Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Author Topic: New Buzzr lineup effective 9/30  (Read 95102 times)

calliaume

  • Member
  • Posts: 2227
Re: New Buzzr lineup effective 9/30
« Reply #150 on: October 11, 2019, 09:26:11 AM »
Make it four. Wasn’t he also on Empty Nest?
Yep. He played Dinah Manoff’s character’s artist boyfriend for a season, IIRC.
He did everything.  Half-season sitcom with Brian Keith (The Pursuit of Happiness), and also combined with Teri Polo to replace Rob Morrow in the last season of Northern Exposure.


PYLdude

  • Member
  • Posts: 8220
  • Still crazy after all these years.
Re: New Buzzr lineup effective 9/30
« Reply #151 on: October 13, 2019, 08:17:18 PM »
My main criticism with the show has always been with the Hollywood Squares portion. I never liked the idea of a win by default but here, considering the pacing
Considering what, though? I can see the point of wanting to award money to people as quickly as possible, and as much as I like the comedians being funny where the game dropped its leg of the couch, something has to move the game along and making sure that a game won't go more than nine questions helps.


Correct. Which is why I conceded it as a necessary evil. (Sorry I didn't respond right away, somehow I missed this.)

Quote
Quote
With that settled, why couldn't they just do a simple 2 out of 3 match, or 3 out of 5?
If they had it where Match Game was two rounds and Hollywood Squares was best of three you have the issue where three games happen every two shows. Whether that's a terrible thing is up for debate (it certainly wouldn't feel as draining) they probably have to go back to the old 500-250-100 payoffs for Audience Match and a top payoff of $15,000 which isn't as eye-watering as thirty grand in daytime.

I don't know... you raise a good point; maybe there just wasn't a solid way to do HS at that juncture.

Speaking of, one thing I seem to notice more and more...is it just me or does that HS setup look incredibly cramped?

Quote
was Tom Kennedy too busy hosting nothing I can recall? Would Bert Convy not pick up the phone? I realize that Peter Marshall was PNG at that point but my GORD there had to be someone else in the stable to handle that portion.

Bert was doing Tattletales when the show launched. Tom wasn't but if I had to venture a guess, maybe he felt burned out a bit.

So who did that leave? Could that have been an excuse to try a young John Davidson?

I suppose you can still learn stuff on TLC, though it would be more in the Goofus & Gallant sense, that is (don't do what these parents did)"- Travis Eberle, 2012

“We’re game show fans. ‘Weird’ comes with the territory.” - Matt Ottinger, 2022

JasonA1

  • Executive Producer
  • Posts: 2996
Re: New Buzzr lineup effective 9/30
« Reply #152 on: October 13, 2019, 11:17:31 PM »
Could that have been an excuse to try a young John Davidson?

FWIW, John Davidson is about 6 years older than Jon Bauman. At the time MGHSH launched, he already had his syndicated talk show behind him and "That's Incredible" still on the air.

-Jason
Game Show Forum Muckety-Muck

ivoryman1986

  • Member
  • Posts: 133
Re: New Buzzr lineup effective 9/30
« Reply #153 on: October 13, 2019, 11:18:49 PM »
In addition, Bert was ineligible to appear on this show anyhow since his daytime series was on another network. Tom Kennedy was still semi-retired when the MG/HS Hour premiered. Now for Bill Cullen, when he appeared, he was billed as "From Hot Potato", considering it was previewed to debut the following week. A question for Matt Ottinger, when Bill was introduced for the Hollywood Squares portion, do you recall if he and 2 other celebrities already seen seated when the Hollywood Squares setting was unveiled?

Adam Nedeff

  • Member
  • Posts: 1741
Re: New Buzzr lineup effective 9/30
« Reply #154 on: October 14, 2019, 12:10:24 AM »
Quote
was Tom Kennedy too busy hosting nothing I can recall? Would Bert Convy not pick up the phone? I realize that Peter Marshall was PNG at that point but my GORD there had to be someone else in the stable to handle that portion.

Bert was doing Tattletales when the show launched. Tom wasn't but if I had to venture a guess, maybe he felt burned out a bit.

So who did that leave? Could that have been an excuse to try a young John Davidson?
It wasn't really a matter of who was available and who wasn't. Somebody at NBC was really high on Jon Bauman, and part of the deal for this show was that Goodson HAD to use Bauman for the Squares half.

