The Game Show Forum

The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: gamed121683 on November 23, 2021, 01:38:50 PM

Title: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: gamed121683 on November 23, 2021, 01:38:50 PM
For this post, I'll give you two questions for the price of one...

1. You may recall that in the late '80s-early '90s, game show hosts trading in wearing suits for sweaters. Ray Combs was wearing them for a time on Feud as was Trebek on Classic Concentration...even the early episodes of Supermarket Sweep had David Ruprecht look like he was raiding through Mike Levey's closet.

This made me wonder, what started this trend in the first place? Were they trying to emulate Bert Convy's fashion sense on Win, Lose, or Draw at that time with that "Hey, we're playing at someone's home and you're invited!" feel or was it just the en vogue thing for men of the day (looking at you, Cliff Huxtable)?

2. Speaking of Win, Lose, or Draw, I was talking about that show with a friend of mine the other day and this question came up. See if you agree with me on this one or not: Do you feel that Win, Lose, or Draw was perhaps the last big game show craze that swept America until Millionaire came along in '99-'00? Some would argue that Wheel was the last major game show obsession, but...I seem to recall Burt Renoylds' Pictionary capturing America's imagination for a time.
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: BrandonFG on November 23, 2021, 01:53:22 PM
See if you agree with me on this one or not: Do you feel that Win, Lose, or Draw was perhaps the last big game show craze that swept America until Millionaire came along in '99-'00? Some would argue that Wheel was the last major game show obsession, but...I seem to recall Burt Renoylds' Pictionary capturing America's imagination for a time.
I'd make an argument for Jeopardy! somewhere in-between there. It became iconic on a different level in the last 15-20 years (Jenningsmania, maybe?), but IMO it had its moment in the early-90s as well, long before SNL started doing the Celebrity J! sketches. If I could pinpoint, I'd say around the time the Cheers episode aired. The think music alone and how it's been used in pop culture adds to this.
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: Winkfan on November 23, 2021, 04:19:39 PM
This made me wonder, what started this trend in the first place? Were they trying to emulate Bert Convy's fashion sense on Win, Lose, or Draw at that time with that "Hey, we're playing at someone's home and you're invited!" feel or was it just the en vogue thing for men of the day (looking at you, Cliff Huxtable)?

The Winkster wore sweaters during his 1989 gig on The Last Word.

Cordially,
Tammy
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: mystery7 on November 24, 2021, 01:28:57 PM
It was absolutely The Cosby Show. I suspect some wardrobe supervisor at Goodsons thought The Cosby Sweaters would be a good vibe for Alex and/or Classic Concentration itself, and from there it spread.
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: Blanquepage on November 24, 2021, 01:55:35 PM
I think Bob was ahead of everyone else with Trivia Trap. Pretty sure he also occasionally wore them when he went more casual on Newlywed Game  '98, along with just dress shirts and no jacket.

Edit: just remembered Bobby Van on Showoffs.
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: Stackertosh on November 24, 2021, 02:26:04 PM
I remember seeing Richard Karn wore sweaters or dressed down on Feud.

I was amazed watching Millionaire in another country and seeing the host wear jeans and a dress shirt on.
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: Kevin Prather on November 24, 2021, 08:24:13 PM
I was amazed watching Millionaire in another country and seeing the host wear jeans and a dress shirt on.

Amitabh Bachchan dresses down on KBC in India from time to time. Pretty sure I've seen Tarrant wearing a leather jacket at some point. (Maybe it was a leather blazer.)
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: johnnya2k3 on November 26, 2021, 05:23:54 PM
Pretty sure I've seen Tarrant wearing a leather jacket at some point. (Maybe it was a leather blazer.)

In that one clip from Whammy!, Todd Newton hosted in a leather jacket.
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: BrandonFG on November 26, 2021, 06:10:16 PM
It was absolutely The Cosby Show. I suspect some wardrobe supervisor at Goodsons thought The Cosby Sweaters would be a good vibe for Alex and/or Classic Concentration itself, and from there it spread.
Considering how Bert Convy occasionally wore pastel Miami Vice-type outfits on Super Password, I wonder if Goodson or NBC thought the hosts should dress down a little more based on pop culture fads.
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: calliaume on November 27, 2021, 08:38:41 AM
It was absolutely The Cosby Show. I suspect some wardrobe supervisor at Goodsons thought The Cosby Sweaters would be a good vibe for Alex and/or Classic Concentration itself, and from there it spread.
Considering how Bert Convy occasionally wore pastel Miami Vice-type outfits on Super Password, I wonder if Goodson or NBC thought the hosts should dress down a little more based on pop culture fads.
Bob Eubanks was wearing sweaters as early as All-Star Secrets (sometimes with a suit jacket, sometimes not). Cosby premiered two and a half weeks before Trivia Trap, so I doubt it had any influence on that show. It's possible it could have influenced Alex Trebek's wardrobe on Classic Concentration, or the sweaters could have been Trebek's own tastes.

