The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: Matt Ottinger on September 14, 2006, 03:25:59 PM
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Here we go again!
Send me your ballots for the TWENTY greatest game show hosts of all time. As we did for the first one, rank them in order starting at number one and continuing, without ties, to number twenty. If you can't (or won't) come up with twenty, I'll take a list with at least ten. Votes will be tallied on a 20-19-18...3-2-1 scale.
As with the Greatest Shows list, you use whatever criteria you want to rank the hosts, but keep in mind, the word is "greatest" not "personal favorite". Which is two words anyway. Obviously, any list is going to have some amount of personal bias, but try to be as objective as you can.
Also keep in mind that the genre has been around for sixty years. It's easy to remember the ones we all grew up with, but don't forget the ones that came before or, for that matter, the current hosts to whom the torch has been passed.
Send your list to ottinger@acd.net with the header Greatest Hosts. I'll take lists through the end of the month and start revealing our picks on Sunday, October 1.
For the sake of this exercise, I'll go sig-less for the next couple of weeks...
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I think this list will produce some very surprising results.
(I also think this is a list I can assemble and submit without feeling like I've been in a war once it's over. And so I shall try.)
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'131523\' date=\'Sep 14 2006, 02:25 PM\']
Send me your ballots for the TWENTY greatest game show hosts of all time. As we did for the first one, rank them in order starting at number one and continuing, without ties, to number twenty. If you can't (or won't) come up with twenty, I'll take a list with at least ten. Votes will be tallied on a 20-19-18...3-2-1 scale.
[/quote]
Wow. This is tough.
Not coming up with 20, but whittling the list down to 20. I made a preliminary list and then realized I left a whole bunch of people off. This'll take a little more doing.
Can I give you more? :)
Doug
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[quote name=\'SRIV94\' post=\'131530\' date=\'Sep 14 2006, 04:06 PM\']
Can I give you more? :)[/quote]
Sure, but they won't count!
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'131523\' date=\'Sep 14 2006, 03:25 PM\']
For the sake of this exercise, I'll go sig-less for the next couple of weeks...
[/quote]
In the spirit of equal time, may we see a photo of Todd Russell in the upper left as the balloting period rolls along?
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It'll be interesting making these decisions. What makes it difficult is that there are three kinds of strong candidates:
1. those whose reputation is made on a single show (Ludden)
2. those who were the right host for a show that needed a certain type of host (Trebek)
3. those who could host anything well (Cullen)
ETA Disclaimer: These names are only intended as illustrations.
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My list is sent in. My list definitely contains varieties of all three types of candidates, at least I believe so.
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[quote name=\'Jay Temple\' post=\'131535\' date=\'Sep 14 2006, 05:23 PM\']
1. those whose reputation is made on a single show (Ludden)
[/quote]
College Bowl? Was it before Password?
I am making a guess you never saw Liar's Club
On your list in my opinion Ludden's a two if not a three.
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[quote name=\'Chuck Sutton\' post=\'131541\' date=\'Sep 14 2006, 05:54 PM\']College Bowl? Was it before Password?
I am making a guess you never saw Liar's Club[/quote]
College Bowl was before and a little bit during Password. Still, the fact that Ludden hosted other shows (even a successful one like College Bowl) doesn't change the fact that his reputation is based on one program.
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Should we limit our consideration of a given host to their United States game show work only?
(Gee, wonder who I'm referring to. No, not her...)
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[quote name=\'ChrisLambert!\' post=\'131557\' date=\'Sep 14 2006, 05:26 PM\']
Should we limit our consideration of a given host to their United States game show work only?
(Gee, wonder who I'm referring to. No, not her...)
[/quote]
I would suggest that you're essentially throwing away a vote if you don't, since the chances of enough people here being knowledgeable enough about overseas shows is minimal at best.
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I'm going to go out on a limb and say nobody is going to put Patrick Wayne as #1. ;)
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[quote name=\'Justin30519\' post=\'131568\' date=\'Sep 14 2006, 10:26 PM\']
I'm going to go out on a limb and say nobody is going to put Patrick Wayne as #1. ;)
[/quote]
Of course not. How else would I put Richard Karn in the top spot?
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'131558\' date=\'Sep 14 2006, 08:29 PM\']
[quote name=\'ChrisLambert!\' post=\'131557\' date=\'Sep 14 2006, 05:26 PM\']
Should we limit our consideration of a given host to their United States game show work only?[/quote]
I would suggest that you're essentially throwing away a vote if you don't, since the chances of enough people here being knowledgeable enough about overseas shows is minimal at best.[/quote]
That is almost precisely how I would put it. If you feel compelled to name a non-US host, go right ahead, but it probably won't mean anything to the overall rankings. Sort of like how a few of us named reality shows on the last go-round.
