The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: Jimmy Owen on September 05, 2003, 12:02:22 PM
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Anybody have any insight as to why certain ubiquitous hosts suddenly stopped hosting game shows? I'm thinking specifically of Jan Murray and Bert Parks, who were in show biz long after their last game shows. You can add other examples.
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maybe nobody made them an offer?
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This may not be quite what you had in mind, but in this interview (http://\"http://www.tvparty.com/gamemonty.html\"), Monty Hall basically says he'll never host LMaD again.
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Sep 5 2003, 11:02 AM\'] Anybody have any insight as to why certain ubiquitous hosts suddenly stopped hosting game shows? I'm thinking specifically of Jan Murray and Bert Parks, who were in show biz long after their last game shows. You can add other examples. [/quote]
Garry Moore hung it up voluntaraily....I thought Bert Parks declined to host any more GSes after not getting the HS job......
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I wouldn't quite count a throat cancer patient leaving the broadcasting industry as a voluntary retirement.
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The first person that came to mind for me was Bill Rafferty. What ever happened to him?
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[quote name=\'combsisthebest\' date=\'Sep 5 2003, 10:50 PM\'] The first person that came to mind for me was Bill Rafferty. What ever happened to him? [/quote]
I think he went back to standup comedy.
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As far as the classic hosts you mentioned, Murray and Parks, maybe they fell victim to Lin Bolen-type thinking? Out with the old, in with the young? I don't know if Parks ever got out of his mode of loud hosting that went back to his radio days. Hopefully I'll soon be getting a copy of the HS pilot with Parks I ordered to see if that was the case. Chain Letter was a nice last ride vehicle for Murray. He was one of the few Catskills comics who understood game shows, yet he still maintained a bit of classic comedian brashness that probably didn't mesh with networks' ideas as to what would appeal to women going into the 70s. He was clever and subdued on Chain Letter and kept the game moving. I'd love to have a tape of Jan doing Chain Letter to enjoy the memories again.
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The Number One person that comes to my mind when I see this subject is Jim Perry. He found great success with $ale of the Century, then after his 6 year, three month run, he just disappeared. Someone here did say that he appeared on CBN for an interview, and I found out that he wrote a book (which exists because I looked for it in all of the major book-selling websites). However, after March 24, 1989, he just left and did a good job of covering his tracks. I really miss that guy.
The Inquisitive One
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[quote name=\'TheInquisitiveOne\' date=\'Sep 6 2003, 01:00 AM\'] The Number One person that comes to my mind when I see this subject is Jim Perry. [/quote]
Remember that Jim had done \"Definition\" in Canada for some time before even Card Sharks, much less Sale Of The Century. For most people, 20 years in most any job is enough, and if he was smart with his money and was able to retire, why shouldn't he be able to enjoy it?
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Remember that Jim had done \"Definition\" in Canada for some time before even Card Sharks, much less Sale Of The Century. For most people, 20 years in most any job is enough, and if he was smart with his money and was able to retire, why shouldn't he be able to enjoy it?
I think Jim SHOULD be able to enjoy his retirement, as I wish him all of the best. You are right to say that 20 years is an amazing run and that he should enjoy the rest of his life in the privacy of his own home.
My thing is, well before the days of GSN, my only exposure to this man was on $ale, both in the original NBC run and the USA reruns. I just wish that I knew what he was up to and that he is living a good life. That's all.
The Inquisitive One
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[quote name=\'TheInquisitiveOne\' date=\'Sep 6 2003, 01:47 AM\'] My thing is, well before the days of GSN, my only exposure to this man was on $ale, both in the original NBC run and the USA reruns. [/quote]
Sure, you caught him later in his career. Hell, we have a generation right now who has never seen Allen Ludden on first-run television, or doesn't remember Bob Barker with dark hair.
I believe last time someone had news from Perry, he was completely content and enjoying retirement.
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There's a fascinating thread of information about Jim Perry's retirement years at a place called The Daily Ping. His wife left several messages answering fans' questions about their lives together and the show. Some people doubt whether it really was his wife, but the information seemed very specific and mundane for it to have been a hoax. You have to scroll through a lot of \"I loved that show!\" sorts of messages (some from names that will be familiar to many of you), but the information is interesting.
http://www.dailyping.com/archive/2000/06/01/ (http://\"http://www.dailyping.com/archive/2000/06/01/\")
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With a few exceptions, most people who've hosted a show haven't come back because they haven't been asked or because their health didn't permit them to continue.
Garry Moore did retire, but health issues pushed him along that road.
According to Nick Clooney's column on The Money Maze, he was offered another show a year or so later and declined.
I doubt Bert Parks decided not to do game shows after HS didn't work out (you think his salary for hosting Miss America covered a year's worth of expenses); his style just wasn't well suited to most games.
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Um, could the fact that the networks no longer mount daytime game shows explain why you don't see much of emcees emeriti any more?
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Speaking of Hosts who just stopped hosting... what happened to Jack Narz? I saw on a website that after concentration he forcefully retired or something... he played a round of P+ when Tom was hosting, but thats it i think.
Its pretty sad that the only shows we get to see him on now, are when GSN reruns NYSI, and maybe a few early ones. His 5 year stint on Concentration would be fun to see.
Thanks
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[quote name=\'Argo\' date=\'Sep 6 2003, 05:18 PM\'] Speaking of Hosts who just stopped hosting... what happened to Jack Narz? I saw on a website that after concentration he forcefully retired or something... he played a round of P+ when Tom was hosting, but thats it i think.
