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IYO, of course, what hosts helped make their shows last longer and work better?
Here are mine:
Jim Perry and Card Sharks: If you're watching the show right now, it's obvious Jim is literally carrying the show. He's taking the slow-paced, drab "Higher!/Lower!" card game and giving it a sense of excitement, as well as making it interesting.
Peter Tomarken and PYL: Let's face it, after the first 1st year, the Whammy's charm was fading fast. Peter knew to up the silliness factor, and the show seemed to follow in not taking itself seriously. And that's what helped the show acheive its "guilty pleasure" status.
Any others?
Tyshaun
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[quote name=\'tyshaun1\' date=\'Oct 11 2004, 03:26 PM\']IYO, of course, what hosts helped make their shows last longer and work better?
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You mentioned Jim Perry's stint on Card Sharks; I felt he fit the bill on "Sale of the Century" quite nicely as well. He was able to build the same drama and suspense while playing a mini game, such as "Instant Cash".
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Wheel of Fortune is definitely the first one that comes to mind. Both Chuck and Pat brought/bring a dry, everyman, almost self-deprecating quality to the show that makes the simple gameplay that much more interesting to watch. In fact, IMHO, Pat's hosting is really the lone bright spot right now on the otherwise bloated and overblown show.
--Sam
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Geoff Edwards = Treasure Hunt
Geoff's facial expressions and his vocal inflections were perfect for that show. I can not think of any other game show host of the 70's or 80's that could make that show run as great as Geoff made it.
Dick Martin = The Cheap Show
I could never see Dicky Bird hosting any show that could be listed in the "mo' money syndrome" category.
Chuck Barris = The Gong Show
'nuff said.
Rip Taylor = $1.98 Beauty Show
Ditto.
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I think almost any host with a long-running show probably falls into this category. For example:
Bob Barker--ToC, TPIR (This is especially true given the number of others who have attempted to host other versions of both shows over the years only to see their ratings tank.)
Peter Marshall--HS
Richard Dawson--FF
Gene Rayburn--MG, especially MG '7x
Monty Hall--LMAD
. . . and so on.
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Without question, the Pyramid games hosted by one Richard Wagstaff Clark (yeah, I looked it up) have to fit this bill. Only Bill Cullen came close to capturing the same feeling that Dick gave to this show, and I can't think of ANYONE who could have stepped in and done a better job.
(And I can think of few other shows that would have been improved by replacing their host with Dick Clark. The two were simply made for each other.)
(Interesting tidbit I found when I was looking up the name: when Dick and his wife Kari were married in 1977, the ceremony was performed by the father of....John Davidson, who would of course succeed him on the $100,000 show. Coincidence? :))
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Some other examples:
Jack Barry on The Joker's Wild
Bud Collyer on Beat the Clock
Bert Convy on Tattletales
Wayne Cox on Talkabout
Bill Cullen on The Price is Right (1956-65)
George DeWitt on Name That Tune (1955-59)
Al DuBois on Bumper Stumpers
Bob Eubanks on The Newlywed Game
Pat Finn on Shop Til You Drop
Art James on The Who, What or Where Game
Tom Kennedy on You Don't Say or Split Second
Jim Lange on The Dating Game
Robert Q. Lewis on The Name's the Same
Hal March on The $64,000 Question
Wink Martindale on Gambit or Tic Tac Dough
Groucho Marx You Bet Your Life
Jack Narz on Now You See it (1974-75)
Regis Philbin on WWTBaM
David Ruprecht on Supermarket Sweep
Marc Summers on Double Dare
Cordially,
Tammy Warner--the 'Ruta Lee of the Big Board!'
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Oct 11 2004, 03:59 PM\'](Interesting tidbit I found when I was looking up the name: when Dick and his wife Kari were married in 1977, the ceremony was performed by the father of....John Davidson, who would of course succeed him on the $100,000 show. Coincidence? :))
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No, no, that's definitely irony. ;-)
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Hosts who fit their show perfectly, Show/Host= Peanut Butter & Jelly
Of course, the #1, nth, infinity answer would be....
