The Twisters thread mention of Geoff Edwards auditioning for $OTC has me wondering; what other shows out there had the possibility of a well-known host before they went to air? For instance, I know Geoff also did the pilot for \"Your Number\'s Up\" but Nipsey Russell got the series; Peter Tomarken hosted the \"Wordplay\" pilot which went to series with Tom Kennedy.
Tyshaun
From the 2005 book The Ultimate TV Game Shows Book:
3rd Degree: Peter Marshall (Pilot); Bert Convy (Actual Show)
3\'s a Crowd: Wink Martindale (Pilot); Jim Peck (Actual Show)
50 Grand Slam: Peter Haskell (Pilot); Tom Kennedy (Actual Show)
Blackout: Robb Weller (Pilot); Bob Goen (Actual Show)
Catch Phrase: Rick Barry (Pilot); Art James (Actual Show)
Hollywood Game: Peter Allen (Pilot); Bob Goen (Actual Show)
Hollywood\'s Talking: Al Lohman (Pilot); Geoff Edwards (Actual Show)
Make me Laugh: Geoff Edwards (Pilot); Bobby Van (Actual Show)
Match Game 90: Bert Convy (Pilot); Ross Shafer (Actual Show)
Movie Game: Jack Narz (Pilot); Sonny Fox (Actual Show)
Show-Offs: Larry Blyden (Pilot); Bobby Van (Actual Show)
The Joker\'s Wild: Allen Ludden (Pilot); Jack Barry (Actual Show)
To Tell the Truth: Mike Wallace (Pilot); Bud Collyer (Actual Show)
To Tell the Truth \'90: Richard Kline (Pilot); Gordon Elliot (Actual Show)
Two for the Money: Fred Allen (Pilot); Herb Schriner (Actual Show)
Who, What or Where Game: Jack Narz (Pilot); Art James (Actual Show)
Winning Streak: Art James (Pilot); Bill Cullen (Actual Show)
From the 2005 book The Ultimate TV Game Shows Book:
3rd Degree: Peter Marshall (Pilot); Bert Convy (Actual Show)
And Pete wasn\'t the least bit bitter about this.
3\'s a Crowd: Wink Martindale (Pilot); Jim Peck (Actual Show)
Talk about Wink dodging a bullet. I would guess this taped either before Tic Tac Dough was airing, or it might have been iffy for a second syndicated season.
Catch Phrase: Rick Barry (Pilot); Art James (Actual Show)
That would have been interesting - and would have made Rick Barry likely the tallest game show host ever (he\'s 6\' 7\").
Movie Game: Jack Narz (Pilot); Sonny Fox (Actual Show)
Who, What or Where Game: Jack Narz (Pilot); Art James (Actual Show)
Poor Jack - he was close to working in his home area of California in 1969, then doing a network game - and wound up having to commute to Montreal to do Beat the Clock within a year.
Winning Streak: Art James (Pilot); Bill Cullen (Actual Show)
I guess Art would have gotten the gig if Three on a Match had survived.
IIRC, another post here mentioned that Geoff Edwards almost landed \"Family Feud\". He apparently turned it down because he thought it would be too similar to \"The Neighbors\".
I think Geoff was mentioned on the Feud True Hollywood Story. Wasn\'t Jack Narz considered as well?
-Wheel: even though Chuck hosted the first \"Shopper\'s Bazaar\" pilot, there was also Edd Byrnes.
-Peter Tomarken on Monopoly.
-Stretching this a bit, but according to Regis, Michael Davies had considered Phil Donahue*, Bill Cullen (!), and I think Maury Povich for Millionaire back in 1999. Regis quipped that Bill had been dead for eight years by that point.
-Bert Parks hosted the Hollywood Squares pilot, and Dan Rowan was considered. In the Backstage with the Original Hollywood Square book, Peter tells a story of how he \"screwed\" Rowan out of the hosting gig, to get even with Rowan for doing former acting partner Tommy Noonan wrong.
*Or maybe that was the syndicated version
At least at the time. John Salley, all 7 feet of him, hosted I Can\'t Believe You Said That in 1998 for FOX Family.That would have been interesting - and would have made Rick Barry likely the tallest game show host ever (he\'s 6\' 7\").Catch Phrase: Rick Barry (Pilot); Art James (Actual Show)
Peter Tomarken hosted a \'Whammy\' pilot but the job of course went to Todd Newton. Somtime somwhere here someone once mentioned others who hosted \'TPIR\' pilots in 1994 before the job going to Doug Davidson. Finally didn\'t Dolly Parton host a \'Feud\' pilot in what became the Pearson Louie Anderson version?
