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In watching the Movie Game clip on the Page 'O' Clips (http://\"http://www.flyingchai.net/page_o_clips.html\") an epiphany struck me:
How did Larry Blyden work as much as he did?
The only think I can think of is that he appealed to an entertainment world that thought New York was the center of the universe. (Alas, this hasn't changed much. Ask any New Yorker. They'll tell you.) The man had awful delivery and the personality of a rock (although I suppose when you follow Wally Bruner's act, anything would be an improvement, I guess). Every time I see him, the phrase "It'stimenowforthespecialfeatureofWhat'sMyLinetheappearanceofourmysteryguest" comes to mind.
So am I right, did Larry Blyden really suck, or is it just me?
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jun 14 2005, 02:44 PM\']So am I right, did Larry Blyden really suck, or is it just me?[/quote]
To my mind, Blyden had an odd quality that made him seem to suck if you were a fan of game shows. Blyden appeared to be very comfortable when he made general chit-chat with celebrities or contestants alike, but appeared to be very UNcomfortable when he had to recite the mechanics of the game. Most of the people we consider to be good hosts have the opposite problem, and the great hosts, of course, can do both with ease.
Keep in mind that he was first and foremost an actor, and actors, as we've said before, do not make good hosts. This is also, BTW, one of the reasons that otherwise talented folks seem so stiff at awards shows. That stiffness (what you see as suckiness) Blyden had in spades, but he was a natural charmer in other ways.
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Everytime you guys see clips of one of my heroes they get dissed. Dennis James, Jim Lange, Bob Eubanks, Wally Bruner, Larry Blyden......
If you happen to see a link to a Sonny Fox clip, resist the urge to click.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jun 14 2005, 01:44 PM\']In watching the Movie Game clip on the Page 'O' Clips (http://\"http://www.flyingchai.net/page_o_clips.html\") an epiphany struck me:
How did Larry Blyden work as much as he did?
The only think I can think of is that he appealed to an entertainment world that thought New York was the center of the universe. (Alas, this hasn't changed much. Ask any New Yorker. They'll tell you.) The man had awful delivery and the personality of a rock (although I suppose when you follow Wally Bruner's act, anything would be an improvement, I guess). Every time I see him, the phrase "It'stimenowforthespecialfeatureofWhat'sMyLinetheintroductionofourmysteryguest" comes to mind.
So am I right, did Larry Blyden really suck, or is it just me?
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Never mind that Larry played Rance McGrew on a Twilight Zone spoof of TV westerns [shot in Hollywood, not New York] in the early 1960's entitled "Showdown with Rance McGrew".
"Stuntman! Stuntman!"--Rance McGrew [Larry]
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Jun 14 2005, 12:34 PM\']Everytime you guys see clips of one of my heroes they get dissed. Dennis James, Jim Lange, Bob Eubanks, Wally Bruner, Larry Blyden......
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I'd rethink my heroes list, then. :)
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Actually they were more inspirational than heroic. I would watch and say "If they can get a show, so can I!"
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I would agree if you watch the early episodes, Larry is quite uncomfy trying to get through the actual game portion, and he even had a script visible. He became much more laid back as the series progressed, and much more comfortable with the show.
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Jun 14 2005, 03:34 PM\']Everytime you guys see clips of one of my heroes they get dissed. Dennis James, Jim Lange, Bob Eubanks, Wally Bruner, Larry Blyden......[/quote]
You forgot Sinatra, the wacky host.
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[quote name=\'hmtriplecrown\' date=\'Jun 14 2005, 04:33 PM\'][quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Jun 14 2005, 03:34 PM\']Everytime you guys see clips of one of my heroes they get dissed. Dennis James, Jim Lange, Bob Eubanks, Wally Bruner, Larry Blyden......[/quote]
You forgot Sinatra, the wacky host.[/quote]
Oh. God, I was TRYING to...
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You should've seen Jamie Farr in "action" when he subbed for Tom Kennedy on Wordplay. Yoy!
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You should've seen Jamie Farr in "action" when he subbed for Tom Kennedy on Wordplay. Yoy!
And Jamie *could* have had his own show - he reportedly hosted the Goodson pilot for the update of "Body Language".
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[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'Jun 14 2005, 04:24 PM\']
You should've seen Jamie Farr in "action" when he subbed for Tom Kennedy on Wordplay. Yoy!
And Jamie *could* have had his own show - he reportedly hosted the Goodson pilot for the update of "Body Language".
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Jamie hosted at least three pilots in the 80s: Oddball for Goodson on NBC in 1986, Surprise Surprise for ABC in 1986(he mentions this pilot on $100K Pyramid when he was a guest one week), and Double Up for Syndication and Dick Clark Productions in 1988. I didn't hear of him hosting the revamped Body Language, the Body Talk pilot was hosted by Vicki Lawrence for ABC in 1990.