<DING>
Ben Stein for Win Ben Stein's Money
And of course, Jimmy Kimmel would be the Peanut Butter to Ben's Jelly!!!
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Add to the foregoing:
Regis Philbin on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire
For the syndicated version, Meredith is good, but not quite peanut butter and jelly to the program.
She's more like tuna fish (don't even say it!).
Also, Chuck Woolery on Scrabble
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Allen Ludden - Password
Groucho Marx - You Bet Your Life
Bill Cullen - The Price Is Right
John Daly - What's My Line?
Art Fleming - Jeopardy
Bill Rafferty - Every Second Counts
Dick Clark - Pyramid
Peter Tomarken - PYL
Gene Rayburn - Match Game
actually, Cullen fit so well with several of his shows - Blockbusters, Eye Guess, Chain Reaction, and even Three On A Match - his personality drove the show.
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The Cullen point brings up what I meant about the question. What hosts' personality or style pretty much drove the show? Cullen and Blockbusters fit together perfectly and the show was more succesful than it should've been, IMO (witness Rafferty and BB '87), Cullen and Hot Potato, not so much. Although it can be argued that Hot Potato and anyone wouldn't have worked. :)
Tyshaun
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Tyshaun, you bring up an interesting side question - who could have been either the right or a better host on a particular show? Hot Potato is a challenging example. Considering what he had to work with, Cullen wasn't bad. Jim Peck - maybe, but what about Jim McKrell? Has to be a control guy with a little warmth, yet not take the show too seriously. Anyone flashy, like Wink, would have drawn away from the show. Who would you guys (or gals) pick?
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Geoff Edwards = Treasure Hunt
Geoff's facial expressions and his vocal inflections were perfect for that show. I can not think of any other game show host of the 70's or 80's that could make that show run as great as Geoff made it.
I always liked Geoff's sense of humor. I remember one show where one of the contestants was pregnant. He asked her when her baby was due, after she answered, he said "in some of our cities you've already had your baby!!"
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[quote name=\'tyshaun1\' date=\'Oct 11 2004, 10:10 PM\']The Cullen point brings up what I meant about the question. What hosts' personality or style pretty much drove the show? Cullen and Blockbusters fit together perfectly and the show was more succesful than it should've been, IMO (witness Rafferty and BB '87), Cullen and Hot Potato, not so much. Although it can be argued that Hot Potato and anyone wouldn't have worked. :)
Tyshaun
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What a great point about "Blockbusters." On "Chain Reaction," "Hot Potato" and others, Bill made a lousy show a little less lousy. Here, Bill made a decent show great. It helped, too, how they built the set around him.
Rayburn and "Match Game"--as Gene has said, there's not much of a game there. In the latter years, Gene wasn't as crazy, and maybe that more than anything caused the show's end.
"Family Feud" wouldn't have been what it was (and is) without Dawson. His ability to project warmth while at the same time poke fun at a stupid answer made it tick. With Jack Narz, FF would have been more like "Hot Potato."
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I always liked Geoff's sense of humor. I remember one show where one of the contestants was pregnant. He asked her when her baby was due, after she answered, he said "in some of our cities you've already had your baby!!"
Jack Barry made a similar comment on a 1971 ep of Juvenile Jury that featured LA Mayor Sam Yorty, who was then considering a Presidential run...he said "in some cities, by the time this show airs, you may already be President!"
Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")
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That is one of the interesting things - talking about "building a set around him" - that made the shows Bill hosted - especially later on - feel more relaxed than others. There's just something about Bill sitting on the set vs. standing that changes a lot of the dynamics. Kinda like you get the feel that you're playing the game with friends in the living room and no one's making a big deal about "being the center-of-attention star." It could let the game - however lame - step up and be what it is without undue focus on the host. A lot of that was his personality - but think about your average stand-up host. They get a lot of focus - their movement, if any, on the set (like Feud or Price), or being the center person in control (like Password)...come to think of it, you got some of that same effect with TTTT and a couple of other sit-down shows. Maybe I'm goofy, but sit-down hosts seem less obtrusive and make the game stand out more. Yes, there may be one or two exceptions, but I'm going for general.
