The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: SuperMatch93 on July 11, 2010, 03:05:28 PM
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Why were contestants required to turn their backs during daytime Wheel commercials? Was it so they wouldn't be able to study the puzzle? It would make sense if they dismantled the puzzle on stage between rounds, but I thought that was done off stage.
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[quote name=\'SuperMatch93\' post=\'243943\' date=\'Jul 11 2010, 12:05 PM\']Why were contestants required to turn their backs during daytime Wheel commercials? Was it so they wouldn't be able to study the puzzle?[/quote]
AFAIK, this.
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Exactly. If I'm allowed to look at the words and the letters within, I can mentally roll through possible solutions, and check them to see if they make sense. If I can't look, that sort of thing is much much harder. Try playing Hangman without looking at the word and having someone else read out the letters and blanks.
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I always wondered why they couldn't put a curtain in front of the puzzle board. Maybe even the same one Susan and Vanna used for their entrances. Plus, what would stop a player from seeing the puzzle reflected in the mirrors. :)
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Since I only watched the nighttime version back then I was unfamiliar with this convention until a sitcom episode that had the stars go on the show (227?) and it got a big laugh when Pat made them all turn around.
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Just as an addendum, not sure about the old-school puzzle board days but since the days of the touch puzzle board players must step down and turn away from the board, just in case an answer would accidentally pop up.
R.
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[quote name=\'vtown7\' post=\'243957\' date=\'Jul 11 2010, 06:05 PM\']...since the days of the touch puzzle board players must step down and turn away from the board, just in case an answer would accidentally pop up.[/quote]
Same deal with "Jeopardy!", where the contestants also have to turn away from the board during a stoppage in play (that usually happens when someone hits a Daily Double while the producers/judges are still researching a previous unexpected response).
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This puzzled me back in the day too as it was never explained why. Sometimes Chuck and Susan would talk about things like this during the close, but this topic never came up. From a viewer point of view, it probably would have been better to wait until they faded to black into commercial to ask the players to turn away, or even when Chuck was off mike heading into a commercial.
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Out of curiosity, was this done on any version of Concentration?
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[quote name=\'trainman\' post=\'243958\' date=\'Jul 11 2010, 09:16 PM\'][quote name=\'vtown7\' post=\'243957\' date=\'Jul 11 2010, 06:05 PM\']...since the days of the touch puzzle board players must step down and turn away from the board, just in case an answer would accidentally pop up.[/quote]
Same deal with "Jeopardy!", where the contestants also have to turn away from the board during a stoppage in play (that usually happens when someone hits a Daily Double while the producers/judges are still researching a previous unexpected response).
[/quote]
With "Jeopardy!", I think there was the added concern that one or more of the answers would accidentally pop up on the board.
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The idea of having players turning their backs before the commercia breakl is a way to keep at least one player from having an "unfair" advantage over the others. The problem is that the players know what the board looks like & have a mental picture in their minds while trying to comtemplate which letters to call next or if they think s/he knows what the puzzle is.
As for the reflections behind them, all those mirrors do is create a horizontally-flipped image of the puzzle. Might as well close your eyes & try to think of what to do next.
The Art Flemming version of J! had a curtain which concealed the J! board before the game begins. Once the J! round ends, the players are turned around so as not to see the board being reloaded for Double J! before the curtain closes again. Same deal with Final J! Why WoF couldn't use such a curtain just like the one used in the entrances is probably a budgetary matter I guess.
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Ok I understand Wheel making you turn around so you can't study the puzzle, I understand Jeopardy makes you turn around so you can't create a strategy looking at the clues remaining. But I don't understand the justification about the "answer" showing by accident. If it did, wouldn't they just throw it out anyway? I'm sure it's pretty simple since it's all computerized especially for wheel, just press "Replace Puzzle" or whatever. The same thing could happen during actual game play if the system crashes or hits a glitch so they'd have to throw it out anyway so what's the difference during actual game play and during the break to use that justification?
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[quote name=\'ten96lt\' post=\'244039\' date=\'Jul 13 2010, 10:48 AM\']If it did, wouldn't they just throw it out anyway?[/quote]
Why waste content when you don't have to?
