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Author Topic: More Concentration!  (Read 39933 times)

Blanquepage

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Re: More Concentration!
« Reply #45 on: April 01, 2020, 11:36:28 PM »
Are a lot of the second Double Play puzzles like 2000s Wheel of Fortune puzzles written like a sentence (e.g. "The Hatfields battled the McCoys," "Magellan was an explorer," "Jupiter is the largest planet")?

I was wondering the exact same thing, and I have to say I absolutely love it because it adds another dimension.
It's not just a common phrase/popular expression, but rather a concise piece of trivia.

jage

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Re: More Concentration!
« Reply #46 on: April 02, 2020, 01:00:28 AM »
Definitely makes it harder. Wonder if they get a bit easier when the bonus game changes.

BrandonFG

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Re: More Concentration!
« Reply #47 on: April 02, 2020, 01:18:27 AM »
Definitely makes it harder. Wonder if they get a bit easier when the bonus game changes.
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Sodboy13

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Re: More Concentration!
« Reply #48 on: April 02, 2020, 12:23:54 PM »
Like most people, my evening job has me working from home for at least the rest of the semester. At 7:30 p.m., I should probably spend my time watching Jeopardy!, but instead Concentration has my attention. The only other show I can remember that became "appointment television" was Monty's Split Second.

There's a car cue that Concentration and TPiR used for years. I dunno how it took me so long to catch that it's a rendition of the Concentration theme.

/Still partial to CC's car game over the Double Play
//It's a generational thing

6:30 Central is Wheel time here in Chicago, to the point where it has been tradition in my office to have one TV (normally split into 4 screens) switched over to dedicated Wheel on mute every weeknight. Working at home, I've been propping my phone up on a stand and tuning in Concentration instead these last two weeks. Granted, I'm watching on a small screen, but I'm amazed at how pristine the quality is. The show's a load of fun, too.

/ditto on the car game, Brandon
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tyshaun1

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Re: More Concentration!
« Reply #49 on: April 02, 2020, 01:42:44 PM »
The one thing I've noticed watching this version and Classic is how much the contestants hem and haw in addition to Alex vamping on that version. I haven't decided which style I prefer though, since Jack's version is fairly dry.

Chief-O

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Re: More Concentration!
« Reply #50 on: April 02, 2020, 02:10:31 PM »
The one thing I've noticed watching this version and Classic is how much the contestants hem and haw in addition to Alex vamping on that version. I haven't decided which style I prefer though, since Jack's version is fairly dry.

I'm finding it hard to prefer one version over another as well. "Classic" is definitely a looser atmosphere, but the Narz series is more down to business. I did notice (and kind of like) with the 70s shows that when a contestant solves a puzzle, they waste no time in telling them they're right. With "Classic", there's the "Is it (answer)??" from Alex, the brief pause, then the dings/audience cheers/board reveal.

That said, I strongly prefer the car round over Double Play, but I kind of prefer Narz's smooth hosting style over Trebek's.

DoorNumberFour

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Re: More Concentration!
« Reply #51 on: April 02, 2020, 03:08:37 PM »
Are a lot of the second Double Play puzzles like 2000s Wheel of Fortune puzzles written like a sentence (e.g. "The Hatfields battled the McCoys," "Magellan was an explorer," "Jupiter is the largest planet")?
That seems to be a holdover from the NBC ruleset, where the solution to the puzzle could be “something you know”. That being said, yeah, they are clearly leaning on those as puzzle-number-twos.
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calliaume

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Re: More Concentration!
« Reply #52 on: April 02, 2020, 04:18:13 PM »
The one thing I've noticed watching this version and Classic is how much the contestants hem and haw in addition to Alex vamping on that version. I haven't decided which style I prefer though, since Jack's version is fairly dry.

I'm finding it hard to prefer one version over another as well. "Classic" is definitely a looser atmosphere, but the Narz series is more down to business. I did notice (and kind of like) with the 70s shows that when a contestant solves a puzzle, they waste no time in telling them they're right. With "Classic", there's the "Is it (answer)??" from Alex, the brief pause, then the dings/audience cheers/board reveal.

There must have been some sort of offstage signal for Jack indicating the puzzle had been solved, or else he was briefed on it before the show started (which seems less likely). He obviously doesn't have a card showing the answer to the main game puzzles (which would be very easy for contestants to catch a glimpse); I'm kind of surprised he does have them for the Double Play round.