Am I ready for the home, or is this logical?
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[quote name=\'Winkfan\' date=\'Oct 11 2004, 02:52 PM\']Some other examples:
Jack Barry on The Joker's Wild
(rest of Tammy's list snipped, partly because I disagree, but moreso because they're irrelevant to my point at hand...)[/quote]
Frankly, I can't stand Jack. I've only seen him on TJW, and from the reruns at best, but his loud, nasal voice and sense of melodrama on every freakin' spin irritates me. But I suppose when you own the production company you get to make the rules.
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Back in the calm, heady days of a.t.-g.s. I remember a thread about Whether it's the host or the show (http://\"http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&c2coff=1&threadm=20000726194142.05973.00000991%40nso-cu.aol.com&rnum=2&prev=/groups%3Fq%3Dhost%2Bor%2Bgame%2Bdrbear%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26c2coff%3D1%26selm%3D20000726194142.05973.00000991%2540nso-cu.aol.com%26rnum%3D2\") that makes for a succesful run.
That said, consider how some of the "peanut butter" hosts did getting away from their "jelly" games. Peter Marshall tried but never got a solid follow-up to HS. Ditto Allen Ludden on Password.
Then again, Bill Cullen had plenty of successes, even though two or three of his games could be considered perfect for him. And even then, he wouldn't fit every type of game - imagine a friendly 60s style host doing "Russian Roulette," f'instance.
Oh, and while we're thinking of perfect fits, could anybody other than Bruce Forsyth have hosted "Bruce Forsyth's Hot Streak?" (Hmm..."Ben Stein's Hot Streak" ... man, what an AWFUL mental picture!)
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[quote name=\'DrBear\' date=\'Oct 13 2004, 11:04 AM\']Oh, and while we're thinking of perfect fits, could anybody other than Bruce Forsyth have hosted "Bruce Forsyth's Hot Streak?" (Hmm..."Ben Stein's Hot Streak" ... man, what an AWFUL mental picture!)
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Hot Streak wasn't much more than a standard communication game. Tom Kennedy would have done a fine job with it. Wouldn't have had that Brucie flair, of course, but we quickly saw that that Brucie flair is good for just about....13 weeks.
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[quote name=\'DrBear\' date=\'Oct 13 2004, 01:04 PM\']
That said, consider how some of the "peanut butter" hosts did getting away from their "jelly" games. Peter Marshall tried but never got a solid follow-up to HS. Ditto Allen Ludden on Password.
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[/quote] Wasn't there some hand-wringing back in the day when Allen left the proven "G.E. College Bowl" to host the less-cerebral "Password"?
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Oct 13 2004, 04:45 PM\'] Wasn't there some hand-wringing back in the day when Allen left the proven "G.E. College Bowl" to host the less-cerebral "Password"?
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I had forgotten that; there was a bit. Of course, we get a lot of folks on this board today who think Ludden's Password is too cerebral, although they prefer the word "boring."
Hmmm...
"cerebral"
"Boring"
DING DING DING!!!
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I had forgotten that; there was a bit. Of course, we get a lot of folks on this board today who think Ludden's Password is too cerebral, although they prefer the word "boring."
Even TVG said that, following Password's debut...their review, as per Jeff Graham? "The whole thing's so dull, it almost makes you long for the good old days of the scandals".
Guess not everyone can be right all the time...LOL
Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")
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Ray Combs on Family Feud
Bob Barker on The Price Is Right
Bob Eubanks on Card Sharks
Gene Rayburn on Match Game
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Don't forget Jim Lange the Dating Game!
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[quote name=\'Combs Feud aficionado\' date=\'Mar 30 2005, 03:20 PM\']Bob Eubanks on Card Sharks
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Sez you. I know they wanted more comedy on the revival, but that would require the host to be actually funny.
Tyshaun
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[quote name=\'tyshaun1\' date=\'Mar 30 2005, 06:10 PM\'][quote name=\'Combs Feud aficionado\' date=\'Mar 30 2005, 03:20 PM\']Bob Eubanks on Card Sharks
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Sez you. I know they wanted more comedy on the revival, but that would require the host to be actually funny.
