"Blockbusters" '87 I taped Thursday

[gamed121683]

So I taped "Blockbusters" with Rafferty on Thursday and I was trying to transfer the episode to another tape for my collection, cutting the commericals out. Well, when all is said and done I played back the tape and the show was only a whoping 19 1/2 minutes long! I always thought the the average length of a 30 min. game show (w/o commericals) is about 21-22 min. How much game did GSN cut out of yesterday's show to make this happen or do I need to work on my editing skills?

[zachhoran]

[quote name=\'gamed121683\' date=\'May 6 2005, 06:36 AM\']So I taped "Blockbusters" with Rafferty on Thursday and I was trying to transfer the episode to another tape for my collection, cutting the commericals out. Well, when all is said and done I played back the tape and the show was only a whoping 19 1/2 minutes long! I always thought the the average length of a 30 min. game show (w/o commericals) is about 21-22 min. How much game did GSN cut out of yesterday's show to make this happen or do I need to work on my editing skills?

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They might have done a Car-Azy February contest question. All six of NBC's game shows at the time(February 1987) ran this contest. On three or four episodes of each show per month(they would never indicate on what days the contest questions/puzzles would appear), a contest question/puzzle would appear. Any contestant who wrote in with the correct answer would be put into a drawing to win one of three or four Isuzu I-Marks the shows were offering. Bill did not announce at the end of the show yesterday that there wasn't a contest question, so I'm guessing that's why two mins. were cut out of the show.

[Pyramid80]

[quote name=\'gamed121683\' date=\'May 6 2005, 06:36 AM\']So I taped "Blockbusters" with Rafferty on Thursday and I was trying to transfer the episode to another tape for my collection, cutting the commericals out. Well, when all is said and done I played back the tape and the show was only a whoping 19 1/2 minutes long! I always thought the the average length of a 30 min. game show (w/o commericals) is about 21-22 min. How much game did GSN cut out of yesterday's show to make this happen or do I need to work on my editing skills?

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That is the way it has been with me ever since BB has started.  I have been putting my shows on DVD minus commericals and BB has been in the 19-20 minute range.  GSN runs 3 promos during the fee plugs and closing credits, and if the game show is still showing fee plugs when those 3 promos finish up, it does cut the show short and the credits aren't seen.  That could indeed be one reason that the show seems short.

[GS Warehouse]

[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'May 6 2005, 06:58 AM\']They might have done a Car-Azy February contest question. ...

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I saw Bill putting down a red envolope, so I think Thursday was sweepstakes day on BB.  BTW, since we're talking about yesterday's show: I slept in yesterday and missed half the show.  I know Christy and Andy split the first two games.  What I want to know is, who won what game?  I've been keeping track of whether the "advantage" really is an advantage.

If only the producers of MOGSM had seen today's episode while they were still making them...

[mmb5]

Don't forget speedups, which probably account for another minute or two after the 3-4 minutes already chopped off for missing fee plugs, crunched credits, eliminated ticket thingies, etc.  I've been clocking about 19-21 minutes of recordable stuff per half hour on any GSN show for some time now.


--Mike

[cmjb13]

And they couldn't show this, because?

[JMFabiano]

[quote name=\'mmb5\' date=\'May 6 2005, 11:54 AM\']Don't forget speedups, which probably account for another minute or two after the 3-4 minutes already chopped off for missing fee plugs, crunched credits, eliminated ticket thingies, etc.  I've been clocking about 19-21 minutes of recordable stuff per half hour on any GSN show for some time now.


--Mike

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Actually, at least for most of the new schedule, I HAVE been forgetting about speed-ups.  Either they're no longer there, or they finally mastered the Time Machine such that you don't notice as much as before.

EDIT: While not showing where to send entries, has GSN ever shown bonus segments for home players actually being played?  I know about the HPS's on PYL, anything else?

[SRIV94]

[quote name=\'JMFabiano\' date=\'May 6 2005, 03:07 PM\']EDIT: While not showing where to send entries, has GSN ever shown bonus segments for home players actually being played?  I know about the HPS's on PYL, anything else?

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I also know of one instance on Perry CS, where an Aurora, Indiana woman's postcard was drawn as the winner of a Home Viewer Sweepstakes.  GSN a few weeks later then showed her playing the Money Cards as a part of her prize (and while she didn't do especially well there, she did also receive a car).

So that sorta counts, no?  

