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Bad fits for established hosts/announcers
Blanquepage:
I think *any* established host would've been a bad fit for 3's a Crowd. Watching Jim try to play the part of the instigator makes me somewhat cringe, nowadays.
Lohman or Barkley would've been much more suitable. Heck, maybe it was a missed opportunity to give The Unknown Comic his own show, I'd have watched ;D
Bob Zager:
--- Quote from: aaron sica on May 31, 2025, 02:12:53 PM ---
Mine: Gene Wood when he filled in on "The Price is Right" after Johnny O passed away. I love Gene in just about everything else he did......But he did not fit in at all on Price.
--- End quote ---
Agreed, 100%! He didn't seem as energetic on TPIR as just about every other show he announced on. When watching the ending of TPIR episode where Bob Barker mentioned Johnny O's death, I looked at my sister and said to her how I wondered TPIR (nighttime w/Tom Kennedy) was going to be with no Bob Barker AND no Johnny Olsen!!
IMO, a couple of other shows Gene Wood announced on, but did not seem to fit into, Love Connection and Bruce Forsythe's Hot Streak.
Chelsea Thrasher:
Think about what goes in to announcing a lot of Gene's 'better' shows: Introduction, MAYBE one or two plugs for a single prize, maybe a ticket or contestant plug, and then the end of show plugs. That's it (at least within the episode itself). And yes that's over 5-7 tapings, but still, there are stretches of downtime.
The announcer on The Price is Right - especially in the pre-edit/ADR era - does. not. stop. Introduction trying to belt out four names over a screaming audience, host intro, copy for six one-bids, copy for six pricing game feature prizes. Five more player introductions. Some games have 2/3/4 prizes. Some games have up to six grocery or small prizes on top of THAT. Six games per show. Plus ticket/consolation plugs. Plus showcases with multiple-prize copy and sometimes the announcer is IN the thing. (Plus, mentioning George again, with the reduction to the number of models sometimes he even models prizes too - although at least he has post-production help that his predecesors didn't)
And from 1975 until Barker's health issues in 1999, it was standard to do two shows per day. Gene had to do more, in a shorter window, in two episodes of Price is Right than he did in seven Family Feud episodes (or five Card Sharks), and he was never at any point suited to change gears rapidly like the show requires, and by the 80s his health was beginning to worsen a bit so he didn't quite have the stamina for it besides.
I was REALLY hoping the Barker Era streaming channel would drop a new batch of 1986 episodes as I really want to see Bob Hilton's run at announcing in it's entirety. The couple episodes I have from his audition, I'd have hired him on the spot. I know "Bob and Bob" would probably pivot between confusing, frustrating, and funny - but I really liked what I heard.
rebelwrest:
--- Quote from: Bob Zager on June 05, 2025, 12:17:25 PM ---IMO, a couple of other shows Gene Wood announced on, but did not seem to fit into, Love Connection and Bruce Forsythe's Hot Streak.
--- End quote ---
Agree on the non-fit, but the way he said LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUVVVVVVVVVVV CONNECTION still makes me laugh.
danderson:
Which is why i admire the old school NBC voices like Don Pardo, Roger Tuttle, Wayne Howell, Bill Wendell, Mel Brandt, Jack Costello etc. in the pre-edit/ADR era- Introduction, MAYBE one or two plugs for a single prize, maybe a ticket or contestant plug, and then the end of show plugs. A lot less work than what George Gray does now on Price. Pardo and Tuttle both did Price in the 60s, and it was much like now, expect copy for 4 bid rounds and sometimes bonus prizes (although Bill Cullen would do the copy rather than Pardo for those). Jay Stewart or Wendell Niles were in the same boat though on LMAD too much like the announcer on The Price is Right - especially in the pre-edit/ADR era - does. not. stop.
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