The Game Show Forum > The Big Board
PYL and/or Whammy: Your views
SRIV94:
[quote name=\'Steve_Bier\' date=\'Dec 12 2003, 07:50 AM\'] It would have been interesting to see someone whammy out in round one. I've always had this mental picture of the contestant with his feet up on the podium in front of him, reclining and reading a magazine, while Peter goes on with the rest of the game.
I'd love to know what would have happened if a contestant landed on "Pick a Corner"....with one of the corners being a whammy....and was brain-dead enough to pick the whammy. [/quote]
Uh, he'd lose all his money.
Seriously though, there is a situation where picking a Whammy on purpose isn't necessarily a bad move. Consider this:
Let's flash back to August 14, 2003
Some people disagreed, and made great arguments for doing so. Others agreed. Your mileage may vary.
Doug
ITSBRY:
That's what I love about this board...at ATGS, even bringing up the name of PYL would cause everyone to immediately grab their flame retardent suits! :) Here, we can actually discuss it intelligently.
I don't know...PYL gets a bad wrap IMO. Yes, I'm a late 20s who remembers the show fondly from childhood, but I don't think that's why the show appeals to so many. PYL had all of the elements of a fun game show. An easy game, lots of unnecessary glitz, a great set, a great host and a great theme song. It was just damned exciting to watch and it was one of the first shows that really used technology as the "draw" for the game.
It is not brain surgery, but there are very few game shows that are. HR and TJW are considered classics among most of us and these games were also mostly based on luck. They might have had some trivia element, but the ?'s were very elementary in nature...not tough stuff. Speed and luck were the predominate factors...especially in HR.
PYL is just...entertaining. It was a concept that worked for whatever reason and I'll take it for that. Flaws in the game or not, people watched and continue to watch...that defines a success in my opinion.
To be honest, I think Whammy! is the rare occurence where pretty major changes to the format actually improved upon the original concept. The only issues I have with Whammy! are just a few minor points with the execution...most of which can be attributed to the inherent cheesy nature of a cable game show. I'd love to see Fremantle take Whammy! into syndication and do it up right.
ITSBRY
itsbry@juno.com
uncamark:
[quote name=\'tommycharles\' date=\'Dec 12 2003, 11:01 AM\'][quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Dec 11 2003, 12:44 PM\']
As for B&E, there is nothing wrong with the formats of their shows that can't be improved by better, more challenging question writing, better end games and a less kitschy feel. ("TJW" became a better show in the end simply for having Bill Cullen around--even if Cullen wasn't at his peak, Cullen off-peak is better than a lot of hosts at their peak.) [/quote]
What did Cullen do differently than Barry that made you prefer him?[/quote]
The fact that he was being Bill Cullen. With the possible exception of "How Do You Like Your Eggs?" (and only because I've haven't had the misfortune of actually seeing it), his presence on the set alone always made a show even marginally watchable.
Dbacksfan12:
[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Dec 12 2003, 12:18 PM\'] [quote name=\'tommycharles\' date=\'Dec 12 2003, 11:01 AM\'][quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Dec 11 2003, 12:44 PM\']
As for B&E, there is nothing wrong with the formats of their shows that can't be improved by better, more challenging question writing, better end games and a less kitschy feel. ("TJW" became a better show in the end simply for having Bill Cullen around--even if Cullen wasn't at his peak, Cullen off-peak is better than a lot of hosts at their peak.) [/quote]
What did Cullen do differently than Barry that made you prefer him?[/quote]
The fact that he was being Bill Cullen. With the possible exception of "How Do You Like Your Eggs?" (and only because I've haven't had the misfortune of actually seeing it), his presence on the set alone always made a show even marginally watchable. [/quote]
Here's where I disagree.
His work on "The Joker's Wild" slowed down the proceedings from a drag to a crawl. While he seemed sharp on Hot Potato, something seemed to have happened in between then and his start on Joker.
IMO, the job should have gone to Jim Peck.
ChuckNet:
--- Quote ---His work on "The Joker's Wild" slowed down the proceedings from a drag to a crawl. While he seemed sharp on Hot Potato, something seemed to have happened in between then and his start on Joker.
--- End quote ---
I agree...the problem, IMO, was that Bill didn't realize TJW's not a show that leaves room for joking around, and even during his first season when still had the audience game, he knew he had to keep the game moving to some degree...when they dumped the audience game for the following season, he just saw it as an invitation to do more interaction and joking w/the contestants, as anyone who saw the Cullen eps from that season on GSN can tell you.
--- Quote ---IMO, the job should have gone to Jim Peck.
--- End quote ---
No argument there...supposedly, as per Peck, syndicator Colbert wanted someone w/name value, though that wouldn't explain how little-known (outside LA, anyway) Jim Caldwell got the job on TTD just a season later.
Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version