Two For The Money

[Jimmy Owen]

Unusual guests were the selling point, though Herb spent more time talking to the Miss USA contestant than the golfer, so we never got to hear the golfer's story (I'm not complaining, though).  A 42 year old grandmother probably wouldn't have been noteworthy enough to appear on the show, unless there was something else about her.

[ilb4ever2000]

[quote name=\'Brandon Brooks\' date=\'Nov 26 2005, 10:25 PM\'][quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Nov 26 2005, 07:32 PM\']16 + 16 = 32

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I think we can figure out the math.  You have to admit that a 32 year old grandmother is still unusual...

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One last thing. She said she became a grandmother at 28.

[FOXSportsFan]

Herb's very folksy, which I don't mind.  And, as mentioned, the home movie aspect was revolutionary for its time...and the likes of Leno and Letterman keep that tradition intact.  The game is very creative yet simple.

[Jimmy Owen]

They showed a Sam Levenson/Ed McMahon episode as the night cap.  I have always enjoyed Sam's brand of humor and he was in good comedic form here. Props to GSN.

[Gromit]

Wow, I was the total opposite. I thought the Levenson episode was just horrible. The monologue and interviews just dragged, I didn't find him funny at all, he seemed very smarmy and fake to me. I also noticed a big difference between him and Herb was that Herb would make his joke something about the contestant (things like "can't blame her for having men on her mind"), whereas Levenson would always make the joke about himself ("Oh, you mean not *my* fan club?"). And managed even less game than the Herb version.

It was interesting to see this version, however. I can see why they cancelled him the first time.

[Don Howard]

[quote name=\'Gromit\' date=\'Nov 29 2005, 01:49 AM\']Wow, I was the total opposite. I thought the Levenson episode was just horrible. The monologue and interviews just dragged, I didn't find him funny at all, he seemed very smarmy and fake to me.

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I didn't see this show when it was presented a few early mornings ago, but this may have been the one I saw on a VHS I borrowed from my local library.
Is this the one where the kids come out onto the set in a clearly rehearsed bit ("wouldn't you like to meet them?") right down to the way Sam sent them off-stage?
I do find Dr. Mason Gross extremely likeable, however.

[TLEberle]

A post, in three parts.

Part the First: I saw the Friday/Saturday episodes (the pairs of twins and the hula gal amongst them) and found the 'Herb's home movie' bit to be amusing in the same way that I find a typical David Letterman bit amusing.  Which is a good thing. I could tell the punchline before it came, but that's not a knock. Actually, I found that bit more humorous than his open the show bit. (For that matter, did Herb's movie sub for a third main game?)

Part the Second: Was the show meant to be a "How would MG have done "You Bet Your Life"? The contestants all seemed to have some story to tell or skill to demonstrate.  Not a Joe Schmo to be found among them, similar to Groucho's show.

Part the Third: If anyone out there remembers any of the questions to the other shows, would you pass them along?  There seemed to be quite a few of the "One names an item, the other must name the author or location" and would like to know if that was a standard question type.

[jdhernandez]

I'm also in the "I Like Herb" boat where his comedic style seemed very down-to-earth. I also liked his home movies bit, even though I knew a couple of the jokes that were coming. :-p

As for the lone Levenson show, he did seem to make the show drag on. I like his comedy...somewhat. He just dragged on way too much, and only managed two games in. Don't get me wrong, I love the comedy bits in 2ftM, but there was way too little gameplay in the Levenson show.

As for questions, Travis, I will get on it as soon as I make a DVD of it!

[Jay Temple]

I definitely liked Herb Shriner.  You could call this a variety show, since they didn't even pretend that the game was the only thing to watch for.

It also occurred to me that this is a game that would be easy to revive, although I'd want people who could actually play if I were giving away that kind of money adjusted for inflation.

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'TLEberle\' date=\'Nov 29 2005, 08:49 PM\']Part the Second: Was the show meant to be a "How would MG have done "You Bet Your Life"? The contestants all seemed to have some story to tell or skill to demonstrate.  Not a Joe Schmo to be found among them, similar to Groucho's show.

Part the Third: If anyone out there remembers any of the questions to the other shows, would you pass them along?  There seemed to be quite a few of the "One names an item, the other must name the author or location" and would like to know if that was a standard question type.

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Part the Second:  That's exactly what it was--Old Gold wanted their own "YBYL" (with a different host than Shriner initially, but that format) and Goodson, being the guy that he was, decided to come up with something other than a straight Q&A format for the game portion, since he didn't want to make it look like a total copy of the "YBYL" format.  Shriner always did an opening monologue, which also distinguished the show from "YBYL"--Groucho didn't do much at the top other than say what the jackpot or top prize was and reveal the Secret Word, with the occasional shot at Fenneman.