The Miami Vice look did not age well; it looks like Bert Convy wore it a few times in the first couple of years and was then phased out.

Eubanks was quoted in one of the game show books (Jefferson Graham's Come On Down?) as saying he doesn't particularly like wearing suits with ties.
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: Kevin Prather on November 27, 2021, 09:12:59 AM
Is the Miami Vice look when Bert would wear a loose tie and a blazer that looked like he just rolled out of bed?
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: snowpeck on November 27, 2021, 02:43:32 PM
Is the Miami Vice look when Bert would wear a loose tie and a blazer that looked like he just rolled out of bed?
With the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, yep.
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: gsfan85 on November 27, 2021, 03:45:09 PM
I'm here with Bob doing a Hollywood's Greatest Game Shows date in Canyonville, OR.  I can confirm he is wearing a sweater tonight, and does for the majority of our gigs! 

Fun fact-he HATES wearing suits and will only wear a suit if he's specifically asked to!
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: TimK2003 on November 27, 2021, 05:24:52 PM
Bob Eubanks was wearing sweaters as early as All-Star Secrets (sometimes with a suit jacket, sometimes not).

Peter Tomarken was wearing sweater vests with his suit jackets for a time on PYL as well, IIRC.
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: BrandonFG on November 27, 2021, 08:29:20 PM
Bob Eubanks was wearing sweaters as early as All-Star Secrets (sometimes with a suit jacket, sometimes not).

Peter Tomarken was wearing sweater vests with his suit jackets for a time on PYL as well, IIRC.
You do remember correctly.
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: Mike Tennant on November 28, 2021, 09:27:19 AM
Bob Eubanks was wearing sweaters as early as All-Star Secrets (sometimes with a suit jacket, sometimes not).

Peter Tomarken was wearing sweater vests with his suit jackets for a time on PYL as well, IIRC.
As did Bowzer on MGHS.
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: calliaume on November 28, 2021, 04:05:46 PM
Bob Eubanks was wearing sweaters as early as All-Star Secrets (sometimes with a suit jacket, sometimes not).

Peter Tomarken was wearing sweater vests with his suit jackets for a time on PYL as well, IIRC.
As did Bowzer on MGHS.
The difference there is Eubanks almost never wore a tie on All-Star Secrets. Peter Tomarken and Jon Bauman wore them regularly.

The originator of the early 1980s sport coat, sweater, and tie trend wasn't a game show host--it was the CBS Evening News' Dan Rather.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1982/02/08/the-pull-of-the-pullover/c14e3d00-31dd-4202-b0a2-a7f52df3c036/ (https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1982/02/08/the-pull-of-the-pullover/c14e3d00-31dd-4202-b0a2-a7f52df3c036/)

(https://cohenconnect.com/wp-content/uploads/1982-08-30-sweater.jpg)
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: Jeremy Nelson on November 29, 2021, 10:01:18 AM
This made me wonder, what started this trend in the first place? Were they trying to emulate Bert Convy's fashion sense on Win, Lose, or Draw at that time with that "Hey, we're playing at someone's home and you're invited!" feel or was it just the en vogue thing for men of the day (looking at you, Cliff Huxtable)?
Maybe the style of sweater was inspired by Cosby, but sweaters were definitely part of the "yuppies having game night" aesthetic of the mid-late 1980s. The "staged shot of people playing the game" on the back of board game boxes from then almost always has someone wearing a sweater like that.
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: Stackertosh on November 30, 2021, 10:07:15 AM
I was amazed watching Millionaire in another country and seeing the host wear jeans and a dress shirt on.

Amitabh Bachchan dresses down on KBC in India from time to time. Pretty sure I've seen Tarrant wearing a leather jacket at some point. (Maybe it was a leather blazer.)

Robert ten brink on The Dutch Version wears jeans and dress up shirt or suit top.

Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: aaron sica on November 30, 2021, 10:16:54 AM
Sweaters were everywhere in the late '80s/early '90s. I distinctly remember NFL coaches wearing their team sweaters on the sideline.
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: johnnya2k3 on December 01, 2021, 02:20:32 PM
And back to Supermarket Sweep: Dale Winton (UK) also hosted in either a leather or denim jacket; early in the run, it was all suits.

