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The Game Show Forum => Game Show Channels & Networks => Topic started by: Don Howard on November 13, 2005, 11:49:25 AM

Title: Two For The Money
Post by: Don Howard on November 13, 2005, 11:49:25 AM
Does anyone know if this octet of episodes includes the team who was given "words ending in -th" as their challenge and went on to win thousands because the production company failed to anticipate that someone would say "fifth", the next would say "sixth" and the pair would just run with it for 15 long seconds?
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: The Pyramids on November 24, 2005, 12:37:08 PM
Wasn't this supposed to be on earlier this morning?
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: Matt Ottinger on November 24, 2005, 01:39:17 PM
[quote name=\'PaulD\' date=\'Nov 24 2005, 01:37 PM\']Wasn't this supposed to be on earlier this morning?[/quote]
Nope.  The marathon begins late Thanksgiving night (early Friday morning).
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: ilb4ever2000 on November 24, 2005, 07:43:13 PM
[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Nov 24 2005, 01:39 PM\']Nope.  The marathon begins late Thanksgiving night (early Friday morning).
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I thought it was supposed to be earlier this morning, too. That's what I get for reading the Perfesser.
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: Adam Nedeff on November 25, 2005, 04:51:07 AM
Well, having just finished watching the two episodes presented during my overnight shift at the radio station, here's my two cents:

#1. For sheer entertainment, Groucho's show was superior, but I think "Two-fer" had the superior GAME.

#2. I'm amazed at how stubbornly G-T kept using the "one contestant gives a general answer and the other gives a more specific answer" line of questioning for various rounds, since NOBODY on either episode seemed to have a firm grasp on what Herb was asking them. (Steering clear of any spoiler info, I found myself saying out loud, "There's no reason you should be having this much trouble" during one particular question.)

#3. I'm in the "I like Herb" camp. And for reasons I can't quite pinpoint, during the home movies bit at the beginning of the second episode, I kept thinking "Letterman." (Perhaps it's just the mutual affinity for stock footage gags.)
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: ilb4ever2000 on November 25, 2005, 05:42:27 AM
1) Does anybody at least have the date for the second episode?

2) None of the episodes I had on tape before have the contestants sitting down. Are these later episodes?

3) Even though the primary sponsor was Sheaffer's, Herb was still giving out Old Golds.

4) One of the production staffers was Norman Barasch. I wonder if he's any relation to Jack Barasch (aka Jack Barry)?
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: Gromit on November 26, 2005, 03:32:25 AM
I kind of like the show. I do find that I wish the interviews were shorter, to get more game in. Like tonight, the catalogue stuff just went on and on. Some of the final questions are real doozies.

I don't mind Shriner at all. Seems personable enough, and I can see huge wit and cleverness in him.
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: ilb4ever2000 on November 26, 2005, 04:09:38 AM
[quote name=\'Gromit\' date=\'Nov 26 2005, 03:32 AM\']I kind of like the show. I do find that I wish the interviews were shorter, to get more game in. Like tonight, the catalogue stuff just went on and on.
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Like Groucho's show, TFTM was less about the game and more about being a vehicle for Shriner.

Something on the second episode tonight struck me as odd, to say the least - the 32-year-old grandmother. Was she a child bride or something? Or am I just too young to understand what was going back then?
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: Jimmy Owen on November 26, 2005, 05:28:00 AM
Back then teenage pregnancies were not as common as they are today.
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: davemackey on November 26, 2005, 08:33:43 AM
How about those songs the band plays when the contestants walk in? If you have any knowledge of Milton Delugg, you'll know them right away - except for one, "I've Got The World On A String", that he somehow (gasp!) didn't write!
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: mmb5 on November 26, 2005, 03:52:52 PM
How to date a show -- "Name a country you don't need a passport to travel to, like Cuba."

I believe these shows are from the fall of 1955.  One show they referred to the Brooklyn Dodgers winning the World Series.  On another, Herb shows a picture of him in Look Magazine (he was in the 15 Nov 1955 issue).  One of his monolouges also mentioned "the new '56s are out".  New car models usually come out the previous fall.


--Mike
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: ilb4ever2000 on November 26, 2005, 07:19:48 PM
[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Nov 26 2005, 05:28 AM\']Back then teenage pregnancies were not as common as they are today.
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I never said they were. I'm just trying to do the math here.
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: Gamer on November 26, 2005, 07:28:26 PM
That was really weird.  She also said that she had four kids before she was old enough to drive and to do the math her daughter must have started having kids just as young as she did.  Different times back then I guess.  Now days they'd both be on Dr. Phil!
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: Jimmy Owen on November 26, 2005, 07:32:22 PM
16 + 16 = 32
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: Brandon Brooks on November 26, 2005, 10:25:11 PM
[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Nov 26 2005, 07:32 PM\']16 + 16 = 32
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I think we can figure out the math.  You have to admit that a 32 year old grandmother is still unusual...

