Monty Hall says...

[JasonA1]

[quote name=\'calliaume\' post=\'209873\' date=\'Mar 9 2009, 10:04 AM\']
...because they were evocative of a certain era, and any revival just won't feel the same to audiences (or else those who weren't exposed to the originals will wonder what all the fuss was about).
[/quote]

I think that parenthetical part is especially apt. All three shows you mentioned developed into their cultural definitions in front of audiences. MG evolved into the comedy farce with all sorts of characters in the questions, big personalities like CNR, etc. Gong Show had its own stable of characters, and Chuck got crazier as the show wore on. Kind of hard to expect shows that did something unique in their time to be able to live up to that in the present.

On top of that, much like the double entendre propped up MG, I think the fact people really, REALLY wanted those prizes back then helped LMaD. People were struggling to give up a washer/dryer. Monty's cash bribes were a lot of money at the time. I don't remember tons from the Billy Bush edition - did the prizes make a jump enough to tempt today's contestants? If I had to hazard a guess from memory, I thought the cash amounts were sort of dinky.

-Jason

[Neumms]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'209875\' date=\'Mar 9 2009, 10:29 AM\']
I do think that it's *possible* to do a proper, modern revival of Match Game (as in, I don't think either Gene Rayburn *or* the panel made the show), but I don't think today's TV producers are capable of doing it.
[/quote]

Me, too. "Game Show Marathon" was really close to getting it. All it needed were civilian contestants and a capable host. But then, no TV producers noticed.

[Neumms]

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' post=\'209797\' date=\'Mar 8 2009, 12:21 PM\']
What made Monty so great as a host was that he was charming and genuinely cared about the contestants. At the same time, he threw in a fair amount of sneaky car dealer personality, which made sense for a show called "Let's Make a Deal".
[/quote]

Now I realize that Monty helped create the game and knew how to run it, and I realize the sneaky car dealer is part of the game. But am I the only one (besides my mother) who doesn't find Monty all that charming or genuine?

Listen to him complain endlessly about over-excited contestants. Look at the smug bastard during the Big Deal. He was always griping about the signs--listen, Monty, you run the place! If the damn signs are in the way, take 'em away at the door! And I definitely recall a phase like Leonard Nimoy's "I Am Not Spock" years when what Monty really wanted was a talk show.

[Matt Ottinger]

It occurs to me that if Monty gets this new version on the air, it would be the sixth distinct revival of the format since the original version went off the air in 1977.   I'm looking at "revival" in the strictest sense of a show going out of production, and after time coming back into production in some new (but usually similar) form.  Not just network or host or even dramatic format changes, nor moves to/from syndication or concurrent syndicated versions.  In production, out of production, back into production.  

By that standard, I'm pretty sure LMAD already holds the record for being revived five times.   If I'm counting right, Password, TTTT and IGAS have all been revived four times each.  (For several reasons, Pyramid's production history is a little harder to define in these terms, but it's up there too.)

By this standard, BTW, Wheel of Fortune is the longest running show to have never been revived.  It has effectively never been entirely out of production since it went on the air in 1975.

[rugrats1]

[quote name=\'calliaume\' post=\'209873\' date=\'Mar 9 2009, 10:04 AM\']Big Deal was an odd amalgam of LMaD and Truth or Consequences that Stone-Stanley threw together in about two weeks to fill space on Fox because the show that was supposed to be in that slot wasn't ready...I didn't see the Billy Bush edition.[/quote]

For what its worth, the Bush LMaD was along the same lines as "Big Deal" -- a mixture of LMaD and ToC. I only saw the last several minutes of one episode, where a contestant put his hand into a box, which may contain an item representing a prize, or a critter. For example, to win a computer, the contestant must pull out a computer mouse, not an actual, furry mouse (and they were live -- not toys). He would afterwards try for a trip to Las Vegas by seeing if he can pull out a pair of furry dice (represnting "snake eyes") and not an actual snake.

I was at night school at the time I saw this episode, and I just happened to get out early. I was unable to sample other episodes after that week, as the show was already cancelled.

[Jimmy Owen]

Truth or Consequences also had a number of revivals. Edwards, Bailey, Dunne, Barker (unless you want to consider those one incarnation), Hilton, Anderson.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'209882\' date=\'Mar 9 2009, 09:50 AM\']
Truth or Consequences also had a number of revivals. Edwards, Bailey, Dunne, Barker (unless you want to consider those one incarnation), Hilton, Anderson.[/quote]
Hilton's was just an unsold pilot, wasn't it?

[Neumms]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'209880\' date=\'Mar 9 2009, 11:18 AM\']
By that standard, I'm pretty sure LMAD already holds the record for being revived five times.   If I'm counting right, Password, TTTT and IGAS have all been revived four times each.  (For several reasons, Pyramid's production history is a little harder to define in these terms, but it's up there too.)
[/quote]

Which LMAD am I missing? I count "The All-New" with Monty, Bob Hilton's NBC version, "Big Deal" and Billy Bush's.

