Author Topic: gene wood; password whisperer (Read 6460 times)

toetyper · « **on:** July 17, 2010, 02:53:37 PM »

near the end of super password's run; they had gene wood whisper the passwords in the front game. does any one know why? to help the blind audience?

Dbacksfan12 · « **Reply #1 on:** July 17, 2010, 06:14:52 PM »

[quote name=\'toetyper\' post=\'244358\' date=\'Jul 17 2010, 01:53 PM\']near the end of super password's run; they had gene wood whisper the passwords in the front game. does any one know why? to help the blind audience?[/quote]Yes. It was also a feature of the original Password. ISTR that a relative of Ludden's was blind.

JasonA1 · « **Reply #2 on:** July 17, 2010, 06:24:00 PM »

[quote name=\'Modor\' post=\'244374\' date=\'Jul 17 2010, 03:14 PM\']ISTR that a relative of Ludden's was blind.[/quote]

From Game Shows '75:

"...the reason the word was spoken as well as shown was because original producer Bob Stewart's mother didn’t speak English, and he knew communicating the word both ways would get the point across better, not only to her but others in similar circumstances."

Doesn't answer the question of why it came back after about 8 years of shows (P+ and SP) without it, but I liked a lot of the other changes being implemented around that time, like the bonus round split screen.

-Jason

daveromanjr · « **Reply #3 on:** July 18, 2010, 09:26:55 AM »

I had always thought it came back because it was something Password was somewhat known for with the phrase "This password is....."

Adam Nedeff · « **Reply #4 on:** July 19, 2010, 02:05:32 AM »

[quote name=\'toetyper\' post=\'244358\' date=\'Jul 17 2010, 02:53 PM\']near the end of super password's run; they had gene wood whisper the passwords in the front game. does any one know why? to help the blind audience?[/quote]
As I recall, when Gene Wood died, Steve Beverly posted this simple story/explanation: During an episode, Bert somehow began waxing nostalgically about the old version and just casually suggested that Gene should whisper the passwords for that day's episode. Everybody liked it, so they kept it that way.

Vahan_Nisanian · « **Reply #5 on:** July 19, 2010, 02:26:02 AM »

From what I understand, the first episode of Super Password to feature Gene Wood whispering the passwords was the Monday episode of the Abby Dalton & Richard Kline week. During the entire first puzzle, Bert mentioned it on the air, after he had been talking through it.

Also, GSN skipped over that week in 2006 and last year, yet they had no problem showing that week back in the 90's, not to mention the fact that there are no celebrity clearance issues with that week. Sometimes, GSN does things that are definitely not self-explanatory and are too hard to figure out, this being one of them.

That week would have been episodes #0540-#0544, assuming that Bert also mentioned the passwords being whispered on the first Newharts & Martins week, which also aired in 1986. The Newharts & Martins actually never had any issues about their Super Password episodes being on GSN, even before 2007. Chuck Donegan even stated that he remembered seeing them on an episode that aired on GSN before 2007, but I don't know if it was from the 1986 week, or from the 1988 week. And was it during the normal rotation, or for a special occasion? If so, what kind was it?

Keep in mind that when GSN used to have the rights to the G-T library, their digibeta copies of the episodes typically had 3 per tape.

Otm Shank · « **Reply #6 on:** July 20, 2010, 11:47:34 AM »

I don't mean to hijack a thread, but...

[quote name=\'gameshowlover87\' post=\'244465\' date=\'Jul 19 2010, 02:26 AM\']... there are no celebrity clearance issues with that week.[/quote]

...there are celebrities who had veto rights over their reruns?! I would've thought their appearance contract would have released any "rights" to their image.

Who has been able to bury their tape from airing?

Allstar87 · « **Reply #7 on:** July 20, 2010, 12:58:19 PM »

[quote name=\'Otm Shank\' post=\'244560\' date=\'Jul 20 2010, 11:47 AM\']Who has been able to bury their tape from airing?[/quote]

I seem to recall David Leisure is one of them.