Tyshaun
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I don't subscribe to the mentality that "the first host is always the best."
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[quote name=\'Passepartout\' date=\'Mar 30 2005, 05:49 PM\']Don't forget Jim Lange the Dating Game!
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Why exactly would anyone remember Jim Lange? (Except for the red tux.) That's one game where there's practically nothing for the host to do. Johnny Jacobs could have hosted from off-camera. When Woolery did the revival, he'd at least toss in an aside every once in a while.
Jim seems like a nice guy, he looked terrific on the game show moments special, and granted, he's no Jim Caldwell, but he didn't bring much to any show he hosted. Great velvet voice, but no wit.
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[quote name=\'Neumms\' date=\'Mar 30 2005, 05:31 PM\']Why exactly would anyone remember Jim Lange? (Except for the red tux.) That's one game where there's practically nothing for the host to do. Johnny Jacobs could have hosted from off-camera. When Woolery did the revival, he'd at least toss in an aside every once in a while.
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It wasn't until Bob Eubanks contrasted his job on NG with Jim's on DG did I realize how little there was for Lange to do. Jim did it well, had the right look, and lent his personal style to the show, but it was the least "host intensive" game ever.
Jim said "And here they are", while Bob was deep in the muck as he mud wrestled with these people for a laugh or embarrassing moment. It seems the hardest part would be sensing when to keep prying and probing with a couple looking for a laugh, or just move on to the next twosome.
Both these guys fit their shows very well; I'd hate to see them switch!
Randy
tvrandywest.com
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[quote name=\'Neumms\' date=\'Mar 30 2005, 08:31 PM\'][quote name=\'Passepartout\' date=\'Mar 30 2005, 05:49 PM\']Don't forget Jim Lange the Dating Game!
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Why exactly would anyone remember Jim Lange? (Except for the red tux.) That's one game where there's practically nothing for the host to do. Johnny Jacobs could have hosted from off-camera. When Woolery did the revival, he'd at least toss in an aside every once in a while.
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Elaine Joyce and Jeff MacGregor also did more in-game interacting than Lange did.
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[quote name=\'Combs Feud aficionado\' date=\'Mar 30 2005, 05:18 PM\']I don't subscribe to the mentality that "the first host is always the best."
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That much is obvious based solely on your nickname. But Eubanks sucked in many and various ways on CS.
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[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Mar 30 2005, 08:50 PM\']Both these guys fit their shows very well; I'd hate to see them switch!
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Well, Lange DID host a week of Newlywed Game for ABC in 1984. Let's just say he was perfectly.......awful.
Tyshaun
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[quote name=\'tyshaun1\' date=\'Mar 30 2005, 09:54 PM\'][quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Mar 30 2005, 08:50 PM\']Both these guys fit their shows very well; I'd hate to see them switch!
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Well, Lange DID host a week of Newlywed Game for ABC in 1984. Let's just say he was perfectly.......awful.
Tyshaun
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I seem to remember Bob EUbanks guest hosting part of a late 70s syndie DG episode. Anyone else remember that from first-run or the later syndie reruns?
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[quote name=\'Combs Feud aficionado\' date=\'Mar 30 2005, 07:18 PM\'][quote name=\'tyshaun1\' date=\'Mar 30 2005, 06:10 PM\'][quote name=\'Combs Feud aficionado\' date=\'Mar 30 2005, 03:20 PM\']Bob Eubanks on Card Sharks
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Sez you. I know they wanted more comedy on the revival, but that would require the host to be actually funny.
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I don't subscribe to the mentality that "the first host is always the best."
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I'm going to vomit. I'm vomiting. And you can clean it up.
As you do so, hear my vote: Bill Rafferty on Every Second Counts and Larry Blyden on What's My Line?
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[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Mar 30 2005, 08:50 PM\']Jim said "And here they are", while Bob was deep in the muck as he mud wrestled with these people for a laugh or embarrassing moment. It seems the hardest part would be sensing when to keep prying and probing with a couple looking for a laugh, or just move on to the next twosome.