Quote
Speaking of, one thing I seem to notice more and more...is it just me or does that HS setup look incredibly cramped?
A friend attended a taping as a child. He vividly remembers Gene Rayburn visibly sucking in his gut just to sit down. So yes, cramped.

BrandonFG

  • Member
  • Posts: 18157
Re: New Buzzr lineup effective 9/30
« Reply #155 on: October 14, 2019, 12:30:45 AM »
Speaking of, one thing I seem to notice more and more...is it just me or does that HS setup look incredibly cramped?
That's something I've noticed about quite a few older shows that were shot/filmed in 4:3, and weren't converted to 16:9 or widescreen. Having seen a few studios in person, I was always blown away by how small they were in person. Watching older shows in 4:3, I no longer get that optical illusion.
"I just wanna give a shoutout to my homies in their late-30s who are watching this on Paramount+ right now, cause they couldn't stay up late enough to watch it live!"

Now celebrating his 21st season on GSF!

tvmitch

  • Member
  • Posts: 1419
Re: New Buzzr lineup effective 9/30
« Reply #156 on: October 14, 2019, 06:12:55 AM »
In addition, Bert was ineligible to appear on this show anyhow since his daytime series was on another network. Tom Kennedy was still semi-retired when the MG/HS Hour premiered. Now for Bill Cullen, when he appeared, he was billed as "From Hot Potato", considering it was previewed to debut the following week.
As an aside, can everyone just take a moment to imagine Bill hosting the HS portion of this show?

It would have been magnificent. 15 questions per show? Ha ha!
You should follow me on Twitter

JMFabiano

  • Member
  • Posts: 1549
Re: New Buzzr lineup effective 9/30
« Reply #157 on: October 14, 2019, 07:09:37 AM »
Say what you will about the fee plug cuts, but they look a lot better when Buzzr does them, usually.  Not as abrupt/sloppy as GSN's back in the day.

/There's also not getting credit crunches as a result, allegedly, but another story for another day....
« Last Edit: October 14, 2019, 12:47:38 PM by JMFabiano »
I'm a pacifist, and even I would like to see a little more action.

PYLdude

  • Member
  • Posts: 8220
  • Still crazy after all these years.
Re: New Buzzr lineup effective 9/30
« Reply #158 on: October 14, 2019, 07:29:48 PM »
It wasn't really a matter of who was available and who wasn't. Somebody at NBC was really high on Jon Bauman, and part of the deal for this show was that Goodson HAD to use Bauman for the Squares half.

For some reason I imagined the conversation consisting of NBC going to Goodson and saying "okay, we'll let you tinker with a format that worked well for us for fourteen years, but we get to pick who hosts it."

Quote
Quote
Speaking of, one thing I seem to notice more and more...is it just me or does that HS setup look incredibly cramped?
A friend attended a taping as a child. He vividly remembers Gene Rayburn visibly sucking in his gut just to sit down. So yes, cramped.

I wasn't even thinking about the panel side of the stage. Yikes.

And everything looks so big on TV.
I suppose you can still learn stuff on TLC, though it would be more in the Goofus & Gallant sense, that is (don't do what these parents did)"- Travis Eberle, 2012

“We’re game show fans. ‘Weird’ comes with the territory.” - Matt Ottinger, 2022

TLEberle

  • Member
  • Posts: 15568
  • Rules Constable
Re: New Buzzr lineup effective 9/30
« Reply #159 on: October 14, 2019, 08:29:38 PM »
Speaking of, one thing I seem to notice more and more...is it just me or does that HS setup look incredibly cramped?
You would know better than I about the magic of TV sets looking big on TV but in fact being small. When the HS winner gets up to go meet Gene for the Super Match it looks like they are wedged between the chair and desk because the set is so low to the ground.

Quote
So who did that leave? Could that have been an excuse to try a young John Davidson?
Trying to think of some off-the-board names that had been proven at that point, maybe Geoff Edwards. I guess.
Travis L. Eberle

Chief-O

  • Member
  • Posts: 1598
  • Speaks digi-talk
Re: New Buzzr lineup effective 9/30
« Reply #160 on: October 14, 2019, 11:54:13 PM »
Quote
So who did that leave? Could that have been an excuse to try a young John Davidson?
Trying to think of some off-the-board names that had been proven at that point, maybe Geoff Edwards. I guess.