Ian Wallis · « **Reply #8 on:** July 20, 2010, 02:19:43 PM »

Quote

there are celebrities who had veto rights over their reruns?! I would've thought their appearance contract would have released any "rights" to their image.

Any game show appearance after 1973 a celebrity must sign a waiver for it to re-air, that's why certain weeks of shows haven't been run on GSN, because they couldn't get clearance.

Vahan_Nisanian · « **Reply #9 on:** July 20, 2010, 08:19:48 PM »

[quote name=\'Allstar87\' post=\'244562\' date=\'Jul 20 2010, 12:58 PM\']I seem to recall David Leisure is one of them.[/quote]

And for good reason, too. Someone on another forum told me that he actually remembered seeing Leisure on the show back in 1987, and that from what he remembered, Leisure was the most abysmal Super Password celebrity ever to play the game.

And for the record, Leisure was the only celebrity on this version of Password not to have appearances be cleared.

chris319 · « **Reply #10 on:** July 20, 2010, 08:59:48 PM »

Talent releases in the early days didn't cover cable. No one at the time felt game shows had much rerun value, let alone that there would someday be a cable network devoted to nothing but game show reruns.

Before GSN could run these shows they had to get releases from every emcee, announcer, model and celebrity guest (or their estate) who ever appeared on a show they wanted to rerun. This means every mystery guest who ever appeared on WML? (but not the civilians) as well as He Said She Said, Tattletales, Password, The Hollywood Squares, etc.

ChuckNet · « **Reply #11 on:** July 20, 2010, 11:02:04 PM »

[quote name=\'gameshowlover87\' post=\'244465\' date=\'Jul 19 2010, 02:26 AM\']From what I understand, the first episode of Super Password to feature Gene Wood whispering the passwords was the Monday episode of the Abby Dalton & Richard Kline week. During the entire first puzzle, Bert mentioned it on the air, after he had been talking through it.[/quote]

It was indeed...in fact, Bert even had Gene appear on-camera when he talked about this change before the start of the game.

Quote

That week would have been episodes #0540-#0544, assuming that Bert also mentioned the passwords being whispered on the first Newharts & Martins week, which also aired in 1986. The Newharts & Martins actually never had any issues about their Super Password episodes being on GSN, even before 2007. Chuck Donegan even stated that he remembered seeing them on an episode that aired on GSN before 2007, but I don't know if it was from the 1986 week, or from the 1988 week. And was it during the normal rotation, or for a special occasion? If so, what kind was it?

It was from the 1988 week, and I believe it was a one-off appearance as part of As Seen On Theatre.

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")

BrandonFG · « **Reply #12 on:** July 21, 2010, 09:30:35 AM »

[quote name=\'Allstar87\' post=\'244562\' date=\'Jul 20 2010, 12:58 PM\'][quote name=\'Otm Shank\' post=\'244560\' date=\'Jul 20 2010, 11:47 AM\']Who has been able to bury their tape from airing?[/quote]

I seem to recall David Leisure is one of them.
[/quote]
Isn't Valerie Bertinelli on The $20,000 Pyramid another? Or are we still talking about SP guests?

Ian Wallis · « **Reply #13 on:** July 21, 2010, 11:57:08 AM »

Quote

Before GSN could run these shows they had to get releases from every emcee, announcer, model and celebrity guest (or their estate) who ever appeared on a show they wanted to rerun.

Not to mention music rights holders - that's why some of the music on the '70s Newlywed Game was altered, and it's supposedly what kept the '70s Treasure Hunt off the air.

ChuckNet · « **Reply #14 on:** July 23, 2010, 03:16:31 AM »

Quote

Isn't Valerie Bertinelli on The $20,000 Pyramid another? Or are we still talking about SP guests?

Actually, one of Bertinelli's eps did air as part of a Pyramid Thursday block on GSN back in 02...however, her MG '78/PM appearances were def vetoed, as not a single one of them has been seen since their original airings.

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")