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The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: M622 on May 12, 2014, 05:28:24 PM

Title: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: M622 on May 12, 2014, 05:28:24 PM
Hey guys.

So I was wondering..... Is their any time in game show history where tv actors played as their characters for example, the clebity family feud special featuring my name is earl and the office actors playing as their charicrs, (excluding the example) you can provide a link to a full episode featuring that.



Thanks.
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: TLEberle on May 12, 2014, 05:30:58 PM
Yup, at least a couple times.
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: PYLdude on May 12, 2014, 06:11:32 PM
And it goes way back. To the days of Hollywood Squares.
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: clemon79 on May 12, 2014, 06:16:33 PM
Also see: any GS appearance of Jon Bauman outside of MGHSH. (And Pop & Rocker Game, I suppose.)

(No, I will not be linking to full episodes.)
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: chad1m on May 12, 2014, 06:33:42 PM
Mama's Family and Hello, Larry on Password Plus is another example. (This can be easily sought out, I'm sure.)
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: PYLdude on May 12, 2014, 06:43:01 PM
Mama's Family and Hello, Larry on Password Plus is another example. (This can be easily sought out, I'm sure.)

Wait a minute...the second example I never heard of.

Mama of course was twice.
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: DjohnsonCB on May 12, 2014, 06:44:01 PM
On Storybook Squares, Barbara Eden appeared as Jeannie.
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: TimK2003 on May 12, 2014, 09:24:42 PM
I just watched an All-Star episode of Password Plus (Kennedy) last night where there were the following celebs were playing in character & in costume:

Jon Bauman as Bowser (from Sha Na Na)
Robert Donner as Exidor (from Mork & Mindy)
One lady (I forgot her character & real name) from Harper Valley PTA
Patty Duke as both Patty AND Cathy Lane (from the Patty Duke Show).

Interesting that when Gene Wood introduced all the celebs, they did a split-screen intro for the "identical cousins" walking in and heading towards the desk.  Patty Lane was the player du jour.





Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: PYLdude on May 12, 2014, 09:37:37 PM
On Storybook Squares, Barbara Eden appeared as Jeannie.

I argue that doesn't count, because Storybook Squares featured an entire panel of people dressed in character. The fact that they were able to get her, Shatner, Carolyn Jones, and others to play their TV characters is just coincidence.

I think the idea is to have the characters play in actual regular gameplay, not themes.
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: BrandonFG on May 12, 2014, 10:03:01 PM
I just watched an All-Star episode of Password Plus (Kennedy) last night where there were the following celebs were playing in character & in costume:

One lady (I forgot her character & real name) from Harper Valley PTA
Anne Francine, per IMDb.

Vicki Lawrence also played Mama in character on Bergeron's Hollywood Squares.
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: Matt Ottinger on May 12, 2014, 11:37:24 PM
So I was wondering..... Is their any time in game show history where tv actors played as their characters
I argue that doesn't count, because Storybook Squares featured an entire panel of people dressed in character. The fact that they were able to get her, Shatner, Carolyn Jones, and others to play their TV characters is just coincidence.

I'm missing how anything you say invalidates the original question.  They could have had Shatner play any other character in all of fiction.  It was hardly a "coincidence" that he played Kirk.  Therefore, he played as his TV character.  Not sure why you feel it necessary to make up your own rules on somebody else's thread.
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: PYLdude on May 12, 2014, 11:45:50 PM
So I was wondering..... Is their any time in game show history where tv actors played as their characters
I argue that doesn't count, because Storybook Squares featured an entire panel of people dressed in character. The fact that they were able to get her, Shatner, Carolyn Jones, and others to play their TV characters is just coincidence.

I'm missing how anything you say invalidates the original question.  They could have had Shatner play any other character in all of fiction.  It was hardly a "coincidence" that he played Kirk.  Therefore, he played as his TV character.  Not sure why you feel it necessary to make up your own rules on somebody else's thread.

Yes, they could have had him play any other character. That's why I don't count Storybook Squares. Because it's ALL in character and done so on purpose all the time.

He didn't do that on other shows like Messrs. Arquette and Bauman or Ms. Lawrence did.

I'm not trying to create a new set of rules, period. I'm just saying that the example in question happened on a show designed in a manner where nobody's playing themselves. They HAVE to appear in some form of character there. They don't on any other show.
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: clemon79 on May 12, 2014, 11:58:20 PM
He didn't do that on other shows like Messrs. Arquette and Bauman or Ms. Lawrence did.

...except the OP never made that stipulation.

He asked a pretty basic question with a pretty wide net, and of course you had to be the first one to jump in with the "OMG THAT DOESN'T COUNT!"
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: snowpeck on May 12, 2014, 11:59:04 PM
Mama's Family and Hello, Larry on Password Plus is another example. (This can be easily sought out, I'm sure.)

Wait a minute...the second example I never heard of.