Its pretty sad that the only shows we get to see him on now, are when GSN reruns NYSI, and maybe a few early ones. His 5 year stint on Concentration would be fun to see.
Thanks [/quote]
I think Jack Narz voluntarily retired from hosting as of the late 70s. Chris C., was he offered the hosting gig for Monty's Beat the CLock?, and chose instead to announce and co-produce the show?
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I think Jack Narz voluntarily retired from hosting as of the late 70s.
He did not. This comes from Jack's very lips. He was really bummed out that no one wanted him to host a show after Concentration ended. A direct quote from the man about this can be found in the book Come On Down!
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[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Sep 6 2003, 08:27 PM\']
I think Jack Narz voluntarily retired from hosting as of the late 70s.
He did not. This comes from Jack's very lips. He was really bummed out that no one wanted him to host a show after Concentration ended. A direct quote from the man about this can be found in the book Come On Down! [/quote]
That sucks that people would say that regarding Jack Narz. Other hosts who were around his age at the time kept plugging along for several years afterward(and one still does, doesn't he)
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[quote name=\'Argo\' date=\'Sep 6 2003, 03:18 PM\'] Its pretty sad that the only shows we get to see him on now, are when GSN reruns NYSI, and maybe a few early ones. [/quote]
You see him now as leadoff man on Match Game more than you do anything else on GSN, alas.
His 5 year stint on Concentration would be fun to see.
Believe me, you're preaching to the choir here. More than a few of us would kill to see The Game Of Puzzles And Prizes again.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Sep 6 2003, 09:47 PM\'] [quote name=\'Argo\' date=\'Sep 6 2003, 03:18 PM\'] Its pretty sad that the only shows we get to see him on now, are when GSN reruns NYSI, and maybe a few early ones. [/quote]
You see him now as leadoff man on Match Game more than you do anything else on GSN, alas.
[/quote]
True, and on that same episode of Beat the Clock they've shown three years in a row as announcer.
Believe me, you're preaching to the choir here. More than a few of us would kill to see The Game Of Puzzles And Prizes again.
No kidding. The Museum of TV and Radio has a Narz ep. in the archives, which I'm gonna pull up to watch next time I go. That was one good show.
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I think Jack Narz voluntarily retired from hosting as of the late 70s. Chris C., was he offered the hosting gig for Monty's Beat the Clock?, and chose instead to announce and co-produce the show?
To my knowledege he was not offered the MC position on BTC. My hunch is that Frank Wayne gave him a job on the show knowing that he could probably use the work. As for his retiring voluntarily, why would someone turn down a gig which pays a couple large per day for working on average just one day per week?
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His 5 year stint on Concentration would be fun to see.
Believe me, you're preaching to the choir here. More than a few of us would kill to see The Game Of Puzzles And Prizes again.
Not happening anytime soon, talks have went further in the possible revival of Concentration. I've seen that we've tapped Sony to produce it, but their still trying to negotiate a deal. I can say that GSN has tried for the Classic Concentration package(Trebek) before, but sombody here dosen't want to give it to them.
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[quote name=\'SimpsonGeek\' date=\'Sep 7 2003, 11:53 AM\']
His 5 year stint on Concentration would be fun to see.
Believe me, you're preaching to the choir here. More than a few of us would kill to see The Game Of Puzzles And Prizes again.
Not happening anytime soon, talks have went further in the possible revival of Concentration. I've seen that we've tapped Sony to produce it, but their still trying to negotiate a deal. I can say that GSN has tried for the Classic Concentration package(Trebek) before, but sombody here dosen't want to give it to them. [/quote]
Heck with the Trebek run, let's see the Narz run if GSN ever gets a hold of Concentration(a big IF to be sure). Unlike some of the older Q&A shows(TJW, TTD, Jeopardy 1978, etc.), there's not a whole lot of dated material about COncentration in any era, save for the contestants and host wardrobe and possibly certain expressions used in the rebuses being idioms or names of the time
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Sep 6 2003, 04:50 AM\'] [quote name=\'TheInquisitiveOne\' date=\'Sep 6 2003, 01:47 AM\'] My thing is, well before the days of GSN, my only exposure to this man was on $ale, both in the original NBC run and the USA reruns. [/quote]
Sure, you caught him later in his career. Hell, we have a generation right now who has never seen Allen Ludden on first-run television, or doesn't remember Bob Barker with dark hair.
I believe last time someone had news from Perry, he was completely content and enjoying retirement. [/quote]
Yes, there was a message board, The Daily Ping On Card Sharks, in which someone had tracked down June Perry, his wife. This was about 3 years ago. For a few days, June and other members on the board had continuous correspondence. Rather than me give a synopsis, I found the link, so here it is. It gives great insight into his current life. http://www.dailyping.com/archive/2000/06/01/ (http://\"http://www.dailyping.com/archive/2000/06/01/\")
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Regarding Bert Parks, his enthusiastic, booming style was perhaps well suited to Miss America in the '50s and '60s, but some feel he typified the GS host stereotype that cynics always fell back on. He was one of the hosts of the 1981 People's Choice Awards--one of the worst-ever editions of that event, with lousy musical production numbers involving Jo Anne Worley and Jamie Farr among others--and I remember Bert overdoing it a bit in his intro of Pam Dawber.
It would be interesting to see a film of Yours For A Song if any exist, just to see how he moved things along. Also, I happened to think about Jan Murray last night--his birthday's coming soon--and wondered if they ever saved any of his Charge Account shows. I have a TV Guide from 1962 that shows that program listed as being in color, but doubt if it exists in that form now.