Author Topic: Hypothetical situation #2 (Read 2061 times)

Winkfan · « **on:** July 11, 2004, 04:09:11 PM »

It's 1980-81 and you're Match Game producer Ira Skutch. You notice that panelist Charles Nelson Reilly has been asking to 'get Bess Myerson/Arlene Francis/Kitty Carlisle/other' to replace Brett. Everyone else on the show has been treating it as joke, but then you start to think that maybe Charles just might be serious. What can you do? Do you continue to treat this matter as a joke, or do you actually decide to fufill Charles' wishes and fire Brett?

If I were Ira, I'd keep Brett and fire Charles instead for coming up with that 'running gag;' which I think died from the start.

Cordially,
Tammy Warner--the 'Susan Stafford of the Big Board!'

chris319 · « **Reply #1 on:** July 11, 2004, 04:11:46 PM »

I was there at the time. You treat it as the gag that it is.

melman1 · « **Reply #2 on:** July 11, 2004, 05:07:38 PM »

Chris, any other thoughts on how the attitudes on the set changed over the years? CNR clearly became less flamboyant and more cranky - sometimes it worked but often it didn't. They never really found anyone to fill the role that Dawson had in the early years. Especially in the last season, Rayburn often looked like he had no one to play off of, and was clearly tired of the "Dumb Dora"-style questions. The only running gags that seemed to consistently hit the mark were Dawson's "ladies' man", "Old Man Periwinkle" and the lovely "motel in Encino"... all of which faded away several years before the end of the run.

BrandonFG · « **Reply #3 on:** July 11, 2004, 05:11:54 PM »

[quote name=\'Winkfan\' date=\'Jul 11 2004, 03:09 PM\'] It's 1980-81 and you're Match Game producer Ira Skutch. You notice that panelist Charles Nelson Reilly has been asking to 'get Bess Myerson/Arlene Francis/Kitty Carlisle/other' to replace Brett. Everyone else on the show has been treating it as joke, but then you start to think that maybe Charles just might be serious. What can you do? Do you continue to treat this matter as a joke, or do you actually decide to fufill Charles' wishes and fire Brett?
[/quote]
Keep Brett...she and CNR had a great "love-hate" relationship, and played off each other very well. You couldn't ask for a better chemistry. Well, you could, but you know what I mean. :-)

whewfan · « **Reply #4 on:** July 11, 2004, 06:35:12 PM »

Clearly CNR meant it as a joke, and Brett KNEW it was a joke.
If you watch MG 90, you'll see how weak he was without Brett next to him. He couldn't play off of Ilene Graff or Shelley Taylor Morgan any better than he could've played off with Kitty, Arlene or Bess. (Considering MG is too unsophisticated for all three of them, even though Arlene did play the game twice. Once during MG 73 and once during MG 78).
During the 3 weeks Brett was on MG 90 was when CNR was at his best, and as a result, MG was much more fun to watch.
CNR even playfully suggested firing Brett during MG 90.

I don't think Dawson's departure affected the game that much. Richard was pretty much a non-entity the final 4 weeks he was on the show, so really his leaving the show was more a relief than a concern. They wisely decided not to sign a new regular, with some effectively filling the void (Dick Martin, Bill Daily, Mc.Lean Stevenson, Bill Cullen, Bob Barker) and some misses (Raymond Burr, Ken Olfson)

MCArroyo1 · « **Reply #5 on:** July 11, 2004, 10:15:15 PM »

[quote name=\'whewfan\' date=\'Jul 11 2004, 05:35 PM\'] They wisely decided not to sign a new regular, with some effectively filling the void (Dick Martin, Bill Daily, Mc.Lean Stevenson, Bill Cullen, Bob Barker) and some misses (Raymond Burr, Ken Olfson) [/quote]
I hope I'm not missing the point, but McLean WAS hired as a regular for most of the final season (81-82), correct?

melman1 · « **Reply #6 on:** July 11, 2004, 10:28:04 PM »

Yes, Stevenson was more or less a regular in the final year. And as much as I loved his humor, more often than not he was dull as a dishrag on MG. The other semi-regular was Bill Daily, whose wacky/neurotic act just didn't play well.

JasonA1 · « **Reply #7 on:** July 11, 2004, 10:54:27 PM »

Quote

Considering MG is too unsophisticated for all three of them, even though Arlene did play the game twice. Once during MG 73 and once during MG 78

Oh, such a "Match Game" collector as yourself leaves out weeks? :) Seriously though, she played at least once more in 75 and you can check the ep. guides to find them all out surely. Arlene was as free-wielding, and perhaps moreso, than any other new guest during the week I watched her in.

As for McLean, when he was on, and interested, I thought he was great. Just a quiet, sarcastic sense of humor that fit for me. He and Gene just talking sometimes was enough even if the audience didn't laugh.

-Jason