There's also the Newlywed Game.
--Mid-seventies syndicated
--The New Newlywed Game
--The Paul Rodriguez version*
--Gary Kroeger's
--Eubanks' return*
--The GSN version
I presume the new one counts as the fourth under Matt's criteria, since there weren't cancellations before the asterisked ones above.

Also, the Match Game has four: Match Game '73, MG/Hollywood Squares, Ross Shaffer's and Michael Burger's.

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'209888\' date=\'Mar 9 2009, 12:13 PM\']
Which LMAD am I missing? I count "The All-New" with Monty, Bob Hilton's NBC version, "Big Deal" and Billy Bush's. [/quote]
Monty hosted two syndicated revivals, the 1980 one produced in Canada and the 84-86 one.

I didn't even think of The Newlywed Game.  By my rules, the upcoming GSN version would either be the fourth or the fifth revival, depending on whether you want to count that odd week of shows with Jim Lange in 1984.  The Eubanks-to-Rodriguez changes and the more substantial Kroeger-to-Eubanks changes were still essentially the same productions.

[Chief-O]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'209887\' date=\'Mar 9 2009, 12:09 PM\']
Hilton's [TorC] was just an unsold pilot, wasn't it?
[/quote]

Nope. Had a brief run in '77 [or 78?].

[Joe Mello]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'209889\' date=\'Mar 9 2009, 01:28 PM\']
[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'209888\' date=\'Mar 9 2009, 12:13 PM\']
Which LMAD am I missing? I count "The All-New" with Monty, Bob Hilton's NBC version, "Big Deal" and Billy Bush's. [/quote]
Monty hosted two syndicated revivals, the 1980 one produced in Canada and the 84-86 one.[/quote]
Wasn't the "All-New" the 84-86 one?

[TheInquisitiveOne]

[quote name=\'Joe Mello\' post=\'209892\' date=\'Mar 9 2009, 12:30 PM\']
[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'209889\' date=\'Mar 9 2009, 01:28 PM\']
[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'209888\' date=\'Mar 9 2009, 12:13 PM\']
Which LMAD am I missing? I count "The All-New" with Monty, Bob Hilton's NBC version, "Big Deal" and Billy Bush's. [/quote]
Monty hosted two syndicated revivals, the 1980 one produced in Canada and the 84-86 one.[/quote]
Wasn't the "All-New" the 84-86 one?
[/quote]

Yes, it was sir.

As for this proposed revival, I agree with Curt's theory. LMAD was a show that fit the dynamic of the times. While a good host helps, it's kind of hard to see this show with long lasting power in this day and age.

The Inquisitive One

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Chief-O\' post=\'209891\' date=\'Mar 9 2009, 10:29 AM\']
Nope. Had a brief run in '77 [or 78?].[/quote]
Oh! Had no idea. Okay.

[calliaume]

[quote name=\'JasonA1\' post=\'209877\' date=\'Mar 9 2009, 10:45 AM\']
On top of that, much like the double entendre propped up MG, I think the fact people really, REALLY wanted those prizes back then helped LMaD. People were struggling to give up a washer/dryer. Monty's cash bribes were a lot of money at the time. I don't remember tons from the Billy Bush edition - did the prizes make a jump enough to tempt today's contestants? If I had to hazard a guess from memory, I thought the cash amounts were sort of dinky.
[/quote]
What an excellent point.  Back in '72 or thereabouts, a decent all-in-one stereo (AM/FM radio, turntable, either cassette or 8-track player) in the Spiegel Catalog was about $200.  In today's dollars, that's over $1000.  So, maybe $800 would have to be the low point for a prize given on the trading floor, or cash prizes offered by (insert host's name here).  Likewise, a $629 25" console TV in 1975 would buy almost $2500 worth of TV today (that's a pretty nice flat-screen, right?).

I'll throw a couple of new things into the mix.  

1) Many of the items that sold for $300 or $400 back then -- like a dishwasher, washer, or dryer -- can still be had for about the same price today.  I mean, you can spend a little higher, but the technological advancements have kept prices fairly level.  Same with cheap (or Jeep) boom boxes, or (before high-def) televisions.

2) Many of the items are considered quickly replaceable.  We don't freak out anymore if a $30 boom box dies -- we buy a new one.  In 1972 you'd take the thing down to the fix-it shop and see if it could be repaired.  Same with that super-cheap TV.

3) Credit cards were not as pervasive then as they are now.  To buy many of these items, you needed to have cash or be able to pay it that month.  So some people didn't *have* washers, dryers, dishwashers, or color TVs -- it was either off to the laundromat, watch TV on that tiny B&W for another year or two, or wash the dishes with Madge's Palmolive ("you're soaking in it").  Now, if one breaks, we just whip out the credit card.  Of course, now those $400 washers are costing people $1,000 with the monthly interest involved -- but that's another story.

[Neumms]

Curt's points are terrific. Now, a new LMAD could get away with offering more cash. It's "The Price Is Right" that really has the problem. One can pile bundles of 20s on top of Jay's tray or put a giant piggy bank behind the door, but to bid on merchandise you have to find some people want.