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Author Topic: What's Going On?  (Read 4229 times)

DrBear

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What's Going On?
« on: April 20, 2005, 07:10:20 PM »
I finally figured out why this show has a strange attraction (and I don't mean Lee Bowman's cheezy mustache). It's a panel show version of the Colin Mochrie "green screen" news reporter bit from "Whose Line?"

This is a show that, I think, with some G-T tinkering (and one wonders how much they did to get it to this level) might have a kernel of a good game show in it. Let's rundown the basics:

Set: Your 1954 small-town high school prom with a big-screen TV. I know it's Revlon, but I'm starting to long for the checkerboard of TNTS. A nice idea and probably pretty advanced by 1950s standards.

Theme: Was there one?

Host: Boston Blackie - er, Lee Bowman - is NOT what is needed here. It would be interesting to see someone who's a LOT quicker on the pickup, especially with the technical problems that could happen with live remotes. (And in the Tuesday night show, ironically, it was the film that gave them the greatest problem.) On a show like this, in which it's just a guessing game, the host has to play with the panel a bit, give them enough rope to hang themselves - Daly was a master and Garry Moore was good too.  Either one would have had more fun, say, with Audrey Meadows and the Princeton boys in drag.

Panel: Kitty Carlisle and two people who at least paid more attention to the game than Fred Allen does on WML? (yes, I know it's late in life for Fred, and I love his comments, but he doesn't listen to the other panelists' questions).  It might have been better to let each panelist take a turn at guessing an item, and the winner is the one who does it the fastest.  

Participants — Audrey seemed to be misleading them a bit, but then agin, she was a dancin' fool and probably getting tired. Did we really have to see the whole Princeton song? "Hi, Hy" Gardiner was dull, and the third guy could have done a lot more with the old car race.

Play-along - same as WML, only not as fun.

Game - Another guessing game, hampered by technical problems. Not much play-along, so you're dependent on the panel, which was pretty dull. In fact, the whole thing was pretty dull, except for its historic value.

Creative Producer - Allan Sherman. Who was the uncreative producer? Whoever it was must have outranked him.

And finally, the name Jerome Schnur is your guarantee of a half-hour that will pass by like, oh, 30 minutes.

In short ... forgettable, and totally deserving of its six weeks on the air.

Snarky comment: "The panel should have had blindfolds, just so they wouldn't be recognized on the street."


The scary part: I've still seen worse.
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tvrandywest

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What's Going On?
« Reply #1 on: April 20, 2005, 07:22:34 PM »
Cute review!

For the history books, "What's Going On" was created by Al Howard (Supermarket Sweep). And as with all show creators at GT no such credit was permitted. Al says that he felt the concept was sound and appropriate for the times, but knew going in that the remote technology was not reliable. The short version of the story according to Al: Disagreements between Mr. Goodson and Mr. Howard regarding in studio back-up for failed live remotes quickly caused the demise of the show as well as their relationship.

Randy
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The story behind the voice you know and love... the voice of a generation of game shows: Johnny Olson!

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DrBear

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What's Going On?
« Reply #2 on: April 20, 2005, 07:33:18 PM »
Which reminds me, Randy - who announced the show? It was limited to the opening spiel for Revlon that was longer than fake eyelashes on Dolly Parton, and maybe something at the end with the "This was a MG-BT production." Otherwise, not even enough for a comment.
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tvrandywest

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What's Going On?
« Reply #3 on: April 20, 2005, 07:40:50 PM »
[quote name=\'DrBear\' date=\'Apr 20 2005, 03:33 PM\']Which reminds me, Randy - who announced the show?
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Jimmy Blaine. He also announced wrap-arounds for Hanna Barbera animation. The Revlon spokewoman was Midge Ware. Some day I hope to also be an obscure footnote in game show history!

Randy
tvrandywest.com
« Last Edit: April 20, 2005, 07:44:19 PM by tvrandywest »
The story behind the voice you know and love... the voice of a generation of game shows: Johnny Olson!

Celebrate the centennial of the America's favorite announcer with "Johnny Olson: A Voice in Time."

Preview the book free: click "Johnny O Tribute" http://www.tvrandywest.com

Neumms

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What's Going On?
« Reply #4 on: April 20, 2005, 07:55:39 PM »
[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Apr 20 2005, 06:22 PM\']Al says that he felt the concept was sound and appropriate for the times, but knew going in that the remote technology was not reliable.
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The idea doesn't seem like the problem, just the execution.

That host is terrible! He acted as if it was the $64,000 Question. No humor at all. Does anybody know what else he did? And when did "What's Going On?" first air?