Just hours into it, and there are already 18 responses. I've also heard from someone who'll be publicizing the poll outside the forum, which is fine with me. This may easily turn out to be more popular than the first one. I wish I could tease you with some opening details, but since I haven't come up with my other 19 yet, I haven't looked at anybody else's list.
That's right, after Lee Bowman, I'm stumped.
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'131578\' date=\'Sep 14 2006, 08:14 PM\']
Just hours into it, and there are already 18 responses. I've also heard from someone who'll be publicizing the poll outside the forum, which is fine with me.
[/quote]
I'm curious to know why you're fine with that. Isn't the point to find out what *we*, our community, think? Do I want the morons on the GSN board to have any input on this?
I mean, whatever, but I'm interested in knowing what you think this brings to the table.
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'131578\' date=\'Sep 14 2006, 11:14 PM\']
That's right, after Lee Bowman, I'm stumped.
[/quote]
Oh, dear, guess I should've voted for him after all so you wouldn't be alone.
However, if I had, there wouldn't have been room for Blake Emmons.
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[quote name=\'ChrisLambert!\' post=\'131557\' date=\'Sep 14 2006, 05:26 PM\']
Should we limit our consideration of a given host to their United States game show work only?
(Gee, wonder who I'm referring to. No, not her...)
[/quote]
Phil Keoghan?
(Very large smiley implied.)
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OK mine just went out to Matt.
Just as I had an "underrated classic" or two in mind on the game show list, I also have one "underrated legend" on the host list I sent in tonight. I am curious as to how many other people mention him. (And no, it's not Bob Barker.)
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I currently have a list of 26 names to whittle down to 20. With one exception, they are all multiple-show hosts. (And we know the exception did at least one pilot along with his show.) I'll worry about ranking once I bounce it off of a friend or two and ensure that I'm not skipping over anyone obvious who might deserve to be on the list more than any of those 26.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'131581\' date=\'Sep 14 2006, 11:22 PM\']I'm curious to know why you're fine with that. Isn't the point to find out what *we*, our community, think? Do I want the morons on the GSN board to have any input on this? I mean, whatever, but I'm interested in knowing what you think this brings to the table.[/quote]
Chalk it up to our differing views on...life, I guess. I believe in strength in numbers, and I don't happen to believe that absolutely every single game show fan outside our walls is a moron. The poll is being mentioned on Buzzer, and maybe it will generate some curiosity about our Forum among the people who read that blog and bring more fans into our community.
Meanwhile, there are a good many people inside our walls whose input you've made clear you don't care for, so sorting out who you do or do not consider a moron could become a full time job. If I wanted to make a list based only on the opinions I'm certain you value, I'd just have you send me your list, I'd post it and we'd be done.
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1. Patrick Wayne
2. Louie Anderson
3. Wesley Eure
4. Blake Emmons
5. Richard Karn
6. Rolf Benirschke
7. Jim Caldwell
8. Bobcat Goldthwait
9. The Inquizitor
10. Mark DeCarlo
11. Cyber Lucy
12. Fred Travalena
13. Bob Bergen
14. Mario Lopez
15. Kennedy
16. Olmec
17. Lynn Swann
18. Phil Moore
19. Matt Kaiser
20. Kip Addota
Wait, did I do this wrong?
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[quote name=\'CountdownRound\' post=\'131617\' date=\'Sep 15 2006, 01:13 AM\']
<mercifully snipped>
Wait, did I do this wrong?[/quote]
In oh, so many ways...
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'131608\' date=\'Sep 14 2006, 09:24 PM\']
Chalk it up to our differing views on...life, I guess. I believe in strength in numbers, and I don't happen to believe that absolutely every single game show fan outside our walls is a moron.
[/quote]
Fortunately for my sanity, neither do I.
The poll is being mentioned on Buzzer, and maybe it will generate some curiosity about our Forum among the people who read that blog and bring more fans into our community.
Maybe, indeed. Here's to hoping.
Meanwhile, there are a good many people inside our walls whose input you've made clear you don't care for, so sorting out who you do or do not consider a moron could become a full time job. If I wanted to make a list based only on the opinions I'm certain you value, I'd just have you send me your list, I'd post it and we'd be done.
Was this necessary? By "I'm interested in knowing," I meant I was genuinely interested in knowing. It wasn't intended as a slam against the effort or a pessimistic comment, simply that I was curious about your reasoning.
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[quote name=\'CountdownRound\' post=\'131617\' date=\'Sep 14 2006, 10:13 PM\']
(list snipped)
Wait, did I do this wrong?
[/quote]
Yeah! You forgot Laurie Faso!
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I think it's interesting that everyone seemed to assume that ChrisL! was talking about overseas shows (there are non-U.S. countries that aren't "overseas") and/or hosts who only did work outside the U.S. I thought of three hosts right away that he might be thinking of (and I'm assuming that I know who the "her" mentioned is).
I might do this list. Twenty is certainly a smaller number than fifty.
