Author Topic: GSN to air James Doohan tribute (Read 13468 times)

zachhoran · « **Reply #30 on:** July 22, 2005, 10:18:53 AM »

[quote name=\'SRIV94\' date=\'Jul 22 2005, 09:03 AM\']

BTW, the eps GSN is now showing are from August 1981.

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What month in 1981 did the rule change on Blockbusters occur which allowed champions to win 20 matches instead to 10? If it occurred later than August, perhaps the P+ progressive jackpot/$500 to win format change coincided with that.

SRIV94 · « **Reply #31 on:** July 22, 2005, 10:42:42 AM »

[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Jul 22 2005, 09:18 AM\']What month in 1981 did the rule change on Blockbusters occur which allowed champions to win 20 matches instead to 10? If it occurred later than August, perhaps the P+ progressive jackpot/$500 to win format change coincided with that.

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You may have something there. Tammy Warner's BB collection indicates the "20-game" rule was announced on the 8/31/81 episode.

So if the moves were timed to coincide, we should know in a couple of weeks (P+ aired all-star week reruns for two weeks in August 1981, per matchgame.org), so if GSN stays on that pace the 8/31/81 P+ ep should air on August 1 (fancy that--the day LINGO season 4 debuts).

Doug

zachhoran · « **Reply #32 on:** July 22, 2005, 10:48:41 AM »

[quote name=\'SRIV94\' date=\'Jul 22 2005, 09:42 AM\']

So if the moves were timed to coincide, we should know in a couple of weeks (P+ aired all-star week reruns for two weeks in August 1981, per matchgame.org), so if GSN stays on that pace the 8/31/81 P+ ep should air on August 1 (fancy that--the day LINGO season 4 debuts).

Doug

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Also, that's the day BB87 shifts back to the premiere episode, and the final episode of Syndie MG82 airs.

Don Howard · « **Reply #33 on:** July 22, 2005, 11:28:53 AM »

[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Jul 22 2005, 09:48 AM\']Also, that's the day BB87 shifts back to the premiere episode, and the final episode of Syndie MG82 airs.

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They're not running Classic Concentration? But all those plugs. Teases!!

pyrfan · « **Reply #34 on:** July 22, 2005, 04:53:44 PM »

All I said was that I didn't think the changes were necessary. In some ways, in my opinion, some of them made the show less enjoyable:

1. The split-screen during the Ca$hword usually meant that you missed the celebrity's reaction to a win.

2. Bert Convy kept forgetting that Gene was whispering the password (or he didn't care), so either he would talk over it or Gene would wait until Bert was finally done and then sneak it in really fast before the first clue was given.

3. My guess is that they had the contestants already on the set to discourage Bert from kibbitzing too much with the celebs before the game started. Not only didn't it work, it made it harder for the stagehands to move the piece into place, seeing as it was now at least 200 pounds heavier each episode.

I'm perfectly cool with change if it improves the game, either in actual playing or cosmetically. I didn't think these changes improved the game.

Brendan

xibit777 · « **Reply #35 on:** July 25, 2005, 05:29:37 PM »

I completely agree with most of what you said. Something also looked different about alphabetics. It almost looked like the celeb and contestant were ready to kiss or something. It was too close up and it was very distracting to watch.

Gene wispering the word was a nightmare. I think Bert just flat out forgot to leave time for it. Gene also does not have a good whispering voice. One time, it almost sounded like they purposely edited Bert's voice out mid-sentence so that Gene could say the word. Terrible execution of this addition to the game.

I sure hope they go back to the original episodes as soon as this tribute is over.

FOXSportsFan · « **Reply #36 on:** July 25, 2005, 06:07:06 PM »

[quote name=\'xibit777\' date=\'Jul 25 2005, 04:29 PM\']I completely agree with most of what you said. Something also looked different about alphabetics. It almost looked like the celeb and contestant were ready to kiss or something. It was too close up and it was very distracting to watch.

Gene wispering the word was a nightmare. I think Bert just flat out forgot to leave time for it. Gene also does not have a good whispering voice. One time, it almost sounded like they purposely edited Bert's voice out mid-sentence so that Gene could say the word. Terrible execution of this addition to the game.

I sure hope they go back to the original episodes as soon as this tribute is over.

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Gene doesn't have that great of a voice period, as bad as it sounds...but he made up in delivery and enthusiasm. Nasal congestion plus whisper equals what Myron Cope might call a double OY...or was that YOI? Ah, I'm a Philly area guy who cares.

digiblader · « **Reply #37 on:** July 25, 2005, 08:36:43 PM »

One quick note..

If GSN stays in early 1988 instead of going back to 1985, we'll see the incident where Rip Taylor rips his toupee off within three weeks.

Of course that depends on where GSN goes in the airings.

zachhoran · « **Reply #38 on:** July 25, 2005, 08:49:47 PM »

[quote name=\'digiblader\' date=\'Jul 25 2005, 07:36 PM\']One quick note..

If GSN stays in early 1988 instead of going back to 1985, we'll see the incident where Rip Taylor rips his toupee off within three weeks.

Of course that depends on where GSN goes in the airings.

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January 1988 was quite a month for SP. Two weeks from the week currently airing is the Kerry Ketchem/Patrick Quinn $55K+ win. The week after that is the Rip Taylor toupee incident. The week after that is the week Jim Bontempo wins a $12K cashword and retires with a regular game record setting $76,000 after five wins, according to super-password.com

Don Howard · « **Reply #39 on:** July 25, 2005, 10:03:21 PM »

[quote name=\'FOXSportsFan\' date=\'Jul 25 2005, 05:07 PM\']Gene doesn't have that great of a voice period, as bad as it sounds...but he made up in delivery and enthusiasm.