But on the current Greek version…oh, you’re gonna have to watch them for yourself on YouTube!

/Tino Monte (Canada) could've worn sweaters himself
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: Jimmy Owen on December 01, 2021, 03:13:29 PM
As I recall Paul Winchell wore turtlenecks on Runaround back in 1972.
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: Matt Ottinger on December 01, 2021, 03:14:34 PM
I realize precious few of you will care, but when I did QuizBusters, I always wore a suit.  When we started a middle school version we called QB Jr, I would wear sweaters for that.

/Old man remembering the old days
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: Fedya on December 01, 2021, 03:48:25 PM
I think we're all just relieved you were wearing clothes at all.
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: SuperMatch93 on December 01, 2021, 06:09:41 PM
As I recall Paul Winchell wore turtlenecks on Runaround back in 1972.

Interesting, so I guess he would predate Geoff Edwards as the first host to go tieless.
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: PYLdude on December 01, 2021, 07:42:03 PM
Sweaters were everywhere in the late '80s/early '90s. I distinctly remember NFL coaches wearing their team sweaters on the sideline.

I would love to see those come back in some form. I wanted one like Bill Parcells had, I’m not gonna lie.
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: BrandonFG on December 01, 2021, 07:50:22 PM
Sweaters were everywhere in the late '80s/early '90s. I distinctly remember NFL coaches wearing their team sweaters on the sideline.

I would love to see those come back in some form. I wanted one like Bill Parcells had, I’m not gonna lie.
I was always partial to Mike Ditka's sweater, which he somehow pulled off with a blazer (https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/-YwAAOSwxoJcMDI0/s-l300.jpg).

Wouldn't mind seeing coaches return to wearing suits for old time's sake. Former 49ers coach Mike Nolan (https://s.hdnux.com/photos/12/22/45/2697594/6/1200x0.jpg) did it for a short time, but it never caught on. I imagine it might be hell on a coach in a state like Florida, tho.
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: MikeK on December 01, 2021, 09:56:19 PM
Wouldn't mind seeing coaches return to wearing suits for old time's sake. Former 49ers coach Mike Nolan (https://s.hdnux.com/photos/12/22/45/2697594/6/1200x0.jpg) did it for a short time, but it never caught on. I imagine it might be hell on a coach in a state like Florida, tho.
It's not happening until Nike makes swoosh-adorned suit jackets.  It's all about money and partnerships.

We could use a style icon like Tom Landry nowadays...
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: Jamey Greek on December 03, 2021, 01:45:21 AM
The sweater trend probably started with Family Ties and Alex P. Keaton
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: Mr. Armadillo on December 06, 2021, 02:14:22 PM
Wouldn't mind seeing coaches return to wearing suits for old time's sake. Former 49ers coach Mike Nolan (https://s.hdnux.com/photos/12/22/45/2697594/6/1200x0.jpg) did it for a short time, but it never caught on. I imagine it might be hell on a coach in a state like Florida, tho.
It's not happening until Nike makes swoosh-adorned suit jackets.  It's all about money and partnerships.

We could use a style icon like Tom Landry nowadays...
Reebok (the sponsor at the time) had to special-design that suit for Nolan (and I believe Jack Del Rio had one as well).  Other than that, yeah, coaches have been required to wear team merch since 1993.
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: BrandonFG on December 06, 2021, 07:18:07 PM
The sweater trend probably started with Family Ties and Alex P. Keaton
Doubt it - those were more sweater vests. OP is talking about casual, full designer sweaters, which seemed to become more popular after The Cosby Show premiered.
Title: Re: Sweater wearing game show hosts trend
Post by: PYLdude on December 06, 2021, 07:28:47 PM
Wouldn't mind seeing coaches return to wearing suits for old time's sake. Former 49ers coach Mike Nolan (https://s.hdnux.com/photos/12/22/45/2697594/6/1200x0.jpg) did it for a short time, but it never caught on. I imagine it might be hell on a coach in a state like Florida, tho.
It's not happening until Nike makes swoosh-adorned suit jackets.  It's all about money and partnerships.

We could use a style icon like Tom Landry nowadays...
Reebok (the sponsor at the time) had to special-design that suit for Nolan (and I believe Jack Del Rio had one as well).  Other than that, yeah, coaches have been required to wear team merch since 1993.

Was gonna say this exact same thing, but couldn’t find good enough pics. If I remember correctly, Del Rio wore his on a Monday Night Football game and Nolan got fired not too long after wearing his (I think).