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Author Topic: The Nobel Laureate of Game Shows  (Read 6346 times)

mmb5

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The Nobel Laureate of Game Shows
« on: October 04, 2005, 11:12:43 PM »
At dinner tonight, the topic of the passing of the Poet Laureate of Television brought out an interesting question.  Has there ever been a Nobel Lauerate on a game show anywhere in the world?

Well, I have found four.  Can you guess who they are?  Or can you find one that I haven't thought of?



--Mike
Portions of this post not affecting the outcome have been edited or recreated.

Matt Ottinger

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The Nobel Laureate of Game Shows
« Reply #1 on: October 05, 2005, 12:37:25 AM »
[quote name=\'mmb5\' date=\'Oct 4 2005, 11:12 PM\']Well, I have found four.  Can you guess who they are?  Or can you find one that I haven't thought of?[/quote]
Damn you, I was hoping to sleep tonight.

Jimmy Carter (Peace 2002) was on What's My Line?

Canadian Prime Minister Lester Pearson (Peace 1957) was on Front Page Challenge.  My guess would be that any of a half-dozen other Canadian Nobel winners have also appeared on the show, but Pearson's the only one I can verify.

Dario Fo (Literature 1997) wrote, directed and appeared in the Italian 60s game show Canzonissima

James Watson (Physiology 1952 - you know, the DNA guy) was a Quiz Kid.

So there.
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.

Don Howard

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The Nobel Laureate of Game Shows
« Reply #2 on: October 05, 2005, 01:24:55 AM »
[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Oct 4 2005, 11:37 PM\']Dario Fo (Literature 1997) wrote, directed and appeared in the Italian 60s game show Canzonissima
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Having lived in Italy for a few years in the middle 1970s and remembering Canzonissima starring Raffaela Carra and featuring Topo Gigio, I can first-hand attest that it was more like Star Search or even The Carol Burnett Show than a game show.
« Last Edit: October 05, 2005, 01:25:25 AM by Don Howard »

Matt Ottinger

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The Nobel Laureate of Game Shows
« Reply #3 on: October 05, 2005, 01:32:02 AM »
[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Oct 5 2005, 01:24 AM\']Having lived in Italy for a few years in the middle 1970s and remembering Canzonissima starring Raffaela Carra and featuring Topo Gigio, [/quote]
Kees-a me goo' night, Eddeeee!

Hey, cut me some slack.  I answer his preposterously difficult Nobel Laureate question and NOW we're going to play Game Show/Not A Game Show?
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.

Don Howard

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The Nobel Laureate of Game Shows
« Reply #4 on: October 05, 2005, 01:39:30 AM »
[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Oct 5 2005, 12:32 AM\'][quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Oct 5 2005, 01:24 AM\']Having lived in Italy for a few years in the middle 1970s and remembering Canzonissima starring Raffaela Carra and featuring Topo Gigio, [/quote]
Kees-a me goo' night, Eddeeee!
Hey, cut me some slack.  I answer his preposterously difficult Nobel Laureate question and NOW we're going to play Game Show/Not A Game Show?
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Nope. I was just showing off my RAI-TV knowledge. Gotta catch up to Zach somehow.

mmb5

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The Nobel Laureate of Game Shows
« Reply #5 on: October 05, 2005, 08:12:24 AM »
Matt got two of the four I found (Carter and Pearson).  He's on the right track for the other two.


--Mike
Portions of this post not affecting the outcome have been edited or recreated.

Clay Zambo

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The Nobel Laureate of Game Shows
« Reply #6 on: October 05, 2005, 08:44:32 AM »
[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Oct 5 2005, 12:32 AM\']Hey, cut me some slack.  I answer his preposterously difficult Nobel Laureate question and NOW we're going to play Game Show/Not A Game Show?
[/quote]

Consider it a bonus question.  You got the toss-up, now deal with it.  :)
czambo@mac.com

Matt Ottinger

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The Nobel Laureate of Game Shows
« Reply #7 on: October 05, 2005, 09:24:34 AM »
[quote name=\'mmb5\' date=\'Oct 5 2005, 08:12 AM\']Matt got two of the four I found (Carter and Pearson).  He's on the right track for the other two.[/quote]
Another way of saying that is, "I found two that Matt didn't, and Matt found two that I didn't."

