The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: weaklink75 on September 09, 2020, 12:38:52 PM
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coming in fall 2021...
https://deadline.com/2020/09/jay-leno-to-host-you-bet-your-life-reboot-fox-television-stations-1234573626/
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Will Leno make our next successional game show host poll, or will he follow in the footsteps of Buddy Hackett and Bill Cosby (or even Richard Dawson)?
Tom Werner, who's co-executive-producing Leno's version, must have a thing for YBYL (or perhaps owns the rights to it). He also served as co-executive producer for the Dawson pilot and the Cosby series.
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Both David Letterman and Conan O'Brien expressed interest in the job, but Jay beat them to the punch. :P
/I keed
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The hard part of someone replacing Groucho is that he spent a career developing a personality that included abrasiveness towards others in his humor. The audience loved it when someone could put something over on Groucho, and he also knew how to turn the tables on himself for a laugh. Groucho was as much a created character as he was a person. People known as nice guys might find it a bit harder to put that abrasiveness into their style. The title creates expectations from those who remember Groucho's version. The original was more than quips - there were the occasional adversarial guests who tried to top the master. The biggest hurdle for the show will be comparisons. The fewer people who remember the original, the better Jay's chances. I wish him well.
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My counter to that is that the most recent version went off the air 27 years ago, so there’s at least one generation that barely remembers or has never heard of YBYL. It would be a way to introduce the 18-49 demographic to a classic, and maybe even Leno himself. The youngest side of that demo was only in middle school when Jay retired for good from late night TV.
Bonus points if one of the rerun channels picks up Groucho’s version. This would be great on MeTV.
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Wasn’t Groucho’s version being carried on PBS at one point? Or am I thinking of something else?
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It was. I’m not sure when, but I wanna say within the last 20 years.
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Wasn’t Groucho’s version being carried on PBS at one point? Or am I thinking of something else?
I vividly recall watching it on PBS in the mid to late 70's. The last time I recall seeing it on TV was when "HA!" debuted and it was on in the mornings.
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Wasn’t Groucho’s version being carried on PBS at one point? Or am I thinking of something else?
I vividly recall watching it on PBS in the mid to late 70's. The last time I recall seeing it on TV was when "HA!" debuted and it was on in the mornings.
It pops up in overnights on Decades once in a while.
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Carson hosted game shows before he became host of "The Tonight Show." Leno's doing it after. 180 episodes gives them 36 weeks. Groucho was one of a kind, but I think Leno could pull this off.
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YBYL is also on Jewish Life TV most weekday afternoons and on Thursday evenings.
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Here's the thing I don't get: YBYL, as a game, was nothing. It was only Groucho's banter with the contestants that made it work. Aside from some sporadic reruns, that version has been off the air for 60 years, and neither Hackett's nor Cosby's version is very well-remembered. How much cachet does the name of the show have with the average American under 60? If you want to do a game show that's mostly Leno interviewing people, why not just invent your own and give it a new name? Calling it YBYL only sets Leno up for the inevitable--and probably unflattering--comparisons with Groucho among older viewers while doing little to attract younger viewers.
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Wasn’t Groucho’s version being carried on PBS at one point? Or am I thinking of something else?
Let's not just count the TV version. Up until the program got retired a couple months ago, Wisconsin Public Radio's "Old Time Radio Drama" regularly included "YBYL" in its lineup. I doubt I was the only young'un listening in to it.
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Here's the thing I don't get: YBYL, as a game, was nothing. It was only Groucho's banter with the contestants that made it work. Aside from some sporadic reruns, that version has been off the air for 60 years, and neither Hackett's nor Cosby's version is very well-remembered. How much cachet does the name of the show have with the average American under 60? If you want to do a game show that's mostly Leno interviewing people, why not just invent your own and give it a new name? Calling it YBYL only sets Leno up for the inevitable--and probably unflattering--comparisons with Groucho among older viewers while doing little to attract younger viewers.
You think about it - how is it different from the current version of the Tonight Show? Jimmy Fallon (badly) interviews celebs, and then other celebs come out and they play a game.
Come to think about it, I'm kinda surprised Jimmy and Higgins' Game of Games hasn't become a spinoff yet.
