Author Topic: Panel shows... (Read 5961 times)

The Ol' Guy · « **Reply #15 on:** October 12, 2005, 11:35:07 PM »

Despite some who don't care for The Name's The Same today, the fact that it lasted for almost four full years on the puniest of the three networks in it's earliest days - and that it had it's time slot moved about 5 times over the run - I still have to give the show some props. Either (a) the show had respectable enough ratings by ABC standards, or (b) it was a low-budget way to fill a half-hour. Thinking along with Neumms that a stable time slot on a better network might have given it a few more years. And perhaps a larger network would have given the producers a wider range of talent to choose from for panelists. I know it looks a little creaky today, but it must have done ok back then. A solid host would have helped, too - but there's only one John Charles Daly. Do you think any of the NTS hosts came close?

Tim L · « **Reply #16 on:** October 13, 2005, 01:39:06 AM »

[quote name=\'The Ol' Guy\' date=\'Oct 12 2005, 11:35 PM\']Despite some who don't care for The Name's The Same today, the fact that it lasted for almost four full years on the puniest of the three networks in it's earliest days - and that it had it's time slot moved about 5 times over the run - I still have to give the show some props. Either (a) the show had respectable enough ratings by ABC standards, or (b) it was a low-budget way to fill a half-hour. Thinking along with Neumms that a stable time slot on a better network might have given it a few more years. And perhaps a larger network would have given the producers a wider range of talent to choose from for panelists. I know it looks a little creaky today, but it must have done ok back then. A solid host would have helped, too - but there's only one John Charles Daly. Do you think any of the NTS hosts came close?

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Id say Robert Q. Lewis was a very good host Not the caliber of John Charles Daly but a good host..he kept the game moving. Dennis James was competent but had a cranky side about him that showed on the air I think..While it was interesting to see some of Bob and Ray's routines on Video..They were clearly out of their element here..The routines bogged down the gameplay (and I am a huge fan of theirs)

Neumms · « **Reply #17 on:** October 13, 2005, 02:35:41 AM »

[quote name=\'Tim L\' date=\'Oct 13 2005, 12:39 AM\']Id say Robert Q. Lewis was a very good host Not the caliber of John Charles Daly but a good host..he kept the game moving. Dennis James was competent but had a cranky side about him that showed on the air I think..While it was interesting to see some of Bob and Ray's routines on Video..They were clearly out of their element here..The routines bogged down the gameplay (and I am a huge fan of theirs)

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I agree. Bob and Ray's bits were really funny; they just didn't belong on that show. Dennis James and Clifton Faddiman weren't right. Too much fake affability.

Q-sie was funny and good. The show did need something--I can't imagine it sticking around for 20 years no matter where it ran--but it's hard to say what.

DrBear · « **Reply #18 on:** October 13, 2005, 07:41:01 AM »

[quote name=\'The Ol' Guy\' date=\'Oct 12 2005, 09:35 PM\']Despite some who don't care for The Name's The Same today, the fact that it lasted for almost four full years on the puniest of the three networks in it's earliest days - and that it had it's time slot moved about 5 times over the run - I still have to give the show some props.

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Admittedly, it didn't take a lot to keep a show on the air in the days of two strong networks and ABC. And I wouldn't ignore the cost factor; heck, that's what kept "Whose Line" on ABC for several years.

Then again, in those days, sponsor preference had a lot to do with it; "Voice of Firestone" ran well beyond its sell-by date because of who wanted it on the air. It could just be that since it had companies willing to sponsor it, the network was willing to shut up and take the money.

uncamark · « **Reply #19 on:** October 13, 2005, 12:02:23 PM »

[quote name=\'DrBear\' date=\'Oct 13 2005, 06:41 AM\'][quote name=\'The Ol' Guy\' date=\'Oct 12 2005, 09:35 PM\']Despite some who don't care for The Name's The Same today, the fact that it lasted for almost four full years on the puniest of the three networks in it's earliest days - and that it had it's time slot moved about 5 times over the run - I still have to give the show some props.

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Admittedly, it didn't take a lot to keep a show on the air in the days of two strong networks and ABC. And I wouldn't ignore the cost factor; heck, that's what kept "Whose Line" on ABC for several years.

