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Author Topic: Battle of the NBC Stars  (Read 10897 times)

jalman

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Battle of the NBC Stars
« on: August 01, 2003, 01:13:00 AM »
I caught this on the TVBarn Ticker and wanted to share it w/ the GSF because our Matt, our esteemed dicta..er, moderator, and others had such warm memories of the original \"Battle of the Network Stars\":

NBC Village announcement

Here are some pics
« Last Edit: August 01, 2003, 01:18:39 AM by jalman »

Timsterino

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Battle of the NBC Stars
« Reply #1 on: August 01, 2003, 01:23:23 AM »
Interesting but not the same in my opinion. It loses something for me if it is just one network against itself. Part of the allure of the original specials was the networks competing against each other.

Thanks for sharing the links!
Tim :-)
« Last Edit: August 01, 2003, 01:24:32 AM by Timsterino »

SplitSecond

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Battle of the NBC Stars
« Reply #2 on: August 01, 2003, 01:42:58 AM »
Say it with me:

\"Who?\"

clemon79

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Battle of the NBC Stars
« Reply #3 on: August 01, 2003, 02:17:12 AM »
[quote name=\'SplitSecond\' date=\'Jul 31 2003, 10:42 PM\'] Say it with me:

"Who?" [/quote]
 Wow, ain't that the truth. When Lopez and Burns are your two biggest names, you're not casting very well.
Chris Lemon, King Fool, Director of Suck Consolidation
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SplitSecond

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Battle of the NBC Stars
« Reply #4 on: August 01, 2003, 02:40:43 AM »
But at least they're going with the Red Team and the Blue Team as a historic reference to the Red and Blue Networks that comprised the east coast operations of NBC in its infancy.  These guys sure know their NBC history backwards and forwards.

dmota104

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Battle of the NBC Stars
« Reply #5 on: August 01, 2003, 06:10:30 AM »
Quote
Interesting but not the same in my opinion. It loses something for me if it is just one network against itself. Part of the allure of the original specials was the networks competing against each other.

Agreed.  I bet Howard Cosell is turning over in his grave.

Matt Ottinger

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Battle of the NBC Stars
« Reply #6 on: August 01, 2003, 10:06:15 AM »
Well, \"Blue Team\" and \"Red Team\" notwithstanding, color me disappointed.  Surely TWI is not so bereft of talent that this is the best they could come up with.  And if this is the best they can do star-wise, then maybe the original Battles were simply a product of their time after all, and today's TV climate really is too different to expect to see Bradley Whitford and Jane Leeves in a Kayak relay.

Still, everything about the press release suggests that the modern keepers of the franchise have absolutely no clue what made the originals such a success.   The appeal was in playing up the rivalries between networks (even if it was all a put-on) and making big stars look real.  There's no rooting interest when two teams are divided arbitrarily, there are no big stars, and there's nothing \"real\" about a 10,000 foot swing off a cliff and something called \"Mountain Bowling\".

The host of the original was the biggest and best known sports announcer of his day.  For the modern version?  Yet another Access Hollywood correspondent nobody's heard of.  And how hard up must they have been for talent when, in a cast of nine players (why does the blue team have an extra?) one of your \"stars\" is a supporting player from a failed show NBC cancelled LAST year?
« Last Edit: August 01, 2003, 10:09:53 AM by Matt Ottinger »
This has been another installment of Matt Ottinger's Masters of the Obvious.
Stay tuned for all the obsessive-compulsive fun of Words Have Meanings.

dzinkin

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Battle of the NBC Stars
« Reply #7 on: August 01, 2003, 11:04:47 AM »
[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Aug 1 2003, 09:06 AM\'] There's no rooting interest when two teams are divided arbitrarily, there are no big stars, and there's nothing "real" about a 10,000 foot swing off a cliff and something called "Mountain Bowling". [/quote]
 Perhaps they should hold a seance, revive the spirit of Milton Berle, and do \"Mountain Jackpot Bowling.\"

Hey, can't be worse than the \"Battle\" sounds already...

catkins522

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Battle of the NBC Stars
« Reply #8 on: August 01, 2003, 11:32:30 AM »
Quote
Well, \"Blue Team\" and \"Red Team\" notwithstanding, color me disappointed.

Yeah.  I know, we will put them into a gold or silver wrestling outfits.  They will compete.  However, some muscle fit people will stop them, like pulling them down, tackle them, or joust them.  I think there is a referee....

Wait.....never mind....

