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Was G/T a great place to work?

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chris319:
One's G-T employment experience had a lot to do with whom one worked with/for. If you worked for Ira Skutch, Bobby Sherman, Paul Alter, Mimi O'Brien or Ted Cooper, you were working for bright, talented, level-headed professionals who were secure in their abilities. Others at G-T, emcees and contestant coordinators included, were not as pleasant to work with.

The theme that resonated throughout the company was that the quality of our shows was of paramount importance, down to the last detail. Preparation and quality control were given high priority. Everyone was expected to know their role and to get it right the first time. This accounts for why our tapings went so smoothly compared to the chaos Robair described on the set of Lingo. People at the networks didn't seem to like us very well, perhaps because we were so demanding, though we gave a lot of them a lot of work.

Thanks to the bright, talented people working there, innovation was in abundant supply, whether it be for a new show, a pricing game for TPIR, or some technological gimmick Ted Cooper wanted to work into a set. Unfortunately nepotism was in almost equally abundant supply.

Chris, why all the curiosity and questions about G-T lately?

cmjb13:

--- Quote ---Chris, why all the curiosity and questions about G-T lately?
--- End quote ---

I try to ask questions I haven't seen asked before or I don't know the answers to.

Often, they just pop in my head and I ask them.

Nothing more than that.

melman1:
chris319, you mention Ira Skutch.  I've been watching the MG repeats recently (yes, I know they've been on forever) and they never fail to make me smile.

Everything about that show - the regular panelists, the semi-regular panelists, the pacing of the game, the music, Johnny Olson, and of course Rayburn himself - always seemed to \"click\", finding that perfect balance of being silly without getting out of hand.  The panelists and Gene always seemed genuinely happy for the contestants.

The 70's weren't our greatest decade, but audiences were polite (no screaming or hooting) back then, and the show was always in good taste - coming right up to the line but never crossing it.  Contestants always looked a little bit embarrassed when the obvious \"blank\" was something like \"tinkle\".

Anyway, since I have never seen any tell-all stories about MG, I assume the working environment there was completely professional.  And other than Dawson's departure, nothing of note ever really happened?

I am a relative newbie to these boards so if this has been asked and answered a zillion times before, please be kind.

chris319:
Ira Skutch is the best, most astute producer I've ever worked with in a lot of years in television. He and Bobby knew exactly what kind of material worked best for Match Game. Other than certain panelists enjoying a delightful beverage during the lunch break, the environment on MG was thoroughly professional. And as you observed, audiences didn't whoop like a flock of drunken hoot owls.

To fully appreciate the importance of having the right producer for Match Game, try watching a few episodes of MG 98. That said, this should not become a thread about what was wrong with MG 98.

cmjb13:
Speaking of Ira Skutch, Steve Beverly will be posting an interview with him in conjunction with the MG Marathon.

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