Author Topic: Truthful Hosts (Read 7189 times)

The Pyramids · « **on:** November 17, 2013, 04:49:09 PM »

Who did the best job on \'To Tell the Truth\'? Except for Lynn Swan, it occurs to me that there is a very strong pool to choose from. I\'ll go with Gary Moore.

DoorNumberFour · « **Reply #1 on:** November 17, 2013, 05:22:40 PM »

What was wrong with Lynn Swann? I thought he was alright...

Winkfan · « **Reply #2 on:** November 17, 2013, 06:48:48 PM »

Quote

Who did the best job on To Tell the Truth? I'll go with Garry Moore.

Not even he can hold a candle to Bud Collyer!

Cordially,
Tammy

whewfan · « **Reply #3 on:** November 17, 2013, 06:57:01 PM »

It\'s a bit hard to pick the BEST, but my personal ranking, from best to worst

Garry Moore- They made best use of his talents by incorporating Garry in funny intros to the first group of contestants. Garry was also naturally chatty and friendly to the panel, like they\'re old friends.

Bud Collyer- It was a different era, and the original TTTT, while it had many entertaining guests and contestants, it\'s a bit more \"pedestrian\" than the Garry Moore version. Still, Bud fits in quite well here,

Gordon Elliott- IMO the best host of the 1990 run, only ousted because of contract problems. He had a style of humor that was quirky, and he seemed to enjoy the show.

John O\'Hurley- In terms of talent, I think John was a bit closer in style to Bud, and I think he added a lot of class to the show.

Alex Trebek- Alex does about as good a job as you might expect. To be fair, he was the last host of the 1990 version which was not doing too well ratings wise.

Joe Garagiola- Imagine having to fill Garry Moore\'s shoes. Sure, Joe didn\'t quite have the same level of talent than Garry, but all things considering I thought he was just fine.

Lynn Swann- I think he was only intended as a fill in until they could get a more permanent host. Lynn did fine in his short reign as host, but nothing memorable.

Robin Ward- Unless you count pilot host Richard Klein, Robin was easily the worst of the bunch. Robin was ill at ease, didn\'t have any chemistry with the panel, and even worse, the TTTT set looked like a flashy discotheque instead of a classy set that fans were used to.

HONORABLE MENTION- Bill Cullen- Bill hosted on occasion while Garry was on vacation, then somewhat longer term when Garry was sidelined due to throat cancer. He could\'ve taken Garry\'s place permanently, but it was decided that Bill\'s quick wit and talents were far better suited on the panel.

The Pyramids · « **Reply #4 on:** November 17, 2013, 07:47:28 PM »

I had not recalled Robin Ward and the \'80 - \'81 version when I started the thread. He, more so than Swan, is indeed the weak link.

JakeT · « **Reply #5 on:** November 17, 2013, 09:21:26 PM »

Robin Ward- Unless you count pilot host Richard Klein, Robin was easily the worst of the bunch. Robin was ill at ease, didn\'t have any chemistry with the panel, and even worse, the TTTT set looked like a flashy discotheque instead of a classy set that fans were used to.

TTTT had a far worse set IMO than the Robin Ward set back in the late 60s-early 70s with the set that looked like a drug addict\'s nightmare! All those freaky colors and swirls distracted me from the game...ugh...

JakeT

whewfan · « **Reply #6 on:** November 17, 2013, 09:51:45 PM »

I agree Jake... the first Garry Moore TTTT set was definitely too busy and too \"psychedelic\". Not long after that, they toned down the set with solid blue panels instead of those lava lamp like designs.

However, having the panel and contestants enter through \"clamshell\" shaped doors (although they also experimented with the panel coming out from behind a wall, and also having the panel already standing behind the desk at the intro.) looked awkward to me.

JakeT · « **Reply #7 on:** November 17, 2013, 09:59:00 PM »

I agree Jake... the first Garry Moore TTTT set was definitely too busy and too \"psychedelic\". Not long after that, they toned down the set with solid blue panels instead of those lava lamp like designs.