Back on topic... I'm getting a kick out of seeing these shows, and Herb ain't half bad, though it doesn't take a genius to host this show.  It's a little too much talk, but still rather entertaining.

Brandon Brooks
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: Jimmy Owen on November 26, 2005, 10:38:58 PM
Unusual guests were the selling point, though Herb spent more time talking to the Miss USA contestant than the golfer, so we never got to hear the golfer's story (I'm not complaining, though).  A 42 year old grandmother probably wouldn't have been noteworthy enough to appear on the show, unless there was something else about her.
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: ilb4ever2000 on November 27, 2005, 04:03:25 AM
[quote name=\'Brandon Brooks\' date=\'Nov 26 2005, 10:25 PM\'][quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Nov 26 2005, 07:32 PM\']16 + 16 = 32
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I think we can figure out the math.  You have to admit that a 32 year old grandmother is still unusual...
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One last thing. She said she became a grandmother at 28.
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: FOXSportsFan on November 27, 2005, 09:48:31 AM
Herb's very folksy, which I don't mind.  And, as mentioned, the home movie aspect was revolutionary for its time...and the likes of Leno and Letterman keep that tradition intact.  The game is very creative yet simple.
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: Jimmy Owen on November 28, 2005, 04:14:07 AM
They showed a Sam Levenson/Ed McMahon episode as the night cap.  I have always enjoyed Sam's brand of humor and he was in good comedic form here. Props to GSN.
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: Gromit on November 29, 2005, 01:49:56 AM
Wow, I was the total opposite. I thought the Levenson episode was just horrible. The monologue and interviews just dragged, I didn't find him funny at all, he seemed very smarmy and fake to me. I also noticed a big difference between him and Herb was that Herb would make his joke something about the contestant (things like "can't blame her for having men on her mind"), whereas Levenson would always make the joke about himself ("Oh, you mean not *my* fan club?"). And managed even less game than the Herb version.

It was interesting to see this version, however. I can see why they cancelled him the first time. :)
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: Don Howard on November 29, 2005, 05:47:11 AM
[quote name=\'Gromit\' date=\'Nov 29 2005, 01:49 AM\']Wow, I was the total opposite. I thought the Levenson episode was just horrible. The monologue and interviews just dragged, I didn't find him funny at all, he seemed very smarmy and fake to me.
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I didn't see this show when it was presented a few early mornings ago, but this may have been the one I saw on a VHS I borrowed from my local library.
Is this the one where the kids come out onto the set in a clearly rehearsed bit ("wouldn't you like to meet them?") right down to the way Sam sent them off-stage?
I do find Dr. Mason Gross extremely likeable, however.
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: TLEberle on November 29, 2005, 09:49:04 PM
A post, in three parts.

Part the First: I saw the Friday/Saturday episodes (the pairs of twins and the hula gal amongst them) and found the 'Herb's home movie' bit to be amusing in the same way that I find a typical David Letterman bit amusing.  Which is a good thing. I could tell the punchline before it came, but that's not a knock. Actually, I found that bit more humorous than his open the show bit. (For that matter, did Herb's movie sub for a third main game?)

Part the Second: Was the show meant to be a "How would MG have done "You Bet Your Life"? The contestants all seemed to have some story to tell or skill to demonstrate.  Not a Joe Schmo to be found among them, similar to Groucho's show.

Part the Third: If anyone out there remembers any of the questions to the other shows, would you pass them along?  There seemed to be quite a few of the "One names an item, the other must name the author or location" and would like to know if that was a standard question type.
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: jdhernandez on November 29, 2005, 10:57:45 PM
I'm also in the "I Like Herb" boat where his comedic style seemed very down-to-earth. I also liked his home movies bit, even though I knew a couple of the jokes that were coming. :-p

As for the lone Levenson show, he did seem to make the show drag on. I like his comedy...somewhat. He just dragged on way too much, and only managed two games in. Don't get me wrong, I love the comedy bits in 2ftM, but there was way too little gameplay in the Levenson show.

As for questions, Travis, I will get on it as soon as I make a DVD of it!
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: Jay Temple on November 30, 2005, 01:22:13 AM
I definitely liked Herb Shriner.  You could call this a variety show, since they didn't even pretend that the game was the only thing to watch for.

