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Match Game 7x - did it naturally run its course?
Neumms:
--- Quote from: TimK2003 on April 13, 2021, 08:46:55 PM ---Why I hated the later years? As someone already mentioned, the heavy editing...
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Maybe there were times they edited too much, but waiting for Charles was growing as tiresome at home as it was to Brett. The 21st Century version should cut out way more deliberation time.
Neumms:
--- Quote from: TimK2003 on April 13, 2021, 08:46:55 PM ---But doing the heavy editing on the CBS episodes? Why? Goodson loved to pad some of his shows in order to stretch his prize budget (Body Language, Password Plus, Super Password, Eubanks Card Sharks, to name a few).
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How were they padding? None were Split Second, but they were by no means slow. If they wanted to stretch the prize budget, they could have cut the prize money or added rounds before the endgames.
TimK2003:
--- Quote from: Neumms on April 13, 2021, 09:31:32 PM ---
--- Quote from: TimK2003 on April 13, 2021, 08:46:55 PM ---But doing the heavy editing on the CBS episodes? Why? Goodson loved to pad some of his shows in order to stretch his prize budget (Body Language, Password Plus, Super Password, Eubanks Card Sharks, to name a few).
--- End quote ---
How were they padding? None were Split Second, but they were by no means slow. If they wanted to stretch the prize budget, they could have cut the prize money or added rounds before the endgames.
--- End quote ---
Body Language had a significant amount of pre-game banter with contestants and celebs in order to assure the game would last the whole 30 minutes.
Super Password did the same to try to keep one full match per day. Didn't always happen that way, but it always felt that if the day started with a Ca$hword segment, it usually ended the show one puzzle before or after a Ca$hword segment, if not right at one.
I think Eubanks Card Sharks added the 10 Audience Member Surveys as a way to throttle the match and to avoid having more than one Money Cards round per day. Back in the Perry days, it wasn't out of the norm sometimes to see 3 trips to the Money Cards within one episode.
Meanwhile, here is MG'79 potentially giving away twice as much money via the Star Wheel format while cutting 75% of the think music time, which in effect was offering up more than double the daily prize budget they had during MG'75 because the rounds went quicker.
/I'm not counting the early MG'73 episodes, as those questions were more straightforward and did not need as much thought. Hence why there were usually two Super Match segments per episode.
TLEberle:
I wouldn’t say that three Money Cards was ever the norm.
Argo:
IMHO, it definitely did run it's course naturally.
As others have mentioned you could feel Gene and the regulars getting bored or just tired. Gene had done the show since 1962, albeit a different format, but still. Brett and CNR seemed to be trying to find ways to play fight. Dawson's departure didn't hurt as much as his attitude months before he did leave. Bill Daly and McClean Stevenson were the best semi-regulars after Dawson IMHO of course. The biggest indication for me and reason why I don't like episodes after 78 is the constant editing. Having to edit to time was one thing, but it just seemed to send the message to viewers, rightly or wrongly, that nothing interesting was going on. If they had dubbed the music in post and stopped using the annoying canned laughter, at least it wouldn't have been as obvious.
During the original broadcasts no doubt the time change affected the audience and I guess the ratings didn't help the performers to perform at their best, but even when I see reruns today I just don't find 78 onward enjoyable to watch. The episodes where McLean Stevenson hosted and the "Cuckoo Friend and Ollie" episode were the only ones that stand out for me.
And as much as the updated versions of the classic games are good for today's audience, I just don't find the "in your face" and fake style of television entertaining to watch. Everything is "too polished" now. Some of the funniest moments on MG I enjoyed were when Gene would go off stage and tease the crew or jump off into the audience. I'm sorry, but unless something drastic happens, things like that are never going to happen again, unless they're just shown on YouTube as a behind the scenes or some "Entertainment Tonight" exclusive. Nobody can seem to be satisfied with "live to tape" and just shoot what happens anymore.
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