This Week's TV Game Show Almanac

[AH3RD]

JANUARY 18, 1982
 
TattleTales, Goodson-Todman's old 1974-78 CBS daytime Game Of Celebrity Gossip hosted by Bert Convy, returned to The Eye Network @ 4 p.m. Eastern, with Convy returning to his old position as emcee and Johnny Olsen announcing. CBS revived the game show in their dire need of a break for its 4:00 p.m. afternoon slot.

Save for new main title theme music, nothing about the game really changed. The set was a reworking of the 1970s original, and the game play remained the same: Convy would ask celebrity couples questions, sometimes very personal ones, and each couple represented one-third of the studio audience. In round one the wives appeared on stage while the husbands were secluded back stage listening to music through headphones to block out any noise they might have heard from the stage.

It is one of many G-T games to switch from "A Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Production" to "A Mark Goodson Production" (Todman having passed away in 1979), a transition first exhibited in Child's Play, which debuted on CBS in fall of 1982. CBS affilliates in New York and several other cities slotted TattleTales @ 12 noon. This new edition lasted 2 1/2 seasons until Friday, June 1, 1984, replaced the following Monday by Mark Goodson’s Body Language, hosted by Tom Kennedy. Host Convy would move on to host Goodson’s Super Password, which debuted on NBC that very fall, his best-remembered game show and his last project for Mark Goodson Productions.

[Don Howard]

Plus!
JANUARY 19, 1976 The $10,000 Pyramid becomes The $20,000 Pyramid. After seven weeks of being one hour in length, Wheel Of Fortune returns to a 30-minute format. The extra half hour is filled by (because you demanded it) the return of The Magnificent Marble Machine after two torturous weeks off the air.
JANUARY 18, 1993 Scrabble and Scattergories premiere at various times (10am in some cities, 11am in others, 3pm in others). Pink and blues bonus squares are added to the Bonus Sprint jackpot which began at 100,000 pennies.
JANUARY 18, 1988 $ale of the Century opens with "Thousands of dollars, this beautiful car, all up for grabs in our new Winners' Big Money Game" as it had for the past month. But who is this announcer? He is awesome. That's not Jay Stewart. What a dramatic style he has. Who is it? After Jim Perry is introduced, Jim says, "Thank you, Don Morrow" and the mystery is solved. It's the guy who sub-announced on Wheel Of Fortune in 1980 between Charlie O. and Jack Clark. Among Don's other work, he VO'd promos for Access: Hollywood which starred everyone's favorite: Pat O'Brien!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'AH3RD\' date=\'Jan 16 2005, 11:23 AM\'] Host Convy would move on to host Goodson’s Super Password, which debuted on NBC that very fall, his best-remembered game show

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[/quote]
Totally disagree with this assessment, and I think it shows a generational bias on the part of the OP. I think people my age and older, at minimum, know him MUCH better as the host of Tattletales than we do as one of the Password hosts.

[BrandonFG]

And I think folks in my generation would remember him much better from Win Lose or Draw, so YMMV.

[Robert Hutchinson]

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Jan 16 2005, 03:57 PM\']And I think folks in my generation would remember him much better from Win Lose or Draw, so YMMV.[/quote]

Ditto. Although, honestly, I don't really think of Bert Convy as being strongly remembered for any one game show in particular.

[zachhoran]

[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Jan 16 2005, 01:45 PM\']Plus!
JANUARY 19, 1976 The $10,000 Pyramid becomes The $20,000 Pyramid.

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[/quote]

We're two days late for this one, but January 14th was the 11th anniversary of Caesar's Challenge's final day on NBC, which left and still leaves TPIR as the only game show on network daytime.

[SRIV94]

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Jan 16 2005, 02:57 PM\']And I think folks in my generation would remember him much better from Win Lose or Draw, so YMMV.

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[/quote]
Compared to TT, I'm assuming your argument is (since SP and the first year and a half or so of syndie WLoD ran concurrently).

I guess this begs the question--what defines a generation?  Since TT (twice), WLoD and SP all ran within a 15-year period (1974-89, not counting Robb Weller's one year stint as host [and discounting Vicki's daytime run as well]), is it really fair to put some sort of generational division there?

Doug

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'SRIV94\' date=\'Jan 16 2005, 06:42 PM\']is it really fair to put some sort of generational division there?
[/quote]
Well, I was giving Aaron the benefit of the doubt by doing so, since I still easily associate Convy with Tattletales more than I do the other two shows, and I didn't want to come out and say he was full of crap based solely on my own opinion. (Even though a) I do think it's shared, and b) I think it was inappropriate for him to editorialize in that fashion in what really should be a straight reportage piece, but it's his party)

So if you want to put a generational division there, you allow Aaron an excuse for his claim, and if you don't, he's higher than a kite. Your choice.

[dave15292]

[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Jan 16 2005, 06:46 PM\'][quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Jan 16 2005, 01:45 PM\']Plus!
JANUARY 19, 1976 The $10,000 Pyramid becomes The $20,000 Pyramid.

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[/quote]

We're two days late for this one, but January 14th was the 11th anniversary of Caesar's Challenge's final day on NBC, which left and still leaves TPIR as the only game show on network daytime.

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Yeah, January 14, 1994 will always be known as "Black Friday" for GS fans.  It's been 11 years without a new daytime game show.  I wish GSN would obtain rights to Caesar's Challenge

[Robert Hutchinson]

[quote name=\'SRIV94\' date=\'Jan 16 2005, 08:42 PM\']Compared to TT, I'm assuming your argument is (since SP and the first year and a half or so of syndie WLoD ran concurrently).[/quote]

Well, I just never saw Super Password first-run, myself. Must've been something good on CBS in that time slot.

[Don Howard]

[quote name=\'Robert Hutchinson\' date=\'Jan 16 2005, 11:59 PM\'][quote name=\'SRIV94\' date=\'Jan 16 2005, 08:42 PM\']Compared to TT, I'm assuming your argument is (since SP and the first year and a half or so of syndie WLoD ran concurrently).[/quote]
Well, I just never saw Super Password first-run, myself. Must've been something good on CBS in that time slot.

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In my town, it was the local newscast of Newscenter 8 at Noon with Dick Russ and Lorie Vick. Dick would make a great game show host--not in Pat O'Brien's league of course.

[Jimmy Owen]

I remember Bert best for his work in "A Bucket of Blood" and "Act One."  Friday is a bad day for game shows.  They seem to always get cancelled on Fridays.

[mbclev]

[quote name=\'AH3RD\' date=\'Jan 16 2005, 01:23 PM\'][It is one of many G-T games to switch from "A Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Production" to "A Mark Goodson Production" (Todman having passed away in 1979), a transition first exhibited in Child's Play, which debuted on CBS in fall of 1982.
[/quote]
I think "Family Feud" removed Bill Todman's name from the closing credits before "Child's Play" did so.  "Feud" did it, I think, in June 1982.