Part the Third:  From the first time around on GSN, originally all of the questions were the list type--"Name a State in the Union," etc.  Late in the first year of the show, they started doing the "one names, the other responds" questions as part of the mix.

[Neumms]

Herb was terrific, although he did seem to be a drag on the show's pace.

Here's a question. Did they do as YBYL did--do very long interviews then edit them down? It appears not, and that practice could have helped. It surprises me, given that it's Goodson and Todman, how rough around the edges it looks compared to Groucho's show.

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'Neumms\' date=\'Nov 30 2005, 07:03 PM\']Herb was terrific, although he did seem to be a drag on the show's pace.

Here's a question. Did they do as YBYL did--do very long interviews then edit them down? It appears not, and that practice could have helped. It surprises me, given that it's Goodson and Todman, how rough around the edges it looks compared to Groucho's show.

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*If* they had done it on film.  Videotape was a few years away and everyone wanted to seem to have it done live rather than film it (once again, probably to not make it look like a carbon of "YBYL" more than it already was).

I can stand to be corrected, but other than "YBYL" and the first TV run of "T or C," the only other game shows to be shot on 35mm film (not kinescoped) were "People Are Funny" (same producer as "YBYL" and using the same crew and production techniques) and the one prime time season of "Do You Trust Your Wife?," with Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy (later to become in live daytime "Who Do You Trust?", with Johnny Carson and his dummy Ed McMahon--I keed).

[Neumms]

[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Dec 1 2005, 04:06 PM\']*If* they had done it on film.  Videotape was a few years away and everyone wanted to seem to have it done live rather than film it (once again, probably to not make it look like a carbon of "YBYL" more than it already was).

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A-ha! I must have seen a filmed "Do You Trust Your Wife?" because that, too, had a more polished look than "Two For the $."

[Unrealtor]

[quote name=\'Jay Temple\' date=\'Nov 30 2005, 12:22 AM\']It also occurred to me that this is a game that would be easy to revive, although I'd want people who could actually play if I were giving away that kind of money adjusted for inflation.

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I was always surprised by how much TFTM gave away. A particularly good team could make $1,000 in 1955 money, or almost $7,000 in 2005 money.

Just out of curiosity, am I in as small as a minority as I think I am for preferring the game to the comedy and interviews? I find myself fast-forwarding through Herb after a minute or two.

[jdhernandez]

[quote name=\'TLEberle\' date=\'Nov 29 2005, 09:49 PM\']Part the Third: If anyone out there remembers any of the questions to the other shows, would you pass them along?  There seemed to be quite a few of the "One names an item, the other must name the author or location" and would like to know if that was a standard question type.

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Here they are:
*"Name as many non-military occupations in which the work requires one to dress in something other than street clothes, like an airline hostess."
*"The one who starts names a nation; the other must then name the head of that nation."
*"The one who starts names any living creature, like a moose; the other must name another living creature that rhymes with the first one, like a goose."

*"Name as many professional prize fighters who have ever been champion in any class."
*"Name as many presidents as you can that were in office any time during the 19th Century, like Lincoln."
*"Name as many of the 15 states with the greatest areas, like Montana."

*"Name as many of the basic minerals or metals which are found in the ground, like zinc."
*"The one who starts names a famous playwrights, and the other must name one of his famous plays."
*"Many of the letters do not appear in the spelling of the days of the week, like Q. Name as many of these letters as you can."

*"The one who starts gives any first name for a girl, the other must name a famous person with that first name." (Marilyn; Marilyn Monroe)
*"Name as many different forms of literary composition, such as a novel."
*"The one who starts names the smallest unit of weight, and the next person name a unit of weight that is heavier."

*"Name as many occupations which require travel as an essential part of the job."
*"Name as many different kinds of animals that have some kind of hair or fur, and which also live in the water, like a sealion."
*"Name as many of the 20 largest cities outside of the US, like Paris."

*"Name three-letter words, but make sure each word begins with a different letter of the alphabet."
*"Name as many different kinds of nuts whose name properly uses the word "nut" in it's name, like peanut."
*"Name as many nations of the world which border both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, like Panama." (YIKES, I can only think of 5 or 6 off the top of my head)

*"The one who starts names a country, like the US; the other then names any military hero from that country, like Eisenhower."
*"Name as many famous fictional detectives as you can, like Sherlock Holmes."
*"Name as many of the VPs of the US that became president, like Harry S. Truman."

*"Give the initials of a famous, popular singing star; then you must name a famous singer that fit those initials." (FS; Frank Sinatra)
*"There are more than 1000 phonograph record companies in the US, name as many of them as you can." (Columbia)
*"Name as many songs as you can from the score of `My Fair Lady.'" (YOIKS!!)