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'244040\' date=\'Jul 13 2010, 01:01 PM\'][quote name=\'ten96lt\' post=\'244039\' date=\'Jul 13 2010, 10:48 AM\']If it did, wouldn't they just throw it out anyway?[/quote]
Why waste content when you don't have to?
[/quote]
Because it'd give the writers more work? :P
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[quote name=\'ten96lt\' post=\'244044\' date=\'Jul 13 2010, 11:36 AM\']Because it'd give the writers more work? :P[/quote]
Do not approve of your shenanigans (http://\"http://joyhog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/really-seth-amy.png\")
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side question; . Am i correct in remembering that nighttime wheel never interrupted a puzzle w ads if so was there a specific reason
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[quote name=\'MrBuddwing\' post=\'244029\' date=\'Jul 12 2010, 10:02 PM\'][quote name=\'trainman\' post=\'243958\' date=\'Jul 11 2010, 09:16 PM\'][quote name=\'vtown7\' post=\'243957\' date=\'Jul 11 2010, 06:05 PM\']...since the days of the touch puzzle board players must step down and turn away from the board, just in case an answer would accidentally pop up.[/quote]
Same deal with "Jeopardy!"...
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With "Jeopardy!", I think there was the added concern that one or more of the answers would accidentally pop up on the board.
[/quote]
Yes, I know. (Emphasis added to my quote of vtown7)
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[quote name=\'toetyper\' post=\'244120\' date=\'Jul 14 2010, 01:34 PM\']side question; . Am i correct in remembering that nighttime wheel never interrupted a puzzle w ads if so was there a specific reason[/quote]If there was, it would be to break up a long segment.
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[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'244163\' date=\'Jul 14 2010, 10:07 PM\'][quote name=\'toetyper\' post=\'244120\' date=\'Jul 14 2010, 01:34 PM\']side question; . Am i correct in remembering that nighttime wheel never interrupted a puzzle w ads if so was there a specific reason[/quote]If there was, it would be to break up a long segment.
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"Never" is a pretty strong word, but I don't recall seeing one on nighttime WoF for any reason.
Sometimes NBC daytime shows would do that--put a short segment of a show in between commercial breaks. I know HSq would come out of a break with Peter Marshall's "contestants who win 10 games/5 matches would win over $25,000 in prizes including these" spiel and Kenny Williams reading off a couple of those prizes then throwing it to another commercial. Maybe it was a way to break up the commercial breaks.
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[quote name=\'Craig Karlberg\' post=\'244030\' date=\'Jul 13 2010, 03:57 AM\']Art Flemming[/quote]
Is he related to Joe Nammath?
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[quote name=\'SRIV94\' post=\'244164\' date=\'Jul 14 2010, 11:14 PM\']Sometimes NBC daytime shows would do that--put a short segment of a show in between commercial breaks. I know HSq would come out of a break with Peter Marshall's "contestants who win 10 games/5 matches would win over $25,000 in prizes including these" spiel and Kenny Williams reading off a couple of those prizes then throwing it to another commercial. Maybe it was a way to break up the commercial breaks.[/quote]
Was that more NBC or H-Q? I remember seeing it on an episode of Gambit as well.
With shows having more commercial time, I'm kinda surprised more shows don't do that nowadays...
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[quote name=\'fostergray82\' post=\'244211\' date=\'Jul 15 2010, 02:54 PM\'][quote name=\'SRIV94\' post=\'244164\' date=\'Jul 14 2010, 11:14 PM\']Sometimes NBC daytime shows would do that--put a short segment of a show in between commercial breaks. I know HSq would come out of a break with Peter Marshall's "contestants who win 10 games/5 matches would win over $25,000 in prizes including these" spiel and Kenny Williams reading off a couple of those prizes then throwing it to another commercial. Maybe it was a way to break up the commercial breaks.[/quote]
Was that more NBC or H-Q? I remember seeing it on an episode of Gambit as well.
With shows having more commercial time, I'm kinda surprised more shows don't do that nowadays...
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NBC and CBS both did that on all their shows whether Bob Stewart, GT or H-Q at least pre-76.
