Author Topic: Leslie Crowther's TPIR (Read 4079 times)

urbanpreppie05 · « **on:** August 20, 2004, 10:17:29 PM »

Ok...so I was able to obtain a tape of Crowther TPIR, circa 1988 from the internet. And I watched it...

The opening is totally different- big shots of the audience (if you think the american audiences are spazes...you've never seen a british audience), introduction of the models in the open- and there are 5 of them!, Leslie comes out, bows, and is handed a card. The music stops, and Leslie reads the names! On the original UK TPIR, the announcer is relegated to the open and prize descriptions- Leslie reads the contestant's names!

The following games were played-and NO 4-digit prize was played during most of the show.

Switcheroo- for a Moped!
Cliff Hangers- (and yes, there is yodeling music)
Most Expensive- much, much different-the contestant is shown 3 prizes, and has to place the most expensive prize at the top, next one in the middle, and lowest at the bottom. And the conetstant, if he/she should win, keeps only the most expensive prize.
Secret X-Still only offers 2 addtional x's, but has 3 chances to win them.
Time-price, aka Clock Game- Looks like a digital watch and played for three prizes. However, there is NO pause from prize to prize. And yes, there is 30 seconds.
One Away- for a cabinet?

The showcase showdown is played with all 6 contestants-a slow elimination game of questions related to UK consumption/spending. Very interesting, but very slow.

The showcases were smaller, and minus the themes, but still not too bad.

Othe notes:
-When a contestant makes his/her way to contestant;s row, one of the models puts a medal around their neck.
- The 5 models names were: Cyndi Day, Gillian DeTerville, Carol Greenworth, Denise Kelly (who IMHO, is rather cute), and a model who was not the one in the opening at tv-ark
-because of it's LOW budget, there was A TON of furniture offered.
-There are only 4 music cues: the main theme (which I love), the come on down cue (which sounded strangely like the Family Feud face-off cue) the prize cue, and the showcase cue.
-the big doors weren't used til the end- and they look more like the curtains from ANLMAD.
-leslie crowther was really good. Personable, friendly, and quick! He hugged the contestants and even tried to relate the places they came from to a fact or something interesting.

All in all, a must see. email me if you want to know more!

gshowguy · « **Reply #1 on:** August 20, 2004, 11:52:53 PM »

Isn't his announcer (Simon Prebble) the voice of a recurring character on "Courage the Cowardly Dog"?

urbanpreppie05 · « **Reply #2 on:** August 21, 2004, 03:52:56 PM »

Well, I would check IMDb.com and che- oh wait! You did! Because only someone who has checked already would ask something like that.

gshowguy · « **Reply #3 on:** August 21, 2004, 04:31:59 PM »

And I did, months ago. Apparently, he does the voice of a computer the pink equivalent (spelling?) of Scooby-Doo would use to get help in some episodes when more ghosts and villains try to invade his home (which is in the middle of nowhere), and he can't do it all on his own.

ObCourage: It's the only original on Cartoon Network I'll actually watch. The rest, save the oldies-but-goodies on Boomerang.

ObCrowther: Isn't he more famous as host of a game show for kids called Crackerjack?

gshowguy · « **Reply #4 on:** August 21, 2004, 04:45:02 PM »

[quote name=\'urbanpreppie05\' date=\'Aug 20 2004, 09:17 PM\'] The opening is totally different- big shots of the audience (if you think the american audiences are spazes...you've never seen a british audience), introduction of the models in the open- and there are 5 of them!, Leslie comes out, bows, and is handed a card. The music stops, and Leslie reads the names! On the original UK TPIR, the announcer is relegated to the open and prize descriptions- Leslie reads the contestant's names!

The following games were played-and NO 4-digit prize was played during most of the show.

Switcheroo- for a Moped!
Cliff Hangers- (and yes, there is yodeling music)
Most Expensive- much, much different-the contestant is shown 3 prizes, and has to place the most expensive prize at the top, next one in the middle, and lowest at the bottom. And the conetstant, if he/she should win, keeps only the most expensive prize.
Secret X-Still only offers 2 addtional x's, but has 3 chances to win them.
Time-price, aka Clock Game- Looks like a digital watch and played for three prizes. However, there is NO pause from prize to prize. And yes, there is 30 seconds.
One Away- for a cabinet?

The showcase showdown is played with all 6 contestants-a slow elimination game of questions related to UK consumption/spending. Very interesting, but very slow.

The showcases were smaller, and minus the themes, but still not too bad.

Othe notes:
-When a contestant makes his/her way to contestant;s row, one of the models puts a medal around their neck.
- The 5 models names were: Cyndi Day, Gillian DeTerville, Carol Greenworth, Denise Kelly (who IMHO, is rather cute), and a model who was not the one in the opening at tv-ark
-because of it's LOW budget, there was A TON of furniture offered.
-There are only 4 music cues: the main theme (which I love), the come on down cue (which sounded strangely like the Family Feud face-off cue) the prize cue, and the showcase cue.
-the big doors weren't used til the end- and they look more like the curtains from ANLMAD.
-leslie crowther was really good. Personable, friendly, and quick! He hugged the contestants and even tried to relate the places they came from to a fact or something interesting.

All in all, a must see. email me if you want to know more! [/quote]
I have to admit, that's one heck of a version of the British TPiR. I wonder if ol' Brucie ever did the same thing on his version?

