House bands vs. recorded music

[Otm Shank]

I'm sure we have some knowledgeable sources on this (if it hasn't already been covered in a previous thread). Obviously before magnetic media was a cost-effective option, most of the music on game shows had to be performed live. But once recorded music became prevalent, there were a few shows that still remained with live music.

Obviously, shows where music was part of the gameplay had live music: Name That Tune, Face the Music, Remote Control, Singing Bee, etc.

I am sure there are more. I know the '70s Let's Make a Deal had an unseen band (unlike the examples above). I think the Monty Hall-hosted Beat the Clock did, too, but I am unsure.

Any others that shunned the use of canned music?

[Chief-O]

Povich 21 did, for the first few shows. You're right on Hall BTC.

[tvrandywest]

[quote name=\'Chief-O\' post=\'236236\' date=\'Feb 20 2010, 01:57 PM\']Povich 21 did, for the first few shows. You're right on Hall BTC.[/quote]
Yep, Tom Scott and his studio players were perched above audience left in NBC Studio 1. Way back, someone was playing his organ at Concentration!

Randy
tvrandywest.com

[Mr. Bill]

[quote name=\'Chief-O\' post=\'236236\' date=\'Feb 20 2010, 04:57 PM\']Povich 21 did, for the first few shows. You're right on Hall BTC.[/quote]
And Gene Wood's BTC in the early '70s that was produced in Canada.  Thanks to the foresight of show organist Dick Hyman, he recorded his music from some of the last shows for posterity.  They're on the Beat The Clock page at TVPMM.

[J.R.]

[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' post=\'236239\' date=\'Feb 20 2010, 06:42 PM\']Yep, Tom Scott and his studio players were perched above audience left in NBC Studio 1. Way back, someone was playing his organ at Concentration![/quote]
Same Tom Scott who fronted Sajak show's band?

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'J.R.\' post=\'236245\' date=\'Feb 20 2010, 09:25 PM\'][quote name=\'tvrandywest\' post=\'236239\' date=\'Feb 20 2010, 06:42 PM\']Yep, Tom Scott and his studio players were perched above audience left in NBC Studio 1. Way back, someone was playing his organ at Concentration![/quote]
Same Tom Scott who fronted Sajak show's band?
[/quote]
Indeed.

[That Don Guy]

[quote name=\'Otm Shank\' post=\'236232\' date=\'Feb 20 2010, 01:29 PM\']I think the Monty Hall-hosted Beat the Clock did, too, but I am unsure.[/quote]
It sounded to me like the Monty Hall BTC had canned music accompanied by a live drummer.

-- Don

[LA the DJ]

I seem to recall seeing a small band and at the very least Stormy Sacks with a keyboard in some episodes of Davidson's Squares.

[TimK2003]

[quote name=\'LA the DJ\' post=\'236252\' date=\'Feb 20 2010, 08:12 PM\']I seem to recall seeing a small band and at the very least Stormy Sacks with a keyboard in some episodes of Davidson's Squares.[/quote]

Add to Stormy's "live" resume his gig on the CBS Late Night show "Personals" w/ Michael Burger.

[tomobrien]

I'm kind of hoping I'm wrong on this, but I seem to recall the 1966 Joe Pyne "Showdown" had a sort of Dino, Desi & Billy-type group that performed the theme, if nothing else...

[davemackey]

[quote name=\'tomobrien\' post=\'236295\' date=\'Feb 22 2010, 09:06 AM\']I'm kind of hoping I'm wrong on this, but I seem to recall the 1966 Joe Pyne "Showdown" had a sort of Dino, Desi & Billy-type group that performed the theme, if nothing else...[/quote]
It was called the Bantams.

Here are all the shows I can think of from the 70's onward that used live bands.

"Words and Music"
"Musical Chairs"
"Name that Tune" (of course - Bob Alberti, Tommy Oliver, Stan Worth, then Oliver again)
"The Fun Factory" (live band with Stan Worth)
"The Gong Show" (Milton DeLugg, and Joey Carbone in the 80's)
"Beat The Clock" (Dick Hyman's organ and in '79, Arthur B. Rubinstein's little band)
"Dollar a Second" (pilot - DeLugg again - same music turned up in recorded form on "Treasure Hunt")
Barris "Camouflage" (DeLugg yet again)
"Face the Music" (Tommy Oliver)
"Remote Control" (Steve Trecasse)
"Turn It Up" (Stuffy Shmitt)
"Personals" (Stormy Sacks)
"Hollywood Squares" (Sacks live in studio playing along with recorded tracks)
"Twenty One" (for a few episodes, anyway)
"Singing Bee" (Ray Chew, now someone else)
"Don't Forget The Lyrics" (Rickey Minor)

I think the guys in TV show bands need to be represented by both AFTRA and AFM. New York cats would be local 802 of AFM and the LA session geniuses would be in local 47 of AFM.

[chris319]

before magnetic media was a cost-effective option

It has always been cheaper to spin a record or play a tape than to bring in live musicians. BTC (including the Monty Hall version) used live musicians because they wanted the music to sync to the action. Even cheaper was to hire a studio in England and hire non-union musicians over there (as Bob Israel used to do). BTC '79 had Arthur B. on synth plus a percussionist and a bass guitar (and maybe one more instrument, I forget). Mr. Mackey?

I think the guys in TV show bands need to be represented by both AFTRA and AFM.

I don't think that's the case if the musicians never appear on camera (c.f. Ivan Ditmars' and Rex Khoury's ensembles).

[TimK2003]

[quote name=\'davemackey\' post=\'236296\' date=\'Feb 22 2010, 07:27 AM\']Here are all the shows I can think of from the 70's onward that used live bands.

"Hollywood Squares" (Sacks live in studio playing along with recorded tracks)[/quote]

In the same vain as Stormy & the Squares...

"It Takes Two" (Dick Clark/Family Channel Version) Mark Northam played the incidental music during the show.


Didn't "Almost Anything Goes" use marching bands from the competing cities for incidental music as well???

[Chief-O]

[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'236330\' date=\'Feb 22 2010, 07:58 PM\']BTC '79 had Arthur B. on synth plus a percussionist and a bass guitar (and maybe one more instrument, I forget).[/quote]

Surely, I thought I heard at least some trumpet as well.....

[davemackey]

[quote name=\'Chief-O\' post=\'236333\' date=\'Feb 22 2010, 09:51 PM\'][quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'236330\' date=\'Feb 22 2010, 07:58 PM\']BTC '79 had Arthur B. on synth plus a percussionist and a bass guitar (and maybe one more instrument, I forget).[/quote]

Surely, I thought I heard at least some trumpet as well.....
[/quote]
Trumpet and tenor sax plus rhythm section. The tenor sax player often switched off to piccolo or flute.