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What is your favorite opening, i.e. the combination of theme music, announcer, host enterance etc?
I would have to default to "The Price Is Right".
After that I would go with the great music, opening montage, camera work and all around pizazz of the last two seasons of "Hollywood Squares." The openings for both the 12/02 and 12/03 Game Show Weeks were esp. good.
After that I'm a sucker for the combination of music, lights, swinging board and Gene Wood on the Dawson and Combs 'Feud'. Today I like Richard's K's hearty greeting for both families.
I also always like hearing the theme music and seeing breifly the lighted pyramid in the othewise dark studio for the opening to the in Seventies 'Pyramid.'
For the Eighties I loved either Jack Clark, Charlie O'Donnel, Dean Goss or Bob Hilton (but sorry, not Johny Gilbert) declare 'From Televison City in Hollywood, Its the xxxxPyramid!'
More recently I grew to like 'And now here's the host of 'Pyramid,' Donny Osmond!'
Other notables are any of Jack Clark's 'Look at this studio filled with' openings on Eighties 'Wheel of Fortune' and Shadoe Steven's line 'they are the new Hollywood Squares!' followed by that versions theme.
Finally I have to metion the combination of the funny blue cards with notes & hearing the laugh track, bass line and Johnny O. on the Seventies 'Match Game.'
[Finally for non-game shows the combination announcer Bill Wendell, studio camera shots and finally Paul Shaffer's low and funky theme to "Late Night w/ David Letterman" will always take me back to when I was in high school and college]
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[quote name=\'PaulD\' date=\'Jan 2 2005, 12:59 PM\']What is your favorite opening, i.e. the combination of theme music, announcer, host enterance etc?
I would have to default to "The Price Is Right".[/quote]
My only gripe is that the timing isn't too great on the logo popping up. If I were them, I'd wait to bring off the light box until after Rich gets "The Price is Right" out. I would also have the logo zoom up slower, like it was done before.
More recently I grew to like 'And now here's the host of 'Pyramid,' Donny Osmond!'
Burn him!!! ;-)
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-Money Maze...the winner's clips, as well as the sweeping shot of the excited audience set the atmosphere for the show.
-$ale of the Century...loved the dramatic opening, as Jay Stewart always introduced the returning champ over the drumroll. Also loved how the camera zoomed in on the car up for grabs.
-H2 (2002-03)
-Family Feud 70s and 80s...the current intros are OK, but I miss the close-up of the FF logo, then the trilon rotating.
-PYL
-Pyramid...they were all good, but my vote goes to the 70s and 80s versions. I always liked how the celebrities walked out and escorted each other to the tables. Very classy. However, I still liked the 2002 intro.
-Millionaire (current)
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The Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour.
That was positively electric.
I thought that may have been selected memory because the show is twenty years gone until I saw the episode available on wost.org and my rememberance was confirmed--absolutely rockin'.....until Jon Bauman started talking.
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[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Jan 2 2005, 04:54 PM\']The Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour.
That was positively electric.
I thought that may have been selected memory because the show is twenty years gone until I saw the episode available on wost.org and my rememberance was confirmed--absolutely rockin'.....until Jon Bauman started talking.
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That was a good opening.
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[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Jan 2 2005, 04:13 PM\']-$ale of the Century...loved the dramatic opening, as Jay Stewart always introduced the returning champ over the drumroll. Also loved how the camera zoomed in on the car up for grabs.
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The frame-by-frame closeup of the car during the opening was a true example of how the game show had evolved over time. Truly good stuff. Add Jay's Stewart's reverb on the title with Jim Perry's sprint through the doors, and you stopped what you were doing to tune in (or, at least I did).
On my pick, nods go to the 1985-1991 opening to Jeopardy! (love the ornate letters blinking in the background) as well as 1987-1989 opening to Wheel of Fortune (even more so when Charlie O' Donnell was given his own reverb effect, as well.)
The Inquisitive One
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Let's see...
$otC
MG/HS
TPiR
HS (Davidson)
NYSI
Pitfall
Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")
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HR 87 had one of the coolest most high energy openings ever. MGHS hour ranks right up there with it, I think. The awesome sets had a lot to do with that.