Mama of course was twice.
Mama (Vicki Lawrence) and Eunice (Carol Burnett) played for a week against McLean Stevenson and Joanna Gleason playing as their Hello, Larry characters. The whole pretense was rather ridiculous in that while it was obvious Lawrence and Burnett were in character, the only way you knew Stevenson and Gleason were in character was because Allen was calling them by their characters' names. And he didn't even do that consistently, and kept accidentally calling them McLean and Joanna. They gave up the whole idea by the Thursday show.
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: PYLdude on May 13, 2014, 10:04:20 AM
He didn't do that on other shows like Messrs. Arquette and Bauman or Ms. Lawrence did.

...except the OP never made that stipulation.

He asked a pretty basic question with a pretty wide net, and of course you had to be the first one to jump in with the "OMG THAT DOESN'T COUNT!"

For Christ's sake, it's a statement of opinion. I'm not getting into a pissing match over it.
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: Bobby B. on May 13, 2014, 01:08:11 PM
I just watched an All-Star episode of Password Plus (Kennedy) last night where there were the following celebs were playing in character & in costume:

Jon Bauman as Bowser (from Sha Na Na)
Robert Donner as Exidor (from Mork & Mindy)
One lady (I forgot her character & real name) from Harper Valley PTA
Patty Duke as both Patty AND Cathy Lane (from the Patty Duke Show).

Interesting that when Gene Wood introduced all the celebs, they did a split-screen intro for the "identical cousins" walking in and heading towards the desk.  Patty Lane was the player du jour.

I've seen another of those all-star specials with Denver Pyle in costume as Uncle Jesse from The Dukes of Hazzard.  I can't remember the other celebs/characters and I can't remember if Pyle was actually acting as his character would on his show or just dressed in costume.
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: parliboy on May 14, 2014, 10:40:07 AM
I'm going to jump into the shouting match by making the following observation: 

The question as asked was not, "Is their [sic] any time in game show history where tv actors played their characters?"
Instead it was, "Is their [sic] any time in game show history where tv actors played as their characters?"

That "as" changes the question; and to use one of our favorite phrases around here, "Words Have Meanings".  I read the intent of the question as celebrities in a contestant / partner role, not as a non-contestant panelist.  Granted, the question as originally asked was awkward (their/there), and we can debate whether the OP meant to write what he wrote.  I'm just pointing out what he wrote, and arguing that for the question as written, a Storybook Squares panelist would not be a good example.
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: PYLdude on May 14, 2014, 06:11:42 PM
I'm going to jump into the shouting match by making the following observation: 

The question as asked was not, "Is their [sic] any time in game show history where tv actors played their characters?"
Instead it was, "Is their [sic] any time in game show history where tv actors played as their characters?"

That "as" changes the question; and to use one of our favorite phrases around here, "Words Have Meanings".  I read the intent of the question as celebrities in a contestant / partner role, not as a non-contestant panelist.  Granted, the question as originally asked was awkward (their/there), and we can debate whether the OP meant to write what he wrote.  I'm just pointing out what he wrote, and arguing that for the question as written, a Storybook Squares panelist would not be a good example.

Gene and I read it the same way, then. The use of the article "as" to me left me with the distinction that he was trying for the Pyramid/Password style of play and not the Hollywood Squares style. The OP did make a second post (which was taken down) to clarify that it was his intent not to include the Storybook characters as part of the equation.

And that I felt that the Charley Weaver and Mama (and maybe, to a lesser degree, Big Bird) examples were different because they had been asked to appear in character and did so voluntarily, where as on the kids' show it was mandatory to dress in character (even if it wasn't necessarily somebody you played on TV) as it was the whole point of the show.
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: JMFabiano on May 14, 2014, 06:33:04 PM
I just watched an All-Star episode of Password Plus (Kennedy) last night where there were the following celebs were playing in character & in costume:

Jon Bauman as Bowser (from Sha Na Na)
Robert Donner as Exidor (from Mork & Mindy)
One lady (I forgot her character & real name) from Harper Valley PTA
Patty Duke as both Patty AND Cathy Lane (from the Patty Duke Show).

Interesting that when Gene Wood introduced all the celebs, they did a split-screen intro for the "identical cousins" walking in and heading towards the desk.  Patty Lane was the player du jour.

I've seen another of those all-star specials with Denver Pyle in costume as Uncle Jesse from The Dukes of Hazzard.  I can't remember the other celebs/characters and I can't remember if Pyle was actually acting as his character would on his show or just dressed in costume.

If it's the week I am thinking of, I believe Sue Ann Nivens, played by what's her name, was part of the quartet. 

Did Patty play as "Cathy" at all that week? 

Mama's Family and Hello, Larry on Password Plus is another example. (This can be easily sought out, I'm sure.)

Wait a minute...the second example I never heard of.

Mama of course was twice.

Nitpick: technically, that would just be "The Family" at that time.  The show didn't premiere for 2-3 more years.   

Do puppets count?  Cause that would be a whole can of worms opened anew. 

