The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: Ian Wallis on September 16, 2007, 03:33:14 PM
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I think most of us would agree that Mark Goodson-Bill Todman were the most successful game show producers of all time, and probably the best; but who do you think should be considered No. 2, and why?
I guess some of the obvious choices would have to include:
--Heatter-Quigley (Hollywood Squares, High Rollers, etc.)
--Hatos-Hall (Let's Make a Deal, Split Second)
--Barry-Enright (Joker's Wild, Twenty-One)
--Chuck Barris (Newlywed Game, Gong Show)
--Ralph Edwards (Truth or Consequences, Cross-Wits)
--Merv Griffin (Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune)
--Bob Stewart (Pyramid, Jackpot)
--Reg Grundy (Sale of the Century, Scrabble)
--Ralph Andrews (Celebrity Sweepstakes, You Don't Say)
--Bill Carruthers (Press Your Luck, Give-N-Take)
Or any others, including some of the newer companies that have produced shows like Who Wants to be a Millionaire and Deal or No Deal?
Feel free to pick one. I'll add my comments after I've read a few reponses, presuming of course that anyone would like to offer an opinion! :)
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Gut instinct order based on success (not quality):
Goodson-Todman
Merv Griffin
Chuck Barris
Barry-Enright
Heatter-Quigley
Bob Stewart
Reg Grundy
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G/T
Griffin
Grundy*
Stewart
Carruthers
Barris
Heatter-Quigley
Hatos-Hall
Barry-Enright
*I'm factoring in the international adaptations of $ale, mostly, since it seems to be a format that internationally stays for a while.
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Many of Stone-Stanley's productions were Number Two.
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[quote name=\'ChrisLambert!\' post=\'163997\' date=\'Sep 16 2007, 03:49 PM\']
Many of Stone-Stanley's productions were Number Two.
[/quote]
I lol'd. Well played. :-)
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I liked Stewart's output. To me they shared the Goodson vibe with regard to hosts, panelists, etc.
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I'm gonna say Ron Greenberg.
He may not be #2 in terms of staying power, but every game of his that I've seen has been innovative, clever, and fun.
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Bob Stewart if you take into account his G/T years.
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Bob Stewart may not have brought too much originality to his ideas, but he's had his successes here and there. He brought 4 classic shows to the game show world, one of which is, of course, the longest-running game show on American TV [albeit not in original form].
Merv may not have brought too many games to this world altogether, but he is responsible for the 2 most successful games in syndication. Not to mention, having a 3rd creation on the air at the same time is an achievement not seen since....how long ago???
Tough call, I say, but they're both right behind Goodson.
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I'm not going to make an effort to police this thread, I'm just going to mention that we've already started going all over the place with what question we're actually answering. I thought the original question was about production company success. If we're talking production quality, creativity and cleverness of ideas, or individual accomplishment regardless of which company you're working for, there's probably a different answer for every one of those.
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'164007\' date=\'Sep 16 2007, 04:46 PM\']
I'm not going to make an effort to police this thread, I'm just going to mention that we've already started going all over the place with what question we're actually answering. I thought the original question was about production company success. If we're talking production quality, creativity and cleverness of ideas, or individual accomplishment regardless of which company you're working for, there's probably a different answer for every one of those.
[/quote]
Using that correct criteria the number two spot goes to Merv Griffin.
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Before I post an answer, a couple of questions:
Firstly, are we restricting this to American television, or are we considering worldwide television and radio broadcasting?
Secondly, how do we classify certain programs that had multiple producers? Is "Concentration" by Barry-Enright, or NBC?
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Bearing that in mind, I'd like to retract my original answer and instead say Bob Stewart.
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[quote name=\'DoorNumberFour\' post=\'164013\' date=\'Sep 16 2007, 05:24 PM\']
Bearing that in mind, I'd like to retract my original answer and instead say Bob Stewart.
[/quote]
Oh, no, I'm sorry, we have to take your first response... :)
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'164016\' date=\'Sep 16 2007, 08:04 PM\'] [quote name=\'DoorNumberFour\' post=\'164013\' date=\'Sep 16 2007, 05:24 PM\']
Bearing that in mind, I'd like to retract my original answer and instead say Bob Stewart.
[/quote]
Oh, no, I'm sorry, we have to take your first response... :) [/quote]
And if you pick Merv Griffin, it has to be in the form of a question.
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Not to mention, having a 3rd creation on the air at the same time is an achievement not seen since....how long ago???
At least as recently as 2002 or so: TPIR, Feud, TTTT.
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[quote name=\'ChrisLambert!\' post=\'163997\' date=\'Sep 16 2007, 03:49 PM\']
Many of Stone-Stanley's productions were Number Two.
[/quote]
Agreed, but they aren't the bottom of the barrel either (The Winning Numbers Wonderwall kept them out of the cellar).
