The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: TimK2003 on June 15, 2007, 10:44:01 AM
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What game shows had the most innovative and/or creative titles for their names or segments within their show?
For me, "Whew!" comes to mind right away. Maybe because by title alone you have no idea what the show is about, or what the top prize is in the show's name (i.e. $10,000/$25,000/$100,000).
Then of course my favorite title for a game show that wasn't a real game show would be "Jackie Rogers Jr's $100,000 Jackpot Wad".
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As for segments, I always liked
"Question of Great Significance" (2-Minute Drill)
and
"The Wager of Death" (Street Smarts)
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Tic Tac Dough. It's Tic Tac Toe, for a wad of Dough!
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"Jeopardy!" is a pretty damn good title. Far better than "What's the Question?" I don't think a good title has to explain the game, but it should make you want to watch and that does. It's what "Whew!" was going for, except you can readily pronounce it.
"Bullseye," on the other hand, is a dopey title. The concept has nothing to do with hitting a target, metaphorically or physically (unlike TPIR's Bulls-Eye, where it fits). In the bonus game, it could have been three smiley faces or three squirrels or three anything. They had a nice idea for a game, then totally botched the production.
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[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'155230\' date=\'Jun 15 2007, 12:40 PM\']
"Bullseye," on the other hand, is a dopey title. The concept has nothing to do with hitting a target, metaphorically or physically (unlike TPIR's Bulls-Eye, where it fits). In the bonus game, it could have been three smiley faces or three squirrels or three anything. They had a nice idea for a game, then totally botched the production.
[/quote]
Long as we're talking stupid titles, how about USA's Quicksilver? Just like you said about Bullseye, that show could've been called anything, given that the reason for the title was all about the Quicksilver option in the second and third rounds.
/Might as well have called it Joking Jackrabbits
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I liked the animation for Heatter-Quigley's Temptation. The animation and logo refer to the serpent and The Garden of Eden. Concentration's original opening revealing the matching letters of the title before revealing the entire name is a sentimental favorite. I regret that a video clip of that was removed from You Tube.
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"Family Feud", with fiddle music and needlepoint backdrops was pretty creative.
It has a great double meaning, for example there's a feud like the Hatfield's and McCoy's had, or
you and your family could feud over something, like real estate or money.
Calling the show "Family Fortunes" in other parts of the world isn't nearly as good a title, but the word "feud" ties into the whole "Hatfield vs. McCoy" thing that only makes sense to Americans.
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Blockbusters is good. You are trying block out your opponent, while your opponent is trying to bust those blocks.
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My 2 picks would be:
"Password" -- you not only pass words around, but it ties into the other "secret word" meaning of Password.
"The $10,000 Pyramid" -- It's hard for people today to understand how impressive this was for a daytime game show. The fact that a player could win $10,000, when a player on most other shows was lucky to end the day with $1000, was really something.
"Family Feud" is also right up there.
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I have to admit, the $10,000 Pyramid is a pretty cool title. I wonder what made them think of a pyramid, rather than the $10,000 Tower, or something like that.
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[quote name=\'kenbob_clarker\' post=\'155236\' date=\'Jun 15 2007, 11:53 AM\']Long as we're talking stupid titles, how about USA's Quicksilver? Just like you said about Bullseye, that show could've been called anything, given that the reason for the title was all about the Quicksilver option in the second and third rounds.[/quote]And what was even worse was that in a handful of episodes they didn't even have that tenuous connection; the "Quicksilver" option was whimiscally named the "Mystery Blank."
"Swerve" is the best I can come up with for a title that fits the theme and mechanics of that show.
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[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'155279\' date=\'Jun 16 2007, 02:10 AM\']
"Swerve" is the best I can come up with for a title that fits the theme and mechanics of that show.
[/quote]
Really? The word I think of is "crap." :)
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Certainly one of the most misleading titles has to be Funny Boners.
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I think Trivia Trap was a great title. It hints of Trivial Pursuit, yet the the idea of using the "Trap" makes it stand out, like the game itself.
Worst: National Lampoon's Funny Money- Need I say more?
BTW, why did NBC decide to call the show Classic Concentration instead of just Concentration or The All New Concentration? Just wondering.
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I think Tattle Tales was a pretty clever title.
Complete sentences have been done to death.
Declarative: The Price Is Right ... I've Got a Secret
Interrogative: What's My Line? ... Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Imperative: Beat the Clock ... Name That Tune
The titles named are good, but they set the bar too high for He Said/She Said, Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader? and Beat the Geeks.