However, having the panel and contestants enter through \"clamshell\" shaped doors (although they also experimented with the panel coming out from behind a wall, and also having the panel already standing behind the desk at the intro.) looked awkward to me.

I thought the set that followed the psychodelic set was just kinda plain and butt-ugly but at least more \"classy\" that the \"hey man, let\'s light a doobie and find the real dude\" set...they really got it right with the final set used until the end of the 70\'s syndie run...and that set must have been a favorite for many since it was the logo that went along with that set that was reprised in the 90s version.

And no arguements here...the Robin Ward version had sooooooo much wrong with it...more than just the set...just really not a very enjoyable half-hour of television...actually, I gotta wonder...with many older televisions, when that god-awful bright red TTTT logo came onto the screen, did it cause lots of sets to have that annoying audio buzz? Just curious...

JakeT

BillCullen1 · « **Reply #8 on:** November 18, 2013, 12:33:38 PM »

I agree Jake... the first Garry Moore TTTT set was definitely too busy and too \"psychedelic\". Not long after that, they toned down the set with solid blue panels instead of those lava lamp like designs.

When TTTT returned in \'69, it was the psychedelic era. I think the set was just a reflection of the times. As for placing the hosts in order from first to worst, IMO it goes like this:

Bud C.

Garry M.

Alex T.

John O.

Joe G.

Gordon E.

Lynn S.

Robin W,

Plus, he was never a permanent host but I must give my namesake an honorable mention for holding the fort while Garry Moore was away.

Neumms · « **Reply #9 on:** November 18, 2013, 06:46:46 PM »

Bud Collier seemed like a fun hater. Never said anything funny, even though he had the best panels. Heck, he had Johnny Carson and Dina Merrill on, plus Tom Poston as a regular. Garry was great. And I loved Gordon Elliott.

TLEberle · « **Reply #10 on:** November 18, 2013, 06:50:30 PM »

He just wanted to get home to catch that night\'s episode of Lassie.

whewfan · « **Reply #11 on:** November 18, 2013, 09:21:07 PM »

With Bud Collyer, I think he was a host that could vary his style. On TTTT, he was laid back and straightforward. The show was really about the three contestants and the panel. On the other hand, you\'ll see a different Bud Collyer on Beat the Clock. There, he was a real showman, being very enthusiastic and energetic, and ready for funny quips when stunts went unexpectedly wrong (such as once when they ran out of balloons for a couple to use from them breaking so much, so they had to give them the stunt.)

Trebek is the same way. On Jeopardy!, he is mostly quite serious and seldom joked around, but on High Rollers and Concentration, he was considerably looser and joked around more.

Jay Temple · « **Reply #12 on:** November 18, 2013, 09:39:02 PM »

This thread has me realizing that the same thing I liked better about the Moore/Garagiola TTTT compared to Collyer is what I liked less about the syndie WML compared to John Daly\'s version, i.e., the casual atmosphere. Now I\'m wondering if either he or the director deliberately got Collyer to adopt that style.

whewfan · « **Reply #13 on:** November 18, 2013, 09:50:31 PM »

When Wally Bruner did WML, his style was very close to John Daly. Considering he was a newsman, that should be no surprise. However, Larry Blyden was indeed very laid back, although if you watch his early WML eps. he was a bit stiff, but he eventually loosened up and had fun.

DoorNumberFour · « **Reply #14 on:** November 18, 2013, 10:06:33 PM »

I honestly don\'t get what is so wrong with Robin Ward\'s version. The music was disco-ish yet classy, the set wasn\'t the most offensive thing in the world, Robin did a decent job conversing with the panel and contestants when he needed to...plus, I think the One On One segment was more interesting than the 90s version.

And frankly, what does the host of TTTT have to do other than explain how much is paid for each incorrect vote, read the affidavits, converse with the panel occasionally, and interview the contestants post-game? Robin did all of that reasonably well, I think.