Author Topic: GSN 50 greatest game shows special... (Read 192889 times)

Chelsea Thrasher · « **Reply #660 on:** August 17, 2006, 10:09:23 AM »

In viewing the listings for the upcoming shows, next week, the Wednesday show is #8, while the Thursday show is #7. This means WWTBAM is almost a given to be one of the two. That still leaves the other hour. Race? Two Pyramids? Price? The LMAD pilot thing GSN did a few years ago, which IIRC, lasted an hour? An hourlong Feud?

I really hope it's not Race, if only for the absolutely deafening amount of wine & cheese that will be served if it is.

Don Howard · « **Reply #661 on:** August 17, 2006, 10:29:32 AM »

Here's an interesting (to me) note about last night's Top 50 offering. My wife had seen Press Your Luck many times through its CBS, USA and GSN runs, but never saw and never knew about---remember: she just really joined the game show fans' inner circle with the Congrefs last month--Michael Larsen's stunning accomplishment. Watching her face as it played last night on The Network For Games was indescribable.

JasonA1 · « **Reply #662 on:** August 17, 2006, 10:49:21 AM »

I'll say one thing about those episodes: it's pretty incredible to watch the first time. Just reading on the net about Michael's huge run of spins was one thing - watching it play in a little less than real time via the trading circuit showed me how much concentration and skill it required and made the accomplishment worthy of its hype.

-Jason

clemon79 · « **Reply #663 on:** August 17, 2006, 10:58:19 AM »

[quote name=\'SteveRep\' post=\'127795\' date=\'Aug 17 2006, 06:50 AM\']
The circumstantial evidence presented a case that GSN could worm it in there. That's all.
[/quote]
Then I missed the sarcasm in your previous statement, and offer humble apologies.

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #664 on:** August 17, 2006, 11:12:42 AM »

[quote name=\'Don Howard\' post=\'127797\' date=\'Aug 17 2006, 10:29 AM\']
Here's an interesting (to me) note about last night's Top 50 offering. My wife had seen Press Your Luck many times through its CBS, USA and GSN runs, but never saw and never knew about---remember: she just really joined the game show fans' inner circle with the Congrefs last month--Michael Larsen's stunning accomplishment. Watching her face as it played last night on The Network For Games was indescribable.[/quote]
Claudia's the same way. A patient non-fan, but every once in a while I'll show her some piece of video, something that we all would have seen countless times, and it just blows her away. Unfortunately, she had already seen parts of the Larsen thing from a couple months ago when I was editing my Tomarken tribute for the GSC.

chad1m · « **Reply #665 on:** August 17, 2006, 12:38:32 PM »

I can relate to you both, except it's with my eight-year old sister. She loves watching/playing game shows with me and I had previously told her about "the guy who memorized the board" on PYL. She was watching last night with her friend and about six spins into the second round, she remembered that information and declared "This is like the guy who memorized the board." I didn't tell her who it was until the end of the show just to try to keep interest in it, but it was kind of neat.

Chuck Sutton · « **Reply #666 on:** August 17, 2006, 01:06:05 PM »

I should go thourgh storage I know I have the original broadcasts on betamax(believe it not). Probably not any good anymore,

I love these stories about surprise from some people.

At the time there was almost no surprise. CBS decided to hype the whole thing to boost ratings. The press told Larson's whole story beforehand.

Although I was traveling north to visit my grandparents.(So I was glad I had advance notice to tape it) We arrived at her house near the end of the first episode. She called out, "you have to see what is happening on this game show."

aaron sica · « **Reply #667 on:** August 17, 2006, 01:07:51 PM »

[quote name=\'Chuck Sutton\' post=\'127819\' date=\'Aug 17 2006, 01:06 PM\']
I should go thourgh storage I know I have the original broadcasts on betamax(believe it not). Probably not any good anymore,
[/quote]

I think by just saying you have original broadcasts on Betamax - prepare to be INUNDATED with emails now from tape traders.

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #668 on:** August 17, 2006, 04:31:49 PM »

[quote name=\'Chuck Sutton\' post=\'127819\' date=\'Aug 17 2006, 01:06 PM\']At the time there was almost no surprise. CBS decided to hype the whole thing to boost ratings. The press told Larson's whole story beforehand.[/quote]
Of course, "the press" back then wasn't nearly as omnipresent as it is today, and nobody really cared much about daytime game shows. I think, though, that you might be wrong about CBS doing anything to promote it. Seems from what I heard, it was something of an embarrassment to them. The only thing I recall seeing in advance was a brief TV Guide article, which I was glad to see since it made me tune into a show I usually skipped. I really don't remember a mountain of coverage before or after.

MSTieScott · « **Reply #669 on:** August 17, 2006, 04:35:01 PM »

[quote name=\'MrBuddwing\' post=\'127782\' date=\'Aug 17 2006, 12:19 AM\']It seems to me a game show in which "only the last 10 minutes really count" is a fundamentally flawed concept, but given the popularity and longevity of PYL, what do I know.

Am I mistaken? Could someone enlighten me? (Could someone make a copy of ... all right, I know I'm not supposed to ask that here.)[/quote]
It helps if you view round one as its own little game. Since having the highest total allows you to play last in round two (and know exactly what score you have to beat), it's important to place first in round one, even if there's a decent chance you won't win anything you've accumulated there.

