Production slates at beginning of game shows

[johnnya2k3]

Unless you work in the business, we rarely see production slates -- which has the program title, episode number, and tape/air dates -- at the very beginning of shows and promos. At first, they were held up on a clapperboard or card by the stage manager; nowadays, they're added in post-production as well as the program length.

One slate I remember seeing was from the Ray Combs Family Feud. While the slate was on screen (I was watching this from a satellite feed), we would hear Gene Wood warming up the audience. But what about the more unusual ones, like the last "Celebrity Sweepstakes" which had the "Bye you all!" and the announcer imitating Porky Pig?

Jonathan Allen

[whewfan]

Johnny Olsen always found strange ways to read the slate on the shows he did. I have one TPIR where he reads the slate with a drunken slur. One of Randy West's tip of the hat to Johnny was his reading the plug in an interesting manner. On the show I attended, he ended the plug with a Woody Woodpecker-like laugh.

[WhammyPower]

The PYL slate from BB:tPYLS.  Although it looked fake to me, because it was CG.

[Chief-O]

[quote name=\'WhammyPower\' date=\'Jun 5 2005, 08:45 AM\']The PYL slate from BB:tPYLS.  Although it looked fake to me, because it was CG.

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As far as I know, that was the real slate.

[JasonA1]

Yes, that was the real slate. I'd have to check my tapes to see exactly what he did, but Rod would usually be bantering with the staff, read through the slate fast and then the traditional CBS ding would sound a couple of times, really fast.

Of the slates I've seen, the ones on the "Beat the Clock" pilots were pretty odd. Jack Narz would come on the mic fairly late, say some of the lines in an accent vaguely like Italian, then hold the note so to speak at the end by saying "take...OOOONNNE...." as the camera would shake.

What was up with the one on the "Second Chance" pilot? It displays the usual information, plays a big band song while showing the words "there was a FIRST CHANCE," "and then a SECOND CHANCE," "now this our LAST CHANCE."

-Jason

[aaron sica]

[quote name=\'whewfan\' date=\'Jun 4 2005, 09:45 PM\']Johnny Olsen always found strange ways to read the slate on the shows he did. I have one TPIR where he reads the slate with a drunken slur. One of Randy West's tip of the hat to Johnny was his reading the plug in an interesting manner. On the show I attended, he ended the plug with a Woody Woodpecker-like laugh.

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On one of the MG79's that's been around the circuit, Johnny says something like "hee-hee-yow" at the end of reading the slate..

I'm not one that bitches about ticket plugs and credit crunches, but it's always neat to hear more Johnny, like throwing the show back to Gene after a ticket plug...."ho ho ho, on with the show, and our star, Gene Rayburn!"

[tvwxman]

[quote name=\'aaron sica\' date=\'Jun 5 2005, 10:01 AM\']
I'm not one that bitches about ticket plugs and credit crunches, but it's always neat to hear more Johnny, like throwing the show back to Gene after a ticket plug...."ho ho ho, on with the show, and our star, Gene Rayburn!"

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absolutely right. If ever there was a ticket plug done creatively, it was MG's...the mixed faces were always fun!

[aaron sica]

[quote name=\'tvwxman\' date=\'Jun 5 2005, 11:22 AM\']
absolutely right. If ever there was a ticket plug done creatively, it was MG's...the mixed faces were always fun!

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Before GSN came along, I only had the memories of MG to go on...One of the things I remember was the mixed faces ticket plug, and my mom and I always laughing at it when it came on....

[Ian Wallis]

What was up with the one on the "Second Chance" pilot? It displays the usual information, plays a big band song while showing the words "there was a FIRST CHANCE," "and then a SECOND CHANCE," "now this our LAST CHANCE."

I think the "Second Chance" slate was referring to the number of pilots they did.  The pilot on the trade curcuit is reportedly the THIRD pilot they did for that show.

As for satellite-fed programs, some of the slates don't even mention the tape date anymore - "Jeopardy", for one, mentions the air date and episode number but not the tape date.  "Wheel" still mentions the tape date - and at one time were about three months in advance of the air date.

[joshg]

[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'Jun 5 2005, 12:16 PM\']As for satellite-fed programs, some of the slates don't even mention the tape date anymore - "Jeopardy", for one, mentions the air date and episode number but not the tape date.  "Wheel" still mentions the tape date - and at one time were about three months in advance of the air date.

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...or in the case of "Price", 3 days

http://www.cbs.com/daytime/price/tickets/r..._airdates.shtml

air date  : 5/26
tape date: 5/23

[TimK2003]

Perhaps someone who has access to the GSN or Fremantle Vaults could provide a full complete transcript, but I remember Gene Wood did a kinda scary/creepy read during one of the Super Password slate graphics when I saw the show taped in Burbank in 1987.  

It was something to the effect of..."This is Super Password, episode #666...which is a bad number, because it's the sign of the devil, and we don't want him playing the game..."

[davemackey]

There's an episode of "Give And Take" on the trading circuit in which Johnny Jacobs on the slate makes mention of the show's audio engineer, Gordon Klimuck (who is still in the biz as sound mixer for "What I Like About You"). I don't recall exactly what J. Jacobs said about Klimuck... anyone have their tape of this handy?

[Chief-O]

[quote name=\'davemackey\' date=\'Jun 5 2005, 08:46 PM\']There's an episode of "Give And Take" on the trading circuit in which Johnny Jacobs on the slate makes mention of the show's audio engineer, Gordon Klimuck (who is still in the biz as sound mixer for "What I Like About You"). I don't recall exactly what J. Jacobs said about Klimuck... anyone have their tape of this handy?

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As pulled from the old place....

[quote name=\'Johnny Jacobs by way of the man now known here as ChuckNet\']Yep! He said, "Incidentally, Gordon said that he thought those first two
slates were nothing special...actually, he said they were LOUSY, but
for past performances, let's give Gordy a big hand!" (Audience applauds)[/quote]

[ChuckNet]

Thanks for saving me the trouble of having to repeat myself...other assorted slate oddities:

- On the first hour "test" ep of TPiR, immediately after Johnny O reads the slate, someone holds up a sign that says "Welcome aboard the Titanic, enjoy your trip!!!"
- One of the YDS '75 eps floating around (both of which had John Harlan whispering the slate, as if reading an answer), the slate is followed by a sound clip from The Shadow, something else, and the sound of a crowing rooster
- On a Peck YDS, after reading the slate, John is approached by a coupla female staff members who claim they want to talk about director Bill Yagermann..one of them says "As a director, on a scale of 1 to 10, we find Bill to be...", followed by a trumpet fanfare
- A Kennedy NTT from 1980 had the slate sung(!) by someone (series vocalist Monica Pege, perhaps?)

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")