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[quote name=\'GSmaniac\' post=\'155318\' date=\'Jun 16 2007, 01:53 PM\']
BTW, why did NBC decide to call the show Classic Concentration instead of just Concentration or The All New Concentration? Just wondering.
[/quote]
I thought it had something to do with the re-branding of Coca-Cola? Following the New Coke debacle, they named it Classic Coke. I believe it was an inspiration, but I'd have to find the thread.
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As a game show title, "Haggis Baggis" is both very creative and the worst title of all time.
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I would have to say "Go" for a couple of reasons:
1) The word was used as a permission to advance. Now, sure they could have said "Move," or "Next," but...
2) ...It was the word used upon confusion as to who starts the question, i.e. "You go," or "Go ahead."
3) It's what many people shouted at the screen when the clock was running down, and finally...
4) Without "Go" as a title, one could never hear, "This is K-O for G-O!"
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BTW, why did NBC decide to call the show Classic Concentration instead of just Concentration or The All New Concentration? Just wondering.
Just a guess, so take it for the nothing it's worth:
1) You don't want to just call it "Concentration" because folks not paying enough attention will think it's a rerun, as "The $25,000 Pyramid" found out a few years earlier.
2) "The New..." and "The All-New..." were already horribly overused in game show revival titles. "Classic" wasn't. Besides, alliteration is always good.
3) Calling the new version "Classic" implies that the new episodes will be reasonably faithful to the original, as opposed to, say, "The New Price is Right". You almost certainly are more familiar with the previous versions than I am, but from what little I've seen the only serious changes were replacing the mechanical game board with an electronic one five spaces smaller and finally getting a really good bonus game, so the title fits. All's relative, but at the very least it makes more sense than "Classic Card Sharks" would have on the most recent version.
or 4) someone was being creative :)
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To each his own, I guess, but "Classic" equates reruns to me.
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'155364\' date=\'Jun 17 2007, 08:26 AM\']
To each his own, I guess, but "Classic" equates reruns to me.
[/quote]
And in that case, I would rather have had the reruns than what actually aired! But that's just me.
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Worst revival title idea : When Barris announced the return of the "Dating Game" in 86, the original title was :
"We Love The Dating Game".
Cooler heads prevailed, even if they weren't around when Elaine Joyce was hired to host.
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[quote name=\'tvwxman\' post=\'155378\' date=\'Jun 17 2007, 12:04 PM\']
Cooler heads prevailed, even if they weren't around when Elaine Joyce was hired to host.
[/quote]
Straight ahead.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'155381\' date=\'Jun 17 2007, 03:07 PM\']
[quote name=\'tvwxman\' post=\'155378\' date=\'Jun 17 2007, 12:04 PM\']
Cooler heads prevailed, even if they weren't around when Elaine Joyce was hired to host.
[/quote]
Straight ahead.
[/quote]
:)
/Obscure line of the day.
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[quote name=\'fishbulb\' post=\'155269\' date=\'Jun 15 2007, 11:01 PM\']
"The $10,000 Pyramid" -- It's hard for people today to understand how impressive this was for a daytime game show. The fact that a player could win $10,000, when a player on most other shows was lucky to end the day with $1000, was really something.[/quote]
And to think it was cheapskate Bob Stewart who brought this about!
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'155381\' date=\'Jun 17 2007, 02:07 PM\']
[quote name=\'tvwxman\' post=\'155378\' date=\'Jun 17 2007, 12:04 PM\']
Cooler heads prevailed, even if they weren't around when Elaine Joyce was hired to host.
[/quote]
Straight ahead.
[/quote]
Obscure indeed! It was obscure the second it came out of her mouth. Any ideas on what it meant?
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[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'155507\' date=\'Jun 18 2007, 10:43 PM\']
[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'155381\' date=\'Jun 17 2007, 02:07 PM\']
[quote name=\'tvwxman\' post=\'155378\' date=\'Jun 17 2007, 12:04 PM\']
Cooler heads prevailed, even if they weren't around when Elaine Joyce was hired to host.
[/quote]
Straight ahead.
[/quote]
Obscure indeed! It was obscure the second it came out of her mouth. Any ideas on what it meant?
[/quote]
Subliminal homophobic rant?
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I didn't see the EJ version but "straight ahead" is often used as a commercial cue.
As a catchphrase, Joe Pyne of "Showdown" fame used to end his shows with those words, so maybe Elaine was paying homage by using it.