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This makes me think of Jay Leno Segment "Jaywalking" i can see him pulling this off well. I miss him on Late Night tv.
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Wasn’t Groucho’s version being carried on PBS at one point? Or am I thinking of something else?
Let's not just count the TV version. Up until the program got retired a couple months ago, Wisconsin Public Radio's "Old Time Radio Drama" regularly included "YBYL" in its lineup. I doubt I was the only young'un listening in to it.
Yeah wasn't it called "Best of Groucho" when reran?
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This show is doomed. YBYL had contestants who had been interviewed and all the topics and jokes were set up and, of course, you had Groucho on hand to add his own touch. Plus, all the interviews were edited and contestants were mixed and matched between shows. Jay is good but he's no Groucho. Why don't they revive Two for the Money? The host can compare himself favorably to Herb Shriner and Sam Levinson.
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I’m interested in checking it out. Jay can be good at drawing outrageous answers from civilians, as we saw in his “Jaywalking” segments (which for my money was one of the more entertaining features of his Tonight Show run).
If the new YBYL is based around Jay trying to emulate Groucho & get laughs from his own zingers, it will probably fail. But if the humor is more centered around outrageous civvie answers with Jay setting up & playing off of them, I think it can work. It may feel a bit more like a Bob Eubanks-hosted show than Groucho’s YBYL (as Eubanks was also a master of drawing out funny civvie answers), but I think that could be the more successful route for this.
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Besides the fairly dull game, which rarely involved betting anything, a comedian interviewing civilians for five minutes just doesn't seem that interesting anymore. I can imagine Leno being a funny host of something, but this isn't it.
I'd much rather see Letterman's Know Your Cuts of Meat as a half-hour show, presumably without the young assistant he was diddling on the side.
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Don't let's forget that Groucho's lines on YBYL were almost 100% scripted on the basis of contestant pre-interviews. Groucho basically sat on a stool and read his questions and comebacks off a projection screen.
If Buddy Hackett and Bill Cosby couldn't pull it off, what makes anyone think the much-less-talented Jay Leno can?
Contestant selection and writing are important. If they cast wannabe actors/comedians who are trying way too hard to call attention to themselves and compete with Jay for the audience's attention, it ain't gonna work. I see a lot of this on Match Game-Hollwood Squares Hour. Some of the panelists are downright disruptive.
I've seen Leno live twice at his club in Hermosa Beach. Not a lot of talent there.
I occasionally watch MGHS Hour when I've had enough riot and coronavirus coverage on the news.
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I see a lot of this on Match Game-Hollwood Squares Hour. Some of the panelists are downright disruptive.
Including Jay Leno.
I watched a Buddy Hackett episode on YouTube last week and enjoyed it. Buddy was spontaneous and unpredictable, as opposed to Leno, and the sidekick added something. There was a short monologue, one funny story really, and three individual contestants, and despite the bland game, it was a pretty good half-hour.
What do you remember of it?
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I remember the hubbub about Cosby hosting the show. There was definitely potential, as Cosby ad-libbed quite well, and he had guest hosted for Johnny before. I auditioned for YBYL back in 1992, and there was a lady that went on a date with Cosby before he became famous... he was a ticket taker at a movie theatre... no, there was no mention of drugs, pills, or suspicious drinks.
Of course part of the success of the show is picking the contestants that have enough "material" for the host to play off of. Like Groucho, Cosby would film hour long shows, with the weaker bits being cut out. Cosby did not have prepared quips and worked cold. I seem to remember reading from someone that saw the show live that Cosby seemed to be having problems finding funny comebacks. Cosby had his moments, and he was quite funny, but not consistently enough.
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I watch Jay Leno's Garage, and sometimes he's hard-pressed to come up with a good ad-lib there - and that show's 100% his element. This might have been something that would've worked better a decade ago, but he was too busy destroying Conan.
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I watched a Buddy Hackett episode on YouTube last week and enjoyed it.
Buddy is fondly remembered, but I still don't think he ever got proper recognition for his talents. He could do this. Cosby could do this. And they both failed.