I can live with that.
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.

mmb5

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The Nobel Laureate of Game Shows
« Reply #8 on: October 05, 2005, 09:29:03 AM »
[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Oct 5 2005, 12:24 AM\'][quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Oct 4 2005, 11:37 PM\']Dario Fo (Literature 1997) wrote, directed and appeared in the Italian 60s game show Canzonissima
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[/quote]
Having lived in Italy for a few years in the middle 1970s and remembering Canzonissima starring Raffaela Carra and featuring Topo Gigio, I can first-hand attest that it was more like Star Search or even The Carol Burnett Show than a game show.
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Would it be safe to say that it was similar to Sabado Gigante?


--Mike
Portions of this post not affecting the outcome have been edited or recreated.

Matt Ottinger

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The Nobel Laureate of Game Shows
« Reply #9 on: October 05, 2005, 09:46:47 AM »
[quote name=\'mmb5\' date=\'Oct 5 2005, 09:29 AM\']Would it be safe to say that it was similar to Sabado Gigante?[/quote]
Google searches seem to suggest that it was even less of a game show than Sabado. If I'm reading them right (and I'm probably not, since a few of them have depended on Google's entertaining but flawed translator), then  the only "game" in Canzonissima is a talent competition.  The Wikipedia listing calls it a "game show", and other sites seem to have picked up on that.  It's also likely that, as with any show with variety elements, the structure and specific segments of the program changed over the years.
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.

mmb5

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The Nobel Laureate of Game Shows
« Reply #10 on: October 05, 2005, 10:17:00 AM »
[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Oct 5 2005, 08:24 AM\'][quote name=\'mmb5\' date=\'Oct 5 2005, 08:12 AM\']Matt got two of the four I found (Carter and Pearson).  He's on the right track for the other two.[/quote]
Another way of saying that is, "I found two that Matt didn't, and Matt found two that I didn't."

I can live with that.
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Yes, but I have found one more.  Can you still live with that?

Hints on the "unknown" three:
2 American
1 Israeli
All are now deceased


--Mike
Portions of this post not affecting the outcome have been edited or recreated.

DrBear

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The Nobel Laureate of Game Shows
« Reply #11 on: October 05, 2005, 10:20:58 AM »
Well, John Nash ("A Beautiful Mind") won a Nobel for game theory. Is that close enough?
This isn't a plug, but you can ask me about my book.

opimus

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The Nobel Laureate of Game Shows
« Reply #12 on: October 05, 2005, 06:49:51 PM »
[quote name=\'DrBear\' date=\'Oct 5 2005, 09:20 AM\']Well, John Nash ("A Beautiful Mind") won a Nobel for game theory. Is that close enough?
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The Israerli was Golda  Maier.  She was on either IGAS or WML.
« Last Edit: October 05, 2005, 06:51:14 PM by opimus »

mmb5

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The Nobel Laureate of Game Shows
« Reply #13 on: October 05, 2005, 07:31:40 PM »
[quote name=\'opimus\' date=\'Oct 5 2005, 05:49 PM\'][quote name=\'DrBear\' date=\'Oct 5 2005, 09:20 AM\']Well, John Nash ("A Beautiful Mind") won a Nobel for game theory. Is that close enough?
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The Israerli was Golda  Maier.  She was on either IGAS or WML.
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If she was, she's not listed on either the What's My Line Episode Guide or the I've Got a Secret Episode Guide.  She was not the Israeli I was able to verify.


--Mike
Portions of this post not affecting the outcome have been edited or recreated.

Matt Ottinger

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The Nobel Laureate of Game Shows
« Reply #14 on: October 05, 2005, 07:32:45 PM »
[quote name=\'mmb5\' date=\'Oct 5 2005, 10:17 AM\']Yes, but I have found one more.  Can you still live with that?[/quote]
Curses!  No I can't!

[quote name=\'opimus\' date=\'Oct 5 2005, 06:49 PM\']The Israerli was Golda  Maier.  She was on either IGAS or WML.[/quote]
An interesting guess presented as a factual statement, however:

1)  I don't think she appeared on either show and
2)  According to this official list, she isn't a Nobel Laureate.
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.