Game Show Guts & Gadgetry

[mystery7]

The first things that attracted me to game shows  back when I was a little Devil were the lights and the sounds. Naturally, I've developed a thirst for knowledge about such things. So, a couple questions. Bear with me. Some have more than one part, so I'll give you some extra time to answer them.

- Who's responsible for the choice of sound effects on a game show? The producers probably have a say in some of the synthesized/digital effects these days, but back in "bell and buzzer" times, do (did) the producers decide on those too or could there have been network/studio forces that dictated which bell to use or how a buzzer sounded?

- Where did those bells and buzzers come from, anyway? Sure, you can go to the Depot and spend $10 for a doorbell that sounds a lot like something you'd hear on an old show, but how often do you find the exact same kind of buzzer they used for Pyramid back in the '80s, for example?

- I know about the various Ferranti-Packer displays that Feud, Chain Reaction, etc. used to use for scores and gameboards, but no research I've done can turn up the name of the company who builds the "eggcrate", the Helvetica of game show displays. I'd love a little history on that.

- I was amazed at how well TPiR Live in Atlantic City worked with the software written for each of the games. Will Television City migrate to using some sort of "Gamerunner" software eventually, where Roger & Co. can run every single pricing game from one PC rather than having to drag out this control board for that game and that control board for the other game? Hey, they're finally using a Chyron, so there's hope yet!

[DrBear]

One question about a computer-run set ... what would the union rules be on that?

[Chief-O]

- Who's responsible for the choice of sound effects on a game show? The producers probably have a say in some of the synthesized/digital effects these days, but back in "bell and buzzer" times, do (did) the producers decide on those too or could there have been network/studio forces that dictated which bell to use or how a buzzer sounded?
Well, the studios probably have their whole stock libraries of sounds. Notice how NBC had THEIR distinct sounds, CBS had theirs...

- Where did those bells and buzzers come from, anyway? Sure, you can go to the Depot and spend $10 for a doorbell that sounds a lot like something you'd hear on an old show, but how often do you find the exact same kind of buzzer they used for Pyramid back in the '80s, for example?
They may have had them recorded and put on Mackenzie tapes back then. As for the devices that made the sounds, well, they probably tuned the buzzers to produce different sounds. As for the TPIR bell, well, it came from something similar to this device.

- I know about the various Ferranti-Packer displays that Feud, Chain Reaction, etc. used to use for scores and gameboards, but no research I've done can turn up the name of the company who builds the "eggcrate", the Helvetica of game show displays. I'd love a little history on that.
For hopefully the last time I'll have to say it [], it's Ferranti-PACKARD. As for the eggcrates, I believe the only people making them now may very well be CBS themselves.