Mike Eruzione (captain of the 1980 USA Olympic ice hockey team) was the host of one of the pilots of Starcade; Mark Richards (later Geoff Edwards) hosted the series.
Technically you could also list Jim McKrell as hosting a pilot, since Joker was two-thirds of Barry\'s 1970 pilot The Honeymoon Game and would likely have been the whole thing if it had sold.The Joker\'s Wild: Allen Ludden (Pilot); Jack Barry (Actual Show)
I think Jamie Locklin brought this up: Wink\'s 3\'s A Crowd pilot taped in 1969.Talk about Wink dodging a bullet. I would guess this taped either before Tic Tac Dough was airing, or it might have been iffy for a second syndicated season.3\'s a Crowd: Wink Martindale (Pilot); Jim Peck (Actual Show)
In 1989, yes. Before him, Marc Summers in 1987.-Peter Tomarken on Monopoly.
Sandy Baron apparently did a pilot in 1966.-Bert Parks hosted the Hollywood Squares pilot, and Dan Rowan was considered.
Todd hosted a pilot the same day Peter did.Peter Tomarken hosted a \'Whammy\' pilot but the job of course went to Todd Newton.
Mark Kriski hosted a pilot in 1993, as did Doug.someone once mentioned others who hosted \'TPIR\' pilots in 1994 before the job going to Doug Davidson.
The original pilot. Alex Trebek hosted the next three pilots, which were much closer to the program that debuted.Mike Eruzione [...] was the host of one of the pilots of Starcade
Finally didn\'t Dolly Parton host a \'Feud\' pilot in what became the Pearson Louie Anderson version?
She did, in 1998. A year previously, Doug Davidson\'s name had been associated with a potential revival. (Mediaweek, Jan. 13, 1997.)
About a year before that, a guy named Tom Green (not the MTV jokester) hosted a pilot for a Card Sharks revival...one that was pretty different than the pretty different one hosted by Pat Bullard.
What I don\'t get is why an established host like Geoff Edwards would turn down the chance to host a Goodson-Todman show like Family Feud. In those days, that was 26 weeks of guaranteed employment. I don\'t think Geoff ever did any G-T shows as host or panelist. That story seems far-fetched.
Here\'s one more I can think of:
In 1963, there was a short-lived Heatter-Quigley game on NBC called People Will Talk. The actual show was hosted by Dennis James. But the pilot was taped for CBS with Arthur Godfrey as the host. This is according to The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows.
Game Show Utopia has that story transcribed from Geoff himself. He turned down auditioning for Family Feud because he thought it was going to be something like The Neighbors, on top of having a pending deal with Bob Stewart for what became Shoot For The Stars.What I don\'t get is why an established host like Geoff Edwards would turn down the chance to host a Goodson-Todman show like Family Feud. In those days, that was 26 weeks of guaranteed employment. I don\'t think Geoff ever did any G-T shows as host or panelist. That story seems far-fetched.
You misspelled \"sucked hard\".About a year before that, a guy named Tom Green (not the MTV jokester) hosted a pilot for a Card Sharks revival...one that was pretty different than the radically pretty one hosted by Pat Bullard.
About a year before that, a guy named Tom Green (not the MTV jokester) hosted a pilot for a Card Sharks revival...one that was pretty different than the radically pretty one hosted by Pat Bullard.
You misspelled \"sucked hard\".
Ah....... so you saw this pilot?
Tyshaun
I\'ve read enough to tell me I shouldn\'t go looking for it. That said, I wouldn\'t say no to a copy or an MST3K-style screening of this and/or the \'96 Match Game pilot if either was offered to me, mainly because I\'ve never claimed to be an equine dentist. :)Ah....... so you saw this pilot?
I find the \"Bullard no touch cards\" argument to be invalid. The fact that Tami Roman (Anderson)handled the money cards and the push button flipping is the one \"issue\" that shouldn\'t even be given consideration when talking about the show. It was everything else wrong (one row of cards, unnecessary showdown round, Clip Chips, smarmy host, stupid set design, etc) that made the show blow.
Not to mention you had to risk your main game winnings in the Money Cards, and could actually go home with less than you received for \"winning\" the game. How that and the single row of cards were OK\'d is beyond me. Later in the half-season they changed it so that a Push = wrong guess
/Well the former was a budget saver, so there you go
Then you give up the right to comment on how good or bad it is.
Chris, who are you talking to?
What I don\'t get is why an established host like Geoff Edwards would turn down the chance to host a Goodson-Todman show like Family Feud. In those days, that was 26 weeks of guaranteed employment. I don\'t think Geoff ever did any G-T shows as host or panelist. That story seems far-fetched.
