposedly, the show was thrown out of NBC and Kline banned from the building for the incident--which doesn't explain how Kline was able to call "Hot Potato" a few years later at NBC, unless he wasn't in the booth and Dan Diana was doing the actual directing, but they contractually had to use his name (and that sounds very fishy to me).

[SRIV94]

[quote name=\'Robair\' date=\'Jun 30 2004, 06:59 AM\'] In my times in Hollywood at many game show tapings (about 30 or so), the most violent act I ever witnessed was Rip Taylor ripping off his toupee. [/quote]
 You were in the SP audience when Rip ripped off the toupee?  I'm impressed.  (Or did he do that on more than one occasion and I just missed it?)

Doug

[tvrandywest]

[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Jun 30 2004, 10:26 AM\'] Not to mention, in a related category, Eric Leiber's spats with Chuck Woolery over interview treatment on "Love Connection." [/quote]
From the well over 1,000 episodes of TV I've worked I can tell you that it's rare to have the big blow-up that holds our fascination in this thread in front of an audience. As I said near the top, the pressure and stakes are high and that makes for screaming matches in offices and control rooms. Sometimes the best "show" is on the PL headsets.

But there is one producer who is legendary in town for regular outbursts when and where he sees fit without much regard to being overheard by the audience or staffers/crew. As his name has already been invoked, yes, Eric Leiber is "da man". During Chuck Woolery's Group W talk show he fired several segment producers right on the set during commercial breaks when the preceeding interview didn't work well. And he did it all in easy earshot of the audience. Trying to divert attention and keep the atmosphere light while the the foul language was reverberating through Tribune Stage 9 was one of the tougher warm-up experiences I remember.


One more anecdote on topic. The first time I saw a well known host frustrated to anger while standing on set with the audience present was memorable. There was a series of unexpectedly lengthy technical delays during which the host would have preferred to step off-stage but was asked several times by the director to stay on his mark expecting that the problem would be resolved "any second". The host felt it made him look bad to stand there, and he was not in the mood to join me and do some audience Q&A which would have been the usual option in such a situation.

When the director finally declared that he was ready, the host felt it was appropriate to show his strength by now making the director wait for him! He called me over to his podium, covered his mike, and engaged in a whispered conversation with me. We just stood there chit-chatting about nothing in particular for about 2 minutes while everyone now waited for him. He finally said. "OK Randy, that was probably enough to make my point. Let's get back to work".

There is often quite a bit of drama backstage and in the booth at your favorite shows, but these kinds of things playing out in front of an audience is rare.


Randy
tvrandywest

[tyshaun1]

And of course there's the word from David Hammett that when some of the new neon squares burned out during a taping of PYL, Peter cursed like a sailor during the delay and ended up leaving the studio with Rod to go get lunch, causing the taping to be delayed until the next day. Bottom line: Everyone's not going to get along with their co-workers everyday. Such is life.

Tyshaun

[adamjk]

[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Jun 30 2004, 04:02 PM\'] [quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Jun 30 2004, 10:26 AM\']
.One more anecdote on topic. The first time I saw a well known host frustrated to anger while standing on set with the audience present was memorable. There was a series of unexpectedly lengthy technical delays during which the host would have preferred to step off-stage but was asked several times by the director to stay on his mark expecting that the problem would be resolved "any second". The host felt it made him look bad to stand there, and he was not in the mood to join me and do some audience Q&A which would have been the usual option in such a situation.

When the director finally declared that he was ready, the host felt it was appropriate to show his strength by now making the director wait for him! He called me over to his podium, covered his mike, and engaged in a whispered conversation with me. We just stood there chit-chatting about nothing in particular for about 2 minutes while everyone now waited for him. He finally said. "OK Randy, that was probably enough to make my point. Let's get back to work".

There is often quite a bit of drama backstage and in the booth at your favorite shows, but these kinds of things playing out in front of an audience is rare.


Randy
tvrandywest [/quote]
 Out of curiosity Randy, what show and host was this?

[dzinkin]

[quote name=\'adamjk\' date=\'Jun 30 2004, 10:48 PM\'] Out of curiosity Randy, what show and host was this? [/quote]
 Adam, I suspect that Randy would have shared those bits of information if he'd felt free to do so.  Unfortunately there's this little matter of, oh, being able to continue working. :-)

[adamjk]

Point taken

[tyshaun1]

[quote name=\'adamjk\' date=\'Jun 30 2004, 09:51 PM\'] Point taken [/quote]
 Well just take into account who we know Randy's worked with: Chuck Woolery, Wink Martindale, Ryan Seacrest, Todd Newton, David Ruprecht, Bob Barker, George Gray, and Anne Robinson. That should you help you out. A little.

Tyshaun

[tvrandywest]

[quote name=\'tyshaun1\' date=\'Jun 30 2004, 06:59 PM\'] Well just take into account who we know Randy's worked with: Chuck Woolery, Wink Martindale, Ryan Seacrest, Todd Newton, David Ruprecht, Bob Barker, George Gray, and Anne Robinson... [/quote]
... and Dick Clark, Pat Finn, Alan Thicke, Ray Combs, Mark Wahlberg, Maury Povich, Gary Collins, Marc Summers, Pat Bullard, Jerry Springer, Charles Nelson Reilly, Ron Maestri, Wil Shriner, Rosie O'Donnell, Mark Goodman, Fred Willard...

Did you think I was gonna make it easy?    ;-p


Randy
tvrandywest.com

[Jimmy Owen]

[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Jun 30 2004, 11:44 PM\'] [quote name=\'tyshaun1\' date=\'Jun 30 2004, 06:59 PM\'] Well just take into account who we know Randy's worked with: Chuck Woolery, Wink Martindale, Ryan Seacrest, Todd Newton, David Ruprecht, Bob Barker, George Gray, and Anne Robinson... [/quote]
... and Dick Clark, Pat Finn, Alan Thicke, Ray Combs, Mark Wahlberg, Maury Povich, Gary Collins, Marc Summers, Pat Bullard, Jerry Springer, Charles Nelson Reilly, Ron Maestri, Wil Shriner, Rosie O'Donnell, Mark Goodman, Fred Willard...

Did you think I was gonna make it easy?    ;-p


Randy
tvrandywest.com [/quote]
 I never would have guessed Ron Maestri.  He seemed so mild-mannered on the air.

[TimK2003]

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Jul 1 2004, 12:01 AM\']
I never would have guessed Ron Maestri.  He seemed so mild-mannered on the air. [/quote]
Damn!  My money was on Jerry Springer.  

To have a director or producer blow up on the set of one of his shows, it could mean chairs flying, obscenities, and audience members getting so far out of control, they would have to have on-camera security to keep things in check!!

I'm glad that Jerry has kept the integrity of wholesome, family entertainment alive for so many years.  :-p

[Steve Gavazzi]

[quote name=\'TimK2003\' date=\'Jul 1 2004, 08:41 AM\'] To have a director or producer blow up on the set of one of his shows, it could mean chairs flying [/quote]
 Only if it's Bill Shatner.

[chris319]

After Randy's comments about chair-throwing, on-set-firing producers from Hades, I have to put in a good word for the anti-Lieber: the team of Ira Skutch and Bobby Sherman. Bobbby's talent for organization and Ira's superior people skills made for some of the smoothest-running game show units going, notably Match Game, Blockbusters I and Tattletales (with the help of Paul Alter). Talented chaps all; it was fun working with them.