ITSBRY
itsbry@juno.com
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[quote name=\'ChuckNet\' date=\'Jan 2 2005, 07:08 PM\']HS (Davidson)
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I admit, I always enjoyed the open to this as well.
Which was convenient, because then, :30 into the show, it made it convenient to change the channel to something that DIDN'T suck for the rest of the half-hour.
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TPiR, the original Jeopardy opening, 87-89 Wheel, original WWTBAM
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Gotta go with Price...I often find myself grinning like an idiot at the way Rich intros Bob. (And yes, I know how fanboyish that sounds. Doesn't make it untrue.)
I also remember really liking the '89-'90 season's Wheel opening when I saw it on GSN...probably partly because I remembered seeing it eleven years earlier.
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Now for a few openings not yet mentioned:
1. I liked the J!78 opening (the "march in" music was very cool).
2. I'd give GONG props for various and sundry ways to get Chuckie out (either via someone other than Johnny Jacobs doing the standard "Here's the host and star of the show. . ." or having Chuckie come out to different musical interludes).
3. Surprised nobody's mentioned Marshall HSq yet (sometimes the celebrities mugging for the camera getting Kenny Williams to break up was just as much fun as the rest of the show to follow).
4. I liked HIT MAN's opening, too (good combo of Rod's announcing and a good music cue).
So every show I mentioned was on NBC. Sue me. :)
Doug -- and the countdown to 900 continues
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[quote name=\'Steve Gavazzi\' date=\'Jan 2 2005, 10:46 PM\']Gotta go with Price...I often find myself grinning like an idiot at the way Rich intros Bob. (And yes, I know how fanboyish that sounds. Doesn't make it untrue.)
[/quote]
Absolutely
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For the Eighties I loved either Jack Clark, Charlie O'Donnell, Dean Goss or Bob Hilton (but sorry, not Johnny Gilbert) declare 'From Televison City in Hollywood, Its the xxxxPyramid!'
You say 'Johnny Gilbert stinks?' For shame!!!!!
I have to metion the combination of the funny blue cards with notes & hearing the laugh track, bass line and Johnny O. on the Seventies 'Match Game.'
Ditto; but leave us not forget Geno's entrances!
Here are my other choices:
Card Sharks (1978-81)
Password (A bit refined, but that 1963-67 theme--CHICOREE!)
To Tell the Truth; 1990-91 version (The brassy arrangement of the '69-78 theme kicks rear end!)
Those shows with 'opening montages' (Press Your Luck, Big Showdown, to name a few)
Cordially,
Tammy Warner--the 'Joan Rivers of the Big Board!'
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[quote name=\'Winkfan\' date=\'Jan 2 2005, 10:42 PM\'][quote name=\'PaulD\' date=\'Jan 2 2005, 01:59 PM\'] For the Eighties I loved either Jack Clark, Charlie O'Donnell, Dean Goss or Bob Hilton (but sorry, not Johnny Gilbert) declare 'From Televison City in Hollywood, Its the xxxxPyramid!'[/quote]
You say 'Johnny Gilbert stinks?' For shame!!!!!
[/quote]
While I share your sentiment that the OP is full of what makes the grass grow green with his assessment of Gilbert's abilities on Pyramid, I'd be careful about using quotes when you are in fact not quoting. He didn't say "Johnny Gilbert stinks," he said that he didn't care for his performance. I can recognize quality work without enjoying a performance.
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Not sure about my favorites, but within shows ...
After converting my old Pyramid shows to DVD, I found that I too liked having the winners' clips followed by a dark studio. (However, I thought having a player already in the Winners' Circle diminished that effect. For those occasions, it would have been better to have him seated where he won the game and then bring him over.) And one of the many changes I didn't like on Osmond's show was having the celebs already seated.
Similar to the celeb note, I wish J! still had contestants walk on.
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There can be only one...nothing matched the electricity when Larry told us, "In a moment, the game that intrigued a nation..."
Oh sorry, I'm not posting on Bizarro World...
One I can't believe hasn't been mentioned yet AFAIK was the intro to Password Plus, probably my real favorite of all the PW opens.