It also occurred to me that this is a game that would be easy to revive, although I'd want people who could actually play if I were giving away that kind of money adjusted for inflation.
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: uncamark on November 30, 2005, 05:06:00 PM
[quote name=\'TLEberle\' date=\'Nov 29 2005, 08:49 PM\']Part the Second: Was the show meant to be a "How would MG have done "You Bet Your Life"? The contestants all seemed to have some story to tell or skill to demonstrate.  Not a Joe Schmo to be found among them, similar to Groucho's show.

Part the Third: If anyone out there remembers any of the questions to the other shows, would you pass them along?  There seemed to be quite a few of the "One names an item, the other must name the author or location" and would like to know if that was a standard question type.
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Part the Second:  That's exactly what it was--Old Gold wanted their own "YBYL" (with a different host than Shriner initially, but that format) and Goodson, being the guy that he was, decided to come up with something other than a straight Q&A format for the game portion, since he didn't want to make it look like a total copy of the "YBYL" format.  Shriner always did an opening monologue, which also distinguished the show from "YBYL"--Groucho didn't do much at the top other than say what the jackpot or top prize was and reveal the Secret Word, with the occasional shot at Fenneman.

Part the Third:  From the first time around on GSN, originally all of the questions were the list type--"Name a State in the Union," etc.  Late in the first year of the show, they started doing the "one names, the other responds" questions as part of the mix.
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: Neumms on November 30, 2005, 08:03:15 PM
Herb was terrific, although he did seem to be a drag on the show's pace.

Here's a question. Did they do as YBYL did--do very long interviews then edit them down? It appears not, and that practice could have helped. It surprises me, given that it's Goodson and Todman, how rough around the edges it looks compared to Groucho's show.
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: uncamark on December 01, 2005, 04:06:35 PM
[quote name=\'Neumms\' date=\'Nov 30 2005, 07:03 PM\']Herb was terrific, although he did seem to be a drag on the show's pace.

Here's a question. Did they do as YBYL did--do very long interviews then edit them down? It appears not, and that practice could have helped. It surprises me, given that it's Goodson and Todman, how rough around the edges it looks compared to Groucho's show.
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*If* they had done it on film.  Videotape was a few years away and everyone wanted to seem to have it done live rather than film it (once again, probably to not make it look like a carbon of "YBYL" more than it already was).

I can stand to be corrected, but other than "YBYL" and the first TV run of "T or C," the only other game shows to be shot on 35mm film (not kinescoped) were "People Are Funny" (same producer as "YBYL" and using the same crew and production techniques) and the one prime time season of "Do You Trust Your Wife?," with Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy (later to become in live daytime "Who Do You Trust?", with Johnny Carson and his dummy Ed McMahon--I keed).
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: Neumms on December 01, 2005, 05:55:54 PM
[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Dec 1 2005, 04:06 PM\']*If* they had done it on film.  Videotape was a few years away and everyone wanted to seem to have it done live rather than film it (once again, probably to not make it look like a carbon of "YBYL" more than it already was).
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A-ha! I must have seen a filmed "Do You Trust Your Wife?" because that, too, had a more polished look than "Two For the $."
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: Unrealtor on December 01, 2005, 09:39:07 PM
[quote name=\'Jay Temple\' date=\'Nov 30 2005, 12:22 AM\']It also occurred to me that this is a game that would be easy to revive, although I'd want people who could actually play if I were giving away that kind of money adjusted for inflation.
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I was always surprised by how much TFTM gave away. A particularly good team could make $1,000 in 1955 money, or almost $7,000 in 2005 money.

Just out of curiosity, am I in as small as a minority as I think I am for preferring the game to the comedy and interviews? I find myself fast-forwarding through Herb after a minute or two.
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: jdhernandez on December 02, 2005, 01:08:26 AM
[quote name=\'TLEberle\' date=\'Nov 29 2005, 09:49 PM\']Part the Third: If anyone out there remembers any of the questions to the other shows, would you pass them along?  There seemed to be quite a few of the "One names an item, the other must name the author or location" and would like to know if that was a standard question type.
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Here they are:
*"Name as many non-military occupations in which the work requires one to dress in something other than street clothes, like an airline hostess."
*"The one who starts names a nation; the other must then name the head of that nation."
*"The one who starts names any living creature, like a moose; the other must name another living creature that rhymes with the first one, like a goose."

*"Name as many professional prize fighters who have ever been champion in any class."
*"Name as many presidents as you can that were in office any time during the 19th Century, like Lincoln."
*"Name as many of the 15 states with the greatest areas, like Montana."