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I guess after reading this thread, I should reconsider liking Larry on WML?
And speaking of Mr. Blyden, on Game Show Moments Gone Bananas 3, there was a clip from Showoffs. I swear I heard Larry's voice. I'd assume it was the pilot.
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[quote name=\'ilb4ever2000\' date=\'Jun 14 2005, 06:03 PM\']And speaking of Mr. Blyden, on Game Show Moments Gone Bananas 3, there was a clip from Showoffs. I swear I heard Larry's voice. I'd assume it was the pilot.
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I dunno, but I do know that Dick Gauthier had nearly the same amount of appearances that Distraction had on "...Bananas 3".
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[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Jun 14 2005, 05:50 PM\']I didn't hear of him hosting the revamped Body Language
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And as we all know, if Zach didn't hear about it, then it obviously never happened.
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[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Jun 14 2005, 05:50 PM\']
Jamie hosted at least three pilots in the 80s: Oddball for Goodson on NBC in 1986, Surprise Surprise for ABC in 1986(he mentions this pilot on $100K Pyramid when he was a guest one week), and Double Up for Syndication and Dick Clark Productions in 1988. I didn't hear of him hosting the revamped Body Language, the Body Talk pilot was hosted by Vicki Lawrence for ABC in 1990.
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Paging the game show veterans (Not zach.)
Can anyone share formats for these shows? I heard of his "Double Up" pilot, but not the others.
And Gawd, I hope that his stint on Wordplay was what stopped him from hosting again.
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[quote name=\'ilb4ever2000\' date=\'Jun 14 2005, 06:03 PM\']I guess after reading this thread, I should reconsider liking Larry on WML?
And speaking of Mr. Blyden, on Game Show Moments Gone Bananas 3, there was a clip from Showoffs. I swear I heard Larry's voice. I'd assume it was the pilot.
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It was the pilot. They have it at UCLA and its also at my pilot page (http://\"http://www.mikeburger.com/pilots\").
--Mike
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Oddball for Goodson on NBC in 1986
Oddball - that was the name of it. I was trying to remember. Goodson apparantly really believed in the charades format and wanted to get the show back on the air. I thought it was later than 1986 though...
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[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'Jun 15 2005, 07:43 AM\']
Oddball for Goodson on NBC in 1986
Oddball - that was the name of it. I was trying to remember. Goodson apparantly really believed in the charades format and wanted to get the show back on the air. I thought it was later than 1986 though...
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Someone e-mailed me the format for Oddball years back, but it didn't have anything to do with charades.
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IIRC, Oddball was a game of personal responses that, according to the book Richard Dawson and the Family Feud, was a step in the morphing process that led to Feud.
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Everytime you guys see clips of one of my heroes they get dissed. Dennis James, Jim Lange, Bob Eubanks, Wally Bruner, Larry Blyden......
Amen, pal!
If you happen to see a link to a Sonny Fox clip, resist the urge to click.
Maybe not Sonny, but DEFINITELY Mark DeCarlo, Jack Whittaker, and Chris Jagger.
Cordially,
Tammy Warner--the 'Linda Hooks of the Big Board!'
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[quote name=\'The Ol' Guy\' date=\'Jun 15 2005, 07:05 AM\']IIRC, Oddball was a game of personal responses that, according to the book Richard Dawson and the Family Feud, was a step in the morphing process that led to Feud.
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Oddball was actually done in the mid-1980's, so I don't see how it could have had any impact on the development of Feud.
Essentially the game was the Anti-Match Game meets Password Plus. While the contestants were in isolation, the celebrities tried to write unique clues to the identity of a person, place, or thing. Any matching answers were disqualified, so that the players never saw them.
This was another classic case of a game that was probably fun to play, but not to watch as a TV show. To say it was slow is a major understatement.
One bit of trivia: The think music used on this show (derived from the show's main theme) became somewhat of a staple in the Goodson music library, being used on several Price games like Cover Up, the 1989 Match Game pilot, and others.
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"Oddball" sounds similar to the old "Snap Judgment."
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[quote name=\'SplitSecond\' date=\'Jun 15 2005, 10:33 AM\']Oddball was actually done in the mid-1980's, so I don't see how it could have had any impact on the development of Feud.
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Then they recycled the name, because Ol' Guy is quite right, I've read the same book and remember it well, and a concept they had tentatively titled "Odd Ball" was one of the steps in the process they went through in developing Feud. Involved teams of five sitting in individual isolation booths, if I further remember right.
Might not have been the same game, but they've definitely used the name before, at least in R&D.
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A little respect, gang.
Why drive home the opinion so vehemently that Larry Blyden was not a likeable and competent host? Personally, I'm getting a headache hearing about how Bobby Van, Bert Convy and even Bill Leyden didn't measure up in the minds of some posters. What a shame to have a cloud hangover the memories of the work of folks like Jack Bailey. And you certainly won't have a leg to stand on if you start to impune the talents of Bill Cullen. We're all welcome to speak clearly when it comes to opinions on folks like Garry Moore, but it's not fair to take shots at great talents like Jay Stewart. And in my opinion, the same holds true for the models we all know and love. Personally, I fell for Janice the moment I first saw her.