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Terrific point, Mr. West. Bob made the show what it was, how Barker makes TPIR and Ludden made Password. Barker probably and Ludden definitely wouldn't have done any better with Card Sharks. And Jim Perry might not have fared well with the newlyweds, although I'd love to hear him say, "we'll be back tomorrow with eight more nice people" after they've been hitting each other with blue cards for half an hour.
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[quote name=\'Neumms\' date=\'Mar 30 2005, 11:12 PM\']Terrific point, Mr. West. Bob made the show what it was, how Barker makes TPIR and Ludden made Password. Barker probably and Ludden definitely wouldn't have done any better with Card Sharks. And Jim Perry might not have fared well with the newlyweds, although I'd love to hear him say, "we'll be back tomorrow with eight more nice people" after they've been hitting each other with blue cards for half an hour.
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I actually think Bob Barker would've been a great fit for Card Sharks, just because CS generally had a very similar vibe to current-day TPIR.
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Nice to have the thread back to review others' thoughts and add some - Dr. Bear sez Peter Marshall never got a solid game to recapture the glory of HS. That's true, but he certainly understood what kind of game he did best. He seemed right at home and looked good doing All Star Blitz, even if it wasn't one of the all-time great games. Nothing like being able to help produce a show to fit your strengths. And Michael Reagan wasn't bad on Lingo.
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[quote name=\'FeudDude\' date=\'Mar 30 2005, 11:27 PM\']I actually think Bob Barker would've been a great fit for Card Sharks, just because CS generally had a very similar vibe to current-day TPIR.
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Maybe. He's so good at dealing with many different people during a show that it would be kind of a waste on a game with only two players, one of them returning. Heaven forbid he'd pull that trick where he touches the card only to pull his hand away and milk the suspense.
Perry was so good at the survey part and so good at letting excitement build at the card board. It's a tricky feat because the two parts are so different.
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[quote name=\'Neumms\' date=\'Mar 30 2005, 08:31 PM\'][quote name=\'Passepartout\' date=\'Mar 30 2005, 05:49 PM\']Don't forget Jim Lange the Dating Game!
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Why exactly would anyone remember Jim Lange? (Except for the red tux.) That's one game where there's practically nothing for the host to do.[snapback]79965[/snapback]
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Jim said more prior to the first commercial break on the debut episode of Spin-Off than he did during any given week on The Dating Game.
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I seem to remember Bob EUbanks guest hosting part of a late 70s syndie DG episode. Anyone else remember that from first-run or the later syndie reruns?
I remember it...Bob came out and introduced the three bachelors for the game and threw to commercial. When the show came back, Jim was right where he should be with no explanation. Just another one of Chuck Barris's little pranks!
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[quote name=\'FeudDude\' date=\'Mar 30 2005, 11:27 PM\'][quote name=\'Neumms\' date=\'Mar 30 2005, 11:12 PM\']Terrific point, Mr. West. Bob made the show what it was, how Barker makes TPIR and Ludden made Password. Barker probably and Ludden definitely wouldn't have done any better with Card Sharks. And Jim Perry might not have fared well with the newlyweds, although I'd love to hear him say, "we'll be back tomorrow with eight more nice people" after they've been hitting each other with blue cards for half an hour.
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I actually think Bob Barker would've been a great fit for Card Sharks, just because CS generally had a very similar vibe to current-day TPIR.
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Barker seems to prefer to work in a less structured format, like "T or C" or even "TPIR," where the contestants are not tested and pre-processed. Even if he doesn't supposedly hate children, he would've still been miserable on "The Family Game" in that very structured format. And if you thought Eubanks slowed things down on "CS," just think of Barker doing it...
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[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Mar 31 2005, 12:08 PM\']
Barker seems to prefer to work in a less structured format, like "T or C" or even "TPIR," where the contestants are not tested and pre-processed. Even if he doesn't supposedly hate children, he would've still been miserable on "The Family Game" in that very structured format. And if you thought Eubanks slowed things down on "CS," just think of Barker doing it...
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I can see this..
"For $3,000 is it lower than a ki- what did you say you're going to do with the money again? OK, for $3,000 is it lower than a ki - I so hope you win this-" and whatever else he does to delay it.