Meanwhile, I'm just about as indifferent to Leno as you can be, but this seems like an odd choice. For one thing, his reputation has not aged well. And speaking of age, Groucho was 70 at the END of his thirteen-year run. Leno is 70 now. (Hackett and Cosby were in their mid-fifties when they hosted.) Also, Leno has never really been known for his interviewing skills, especially with the common man. In his most famous interactions with regular folks (Jaywalking), he holds them up to ridicule. That might be the approach they're taking, especially with whatever quiz segment they tack on, but if they do, I don't see it playing well.
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I remember more about the Hackett version:
It was only seen on the Akron ABC affiliate WAKR/WAKC-23 in the late afternoon as I recall, but never on any of the Cleveland affiliates.
Cosby's version aired on WJ(K)W-8, IIRC, but I dont remember the time.
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Cosby's version aired on WJ(K)W-8, IIRC, but I dont remember the time.
7:30 PM, opposite Jeopardy.
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When did it go on in New York? I would figure the late night hours because prime access was already spoken for. (If indeed the CBS owned stations had it.)
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Wasn't Cosby's version promoted for prime access? It aired at 7:30 pm here, also against Jeopardy!, and IIRC, 6:30 pm on one of the Dallas stations.
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Wasn't Cosby's version promoted for prime access? It aired at 7:30 pm here, also against Jeopardy!, and IIRC, 6:30 pm on one of the Dallas stations.
Every ad I’ve seen for a station that carried it had it airing usually at 7 or 7:30, so I would lean towards “yes”. But if they did indeed sell it to the CBS O&Os, it wouldn’t have gone on there in New York because Hard Copy and ET were the stalwarts there.
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Wasn't Cosby's version promoted for prime access? It aired at 7:30 pm here, also against Jeopardy!, and IIRC, 6:30 pm on one of the Dallas stations.
IIRC, the Cosby version of YBYL was pitched as a competitor to the WOF/J block, and stations were encouraged to air the show in the 7-8 p.m. ET time slot. I was a freshman in college in DC when this aired -- it was originally at 7:30 p.m. on the CBS affiliate (WUSA), but was quietly shipped to overnights by early 1993.
Tried watching the Cosby version a few times -- it was just dull, and Cosby seemed disinterested and coasted throughout (There was a blurb in "Spy" magazine around the time of the show's cancellation that Cosby would pop in to the studio a few minutes before taping, essentially ignore everyone around him, and spent all of the downtime on stage reading newspapers -- supposedly had several of the day's papers under his desk/podium to peruse when the cameras were off).
As for Leno, I can see why he was picked for this show. He's a name and arguably one of the bigger "free agents" out there on the TV market. There is an audience, albeit one that is much older on the demographic spectrum, that miss him on late night.
And the Fox stations need something to air next fall. Several Fox O&Os, but not all, air "Judge Judy" (including Atlanta, Orlando and DC), and first-runs for that show end next year (reruns will continue, but it's expected they'll be shipped off to the MyNetwork or CW sister stations). That's an hour of programming right there, primarily in the 3-5 p.m. ET slots.
But I don't have confidence that this show will succeed. The game element is flimsy, and even his staunchest supporters will admit that Jay is not a great interviewer. He's going to need a lot of help -- particularly a strong writing staff and contestants that can interact well with him -- to make this work, but I have my doubts.
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Deadline provided an update on the upcoming "You Bet Your Life." The major news, if you can call it major --- Leno's former "Tonight Show" bandleader, Kevin Eubanks, will serve as the George Fennaman to Leno's Groucho.
https://deadline.com/2021/01/fox-jay-leno-hosted-you-bet-your-life-sold-fall-debut-1234676601/
JD
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Can't wait for Kevin to play a guitar riff every time Jay says a punch line.
/"You too much, Jay!"
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Can't wait for Kevin to play a guitar riff every time Jay says a punch line.
/"You too much, Jay!"
...or the forced Yuk Yuks after every Leno quip.
/Kevin is NO Ed McMahon.
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Looks like our local Fox Affiliate (KFQX) will be airing Jay Leno's YBYL. They are airing a contestant search commercial (which also mentions they will pay your travel if selected).
The show info and audition page is found at:
www.youbetyourlife.com.