Personally, I could see Geoff having done a good job with any form of HS. He was busy with "Starcade" at that time, though.

Matt Ottinger

  • Member
  • Posts: 12830
Re: New Buzzr lineup effective 9/30
« Reply #161 on: October 15, 2019, 11:47:37 AM »
A question for Matt Ottinger, when Bill was introduced for the Hollywood Squares portion, do you recall if he and 2 other celebrities already seen seated when the Hollywood Squares setting was unveiled?

We've talked about this elsewhere, but as long as my name was invoked, I'll see if I have it right.  I've never seen Bill's shows, and I'm on record as being terribly excited for them to come up.  I believe the conventional wisdom (and the distant memories of at least one member here) is that Bill played the Match Game portion all week so that they wouldn't have to face that Hollywood Squares issue in the middle of the show, and he was introduced already standing beside the panel so that he (naturally) wouldn't have to make the long trip across the stage.  Hopefully we'll see for ourselves in just a few weeks!
This has been another installment of Matt Ottinger's Masters of the Obvious.
Stay tuned for all the obsessive-compulsive fun of Words Have Meanings.

Bob Zager

  • Member
  • Posts: 1148
Re: New Buzzr lineup effective 9/30
« Reply #162 on: October 15, 2019, 02:13:50 PM »
I did see some episodes of Bill Cullen on MG-HS Hour, where he was introduced just like Matt had assumed.  I would imagine he played the first half each day, and if not, somebody on the bottom row may have let Bill take his/her seat, and moved up to the top row.  There were two other celebrities who were introduced but did not walk onto the stage setting.  One was George Gobel (maybe vision problems, I don't know for sure), and David L. Lander, who was in the early stages of Multiple Sclerosis (according to a People magazine article years later).

JMFabiano

  • Member
  • Posts: 1549
Re: New Buzzr lineup effective 9/30
« Reply #163 on: October 15, 2019, 02:22:12 PM »
I did see some episodes of Bill Cullen on MG-HS Hour, where he was introduced just like Matt had assumed.  I would imagine he played the first half each day, and if not, somebody on the bottom row may have let Bill take his/her seat, and moved up to the top row.  There were two other celebrities who were introduced but did not walk onto the stage setting.  One was George Gobel (maybe vision problems, I don't know for sure), and David L. Lander, who was in the early stages of Multiple Sclerosis (according to a People magazine article years later).

Did you?  Remembering from the NBC airings, or is someone out there holding out on us? 

Elsewhere it's theorized that Nedra Volz was on Match Game every day of her week so she wouldn't have to climb a lot of steps.  So I'd imagine Bill got to play MG all week too. 

Anyone know/remember if Lander and Gobel also stayed on the MG panel for the duration of their weeks?  Volz for her other weeks even? 

Quote
Speaking of, one thing I seem to notice more and more...is it just me or does that HS setup look incredibly cramped?

See, I thought they did a good job making it look like the grid we all know and love.  All camera work of course.    Still, Gene walking between the upper MG tier and the lower one made me clausterphobic. 
I'm a pacifist, and even I would like to see a little more action.

Bob Zager

  • Member
  • Posts: 1148
Re: New Buzzr lineup effective 9/30
« Reply #164 on: October 15, 2019, 03:03:39 PM »
I did see some episodes of Bill Cullen on MG-HS Hour, where he was introduced just like Matt had assumed.  I would imagine he played the first half each day, and if not, somebody on the bottom row may have let Bill take his/her seat, and moved up to the top row.  There were two other celebrities who were introduced but did not walk onto the stage setting.  One was George Gobel (maybe vision problems, I don't know for sure), and David L. Lander, who was in the early stages of Multiple Sclerosis (according to a People magazine article years later).

Did you?  Remembering from the NBC airings, or is someone out there holding out on us? 

Elsewhere it's theorized that Nedra Volz was on Match Game every day of her week so she wouldn't have to climb a lot of steps.  So I'd imagine Bill got to play MG all week too. 

Anyone know/remember if Lander and Gobel also stayed on the MG panel for the duration of their weeks?  Volz for her other weeks even? 



I remember from the NBC airings themselves.  However, I was just looking at an episode on YouTube. The still image of Rayburn on the telephone caught my attention.  But when playing it, George Gobel DID walk on stage to the middle level, apparently with a cane.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppR-UHONKKw