The second show was markedly better than the first. Jack Benny picking up a check was clever. The Audrey Meadows all male dance line was good, and she was good in it. The skating with Dick Button was pretty good, too. The Westpoint film was just too long, and the Macy's Santa was screwed up by the panelist and the host.

I recall a Trio rerun of an NBC Letterman show on which Dave had, live from Tulsa, Roy Clark washing his truck. With that sort of sensibility (which, granted, they wouldn't have had back then) it could be a darned fine panel show.

The Ol' Guy

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What's Going On?
« Reply #5 on: April 20, 2005, 09:18:30 PM »
I'll avoid my redundancy - you know I like the show concept - but after some of the comments made, you've made me think about it more the last few days. The one thing that kept running through my mind was something Randy alluded to - here you are, on stage, host of a show that from minute 4 has a sword of Damocles over your head, and if both remotes flunk out - God help you! You and the panel have to entertain the crowds with snappy patter and no backup. If Mark wanted to have some standby ideas in case of failure - good! If I were Lee Bowman on totally live tv with no script, no fallback, I'd be sweating every second and would look as uncomfortable as I felt. The panel members would get a pass - the host probably wouldn't. He dragged down what could have been a smoother, if not great, show.

ChuckNet

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What's Going On?
« Reply #6 on: April 20, 2005, 09:56:17 PM »
Quote
That host is terrible! He acted as if it was the $64,000 Question. No humor at all. Does anybody know what else he did? And when did "What's Going On?" first air?

Lee Bowman was an actor, cited by Gil Fates in the compelling TV-history book "The Box" as one of the worst hosts of all time...G-T apparently thought Bowman "was urbane and polished, because that was the kind of character he played in the movies"...a few wks later, the show ran a coupla min short, and after getting the "stretch" signal from offstage, Bowman actually looked into the camera and said "Well, that's all the time we have for today. Goodbye."

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")

uncamark

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What's Going On?
« Reply #7 on: April 21, 2005, 04:34:47 PM »
[quote name=\'ChuckNet\' date=\'Apr 20 2005, 08:56 PM\']
Quote
That host is terrible! He acted as if it was the $64,000 Question. No humor at all. Does anybody know what else he did? And when did "What's Going On?" first air?

Lee Bowman was an actor, cited by Gil Fates in the compelling TV-history book "The Box" as one of the worst hosts of all time...G-T apparently thought Bowman "was urbane and polished, because that was the kind of character he played in the movies"...a few wks later, the show ran a coupla min short, and after getting the "stretch" signal from offstage, Bowman actually looked into the camera and said "Well, that's all the time we have for today. Goodbye."

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Roll credits--very slowly--before we see Goodson going after Bowman's neck.

Tim L

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What's Going On?
« Reply #8 on: April 21, 2005, 04:59:55 PM »
[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Apr 21 2005, 03:34 PM\'][quote name=\'ChuckNet\' date=\'Apr 20 2005, 08:56 PM\']
Quote
That host is terrible! He acted as if it was the $64,000 Question. No humor at all. Does anybody know what else he did? And when did "What's Going On?" first air?

Lee Bowman was an actor, cited by Gil Fates in the compelling TV-history book "The Box" as one of the worst hosts of all time...G-T apparently thought Bowman "was urbane and polished, because that was the kind of character he played in the movies"...a few wks later, the show ran a coupla min short, and after getting the "stretch" signal from offstage, Bowman actually looked into the camera and said "Well, that's all the time we have for today. Goodbye."

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Roll credits--very slowly--before we see Goodson going after Bowman's neck.
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I've been watching the shows closely and reviewing them on the "Other" boards...I think that if everybody had been on the same page, and gave the show a bit more time to come together, it might have had a decent run (2-3 seasons, maybe) Bowman might have gotten better with time but I agree they probably should have gotten another host..I thought last night's show technically was the best of the 4..Tonight's Show I think they try a live remote from Chicago..that did not go well..The rest of the show was Holiday themed and I thought it was quite touching.I am a sucker for Holiday themed shows of the 50's-60's era..BTW Randy thanks for the announcer name..been trying to get it all week

Tim Lones

DrBear

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What's Going On?
« Reply #9 on: April 21, 2005, 05:58:19 PM »
I liked the comment about the Letterman takeoff on it - I agree with a little postmodern humor this could work. Perhaps mix that with the "green screen" game from WLIIA? and you'd have something. Have the person involved give very misleading hints (not as obvious as on Whose Line)

OK, picture Audrey Meadows dancing with the Princeton crossdressers.
Q: Are you enjoying yourself?
A: Yes, having a gay old time.
Q: Are you doing something that most people would enjoy?
A: Unless they're old people in "Footloose.":

And so on...
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