Charles
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clemon79

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Battle of the NBC Stars
« Reply #9 on: August 01, 2003, 11:41:06 AM »
[quote name=\'SplitSecond\' date=\'Jul 31 2003, 11:40 PM\'] But at least they're going with the Red Team and the Blue Team as a historic reference to the Red and Blue Networks that comprised the east coast operations of NBC in its infancy.  These guys sure know their NBC history backwards and forwards. [/quote]
 Now let's test YOUR (the global YOUR) NBC History IQ....

How did the Red and Blue networks get those designations?
Chris Lemon, King Fool, Director of Suck Consolidation
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BrandonFG

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Battle of the NBC Stars
« Reply #10 on: August 01, 2003, 11:46:58 AM »
[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Aug 1 2003, 10:41 AM\'] [quote name=\'SplitSecond\' date=\'Jul 31 2003, 11:40 PM\'] But at least they're going with the Red Team and the Blue Team as a historic reference to the Red and Blue Networks that comprised the east coast operations of NBC in its infancy.  These guys sure know their NBC history backwards and forwards. [/quote]
Now let's test YOUR (the global YOUR) NBC History IQ....

How did the Red and Blue networks get those designations? [/quote]
 Doesn't it go back to the days when NBC started off in radio?

IIRC, wasn't NBC Red was the radio operation, and NBC Blue was TV, or something to that effect?
"They're both Norman Jewison movies, Troy, but we did think of one Jew more famous than Tevye."

Now celebrating his 22nd season on GSF!

jalman

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Battle of the NBC Stars
« Reply #11 on: August 01, 2003, 12:02:28 PM »
[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Aug 1 2003, 11:41 AM\'] [quote name=\'SplitSecond\' date=\'Jul 31 2003, 11:40 PM\'] But at least they're going with the Red Team and the Blue Team as a historic reference to the Red and Blue Networks that comprised the east coast operations of NBC in its infancy.  These guys sure know their NBC history backwards and forwards. [/quote]
Now let's test YOUR (the global YOUR) NBC History IQ....

How did the Red and Blue networks get those designations? [/quote]
 What do I win, Chris?  What DO I WIN?

Ahem...

BrandonFG

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Battle of the NBC Stars
« Reply #12 on: August 01, 2003, 12:08:06 PM »
[quote name=\'jalman\' date=\'Aug 1 2003, 11:02 AM\']What do I win, Chris?  What DO I WIN?

Ahem...[/quote]
Damn I was wrong.
"They're both Norman Jewison movies, Troy, but we did think of one Jew more famous than Tevye."

Now celebrating his 22nd season on GSF!

Matt Ottinger

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Battle of the NBC Stars
« Reply #13 on: August 01, 2003, 12:37:00 PM »
The significant portion, for lazy people:
Quote
In fact, NBC operated two networks: NBC Blue, headed by station WJZ, and NBC Red, headed by WEAF. This situation arose, due to NBC then owning two stations in New York (WEAF and WJZ). WEAF and the 'Red' Network became the flagship network and offered most of the established shows--and advertisers, and the 'Blue' Network carried most of the sustaining shows (e.g., shows without regular sponsors). How did they arrive at the names 'Red' and 'Blue'? The felt tip marker pen used to trace the routes of the WJZ-headed stations was blue, and as you may have already guessed, the marker used to trace the WEAF-headed stations was red. This was a confusing situation for everyone but NBC and its sponsors and advertisers, and that was just fine by NBC, thank you.

Man, I fancy myself to be something of a radio historian, and I didn't even know some of that.  Good question, and a very nice find by jalman of a perfect link.   Jalman, you've \"won\" a game show home game from my extras pile.  E-mail me at ottinger@acd.net for the details.
« Last Edit: August 01, 2003, 12:41:17 PM by Matt Ottinger »
This has been another installment of Matt Ottinger's Masters of the Obvious.
Stay tuned for all the obsessive-compulsive fun of Words Have Meanings.

calliaume

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Battle of the NBC Stars
« Reply #14 on: August 01, 2003, 12:38:03 PM »
I don't think Howard Cosell is turning over in his grave -- Roone Arledge probably got him to take on Battle of the Network Stars in a weak (drunken?) moment.

Hey, if they show Rena Sofer in a wet skimpy bathing suit, I'm there.  (She's in Coupling this fall, which will take the walk-the-dog spot between Will & Grace and ER.)
« Last Edit: February 20, 2020, 04:47:27 PM by calliaume »