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Barry Enright discussion

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wdm1219inpenna:
Lately I've been binge watching old episodes of "The Joker's Wild", both the 1972-75 CBS episodes available and some of the later syndicated season episodes as well.

This morning for kicks I decided instead to watch an old episode of Bullseye, even though I was never particularly a big fan of the game itself.  It had elements of The Joker's Wild and Tic Tac Dough, both shows also aired at the same time as Bullseye.

I often wondered why B&E would have three shows on at the same time that were all based on the same Q & A format and also why many stations would be interested in television three shows that were quite identical in nature.

Another curious thing I noticed is when Jim Lange told the current champion what he would win for winning 5 games in a row, Jay Stewart announced "It's a brand new car!" and that was it.  I'm curious to know why Bullseye never did a car plug when that was being mentioned yet a car plug was done on the other 2 shows.

I loved the trivia aspect of all three shows.  I loved Tic Tac Dough the most, that to me was the crown jewel of the B&E game shows of the 70s and 80s.  I also loved the original Play The Percentages format which got ruined when they changed it to solo players and it turned into another carbon copy of Joker, Bullseye & Tic Tac to me.

Another criticism I have is it seems to me the contestants were coached the same way when it came to facial reactions to bonus prizes being announced.  Many of their facial reactions seemed almost forced at times. 

Bullseye was bad enough but made worse when it went to an all Celebrity format playing for charities.  That was just awful...

I think Bullseye was the weakest link of the B&E shows during that era.  Bullseye's bonus game at times went on far too long, especially during the early days of the show when it took TEN turns without lighting to win assuming the player did not come up with three Bullseyes on the board.

BrandonFG:
TTD sometimes didn’t show the car as well.

The following is all speculation.

Why Bullseye? My “just woke up” guess is stations needed content, esp. with the rise of indie stations in the early-80s. B&E had a track record with two top-10 syndicated shows, so why not take a chance on a third? Can’t afford Joker? We have its cousin from out of town.

With the car plugs, maybe Buick or Chevrolet didn’t pay their bill that week but the show wanted people to know you could still win a car?

As for the contestant reactions, a contestant shrugging over Z-Brick - justified as it may be - seems like bad television. I dunno, this is all speculation but I think the answer is closer to “Because.”

Brian44:
Although TTD was the second of those 3 B&E shows to debut, it does seem like it was the template for the other 2 as far as contestant reactions and overall show pacing.

Is it just me or did TJW seem to have a much "looser" format until TTD came along in '78?

But yeah, if all you had to go by was Jay Stewart's or Charlie O's bonus round copy and a close-up of the contestant, you almost wouldn't know which of the 3 shows you were watching.

Ian Wallis:
I've always been more of a Joker's Wild fan, but Tic Tac Dough had the higher ratings - especially when Thom McKee came along.  I think Bullseye was more "packaging" that "substance".  Its set and theme were great - but the show itself didn't seem like anything special, especially when comparing them to the others.

You find a formula that works, rinse and repeat.

BillCullen1:
The B&E shows followed a formula, much like most of the GSN shows. Joker put B&E back on the map and made them a fortune. But by the 80s, the questions were easier than those on 5th Grader. "This 60s group led by Frankie Valli had hits such as "Sherry" and "Big Girls Don't Cry." You know them as the Four what?' Yeah, what a brain buster.

I thought TTD was their best show, though I was fond of their version of Break the Bank. I recall reading that when Joker and Dough were in production, the brainier people were put on Dough, and the less brainier went on Joker. Sounds right to me. Bullseye was okay. I liked it better without the celebs and I thought Jim Lange was a capable host who got stuck with turkeys to host. His hosting skills were better than Jack Barry, IMO.

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