Author Topic: Child's Play (Read 14636 times)

14gameshows · « **on:** June 23, 2005, 02:05:01 PM »

Seeing the Child's Play clips on GSMGB specials, can someone fill me in on the game play and structure of the show and your thoughts to this show.

The only thing I can say about this, from seeing clips, was this show sorta like "Small Talk w/ Wil Shriner" that was FamTV a few years back?

clemon79 · « **Reply #1 on:** June 23, 2005, 02:25:31 PM »

[quote name=\'14gameshows\' date=\'Jun 23 2005, 11:05 AM\']Seeing the Child's Play clips on GSMGB specials, can someone fill me in on the game play and structure of the show and your thoughts to this show.
[/quote]
http://www.loogslair.com/gameshow/rules/childsplay.shtml

Google is your friend.

whewfan · « **Reply #2 on:** June 23, 2005, 04:18:50 PM »

Small Talk was not really anything like Child's Play, in terms of the format.

The concept of Child's Play was pretty simple. Kids gave their definitions of various words, and the player had to guess the word they're talking about. There were some cute, funny moments on the show, and I liked the turnabout round where the adults tried to describe a word to children. However, the game was IMO very slow, and perhaps the pacing turned off audiences.

Small Talk was really Street Smarts Jr. Contestants chose a child, and determined if they responded to a question in a certain way.

Don Howard · « **Reply #3 on:** June 23, 2005, 04:22:57 PM »

Seldom is this my reaction when a game show gets canned, but when I learned Child's Play was getting the axe, I said HOORAY! I know it was Bill Cullen's favorite, but I couldn't stand it. The 10:30 game on NBC got my eyes.
I don't think even Blake Emmons could've saved it. Pat O'Brien maybe. Pat could've just sat there and.......SPLAT!......dammit. Excuse me please.

tvrandywest · « **Reply #4 on:** June 23, 2005, 04:37:03 PM »

While I'm sitting around today waiting for the air conditioning repairman I've been adding 2 cents to a few topics. Here's some loose change about "Child's Play".

While based on a relatively simple concept of kids saying the darndest things, the show was an expensive one for Goodson. There were countless hours of interviews and miles of tape stock to get usable pearls of wisdom from the kids. Each of the interviewers would edit together a rough tape of the stuff they thought might be usable and presented it at creative meetings where they were evaluated and voted "in" or "out". Because of the nature of their work, each on that team was required to be paid as a producer. It was the entry point for a few who remained in the Goodson family for many subsequent years.

And for those who care, my refrigerant is fully charged. It's my thermostat that needs replacing!

Randy
tvrandywest.com

Ian Wallis · « **Reply #5 on:** June 23, 2005, 05:15:31 PM »

Quote

Seldom is this my reaction when a game show gets canned, but when I learned Child's Play was getting the axe, I said HOORAY! I know it was Bill Cullen's favorite, but I couldn't stand it.

I thought it was OK, but I liked the show that replaced it on the CBS daytime schedule

Jimmy Owen · « **Reply #6 on:** June 23, 2005, 05:24:50 PM »

I liked CP, but the set was too dark (in retrospect it may have had to be to contrast the giant video screen-did they get that from Muntz?) I would have prefered a color scheme similar to Three on a Match.

The Ol' Guy · « **Reply #7 on:** June 23, 2005, 05:52:42 PM »

..or perhaps for the formatically overloaded, "Oh, brother! Everybody's/Hollywood's Talking again??"

mystery7 · « **Reply #8 on:** June 23, 2005, 06:43:04 PM »

Maybe with the expense of paying everyone as a producer, there wasn't enough money left over for a proper scrim to lighten things up on the set.

I don't know...Child's Play was sort of a cute premise, but for me the kids-describing-words format made it too much like Junior Pyramid without categories.

aaron sica · « **Reply #9 on:** June 23, 2005, 08:07:37 PM »

I always liked "Child's Play", for two reasons: It had the wonderful Bill Cullen as host, and it also was half of the hour that ended a 10am-11am (EST) game show drought on CBS that dated back to June 1980.

beatlefreak84 · « **Reply #10 on:** June 23, 2005, 09:36:05 PM »

I was always fond of the show as well; however, I liked the rounds where the show moved faster; after a while, seeing kids describing words strictly for a "cuteness" factor (when they needed to stall, usually, a particularly funny clip or two would be shown) got annoying to me.

I really liked the "Fast Play" round, where the contestants had to buzz-in since that really tested one's grasp of what the child was talking about (those clips also didn't have a lot of the filler and flubs that were in earlier clips) and the "Triple Play" bonus round. The "Turnabout" bonus round was an okay premise, but it was more fun to play along with the "Triple Play" bonus; plus, luck was certainly involved there, as picking one letter could lead to an easier clue over another, and I always liked that. It also seemed pretty tough; of the about five episodes I have on tape, only 1 features a "Triple Play" win.

These rounds also allowed the home audience to play along, and that's what usually gets me liking a certain game show. As far as bringing it back or if it should have lasted longer, not considering what show replaced it (PYL, for those that may not know), I think it was a cute experiment and, yes, Bill Cullen was great on it, but that first round just went way too slowly, and, after a while of watching a bunch of cute little kids, you really begin to clamor for more game elements. I think, if more rounds were made like the above two, then there might be something there, but, as is, it provides for a good laugh once in a while, but can get overbearing.

That seemed like about $2,000 instead of two cents, but, hey, whatever...

Anthony

clemon79 · « **Reply #11 on:** June 23, 2005, 09:39:41 PM »

[quote name=\'beatlefreak84\' date=\'Jun 23 2005, 06:36 PM\']The "Turnabout" bonus round was an okay premise, but it was more fun to play along with the "Triple Play" bonus; plus, luck was certainly involved there, as picking one letter could lead to an easier clue over another, and I always liked that. It also seemed pretty tough; of the about five episodes I have on tape, only 1 features a "Triple Play" win.
[/quote]
To each their own, but I like the GS conceit that the endgame be a reversal from the maingame's mechanics, and the Turnabout game is one of the most excellent examples of that. Plus it was absolutely charming when the contestant would win it and hug the kids.

Don Howard · « **Reply #12 on:** June 23, 2005, 10:24:01 PM »

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jun 23 2005, 08:39 PM\']Plus it was absolutely charming when the contestant would win it and hug the kids.

[snapback]89904[/snapback]

[/quote]
Yes. I remember being out of Syrup Of Ipecac, yet a Turnabout win with the scene you've described took care of my needs.

chris319 · « **Reply #13 on:** June 23, 2005, 11:41:38 PM »

Quote

Because of the nature of their work, each on that team was required to be paid as a producer. It was the entry point for a few who remained in the Goodson family for many subsequent years.

Who besides Mimi and Ira?

tvrandywest · « **Reply #14 on:** June 24, 2005, 12:08:45 AM »

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Jun 23 2005, 07:41 PM\']

Quote

Because of the nature of their work, each on that team was required to be paid as a producer. It was the entry point for a few who remained in the Goodson family for many subsequent years.

Who besides Mimi and Ira?

[snapback]89928[/snapback]

[/quote]
That's a pretty good start, right there. Both were high profile parts of the Goodson family for a long time. Last week Alan Solomon mentioned something about he and perhaps one other joined Goodson originally for Child's Play. I was listening with only one ear.

Randy
tvrandywest.com