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Not only was P+ 's opening was good, but Super Password may've outdone it IMO. I liked how the diffrent colored Passwords would be spelled out & each of its diffrent colored letters would drop from the top. Then when they morphed into one, the word Super was drawn in a curseive font style. Together with the synthesized opening, it was neat. Then the cleberties came out followed by Bert Convy. That was neat too.
Another one of my faves is Scrabble's. In its opening where a home-viewer submitted clue was read, the solution was placed letter by letter untill the audience said the word. Then the letters of Scrabble started to dance around before they forned its name, that was cool.
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[quote name=\'JMFabiano\' date=\'Jan 3 2005, 01:45 AM\']There can be only one...nothing matched the electricity when Larry told us, "In a moment, the game that intrigued a nation..."
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Pity that was as good as that version of the show got. And Larry was correct. "Intrigued"--past tense. The 1990 edition did nothing to get the ol' mojo risin'.
By the way, PaulD, if you either agree or disagree with me, you may simply e-mail me privately.
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[quote name=\'Craig Karlberg\' date=\'Jan 3 2005, 02:43 AM\']Not only was P+ 's opening was good, but Super Password may've outdone it IMO. I liked how the diffrent colored Passwords would be spelled out & each of its diffrent colored letters would drop from the top. Then when they morphed into one, the word Super was drawn in a curseive font style. Together with the synthesized opening, it was neat. Then the cleberties came out followed by Bert Convy. That was neat too.
Another one of my faves is Scrabble's. In its opening where a home-viewer submitted clue was read, the solution was placed letter by letter untill the audience said the word. Then the letters of Scrabble started to dance around before they forned its name, that was cool.
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Wow, really? I don't think any of us have ever seen those before. Thanks so much for the vivid description.
(Personally, among the Passwords, I'm in the P+ camp, but I can't say anything definitively until I've seen a Password All-Stars open. Overall, the title has to go to either Whew! (damn, I love that theme), or MGHSH...for all of its faults, that gigantic wall just SCREAMED "this is a big freakin' deal".)
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[quote name=\'Jay Temple\' date=\'Jan 2 2005, 11:43 PM\']Similar to the celeb note, I wish J! still had contestants walk on.
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Yep. I always thought the "Now entering the studio are today's contestants!" line was synonymous with the show, and should be preserved. Or maybe I'm just too much of a Weird Al fan. :)
(you've all heard that song, right? ;))
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jan 3 2005, 11:49 AM\'][(you've all heard that song, right? ;))
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No, I have not.
In other news, the song "Celebration" by Cool and the Gang was used in a puzzle on Wheel of Fortune. ;)
To stray back on topic, gotta love "WHEEL-OF-FORTUNE!" 80's style, PYL and Pyramid flashback openings, and TPIR's energetic opening.
Tyshaun
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"Winning Streak" had a pretty good open, thought the show wasn't one of Bill's best. Any show where the house lights are dimmed with just the chase lights doing their thing was pretty cool.
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I tend to warm to a show that uses its opening to set the premise entertainingly. The 60s "YDS!" opening of celeb-with-back-to-camera giving clue, Tom Kennedy wisecracking and the celeb saying "no..." and giving the correct response and their name while turning to the camera explained the basic game play, introduced the celebs with minimal bombast and set the tone for the show--which is the most important thing in an opening. And that's considering that some of Tom's wisecracks were corny or lame.
I also have weaknesses for the "Whew!" opening and anything that uses clips from past shows.
I also like an opening that drops you immediately into the game--not too many shows did that and "Double Dare" did it the best--with Marc Summers' "On your mark--get set--GO!" and Harvey's voice-over explaining the stunt and "...the first team to do it will win $20 and control of the sloppiest show on TV...", you got the game going and set the premise and tone.
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[quote name=\'Jay Temple\' date=\'Jan 3 2005, 01:43 AM\']Similar to the celeb note, I wish J! still had contestants walk on.
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Which was best in the '80s when the played the theme from the beginning, so the lion's share of the walk-on intros (maybe even the whole open) would have that dramatic synthesized music before the main theme in the background. To a lesser extent, the near the middle section of the Perry Card Sharks theme playing to "open the board and get to the cards," especially with the Money Cards, makes you feel like something special awaits behind that receding wall of cards.