Then again, in those days, sponsor preference had a lot to do with it; "Voice of Firestone" ran well beyond its sell-by date because of who wanted it on the air. It could just be that since it had companies willing to sponsor it, the network was willing to shut up and take the money.

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But it's also interesting to note that "TNTS" also bounced around from sponsor to sponsor, as well--they didn't have a sugar daddy to support it the way Stopette saved "WML?" from early oblivion. They also had alternating sponsors when it was not as common as later in the decade (and the 60s, when single sponsorship began dying out).

But yeah, both ABC and DuMont seemed to have lots of panel shows to fill those schedule holes (along with the endlessly repackaged Revue Studios dramas on ABC and boxing and wrestling on DuMont).

ObDeniSposa: Dennis James first got attention for announcing wrestling matches on DuMont ("OK, mother, that's a choke hold").

ChuckNet · « **Reply #20 on:** October 18, 2005, 09:31:49 PM »

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But it's also interesting to note that "TNTS" also bounced around from sponsor to sponsor, as well--they didn't have a sugar daddy to support it the way Stopette saved "WML?" from early oblivion.

Yep...the original was Swanson, then Ralston-Purina...any others I missed?

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")

MrBuddwing · « **Reply #21 on:** October 18, 2005, 09:51:33 PM »

[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Oct 12 2005, 10:48 AM\']I'm glad someone mentioned "The Name's the Same"--the last show you would ever think would get revived got revived last night in the UK.

BBC4, the Beeb's non-broadcast digital "culture" channel, has been doing a bunch of the shows on the theme "The Lost Decade: 1945-55" (off of the belief that it's been forgotten between WWII's "Greatest Generation" and the birth of rock and roll after 1955). Last Tuesday night, they did a documentary on TV panel shows of the time, followed by a one-shot revival of "WML?" (the only panelist you might know here was Dave Gorman, the comedian who's currently touring the U.S. in his "Googlewhack Adventure" one-man show).

Last night, "TNTS" was revived for one night only, with Gorman co-hosting (Frank Muir and Denis Norden, best known as panelists on the radio show "My Word!", hosted the original British version together, which may've inspired G-T to put in Bob and Ray as hosts of the U.S. version), followed by a repeat of the British show "The Brains Trust" from 1958.

Next Tuesday night, it's a repeat of the original UK "WML?", hosted by Eammon Andrews, followed by a 1960 episode of the interview show "Face to Face" with ascerbic "WML?" panelist Gilbert Harding interviewed.

The home page for this series of BBC4 programs:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/lostdecade/

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And I was under the impression that 99.9% of all British TV shows prior to 1970 were simply gone. Disposed of. Destroyed. I'd love to see some of the old-time British game shows (the ones that managed to survive, anyway).

Tim L · « **Reply #22 on:** October 18, 2005, 10:05:45 PM »

[quote name=\'ChuckNet\' date=\'Oct 18 2005, 09:31 PM\']

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But it's also interesting to note that "TNTS" also bounced around from sponsor to sponsor, as well--they didn't have a sugar daddy to support it the way Stopette saved "WML?" from early oblivion.

Yep...the original was Swanson, then Ralston-Purina...any others I missed?

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")

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Bendix Washers/Appliances and Johnson Wax, Which had in 1950 dropped its longtime (15 years) sponsorship of Fibber McGee And Molly On NBC Radio. Johnson Wax and Bendix had at varous times alternated sponsorship on TNTS with Swanson..

mmb5 · « **Reply #23 on:** October 19, 2005, 10:01:14 AM »

[quote name=\'MrBuddwing\' date=\'Oct 18 2005, 08:51 PM\']And I was under the impression that 99.9% of all British TV shows prior to 1970 were simply gone. Disposed of. Destroyed. I'd love to see some of the old-time British game shows (the ones that managed to survive, anyway).

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There's a few floating around. The first episode of Double Your Money (1955) and single epsiodes of Animal/Vegetable/Mineral (1958) and The Golden Shot (1970) have hit UKNova this year.

If you thought What's My Line? may have been a tad staid, it's Karn-era Feud compared to Animal/Vegetable/Mineral. The entire half-hour was three museum curators trying to guess what were the items in a recent Czechoslovakian archaelogical dig, taking about four minutes per item.

--Mike