Doug -- and the countdown to 1200 continues

[zachhoran]

[quote name=\'SRIV94\' date=\'May 6 2005, 04:29 PM\'][quote name=\'JMFabiano\' date=\'May 6 2005, 03:07 PM\']EDIT: While not showing where to send entries, has GSN ever shown bonus segments for home players actually being played?  I know about the HPS's on PYL, anything else?

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I also know of one instance on Perry CS, where an Aurora, Indiana woman's postcard was drawn as the winner of a Home Viewer Sweepstakes.  GSN a few weeks later then showed her playing the Money Cards as a part of her prize (and while she didn't do especially well there, she did also receive a car).

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They showed the celebs playing for home viewers picked out of the telephone directory on those mid 70s syndie LMAD episodes. Did they show the TPIR Home Viewer Showcases and the "call the winner" segments back when they showed TPIR? I know they showed the 80s Phone Home Game and Play-Along segments.

[Brakus]

[quote name=\'mmb5\' date=\'May 6 2005, 11:54 AM\']Don't forget speedups, which probably account for another minute or two after the 3-4 minutes already chopped off for missing fee plugs, crunched credits, eliminated ticket thingies, etc.

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Actually, GSN has pretty much cut back on the Time Machine on almost everything I TiVo (Blockbusters, Card Sharks, Super Password) -- I notice they still use the Time Machine on Bill Cullen's Blockbusters on the weekends, because there's no way in hell Bill Cullen talked as fast as he did on that show.

The timing runs about 22-23 minutes when you take out all the commercials/promos and stuff, which is pretty much the norm for cable TV these days. As an example, when I record Full Metal Alchemist on Adult Swim to DVD from my TiVo, the length of the show minus commercials is exactly 23 minutes (the only thing they edit is the ED which has to be shortened for cable). This despite the fact that there's only 1 commercial break in between the 2 acts.

I think GSN is starting to realize that they really didn't need the Time Machine to begin with for most of these shows; especially since now they won't play the closing credits for most of the shows anyway (except for maybe a fluke day when the good monkeys don't crunch the closing stuff, which happens around once a month).

- J

[dale_grass]

I was wondering about that speeding up thing.  It's most obvious to me duing Dawson Feud.  All music and cues are a bit faster and Gene does the intros mighty quick.  Or was it just this way during the first few years?

[Strikerz04]

[quote name=\'dale_grass\' date=\'May 6 2005, 11:47 PM\']I was wondering about that speeding up thing.  It's most obvious to me duing Dawson Feud.  All music and cues are a bit faster and Gene does the intros mighty quick.  Or was it just this way during the first few years?

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Those were sped up, bigtime. Its ridiculous. In no way does FF sound that sped up (sounded like hillbillies running quickly with the background music playing out of rhythm)

[JMFabiano]

Yeah, I notice the speed-ups mostly on the "Big Two" (MG and FF).  Other than that, not so much.  The new additions to the weekday schedule seem clean to me.  If that is so, that probably proves the credit crunches/cutting to be a necessary evil, I guess.  (More ad time instead of compressing the show to create it)  

As a sidenote, I recall some program (forget which) ending a minute early due to the credit treatment.  Either that or my clock was a bit off...

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'May 6 2005, 06:43 PM\']They showed the celebs playing for home viewers picked out of the telephone directory on those mid 70s syndie LMAD episodes. Did they show the TPIR Home Viewer Showcases and the "call the winner" segments back when they showed TPIR? I know they showed the 80s Phone Home Game and Play-Along segments.

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I do recall a 1982 Home Viewer Showcase being shown on GSN in 1998--probably because a "CONTEST ENDS [date], 1982" graphic was shown throughout the entire bit.  No need to cut it if the date is on the screen in big print--at least one would think.

[aaron sica]

[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'May 9 2005, 12:05 PM\']
I do recall a 1982 Home Viewer Showcase being shown on GSN in 1998--probably because a "CONTEST ENDS [date], 1982" graphic was shown throughout the entire bit.  No need to cut it if the date is on the screen in big print--at least one would think.

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I can back Mark up on this one. I remember seeing the end of one of the 8am TPiR's as I was getting ready to leave my place.....The reveal almost looked they got it off a Solari board. It was actually either the Christmas 1980 or 1981 HVS - I'm leaning toward 1980, because I verified that I wasn't crazy (well, not TOO crazy anyway.. ) as one of the prices was a "3-in-1" TV Set - one big picture, and two little ones on the right side so people wouldn't fight over what to watch. I thought I remembered seeing it when I was 6 or 7, but couldn't remember - that clinched it for me.