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Author Topic: Pilot Page is Up  (Read 5725 times)

mmb5

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Pilot Page is Up
« on: January 04, 2004, 09:20:47 PM »
For the past year, I've been working on a few web pages on Game Show pilots I've had a chance to see, whether it's through GSN, tape trades or the UCLA archive.  Feel free to take a look at: The Game Show Pilot Light.  So far, I have info on 42 pilots.

Play nice, because I'm sure there's errors in there.  And knowing you guys, you'll let me know of every single one of them.


--Mike
Portions of this post not affecting the outcome have been edited or recreated.

aaron sica

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Pilot Page is Up
« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2004, 09:59:50 PM »
I really think it's a neat page - I've been looking over it for about 1/2 hour now, lots of good pictures to supplement the pilots! Fine job.

My only "pick" is that the pictures may take a little bit to load for the dialup folks..

BrandonFG

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Pilot Page is Up
« Reply #2 on: January 04, 2004, 09:59:54 PM »
[quote name=\'mmb5\' date=\'Jan 4 2004, 09:20 PM\'] For the past year, I've been working on a few web pages on Game Show pilots I've had a chance to see, whether it's through GSN, tape trades or the UCLA archive.  Feel free to take a look at: The Game Show Pilot Light.  So far, I have info on 42 pilots.

Play nice, because I'm sure there's errors in there.  And knowing you guys, you'll let me know of every single one of them.


--Mike [/quote]
 All I can say is niiiiiiiiiice...you really did some work here. Good job! :-)
"It wasn't like this on Tic Tac Dough...Wink never gave a damn!"

itiparanoid13

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Pilot Page is Up
« Reply #3 on: January 04, 2004, 10:13:46 PM »
Nice page.  Very informative.  Thanks!

JasonA1

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Pilot Page is Up
« Reply #4 on: January 04, 2004, 10:14:00 PM »
Wow! Awesome stuff! Contribute to the page at your leisure - I'll just be chomping at the bit to read it. :)

-Jason
Game Show Forum Muckety-Muck

The Ol' Guy

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Pilot Page is Up
« Reply #5 on: January 04, 2004, 10:51:51 PM »
Super job, Mike - and you answered a question for me. I had just bought the Big Payoff tape from Bruce Simon and after watching it, was sure it was a pilot, based on the fact that all commercial cutaways were local, vs. for their classic net sponsor Colgate. Thanks for the confirmation.

Casey Buck

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Pilot Page is Up
« Reply #6 on: January 04, 2004, 11:52:02 PM »
Speaking of pilots, the Page O' Clips now has a "Legendary Firsts" section that has clips of the Family Feud pilot, the 1st Trebek Jeopardy pilot, and the MG'73 pilot (as well as Pat Sajak's first WOF episode and the first few minutes of the first episode of TNPiR'72).

BrandonFG

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Pilot Page is Up
« Reply #7 on: January 05, 2004, 12:11:34 AM »
[quote name=\'Casey Buck\' date=\'Jan 4 2004, 11:52 PM\'] Speaking of pilots, the Page O' Clips now has a "Legendary Firsts" section that has clips of the Family Feud pilot, the 1st Trebek Jeopardy pilot, and the MG'73 pilot (as well as Pat Sajak's first WOF episode and the first few minutes of the first episode of TNPiR'72). [/quote]
 And let me speak my mind on Feud and Jeopardy.

Feud: the actual show was fine, but that set was way too cramped. I'm also glad the decided on the oval-shaped game board.

Jeopardy: Who was the art director for this? I'd like to know what the hell they were smoking when they decided to make the podia and board look like computers. If that set had gone to air, it would've gotten dated very quickly. The show also seemed more laid back than what it became in the 80s. The blonde on the right was kind of annoying with her side comments in between questions.

One more thing, how did they transform the game board for (tacky neon) Final Jeopardy? Was it simply a black board that slid down over the grid?
"It wasn't like this on Tic Tac Dough...Wink never gave a damn!"

gameshowguy2000

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Pilot Page is Up
« Reply #8 on: January 05, 2004, 12:15:33 AM »
Bert Parks was hosting the HS pilot? So, how did they get Peter Marshall to host the SHOW, instead of Parks?

BrandonFG

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Pilot Page is Up
« Reply #9 on: January 05, 2004, 12:25:40 AM »
[quote name=\'gameshowguy2000\' date=\'Jan 5 2004, 12:15 AM\'] Bert Parks was hosting the HS pilot? So, how did they get Peter Marshall to host the SHOW, instead of Parks? [/quote]
 I don't have a copy of Marshall's HSq book, but IIRC, it was two big factors:

1) The show sat on the shelf at CBS for a year. When it finally went over to NBC, Parks was busy with another project.

2) I don't think Marshall expected the show to last too long, and I remember reading that he wanted to spite Dan Rowan, who was also up for the job. So he went ahead and made the move to host the show. The rest is history.
"It wasn't like this on Tic Tac Dough...Wink never gave a damn!"

Strikerz04

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Pilot Page is Up
« Reply #10 on: January 05, 2004, 12:47:42 AM »
Its quite impressive, because I'm reading about the rules and the background about the different shows. I think some of them should've sold, but alas, they haven't.

Really beautiful stuff!

whampyl03

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Pilot Page is Up
« Reply #11 on: January 05, 2004, 12:48:44 AM »
Very nicely done.

clemon79

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Pilot Page is Up
« Reply #12 on: January 05, 2004, 01:05:33 AM »
[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Jan 4 2004, 10:11 PM\'] Jeopardy: Who was the art director for this? I'd like to know what the hell they were smoking when they decided to make the podia and board look like computers. [/quote]
 Not Ed Flesh, I sure as hell hope. My God was that one of the most amazingly hideous things I've ever seen. They shoulda made Alex a big-ass prop floppy disk to shove into the "drive" to make the Final Jeopardy answer pop up. :)
Chris Lemon, King Fool, Director of Suck Consolidation
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cmjb13

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Pilot Page is Up
« Reply #13 on: January 05, 2004, 06:38:11 AM »
Anyone know where that Jeopardy! pilot taped?
Enjoy lots and lots of backstage TPIR photos and other fun stuff here. And yes, I did park in Syd Vinnedge's parking spot at CBS

chris319

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Pilot Page is Up
« Reply #14 on: January 05, 2004, 07:46:44 AM »
Excellent job!

I can vouch for the fact that Mindreaders was first taped in studio 3 at NBC Burbank, now home to Jay Leno and the Tonight Show. The correct name of the second phase of the Mindreaders end game was "Celebrity Turnabout".

For the record, thanks to Johnny Carson's penchant for taking time off, Puzzlers and Blockbusters both started in studio 1 at NBC Burbank, home at the time to Carson's Tonight Show and later The Weakest Link.