Mark Goodson

[tvrandywest]

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Oct 15 2003, 08:54 PM\'] We certainly have a lot of authorities on the topic of Mark Goodson. [/quote]
But Chris, as you worked for him in the 6430 Sunset days, I hope you'll correct any misconceptions and add any comments you feel appropriate.    ;-)

I had a good number of encounters with Mr. Goodson, and know many other past employees. All I'll add is that he was a very, very complex man with aspects of his life that would make a hot page-turner. Professionally, the networks knew that when he said a show would be ready for taping, his word could be taken to the bank. His reputation with the network programmers of the time (Mike Brockman, etc.) was that the game would be fully developed in all details, and the staging would be fully planned. Nothing slip-shot or left to chance.

"Price" is still a work of art, 32 years later, with a good number of staffers who were with Goodson for many years.


Randy
tvrandywest.com

[chris319]

[quote name=\'DrBear\' date=\'Oct 15 2003, 08:13 PM\'][quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Oct 15 2003, 08:54 PM\'] We certainly have a lot of authorities on the topic of Mark Goodson. [/quote]
Well, if this were an American History board, we'd have a lot of authorities on Millard Fillmore and the Gadsden Purchase.[/quote]
We'd even have a few who knew Millard personally, and others who are still in touch with him.

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Oct 15 2003, 04:17 PM\']Also, who made the decision to reformat TPiR in the 70s?[/quote]
A group decision, but it was obviously Goodson who made the final decision that the old format had to be scrapped (I recall that they tried to pitch the old format in around 1969 or 1970 but failed).  With their names up front, Frank Wayne and Jay Wolpert had to be the most responsible, but this was a group effort as much as any other G-T show (considering that Imie Laine Canellli, an AP on "Beat the Clock" who didn't even move out to LA from the New York office until the late 70s, is considered the inventor of Grocery Game, one of the original "TPIR" games).

[chris319]

[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Oct 17 2003, 01:17 PM\'][quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Oct 15 2003, 04:17 PM\']Also, who made the decision to reformat TPiR in the 70s?[/quote]
A group decision, but it was obviously Goodson who made the final decision that the old format had to be scrapped (I recall that they tried to pitch the old format in around 1969 or 1970 but failed).  With their names up front, Frank Wayne and Jay Wolpert had to be the most responsible, but this was a group effort as much as any other G-T show (considering that Imie Laine Canellli, an AP on "Beat the Clock" who didn't even move out to LA from the New York office until the late 70s, is considered the inventor of Grocery Game, one of the original "TPIR" games).[/quote]
This is all bullshit, Mark.

Not many people know this, but The New Price Is Right was devised by Bill Todman's lesser-known brother Sheldon. As there was great animosity between Bill and Sheldon, rather than taking the concept to his brother, Sheldon took the idea to his brother's competitor, Monty Hall. Seeing great opportunity, Monty and his partner Stef Hatos immediately optioned the idea on the theory that they could own not one but TWO merchandise shows. All they had to do was license The New Price Is Right back to Goodson Todman who would absorb the production costs while Hatos Hall participated in the profits. Well it just so happens that Monty remembered a guy he replaced on Video Village named Jack Narz, who knew veteran G-T director Frank Heller when Heller was a producer of USO shows for Horn & Hardart Productions. Heller, by now a literary agent, immediately put Monty in touch with Goodson's attorney, Rocco Rossi. Mr. Rossi felt that with the right kind of "persuasion" Mr. Goodson could become interested in the deal, but only on the condition that one of Mr. Rossi's "business associates", a Mr. Sposa, be given the emcee position. This shut Narz out of the emcee spot. Meanwhile, due to an antitrust action prohibiting one entity from owning two merchandise game shows, Hatos and Hall were forced to divest their interest in The New Price Is Right (sadly Monty had no connections in the Nixon administration who could intervene). When the show was pitched to CBS, Bud Grant immediately declared Mr. Sposa too ethnic, and that a groese shaygitz should be cast as emcee. Allen Ludden was the name that popped into everyone's mind, but Goodson felt he wasn't right for the show, so Barker was brought in.