My nomination for the worst of the bunch is anything that Sony produced on their own -- namely Pyramid and Playmania!
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[quote name=\'TimK2003\' post=\'164041\' date=\'Sep 17 2007, 07:26 AM\']
Agreed, but they aren't the bottom of the barrel either (The Winning Numbers Wonderwall kept them out of the cellar).
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Lines. Winning Lines.
(Proof positive that the sun even shines on a dog's ass occasionally. Although the rest of the show was really REALLY no great shakes.)
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'164045\' date=\'Sep 17 2007, 11:33 AM\']
Lines. Winning Lines.
(Proof positive that the sun even shines on a dog's ass occasionally. Although the rest of the show was really REALLY no great shakes.)
[/quote]
And it wasn't even their format -- they bought it from the Brits (Celador).
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'164045\' date=\'Sep 17 2007, 10:33 AM\']
Lines. Winning Lines.
(Proof positive that the sun even shines on a dog's ass occasionally. Although the rest of the show was really REALLY no great shakes.)
[/quote]
No great shakes, but not terrible. It was at least intense.
If you could combine the Wonderwall with the main game of Jay Wolpert's "Pandemonium" pilot (at least how it sounds), you'd have something great.
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Here are the ones tied for number two (IMHO)...
Merv Griffin - for he created & produced the two best game shows of all time which are still on the air today.
Barry-Enright - but only because he made the greatest come back in game show producing & hosting history by bringing back Tic Tac Dough & creating The Joker's Wild.
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I'm not going to make an effort to police this thread, I'm just going to mention that we've already started going all over the place with what question we're actually answering. I thought the original question was about production company success. If we're talking production quality, creativity and cleverness of ideas, or individual accomplishment regardless of which company you're working for, there's probably a different answer for every one of those.
Kind of meant who's production company was the most successful, but the way I worded it could be open for interpretation.
Firstly, are we restricting this to American television, or are we considering worldwide television and radio broadcasting?
That's very good - something I love about these discussions is that someone always puts in something you didn't think of! Originally I was thinking about the US, but international should probalby be considered too.
I'd probably rank Heatter-Quigley No. 2, mainly because of the popularity of Hollywood Squares and its international versions, and the fact they created so many others; and probably Barry-Enright No. 3.
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As I said the other day, there's really no one after Goodson-Todman who was able to come up with a long series of shows that were successful over several decades and have become part of the common TV culture. Merv and Chuck Barris have come the closest, but each only came up with two shows that meet the criteria (you know Merv's, Barris would "Dating" and "Newlywed"--"Gong" was more a shooting star than an enduring part of the culture).
I would perhaps add Al Howard as the actual creator of "Sale of the Century" (and "Supermarket Sweep"), but "Sale" is really more a favorite of ours that had a very good run than it is part of our common TV culture (while "Supermarket Sweep" makes it simply on the visuals of the guy with the shopping cart running through supermarkets--something not easily forgotten once seen).
I may get pilloried for saying this, but whether or not we like their formats, Endemol has a presence overseas rivalling G-T purely on volume (including non-game show formats, of course). Whether this will continue is hard to say (not to mention whether "DOND" will have the staying power of the older formats), but right now they seem to have the hot hand. Whether their overseas success can overcome two of their formats tanking in the U.S. and a third one getting Third World status at its own U.S. network ("1v100"), we shall see.
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[quote name=\'uncamark\' post=\'164162\' date=\'Sep 18 2007, 11:48 AM\']
As I said the other day, there's really no one after Goodson-Todman who was able to come up with a long series of shows that were successful over several decades and have become part of the common TV culture. Merv and Chuck Barris have come the closest, but each only came up with two shows that meet the criteria (you know Merv's, Barris would "Dating" and "Newlywed"--"Gong" was more a shooting star than an enduring part of the culture).
I may get pilloried for saying this, but whether or not we like their formats, Endemol has a presence overseas rivalling G-T purely on volume (including non-game show formats, of course). Whether this will continue is hard to say (not to mention whether "DOND" will have the staying power of the older formats), but right now they seem to have the hot hand. Whether their overseas success can overcome two of their formats tanking in the U.S. and a third one getting Third World status at its own U.S. network ("1v100"), we shall see.
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I find myself reluctantly agreeing about Endemol. However, I'd upgrade The Gong Show. It's enough a part of the culture that my wife understood me when I said that the judges at the American Idol auditions should be given gongs.
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[quote name=\'Jay Temple\' post=\'164219\' date=\'Sep 18 2007, 05:40 PM\']
I find myself reluctantly agreeing about Endemol. However, I'd upgrade The Gong Show. It's enough a part of the culture that my wife understood me when I said that the judges at the American Idol auditions should be given gongs. [/quote]
True enough, but then again the Gong Show was a follow up on an even older show, Major Bowes' Amateur Hour. He had the first gong. So it was in the culture long enough to get passed down to Chuckie Baby.