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And he did a helluva warm-up.
By the way, listen to Rich Jeffries announce on SP for a few months and then hear Gene do it. Your respect level for Mr. Wood will rise big time as if it were a mojo.

Unrealtor · « **Reply #40 on:** July 25, 2005, 10:37:18 PM »

[quote name=\'xibit777\' date=\'Jul 25 2005, 04:29 PM\']Something also looked different about alphabetics. It almost looked like the celeb and contestant were ready to kiss or something. It was too close up and it was very distracting to watch.

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It was a split-screen, with a rather blurry transition between the two. It's not obvious in the dark during the sixty seconds, but in the split second after they bring the lights back up and before the shot changes, it's pretty easy to see. The shots were a little tighter than I would have liked, but it's still better than Osmond Pyramid's attempts to show you close-ups of the participants during the game.

Actually, the whole endgame set looks like it's changed a bit between the episodes we had been seeing and this week. The sign was raised a foot or two, so that Bert's head no longer obscured it during the introduction and post-mortem, but it's also no longer visible on the standard shot they used there, and the set piece holding the monitor had been rotated 90 degrees, so that it was downstage of the contestant, rather than behind the contestant (to stage right).

FOXSportsFan · « **Reply #41 on:** July 25, 2005, 11:57:05 PM »

[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Jul 25 2005, 09:03 PM\'][quote name=\'FOXSportsFan\' date=\'Jul 25 2005, 05:07 PM\']Gene doesn't have that great of a voice period, as bad as it sounds...but he made up in delivery and enthusiasm.

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And he did a helluva warm-up.
By the way, listen to Rich Jeffries announce on SP for a few months and then hear Gene do it. Your respect level for Mr. Wood will rise big time as if it were a mojo.

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Well, Don being the young whippersnapper I am I do my homework and I have listened to Rich Jeffries enough, and Stevie Wonder can see your point is spot on. And, I've heard some of the stories about Gene's warmups as posted here from Mr. West. Make no mistake on the fact that I have great respect for Gene (more so than Rich Jeffries). In fact, whether I want to or not as an aspiring broadcaster I have respect for most anyone in the field of broadcasting, because they posess jobs I hope to attain. But, I find it hard not to call a spade a spade. He had a very unorthodoxed nasally voice. Not exactly the most pleasing voice in the world to hear, again Jeffries was far worse, but Wood's delivery always made me think of the beloved cartoon character Droopy Dog (interesting...isn't it folks?). Gene is a great...I mean well over 30 years in the game show genre is proof of that...and he's greatly missed.

FOXSportsFan · « **Reply #42 on:** July 26, 2005, 12:01:51 AM »

[quote name=\'Unrealtor\' date=\'Jul 25 2005, 09:37 PM\'][quote name=\'xibit777\' date=\'Jul 25 2005, 04:29 PM\']Something also looked different about alphabetics. It almost looked like the celeb and contestant were ready to kiss or something. It was too close up and it was very distracting to watch.

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It was a split-screen, with a rather blurry transition between the two. It's not obvious in the dark during the sixty seconds, but in the split second after they bring the lights back up and before the shot changes, it's pretty easy to see. The shots were a little tighter than I would have liked, but it's still better than Osmond Pyramid's attempts to show you close-ups of the participants during the game.

Actually, the whole endgame set looks like it's changed a bit between the episodes we had been seeing and this week. The sign was raised a foot or two, so that Bert's head no longer obscured it during the introduction and post-mortem, but it's also no longer visible on the standard shot they used there, and the set piece holding the monitor had been rotated 90 degrees, so that it was downstage of the contestant, rather than behind the contestant (to stage right).

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The wideshot of the reveal of $600 was awkward as heck...didn't like that at all. I like the splitscreen, but I'm with you on it as well...little too close. Like they're about to kiss or do a romantic duet. I guess it served it's purpose though...to add drama to as Bert called it on Monday's rerun "the endgame".

whewfan · « **Reply #43 on:** July 26, 2005, 06:00:25 AM »

Just a comment on the gameplay...

For the first time out, James Doohan so far is a decent player. During Cashword, his 2nd clue for "NONSENSE" was him blurting out nonsensically like the Tasmanian Devil. It was not allowed.

Bert protested, saying "That's no way to treat him the first time out". Bert also learned that Cashword was over when an illegal clue was given. He asked James what exactly he said, and the judges were being lenient and allowed the clue.

Incidentally, James had lost his middle finger during battle in WWII. He makes efforts to hide this, just as Gary Burghoff did with his deformed hand.

As for Michael Dorn... I hope to see better gameplay out of him. It's obvious they were trying to move the game along faster, as Michael failed to give a clue within a 2 second time limit MANY times, causing their opponent to win the game. Also, you can barely hear him! He does look a little uncomfy. Maybe they'll stretch the time limit to give a clue, like they did with Lucille Ball, who was recovering from a mild stroke at the time. Lucy also had learned during the taping that Desi Arnaz died, and according to Betty White, she just wasn't herself.

Ian Wallis · « **Reply #44 on:** July 26, 2005, 09:13:06 AM »

Quote

Actually, the whole endgame set looks like it's changed a bit between the episodes we had been seeing and this week. The sign was raised a foot or two, so that Bert's head no longer obscured it during the introduction and post-mortem, but it's also no longer visible on the standard shot they used there, and the set piece holding the monitor had been rotated 90 degrees, so that it was downstage of the contestant, rather than behind the contestant (to stage right).

They were in a couple of different NBC studios over the years. It's probably a different studio for these shows than it was for the ones near the beginning of the run. I even remember one episode where they first moved into the new studio, and some of the sound effects made Bert jump because they were so loud.