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Gotta agree with one poster, the 1978 Jeopardy! march opening.
I also liked the opening suspenseful themes to Bob Stewart's Jackpot (NBC) & Pass The Buck.
For animation sequence, it goes to WHEW!
For most dramatical opening starts with a heartbeat (thump-thump) where a lucky lady could win $25,000 (or $20,000-$50,000).
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[quote name=\'GSWitch\' date=\'Jan 3 2005, 09:01 PM\']
For animation sequence, it goes to WHEW!
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How many other shows with animation sequences?
Nonetheless, "Whew!" had an awesome opening. The copy was terrific, too.
"Match Game '7x" is my favorite. How'd anyone pipe up in the meeting with, "you know, I think we need some flashing orange thing twirling around"? And there's good audience murmuring at the start, just as on 80s "Jeopardy!" which should never have gotten rid of it.
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[quote name=\'Neumms\' date=\'Jan 3 2005, 09:44 PM\'][quote name=\'GSWitch\' date=\'Jan 3 2005, 09:01 PM\']
For animation sequence, it goes to WHEW!
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How many other shows with animation sequences?
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Blackout, Shopping Spree, and To Say the Least come to mind.
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[quote name=\'Neumms\' date=\'Jan 3 2005, 09:44 PM\']
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How many other shows with animation sequences?
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I think most Jay Wolpert shows had them, except for Hit Man maybe. Other than what Zach mentioned, I can think of some 70s LMaD episodes and Monty Hall's Beat The Clock. For B&W, there's 50s Beat The Clock (Hickory-Dickory-Dock) and WML (CBS and syndie versions).
And this might not count, but in the "3-D" category, there's Wheel of Fortune 10th anniversary and "big band" intros from the 90s, and Povich's 21.
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re: animated opens, would the caricature Monty and his flying carpet on some of the '70s LMADs count?
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[quote name=\'JMFabiano\' date=\'Jan 3 2005, 10:34 PM\']re: animated opens, would the caricature Monty and his flying carpet on some of the '70s LMADs count?
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Yes
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[quote name=\'JMFabiano\' date=\'Jan 3 2005, 10:34 PM\']re: animated opens, would the caricature Monty and his flying carpet on some of the '70s LMADs count?
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Indeed...that's the one I was referring to.
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I remember as a kid the opening of Concentration with the scrunched-up letters in a square stretching out to reveal the name of the show as the organist played the opening theme. That facinated me for some reason.
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[quote name=\'JCGames\' date=\'Jan 4 2005, 12:27 AM\']I remember as a kid the opening of Concentration with the scrunched-up letters in a square stretching out to reveal the name of the show as the organist played the opening theme. That facinated me for some reason.
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Also, "YDS!" had a little piece of animation after Tom Kennedy's opening of a man and a woman talking and putting a finger to their mouths--it was supered over the audience applauding as Rex Koury and the boys (although with a harpist, nine times out of ten it's a girl) played the theme.
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[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Jan 3 2005, 08:59 PM\'][quote name=\'Neumms\' date=\'Jan 3 2005, 09:44 PM\']
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How many other shows with animation sequences?
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I think most Jay Wolpert shows had them, except for Hit Man maybe. Other than what Zach mentioned, I can think of some 70s LMaD episodes and Monty Hall's Beat The Clock. For B&W, there's 50s Beat The Clock (Hickory-Dickory-Dock) and WML (CBS and syndie versions).
And this might not count, but in the "3-D" category, there's Wheel of Fortune 10th anniversary and "big band" intros from the 90s, and Povich's 21.
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The Neighbors had a silly animated opening as well, complete with kazoos!
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Faint memory believes Merv's Word For Word had an animated opening, not much more than the letters moving around until they spelled out the title, then the center of the O in the word "For" opened up and the set took over the picture. Let's add Groucho's YBYL, ABC's Supermarket Sweep, Mike Reagan's Lingo..and I think Jack Narz's old I'll Bet had some sort of an animated logo opening like Andrews' other show You Don't Say.