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Man, the website really makes it look like the game will be buried under exactly the kind of comedy bits he was doing on the Tonight show for all those years. I mean, I know the game was always secondary to the laughs, but this looks like it will be a much different program than any of the earlier versions.
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When someone says the secret word, the Dancing Itos will appear.
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WSTR in Cincinnati will air Leno YBYL in the fall. I think I will pass.
Are there any other stations announcing (other then KFQX) they're carrying it?
Brian
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In NYC, FOX station WYNY (Ch. 5) has started airing promos for this. Maybe they will pair it up with 25WOL. I'm willing to give Jay a chance. Maybe he'll surprise me - in a good way.
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When someone says the secret word, the Dancing Itos will appear.
Underrated comment.
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I liked Jay Leno on The Tonight Show i do miss watching him on tv. He might do good on this i would rather see him have another talk show with his segments.
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I'm wondering if this still image is from an actual taped episode:
https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C4D22AQFA-smu6-89kQ/feedshare-shrink_800/0/1627527529922?e=1630540800&v=beta&t=RrVUAHlueitri9DU-QCcAD6E6mEbBdWJfS8vNklsYpM
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Has anyone seen a station list for this show yet?
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Has anyone seen a station list for this show yet?
Not a station list, but it's cleared over 95% of the TV markets:
https://deadline.com/2021/06/jay-leno-you-bet-your-life-cleared-september-premiere-1234780130/
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Has anyone seen a station list for this show yet?
Not a station list, but it's cleared over 95% of the TV markets:
https://deadline.com/2021/06/jay-leno-you-bet-your-life-cleared-september-premiere-1234780130/
The article mentions Stephen Brown. Didn't he produce a failed pilot of Pyramid years ago?
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He produced the Donny Osmond revival. I remember he frequented ATGS and would answer questions about the show, usually the bizarre Winner’s Circle judging.
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Man, the website really makes it look like the game will be buried under exactly the kind of comedy bits he was doing on the Tonight show for all those years. I mean, I know the game was always secondary to the laughs, but this looks like it will be a much different program than any of the earlier versions.
Suppose any contestants make it on stage before the first commercial?
After Leno bombed in prime time, NBC floated a notion that he'd get half an hour between the local news and Conan's Tonight Show. Maybe this and that are the same concept: Jay does his act, then they pad it with something other than talk-show guests. It's clever programming, just not You Bet Your Life and at least five years too late.
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A behind the scenes preview special will be available to local stations for airing between August 27 and September 19: https://syndication.extremereach.com/library/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/You-Bet-Your-Life-Preview-Special-HTFC.pdf (https://syndication.extremereach.com/library/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/You-Bet-Your-Life-Preview-Special-HTFC.pdf)
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So the official Twitter account (https://twitter.com/youbetyourlife/status/1427750331908300805) also mentions it airing on Fox. I haven't seen a station list, so am I to assume this is technically a network daytime show, airing on Fox?
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So the official Twitter account (https://twitter.com/youbetyourlife/status/1427750331908300805) also mentions it airing on Fox. I haven't seen a station list, so am I to assume this is technically a network daytime show, airing on Fox?
Syndication. Fox O&Os in those markets.
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So the official Twitter account (https://twitter.com/youbetyourlife/status/1427750331908300805) also mentions it airing on Fox. I haven't seen a station list, so am I to assume this is technically a network daytime show, airing on Fox?
Syndication. Fox O&Os in those markets.
O&Os was my next guess. Thank you.
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I recall there was a special sneak peek, behind-the-scenes preview for the Bill Cosby hosted revival.
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I recall there was a special sneak peek, behind-the-scenes preview for the Bill Cosby hosted revival.
Coincidentally, the first pilots for that series were shot exactly 30 years ago to the day you posted this, according to This Day in Game Show History, Vol. 3. (Not trying to be a know-it-all; it just happens that I'm reading the entries in Mr. Nedeff's books on their respective days this year.)
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FWIW, our local Fox station (KFQX) just aired a quick 10-15 second official promo showing a couple of scenes from the show. Couldn't really parse anything else from that promo as I was still waking up.
Per the promo, the show is slated to start Monday, September 13th.