I believe Dickie Dawson said in an interview that William Shatner was also considered for the Feud.
About a year before that, a guy named Tom Green (not the MTV jokester) hosted a pilot for a Card Sharks revival...one that was pretty different than the pretty different one hosted by Pat Bullard.
What I don\'t get is why an established host like Geoff Edwards would turn down the chance to host a Goodson-Todman show like Family Feud. In those days, that was 26 weeks of guaranteed employment. I don\'t think Geoff ever did any G-T shows as host or panelist. That story seems far-fetched.
Further confirmed by this 1998 a.t.g-s post made by Geoff himself.
Well, okay, I\'ll take his word for it, except that between Sept 75 and Jan 77, he was working not for Bob Stewart, but Chuck Barris.
Well, okay, I\'ll take his word for it, except that between Sept 75 and Jan 77, he was working not for Bob Stewart, but Chuck Barris.
What about Shoot the Works (http://www.usgameshows.net/x.php?show=ShootTheWorks&sort=0)? It was a Stewart pilot, and it seems to roughly correspond with the time frame.
Finally didn\'t Dolly Parton host a \'Feud\' pilot in what became the Pearson Louie Anderson version?
She did, in 1998. A year previously, Doug Davidson\'s name had been associated with a potential revival. (Mediaweek, Jan. 13, 1997.)
I don\'t know if it\'s been mentioned in this thread, but in the 1988 CBS/syndie revival, the two candidates to host were Ray Combs and Joe Namath.
Finally didn\'t Dolly Parton host a \'Feud\' pilot in what became the Pearson Louie Anderson version?
She did, in 1998. A year previously, Doug Davidson\'s name had been associated with a potential revival. (Mediaweek, Jan. 13, 1997.)
I don\'t know if it\'s been mentioned in this thread, but in the 1988 CBS/syndie revival, the two candidates to host were Ray Combs and Joe Namath.
Check with David Gleason\'s Broadcasting archive, but Ray was named host of the syndie version by NATPE 1988, perhaps as early as December 1987 after NBC\'s O&O 7:30pm sitcom checkerboard totally flopped and FF was named the replacement.
Earliest mention of Combs I can find is pg.86 in the August 17, 1987 issue. That\'s right August 17, 1987.
I remember looking at some of the issues of the magazine, and I saw some strange photos of Ray Combs on a different set. Pilot perhaps?
Well, okay, I\'ll take his word for it, except that between Sept 75 and Jan 77, he was working not for Bob Stewart, but Chuck Barris.
What about Shoot the Works? It was a Stewart pilot, and it seems to roughly correspond with the time frame.
Loyalty is loyalty, but I would have gone with Goodson and the Feud and let Bill Cullen host StW. :)
Check with David Gleason\'s Broadcasting archive, but Ray was named host of the syndie version by NATPE 1988, perhaps as early as December 1987 after NBC\'s O&O 7:30pm sitcom checkerboard totally flopped and FF was named the replacement.
Earliest mention of Combs I can find is pg.86 in the August 17, 1987 issue. That\'s right August 17, 1987.
Although all I can access are the previews on the search page, Variety\'s earliest mention of Combs and Feud is at least August 5, 1987, and possibly as early as July 8. The August date definitely mentions Combs as \"Richard Dawson\'s replacement.\" On the July date, there\'s a mention that a new version of Feud is being prepped for fall 1988, and the article does turn up when \"Combs\" and \"Feud\" are both in the search box, but Combs\' name isn\'t specifically in the article preview.
Well, okay, I\'ll take his word for it, except that between Sept 75 and Jan 77, he was working not for Bob Stewart, but Chuck Barris.
What about Shoot the Works? It was a Stewart pilot, and it seems to roughly correspond with the time frame.
Loyalty is loyalty, but I would have gone with Goodson and the Feud and let Bill Cullen host StW. :)
That was the tail end of the Lin Bolen era (and then Madeline David) - it may be possible Bill was considered \"too old\" to host at that point. (He did no NBC daytime games between Winning Streak and Chain Reaction, and only had two short-run games on ABC and CBS during that time.)
Regarding Combs vs. Namath as the host of Feud 88....
In author Mark Kriegel\'s Namath biography, \"Feud\" producer Howard Felsher says that he approached Namath about being Dawson\'s replacement, and he did a few trial runs. According to Felsher, Namath was \"charming\" and \"brought such a feeling of innocence\" to hosting the show, and he was offered the job with a $25,000 signing bonus. However, Felsher claims that Mark Goodson (who Kriegel refers to as \"Bill Goodson\") got \"cold feet\" and wanted a \"more erudite\" host, so Namath was dropped from consideration.
JD