BTW, I have seen the open before, via TV ARK (which still hasn't updated, darn it). The opening went like this:

"It's Saturday night (not to be confused with the open from Saturday Night Live)! We're back, all right? So... come on down (I guess that's the only time Simon said it)! The Price is Right with Desiree Jools (is this correct?), Carol Greenworth, Cyndi Day, Gilly DeTerville (possibly the first African-British model on a game show, correct?), and Denise Kelly (sounded more like "Elise Kelly" to me)! And heeeere's Leslieee Crowtherrrrrrr!!!"

Then, Leslie looks like he's REALLY getting ready to have fun, the way he shakes his fists and arms and his mouth open (kinda like the Wiggles). Then, one of the models hands him a very long microphone (kinda like the one used by Gene Rayburn on Match Game), and happily walks out towards the audience. He seems like a really nice and fun guy to be with, especially when he was still alive (he had unfortunately died in 1996 due to cancer). All in all, possibly the RAREST find of any foreign TPiR, ever.

tommycharles · « **Reply #5 on:** August 21, 2004, 05:09:00 PM »

[quote name=\'gshowguy\' date=\'Aug 21 2004, 03:45 PM\'] He seems like a really nice and fun guy to be with, especially when he was still alive [/quote]
Wow.

urbanpreppie05 · « **Reply #6 on:** August 21, 2004, 05:25:51 PM »

Quote

Wow.

My sentiments exactly.

I was really hoping that more people would have questions or comment about this Rare gem, but this wasn't what I had in mind.

tommycharles · « **Reply #7 on:** August 21, 2004, 07:08:32 PM »

Ok, here's a real response this time:

I never saw Crowther's TPiR, but the idea of having Showcase elimination based on something other than the wheel is intriguing. Do they eliminate all but 1 player, or all but 2?

Also - did this feel uber weird going from pricing game 3 immediately to IUFB 4 without a break in between? I know that would seem odd to me, having the SS to mark the half way point seemed perfect.

clemon79 · « **Reply #8 on:** August 21, 2004, 09:26:21 PM »

[quote name=\'gshowguy\' date=\'Aug 21 2004, 01:31 PM\'] And I did, months ago. [/quote]
Then why in the HELL did you ask the question in the first place?

Because you didn't want an answer. You wanted to show off how much you know.

It's Zach the Second, folks.

TV Favorites · « **Reply #9 on:** August 21, 2004, 10:08:40 PM »

[quote name=\'tommycharles\' date=\'Aug 21 2004, 06:08 PM\'] Do they eliminate all but 1 player, or all but 2? [/quote]
From the UK Gameshows site:

Quote

In the old Crowther episodes, the six players would play a checkout game to guess the price of several goods from a particular year, with people who were furthest from the correct answer being whittled away until only two were left.

dougal18 · « **Reply #10 on:** August 22, 2004, 02:23:40 AM »

I remember watching Leslie's TPIR as a kid. It seemed to last forever.

Favourite game was Cliff Hanger. The little skier going up the mountain and occasionally falling off was great.

The prizes did get more expensive in the Forsyth era. Cars could be won!

Brig Bother · « **Reply #11 on:** August 22, 2004, 07:27:03 AM »

[quote name=\'dougal18\' date=\'Aug 22 2004, 06:23 AM\'] Favourite game was Cliff Hanger. The little skier going up the mountain and occasionally falling off was great.
[/quote]
As a five year old, that game used to absolutely terrify me.

I'd like to see Crowther TRPIR repeated sometime, if only to confirm my belief that fun as Brucie was, the old version was much more glamourous.

Steve Gavazzi · « **Reply #12 on:** August 22, 2004, 02:27:45 PM »

[quote name=\'TV Favorites\' date=\'Aug 21 2004, 10:08 PM\'] [quote name=\'tommycharles\' date=\'Aug 21 2004, 06:08 PM\'] Do they eliminate all but 1 player, or all but 2? [/quote]
From the UK Gameshows site:

Quote

In the old Crowther episodes, the six players would play a checkout game to guess the price of several goods from a particular year, with people who were furthest from the correct answer being whittled away until only two were left.

[/quote]
I'd swear I remember reading somewhere -- Lord only knows where -- that the earliest episodes did use the Big Wheel, but that some sort of British regulatory board said that they had to get rid of it because it was a game of chance. Evidently, they changed their minds by the time Bruce's version premiered.

Of course, this could be totally wrong; I honestly don't know.

gshowguy · « **Reply #13 on:** August 22, 2004, 02:31:06 PM »

No, I believe the UK Game Show Page said that LATER episodes of the Leslie Crowther-era TPiR used the Big Wheel, especially on the Sky One version with Bob Warmans and the more recent era with Bruce Forsyth.

urbanpreppie05 · « **Reply #14 on:** August 22, 2004, 03:24:16 PM »

Quote

I never saw Crowther's TPiR, but the idea of having Showcase elimination based on something other than the wheel is intriguing. Do they eliminate all but 1 player, or all but 2?

All but 2. When those two winners are announced by leslie, there a qucik cut to the audience, and then instantly the showcase final round is set up.

Quote

Also - did this feel uber weird going from pricing game 3 immediately to IUFB 4 without a break in between? I know that would seem odd to me, having the SS to mark the half way point seemed perfect.

Actually, that was the first cc break. When they came back, Leselie said "we know who our first three players for our showcase, let's find out the next one." Then he would call down the next conetstant. The other cc break was after PG #6. Then When it returned, they started the main theme again and re-introduced the 6 winners and their locations. Pretty cool.