Quote
That said, I strongly prefer the car round over Double Play, but I kind of prefer Narz's smooth hosting style over Trebek's.

Jack's hosting has aged better with me than I would have thought. Alex is a lot looser here than on Jeopardy (and more comfortable than he was on, say, Battlestars), but there are moments when he tries to get too cute (a couple of days ago he was imitating a female contestant's Southern accent so frequently I wound up shutting it off).

We don't have enough Hugh Downs or Bob Clayton episodes for comparison, but my memory is they were drier than Jack.

You would think I'd have some memory of Ed McMahon hosting NBC's Concentration, since I absolutely remember Hugh Downs, but I don't. (Granted I was six years old at that point, but still.) Does anybody remember how Ed handled the show?

MSTieScott

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Re: More Concentration!
« Reply #53 on: April 02, 2020, 04:37:38 PM »
They knew that the board noise was an iconic part of the show, so they're miking the board, right? Because the sound is too clear for it to be something that's picked up by the contestant microphones on the other side of the stage. (Also, if we could hear it that clearly over the contestant microphones, then that would mean it's so loud, everybody in the studio should have permanent hearing damage by the end of the tape day.)

I wonder how far away and partitioned Johnny's podium is. We can't hear the board at all during the head start plugs.

bulldog_06

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Re: More Concentration!
« Reply #54 on: April 02, 2020, 05:02:05 PM »
The one thing I've noticed watching this version and Classic is how much the contestants hem and haw in addition to Alex vamping on that version. I haven't decided which style I prefer though, since Jack's version is fairly dry.

I'm finding it hard to prefer one version over another as well. "Classic" is definitely a looser atmosphere, but the Narz series is more down to business. I did notice (and kind of like) with the 70s shows that when a contestant solves a puzzle, they waste no time in telling them they're right. With "Classic", there's the "Is it (answer)??" from Alex, the brief pause, then the dings/audience cheers/board reveal.

That said, I strongly prefer the car round over Double Play, but I kind of prefer Narz's smooth hosting style over Trebek's.

Probably the reason why they were "more down to business" was because the show was in syndication and had no returning champions despite being a five-days-a-week game show in the 1970s. They wanted to make sure they got the two full games in and Double Play bonus. The NBC version of Concentration allowed games to straddle. Classic Concentration knew how to speed up the game when it returned in the late 80s. They were able to have returning champions and not straddle the game.

weaklink75

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Re: More Concentration!
« Reply #55 on: April 02, 2020, 06:35:19 PM »
These eps are from about midway through the syndicated run, correct? Seems like they've got things down to a science pretty much- it's been a delight to see these.

My thought was they want people to get that first Double Play puzzle, then the 2nd is a "you get it immediately or you're not going to get it" type.

When they went to the pick 'em bonus the last year, I wonder if anyone ever managed to win all four prizes?
« Last Edit: April 02, 2020, 07:24:32 PM by weaklink75 »

Chief-O

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Re: More Concentration!
« Reply #56 on: April 02, 2020, 07:42:02 PM »
These eps are from about midway through the syndicated run, correct?

1976---a little past midway.

Joe Mello

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Re: More Concentration!
« Reply #57 on: April 02, 2020, 07:59:34 PM »
I was wondering the exact same thing, and I have to say I absolutely love it because it adds another dimension.
I wonder what the overlap is between people who like the harder Double Play puzzles and people who don't like the evolution of Wheel of Fortune puzzles.
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calliaume

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Re: More Concentration!
« Reply #58 on: April 02, 2020, 08:06:14 PM »
My thought was they want people to get that first Double Play puzzle, then the 2nd is a "you get it immediately or you're not going to get it" type.
Based on tonight's episode, if a car is won after the first game, both of the Double Play puzzles following the second game could be "you get it immediately or you're not going to get it."

Blanquepage

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Re: More Concentration!
« Reply #59 on: April 02, 2020, 08:24:53 PM »
I was wondering the exact same thing, and I have to say I absolutely love it because it adds another dimension.
I wonder what the overlap is between people who like the harder Double Play puzzles and people who don't like the evolution of Wheel of Fortune puzzles.

I don't quite follow; I for one think the puzzles are a lot more creative and difficult than before...therefore I enjoy the present day puzzle writing.
In fact I just digitized a 1992 episode where the bonus round puzzle was:

"Thing"
_ _ - _ _

Seriously, with two letters one each side of the hyphen, how many things could it have possibly been?
(Though the contestant did take 7 seconds to get it even after filling in 2 of the spaces)