Randy
tvrandywest
(crossing the line of good taste since 1981)
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[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Jun 15 2005, 12:28 PM\']We're all welcome to speak clearly when it comes to opinions on folks like Garry Moore
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I really hope that was tongue-in-cheek. Garry Moore wouldn't take licks at any of us, so why should we take licks at him?
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[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Jun 15 2005, 12:28 PM\']A little respect, gang.
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I'm all for respect...but why does it matter who the host is? People have said that Richard Karn chews up the set, Bert Convy spent too much time with the celebrities, and on and on.
Obviously, I didn't know Larry personally, so I don't know what he was like off the set. I would imagine he was a fine guy (until someone posts otherwise). If someone doesn't like the way he hosts "What's My Line?", that's their right. They can also think he's the greatest thing since sliced bread. It's not a judgment about their entire person, just about the way they hosted a game show.
If you somehow DO have a backstage story about Larry, I would be all ears.
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[quote name=\'TLEberle\' date=\'Jun 15 2005, 03:14 PM\']If you somehow DO have a backstage story about Larry, I would be all ears.
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First of all, he guested on one of my favorite episodes of Thriller.
Second, his Little Black Book weighed about a ton.
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Opinions are those of the beholder, I always enjoyed Mr. Blyden's work. I was lucky enough to spend three summers watching "Personality." When they showed the episode on GSN, it was better than I remembered (cause it was finally in color! We only had a B&W TV then). I go on Usenet, and the kids don't like it. Well you can't change opinion, but one shouldn't judge things by 2005 standards.
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Thanks, Split Second and Chris L. - I wasn't aware of the second Oddball pilot, but it makes sense - like Bob Stewart had two "Caught In The Act" pilots..if you've paid for the title search and trade mark, might as well find as many ways to use it as possible until it clicks...
Blyden wasn't that bad a choice. Besides, hadn't most of the more prominent hosts moved to California by then? He was there, part of the New York society set, a professional equal with most of the panel, and could keep the panel egos in line. He didn't come off warm and fuzzy on Line, but he kept the show moving. And it may be better to keep the show moving than always be charming in a 5-a-week strip.
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[quote name=\'TLEberle\' date=\'Jun 15 2005, 04:14 PM\'][quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Jun 15 2005, 12:28 PM\']A little respect, gang.
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I'm all for respect...but why does it matter who the host is? People have said that Richard Karn chews up the set, Bert Convy spent too much time with the celebrities, and on and on.[/quote]
A small "whoosh" for you. Read Randy's subtly clever post more carefully.
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Here's the relevant Odd Ball paragraph from Richard Dawson and Family Feud by Mary Ann Norbom (Signet 1981)
"Odd Ball turned out to be one of Goodson's admittedly "terrible" ideas. The format called for ten contestants, each one positioned in a separate isolation booth. They were all given the same question, and any player who did not give a response that matched at least one other player was called the "Odd Ball" and dropped from the game. These elimination rounds continued until there were only two contestants left to compete in the fast-money end game. The first time Goodson saw his idea being played out, he hated it. Odd Ball was never even presented to the networks."
So if the quickie-book author can be believed, the original Odd Ball was never piloted. There seem to be only a few similarities to the 1986 pilot SplitSecond described.
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[quote name=\'Winkfan\' date=\'Jun 15 2005, 12:23 PM\'][quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Jun 14 2005, 12:34 PM\']Everytime you guys see clips of one of my heroes they get dissed. Dennis James, Jim Lange, Bob Eubanks, Wally Bruner, Larry Blyden......[/quote]
Amen, pal!
If you happen to see a link to a Sonny Fox clip, resist the urge to click.
Maybe not Sonny, but DEFINITELY Mark DeCarlo, Jack Whittaker, and Chris Jagger.
Cordially,
Tammy Warner--the 'Linda Hooks of the Big Board!'
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As long as you realize that Jagger does not play for your team.
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There was one particular reason why Gil Fates seemed to like Blyden over his other "WML?" hosts--he seemed to be more involved in the show instead of treating it as a quick buck. The fact that he asked for the rundowns for each taping session to be messengered to his apartment a day or two before taping for him to look over (in the days before fax machines and E-mail) spoke to the fact that he wanted to be well prepared. And while Daly and perhaps Bruner never did the pre-telecast runthroughs with the stand-in panel, Blyden always did them.
And I'm one of those who believes that Blyden would've been a better host for "Showoffs." Van's freneticism was OK on "Make Me Laugh" or even "Fun Factory" (if anything about that bomb could be any good), but "Showoffs" needed a more grounded host.