Kind of wish Super Password did the "Gimmick Celebrity Week" if for no other reason than to have "Sophia" and "Rose" (as opposed to just Betty and Estelle) teamed up that one all-star week. 

MG/HS had a very flimsy version when they had the Leave it to Beaver cast and just changed the nameplates in HS to read the characters' names.

Quote
Mama (Vicki Lawrence) and Eunice (Carol Burnett) played for a week against McLean Stevenson and Joanna Gleason playing as their Hello, Larry characters. The whole pretense was rather ridiculous in that while it was obvious Lawrence and Burnett were in character, the only way you knew Stevenson and Gleason were in character was because Allen was calling them by their characters' names. And he didn't even do that consistently, and kept accidentally calling them McLean and Joanna. They gave up the whole idea by the Thursday show.

Yes, the characters need a distinct look/accent/etc. to pull this off.  As another example, Henry Winkler appearing on PW+ as the Fonz would have been acceptable. 

/DID Winkler appear on any version of Password????
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: clemon79 on May 14, 2014, 07:50:00 PM
MG/HS had a very flimsy version when they had the Leave it to Beaver cast

And Gallagher. Don't forget Gallagher.

/was THAT ever a non-sequitur
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: JMFabiano on May 14, 2014, 08:26:50 PM
MG/HS had a very flimsy version when they had the Leave it to Beaver cast

And Gallagher. Don't forget Gallagher.

/was THAT ever a non-sequitur

Some people would like to forget.


/Joel Hodgson topping the list...
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: PYLdude on May 14, 2014, 08:33:52 PM
Puppets...hmm...interesting.

It was only the Muppets and ALF who appeared without their puppeteers sharing the space, right? Because every time I saw ALF or Kermit they were in there without their handlers visible and Big Bird is a guy in a suit. Any time I saw Madame or Lester (did Jeff Dunham ever do Squares) they were with handler.
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: BrandonFG on May 14, 2014, 08:36:36 PM
Puppets...hmm...interesting.

It was only the Muppets and ALF who appeared without their puppeteers sharing the space, right? Because every time I saw ALF or Kermit they were in there without their handlers visible and Big Bird is a guy in a suit. Any time I saw Madame or Lester (did Jeff Dunham ever do Squares) they were with handler.
Yep...in the final season (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0603281/).
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: SRIV94 on May 14, 2014, 09:09:11 PM
Did Patty play as "Cathy" at all that week? 

Pretty sure it was a 3-2 split--Patty three times, Cathy twice.  Could be mistaken though.
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: chrisholland03 on May 15, 2014, 07:46:06 AM
She could have been Patty for 2 eps, Cathy for 2 eps, and Sybill for an ep.  That would have been entertaining.

Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: Jay Temple on May 15, 2014, 10:44:57 AM
Do puppets count?  Cause that would be a whole can of worms opened anew.
Kukla and Ollie shared a seat on an episode of MGPM that's part of the DVD set. No human appeared on screen, but there was a wall of some sort behind them.
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: Mr. Armadillo on May 15, 2014, 04:51:30 PM
It was only the Muppets and ALF who appeared without their puppeteers sharing the space, right?

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog appeared sans handler, and I wouldn't be surprised if there were others.
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: PYLdude on May 16, 2014, 01:47:14 AM
It was only the Muppets and ALF who appeared without their puppeteers sharing the space, right?

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog appeared sans handler, and I wouldn't be surprised if there were others.

Oh, how did I forget Triumph? Has H2 been off the air that long? :)
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: BrandonFG on May 16, 2014, 02:30:00 AM
The puppet dragon Scorch appeared on MG90 with puppeteer Ronn Lucas on screen. I remember Gene Wood introducing Ronn "and Scorch", at which point the dragon would pop up on screen.
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: ChrisLambert! on May 16, 2014, 10:19:08 AM
There was at least one episode of Davidson Hollywood Squares with Tom Poston playing in-character as George Utley.  I remember wondering if they were hoping to have their own Charley Weaver.
Title: Re: Tv actors playing as their characters.
Post by: whewfan on May 17, 2014, 05:39:22 AM
MG/HS had a very flimsy version when they had the Leave it to Beaver cast

And Gallagher. Don't forget Gallagher.

/was THAT ever a non-sequitur

As I recall, during the MG portion, the panel had their real names, but during the HS portion the nameplates changed to their character names, although the cast didn't necessarily play the game in character, and that would've been difficult to do in the HS portion. If the writers had written the questions to suit their characters, that might've worked. Both Jerry Mathers and Ken Osmond got in Beaver-esque lines during the MG portion. While the stars were never given zinger lines, I think Gallagher wins the prize for the best zinger in the show's short lived run. The question was something like "Gallagher... you're a studly horse... and you meet an attractive donkey... if you tried REALLY hard, could you make a baby? Or is that physically impossible?" Gallagher first says "Yes, it's possible, it just will be REALLY slow at the races." Gallagher then points out that it would be PHYSICALLY possible, but not biologicallly possible.