Goodson also rejected Sheldon Todman's concept that every pricing game be played for Sarah Coventry jewelry.

See, and you thought you knew everything.

[Jimmy Owen]

So what you're saying is Mark Goodson was solely responsible for creating all his shows?

[Don Howard]

Mr. Rossi felt that with the right kind of "persuasion" Mr. Goodson could become interested in the deal, but only on the condition that one of Mr. Rossi's "business associates", a Mr. Sposa, be given the emcee position.

Mr. Sposa would be Dennis James, yes?

[ChuckNet]

Mr. Sposa would be Dennis James, yes?

Yep...his real name was Demi Sposa, to be exact.

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")

[PPatters]

[quote name=\'ChuckNet\' date=\'Oct 18 2003, 05:11 PM\']

Mr. Sposa would be Dennis James, yes?

Yep...his real name was Demi Sposa, to be exact.

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby") [/quote]
 For those that don't know, Demi Moore's parents were good friends with Mr. James and named Demi after him....

[SplitSecond]

Wasn't his wife a hot young number named Ashton?

[Dbacksfan12]

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Oct 16 2003, 04:44 PM\'] [quote name=\'DrBear\' date=\'Oct 15 2003, 08:13 PM\'][quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Oct 15 2003, 08:54 PM\'] We certainly have a lot of authorities on the topic of Mark Goodson. [/quote]
Well, if this were an American History board, we'd have a lot of authorities on Millard Fillmore and the Gadsden Purchase.[/quote]
We'd even have a few who knew Millard personally, and others who are still in touch with him. [/quote]
 And, you'd be one of them, right?

[chris319]

And, you'd be one of them, right?

Don't be sarcastic.

The above account is 85% fictitious. Frank Wayne's fingerprints are all over The New Price Is Right; it has elements of both LMAD and Beat the Clock, which was Frank's show. I suspect Jay Wolpert was brought in merely as a hired hand as he had no prior association with the company and thus would not be in a position to pitch an idea to Goodson. Wolpert's role was to pick contestants out of the line and to book prizes and games.

Read "The Box" for Ira Skutch's account of how Frank Wayne originated the concept behind Match Game. Better to hear it from Ira. If you asked Frank he would have told you he created Password. He'd also tell you he created oxygen, the continents and the laws of physics.

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Oct 19 2003, 02:50 PM\'][The above account is 85% fictitious. Frank Wayne's fingerprints are all over The New Price Is Right; it has elements of both LMAD and Beat the Clock, which was Frank's show. I suspect Jay Wolpert was brought in merely as a hired hand as he had no prior association with the company and thus would not be in a position to pitch an idea to Goodson. Wolpert's role was to pick contestants out of the line and to book prizes and games.

[/quote]
Duly noted.

Read "The Box" for Ira Skutch's account of how Frank Wayne originated the concept behind Match Game. Better to hear it from Ira. If you asked Frank he would have told you he created Password. He'd also tell you he created oxygen, the continents and the laws of physics.

He also might've said that he was really Mark Goodson, I assume.  

[chris319]

Nobody got the reference to Horn & Hardart.

He also might've said that he was really Mark Goodson

Frank didn't much like Goodson despite the six-figure Xmas bonus checks he received from him, and would never claim to be Goodson because Goodson created so very little. Goodson didn't create the Milky Way, penicillin or modern jurisprudence so Frank was free to claim those as his. We would have the Rossi theorem today if Pythagoras hadn't already put his name to it.

[tvrandywest]

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Oct 20 2003, 12:50 PM\']Goodson didn't create the Milky Way, penicillin or modern jurisprudence so Frank was free to claim those as his. We would have the Rossi theorem today if Pythagoras hadn't already put his name to it.[/quote]
OUCH!

[calliaume]

Frank didn't much like Goodson despite the six-figure Xmas bonus checks he received from him, and would never claim to be Goodson because Goodson created so very little.

Anybody hands me six-figure bonus checks, they automatically rank high on my buddy list.