*"Name as many of the basic minerals or metals which are found in the ground, like zinc."
*"The one who starts names a famous playwrights, and the other must name one of his famous plays."
*"Many of the letters do not appear in the spelling of the days of the week, like Q. Name as many of these letters as you can."

*"The one who starts gives any first name for a girl, the other must name a famous person with that first name." (Marilyn; Marilyn Monroe)
*"Name as many different forms of literary composition, such as a novel."
*"The one who starts names the smallest unit of weight, and the next person name a unit of weight that is heavier."

*"Name as many occupations which require travel as an essential part of the job."
*"Name as many different kinds of animals that have some kind of hair or fur, and which also live in the water, like a sealion."
*"Name as many of the 20 largest cities outside of the US, like Paris."

*"Name three-letter words, but make sure each word begins with a different letter of the alphabet."
*"Name as many different kinds of nuts whose name properly uses the word "nut" in it's name, like peanut."
*"Name as many nations of the world which border both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, like Panama." (YIKES, I can only think of 5 or 6 off the top of my head)

*"The one who starts names a country, like the US; the other then names any military hero from that country, like Eisenhower."
*"Name as many famous fictional detectives as you can, like Sherlock Holmes."
*"Name as many of the VPs of the US that became president, like Harry S. Truman."

*"Give the initials of a famous, popular singing star; then you must name a famous singer that fit those initials." (FS; Frank Sinatra)
*"There are more than 1000 phonograph record companies in the US, name as many of them as you can." (Columbia)
*"Name as many songs as you can from the score of `My Fair Lady.'" (YOIKS!!)
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: Jimmy Owen on December 02, 2005, 01:13:44 AM
Rent "My Fair Lady."  Once you see it, the songs will stay with you forever.
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: BrandonFG on December 02, 2005, 01:25:26 AM
Those questions were fefinitely dated, then again it was 50 years ago, so it might be a little more knowledgable.

Would love to see this show redone, maybe on cable. Simple, fun show. A host with a lot of wit and charm could make this work. Start the first question at $50 a pop, then round two, then round three. Give the team a time limit, say :30, and just end the round early if the team gets a set number of answers.

Maybe even add a small bonus round, like Cosby's You Bet Your Life did.
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: uncamark on December 02, 2005, 12:45:11 PM
[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Dec 2 2005, 12:25 AM\']Would love to see this show redone, maybe on cable. Simple, fun show. A host with a lot of wit and charm could make this work. Start the first question at $50 a pop, then round two, then round three. Give the team a time limit, say :30, and just end the round early if the team gets a set number of answers.

Maybe even add a small bonus round, like Cosby's You Bet Your Life did.
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My view is that you keep the front game the same--with the same payoffs--and the biggest-winning couple plays an end game for 10 times their front game score.  Give the question and a target number for the 15 seconds--and they meet the number of answers in the target number, they win.  As simple as that--and in many cases, they'd be playing for a five-figure payout.  Find a host who's quick on the uptake--and an audience that would be patient for a longer-than-normal interview--and it could work.

It wouldn't hurt that if the equivalent to Dr. Gross be an attractive, well-spoken and charming female college professor--I'm sure that there are some out there, especially in California.  I don't mean a Maxim hot babe, but someone smart and good-looking.
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: Don Howard on December 02, 2005, 11:49:41 PM
[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Dec 2 2005, 12:45 PM\']I don't mean a Maxim hot babe
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True. She could be from FHM or Stuff.
Ted Koppel could host. He's free these days.
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: FOXSportsFan on December 03, 2005, 12:54:11 AM
Don, come on...this is Invision, my pal.  If you're gonna have a host, you must go with this forum's favorite sportscaster turned entertainment whore, the notorious P.O.B. himself, Pat O' Brien! (Tries not to bust out laughing hysterically out of sarcasm.)
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: Don Howard on December 03, 2005, 01:04:08 AM
[quote name=\'FOXSportsFan\' date=\'Dec 3 2005, 12:54 AM\']you must go with this forum's favorite sportscaster turned entertainment whore, the notorious P.O.B. himself, Pat O' Brien!
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I'd love to go with him, but ever since I put his photo on my ceiling in the bedroom, the fiancee has gotten jealous. Oh, why must John Davidson pose for those things but never Pat---my Pat?
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: Dbacksfan12 on December 03, 2005, 03:43:58 AM
Ya know, I *was* hungry.  Who wants some Pull Pork?
Title: Two For The Money
Post by: clemon79 on December 03, 2005, 06:19:46 AM
[quote name=\'Modor\' date=\'Dec 3 2005, 12:43 AM\']Who wants some Pull Pork?
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What you do with your pork on your own time is your business. :)