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[quote name=\'fostergray82\' post=\'244211\' date=\'Jul 15 2010, 01:54 PM\'][quote name=\'SRIV94\' post=\'244164\' date=\'Jul 14 2010, 11:14 PM\']Sometimes NBC daytime shows would do that--put a short segment of a show in between commercial breaks. I know HSq would come out of a break with Peter Marshall's "contestants who win 10 games/5 matches would win over $25,000 in prizes including these" spiel and Kenny Williams reading off a couple of those prizes then throwing it to another commercial. Maybe it was a way to break up the commercial breaks.[/quote]
Was that more NBC or H-Q? I remember seeing it on an episode of Gambit as well.
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Can't say for sure. I don't recall HIGH ROLLERS doing that.
Although now that Jimmy brings it up, I do recall CBS doing that with TATTLETALES.
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[quote name=\'SRIV94\' post=\'244214\' date=\'Jul 15 2010, 03:03 PM\']Can't say for sure. I don't recall HIGH ROLLERS doing that.
Although now that Jimmy brings it up, I do recall CBS doing that with TATTLETALES.[/quote]
I can vouch for HR...the episode at the MT&R has a mid-show break with Alex tossing to Kenny.
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[quote name=\'SRIV94\' post=\'244214\' date=\'Jul 15 2010, 03:03 PM\'][quote name=\'fostergray82\' post=\'244211\' date=\'Jul 15 2010, 01:54 PM\'][quote name=\'SRIV94\' post=\'244164\' date=\'Jul 14 2010, 11:14 PM\']Sometimes NBC daytime shows would do that--put a short segment of a show in between commercial breaks. I know HSq would come out of a break with Peter Marshall's "contestants who win 10 games/5 matches would win over $25,000 in prizes including these" spiel and Kenny Williams reading off a couple of those prizes then throwing it to another commercial. Maybe it was a way to break up the commercial breaks.[/quote]
Was that more NBC or H-Q? I remember seeing it on an episode of Gambit as well.
[/quote]
Can't say for sure. I don't recall HIGH ROLLERS doing that.
Although now that Jimmy brings it up, I do recall CBS doing that with TATTLETALES.
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That's correct. That is where the fee plugs/ticket plugs would go. MG,TT, TPIR, NYC Pyramid. etc. did not close with any fee plugs on CBS, yet you still saw the list of plugs when GSN reran them, but not the plugs themselves.
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NBC and CBS both did that on all their shows whether Bob Stewart, GT or H-Q at least pre-76.
I don't think commercial breaks were ever more than one minute in daytime prior to 1976. Maybe they had to do that to get a longer break in but not have more than one minute consecutive.
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That's correct. That is where the fee plugs/ticket plugs would go. MG,TT, TPIR, NYC Pyramid. etc. did not close with any fee plugs on CBS, yet you still saw the list of plugs when GSN reran them, but not the plugs themselves.
GSN never seemed to run fee plugs if they were a stand-alone segment. In the beginning they usually ran them if they were included in the main body of the show. Over time they began cutting some of these out as well. The syndicated '70s Beat the Clock, and shows like Dating Game and Newlywed Game had their mid-show plugs cut after a while, so those were other shows where you saw them listed in the credits but didn't see the plugs themselves.
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[quote name=\'SRIV94\' post=\'244164\' date=\'Jul 14 2010, 08:14 PM\']Sometimes NBC daytime shows would do that--put a short segment of a show in between commercial breaks. I know HSq would come out of a break with Peter Marshall's "contestants who win 10 games/5 matches would win over $25,000 in prizes including these" spiel and Kenny Williams reading off a couple of those prizes then throwing it to another commercial. Maybe it was a way to break up the commercial breaks.[/quote]
Quick answer (although none of my answers are ever quick!):
To counter attacks such as the one from FCC Commissioner Newton Minnow who called television a "vast wasteland," the National Association of Broadcasters instituted its NAB Code. Stations' adherence was voluntary, and it included delightful guidelines about commercials - everything from showing bras and girdles on manequins as opposed to humans, and the angle at which you could show the profile of a toilet. Total commercial time was part of the Code, and there were limits against the now-prevalent breaks that are long enough to raise a family. Returning to the show for a ticket plug or other similar content before rolling more spots was a way around those limits.
Randy
tvrandywest.com