I love the strategy of PYL -- hoping your opponent gets a Whammy is often a large part of that strategy, but so is not passing your opponent so many spins that even if they do hit a Whammy, they can build their total back up again to beat you. And then if they hit a couple of "+ one spin" spaces...

Regarding the Larson episodes: I showed them to some college friends who already knew what the final outcome would be, and they were still whooping it up every time he hit more money. It really is something to see non-fans get into a show.

(Question about the original episodes, since my copy is cut off -- At the end of part one, did they show any fee plugs or credits, or did the show just end after Peter's "to be continued" speech in front of the blue screen?)

--
Scott Robinson

clemon79 · « **Reply #670 on:** August 17, 2006, 05:10:17 PM »

[quote name=\'MSTieScott\' post=\'127826\' date=\'Aug 17 2006, 01:35 PM\']
(Question about the original episodes, since my copy is cut off -- At the end of part one, did they show any fee plugs or credits, or did the show just end after Peter's "to be continued" speech in front of the blue screen?)
[/quote]
I'm pretty sure they rolled credits. GSN chopped them out to make more room for Bil.

Chuck Sutton · « **Reply #671 on:** August 17, 2006, 05:18:52 PM »

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'127825\' date=\'Aug 17 2006, 04:31 PM\']
[quote name=\'Chuck Sutton\' post=\'127819\' date=\'Aug 17 2006, 01:06 PM\']At the time there was almost no surprise. CBS decided to hype the whole thing to boost ratings. The press told Larson's whole story beforehand.[/quote]
Of course, "the press" back then wasn't nearly as omnipresent as it is today, and nobody really cared much about daytime game shows. I think, though, that you might be wrong about CBS doing anything to promote it. Seems from what I heard, it was something of an embarrassment to them. The only thing I recall seeing in advance was a brief TV Guide article, which I was glad to see since it made me tune into a show I usually skipped. I really don't remember a mountain of coverage before or after.
[/quote]

Maybe I have remembered more coverage than there was. I remember the TV Guide mention, so CBS didn't have secrecy agreements. I sitll lived in Lansing then. I could swear there was an article in the State Journal but maybe your memory is better than mine.

uncamark · « **Reply #672 on:** August 17, 2006, 05:31:35 PM »

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'127830\' date=\'Aug 17 2006, 04:10 PM\']
[quote name=\'MSTieScott\' post=\'127826\' date=\'Aug 17 2006, 01:35 PM\']
(Question about the original episodes, since my copy is cut off -- At the end of part one, did they show any fee plugs or credits, or did the show just end after Peter's "to be continued" speech in front of the blue screen?)
[/quote]
I'm pretty sure they rolled credits. GSN chopped them out to make more room for Bil.
[/quote]

Yes, they did. Can't remember if they ran the same fee plugs for both parts. If Larson's toteboard was flashing his total, they had to reshoot the credits for the first part. Easy thing to do at the end of a taping day--Carruthers has a camera take a closeup of the flashing lights, key the Chyrons, music Mackenzie plays the theme, sweetening MacKenzie has applause, cue Rod to read the tag, fade to black.

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #673 on:** August 17, 2006, 05:54:58 PM »

[quote name=\'Chuck Sutton\' post=\'127833\' date=\'Aug 17 2006, 05:18 PM\']Maybe I have remembered more coverage than there was. I remember the TV Guide mention, so CBS didn't have secrecy agreements. I sitll lived in Lansing then. I could swear there was an article in the State Journal but maybe your memory is better than mine.[/quote]
Oh, all I'm saying is that the TV Guide mention was the only one I saw, and that CBS in particular didn't do a big campaign over it. Might it have made its way into local papers? Sure. But it wasn't the attention-getter than Ken Jennings or even (to be more era appropriate) Thom McKee was. It wasn't a Major Media Event because (at the time, anyway) most people didn't really care all that much about Press Your Luck.

snowpeck · « **Reply #674 on:** August 17, 2006, 06:05:50 PM »

[quote name=\'uncamark\' post=\'127834\' date=\'Aug 17 2006, 05:31 PM\']
[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'127830\' date=\'Aug 17 2006, 04:10 PM\']
[quote name=\'MSTieScott\' post=\'127826\' date=\'Aug 17 2006, 01:35 PM\']
(Question about the original episodes, since my copy is cut off -- At the end of part one, did they show any fee plugs or credits, or did the show just end after Peter's "to be continued" speech in front of the blue screen?)
[/quote]
I'm pretty sure they rolled credits. GSN chopped them out to make more room for Bil.
[/quote]

Yes, they did. Can't remember if they ran the same fee plugs for both parts. If Larson's toteboard was flashing his total, they had to reshoot the credits for the first part. Easy thing to do at the end of a taping day--Carruthers has a camera take a closeup of the flashing lights, key the Chyrons, music Mackenzie plays the theme, sweetening MacKenzie has applause, cue Rod to read the tag, fade to black.
[/quote]

Yeah the credits and such ran over an angled shot of the flashing board.

Greg