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[quote name=\'HairMetalLives\' post=\'131624\' date=\'Sep 15 2006, 03:47 AM\']
[quote name=\'CountdownRound\' post=\'131617\' date=\'Sep 14 2006, 10:13 PM\']
(list snipped)
Wait, did I do this wrong?
[/quote]
Yeah! You forgot Laurie Faso!
[/quote]
Ah, dang! I knew I was leaving out one of the true masters of the genre... this is exactly how stupid I felt when I left Born Lucky off my top 50 shows list.
K, think this joke's dead now, yer welcome.
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[quote name=\'CountdownRound\' post=\'131617\' date=\'Sep 15 2006, 12:13 AM\']
Wait, did I do this wrong?
[/quote]
Yeah, you left out Dylan Lane and Rip Taylor.
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Not coming up with 20, but whittling the list down to 20. I made a preliminary list and then realized I left a whole bunch of people off. This'll take a little more doing.
I think in some ways this will be harder than doing the game show list. I made a preliminary list last night of people I thought might deserve a spot in the Top 20, and I came up with close to 50. I had to go through several rounds eliminating people and I still don't have it quite down to 20. No matter which way I do it, there'll be someone left off that I wanted to include.
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[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' post=\'131635\' date=\'Sep 15 2006, 05:49 AM\']
I think in some ways this will be harder than doing the game show list. I made a preliminary list last night of people I thought might deserve a spot in the Top 20, and I came up with close to 50.
[/quote]
When all's said and done it might be interesting to see that list, then, because my preliminary list has right around 30 names on it right now, and every time I think of another one (with one exception that just occurred to me right now), I simply say "No, no way does he crack the Top 20 from what I have now."
Can you look at that list and pick out ten names RIGHT NOW that don't make the top-20 cut?
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[quote name=\'Robert Hutchinson\' post=\'131625\' date=\'Sep 15 2006, 12:53 AM\']
I think it's interesting that everyone seemed to assume that ChrisL! was talking about overseas shows (there are non-U.S. countries that aren't "overseas") and/or hosts who only did work outside the U.S. I thought of three hosts right away that he might be thinking of (and I'm assuming that I know who the "her" mentioned is).
[/quote]
Oh, point made. In that case, since it's all subjective anyhow, I would think you could use any criteria you like in determining their place on the list. (I can think of two of those three names right now myself. I don't think either of them crack my 20.)
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[quote name=\'CountdownRound\' post=\'131617\' date=\'Sep 15 2006, 01:13 AM\']
4. Blake Emmons
[/quote]
#4? Number four? He sold The New Chain Reaction! Perhaps you never saw him host those Variety Club telethons in Cleveland.
Number 4, indeed. Yer high. Wow. Just wow. I need pills.
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[quote name=\'HairMetalLives\' post=\'131624\' date=\'Sep 15 2006, 02:47 AM\']
[quote name=\'CountdownRound\' post=\'131617\' date=\'Sep 14 2006, 10:13 PM\']
(list snipped)
Wait, did I do this wrong?
[/quote]
Yeah! You forgot Laurie Faso!
[/quote]
And Wil Shriner...
And Pat Bullard...
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[quote name=\'HairMetalLives\' post=\'131624\' date=\'Sep 15 2006, 02:47 AM\']
[quote name=\'CountdownRound\' post=\'131617\' date=\'Sep 14 2006, 10:13 PM\']
(list snipped)
Wait, did I do this wrong?
[/quote]
Yeah! You forgot Laurie Faso!
[/quote]
And Wil Shriner...
And Pat Bullard...
And Burt Luddin..
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[quote name=\'TimK2003\' post=\'131649\' date=\'Sep 15 2006, 10:08 AM\']
[quote name=\'HairMetalLives\' post=\'131624\' date=\'Sep 15 2006, 02:47 AM\']
[quote name=\'CountdownRound\' post=\'131617\' date=\'Sep 14 2006, 10:13 PM\']
(list snipped)
Wait, did I do this wrong?
[/quote]
Yeah! You forgot Laurie Faso!
[/quote]
And Wil Shriner...
And Pat Bullard...
And Burt Luddin..
[/quote]
And Brooke Burke...
EDIT: And Brooke Burns*...
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[quote name=\'CountdownRound\' post=\'131617\' date=\'Sep 15 2006, 01:13 AM\']
16. Olmec
[/quote]
This made my day.
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[quote name=\'DoorNumberFour\' post=\'131654\' date=\'Sep 15 2006, 07:16 AM\']
And Brooke Burke...
[/quote]
Burns. Burke is the one on RockStar.
(Unless Burke did a game show too?)
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I couldn't tell those two apart in the dark. Although I'd certainly like to try.
(Groucho Marx, 1942).
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'131656\' date=\'Sep 15 2006, 10:32 AM\']
[quote name=\'DoorNumberFour\' post=\'131654\' date=\'Sep 15 2006, 07:16 AM\']
And Brooke Burke...
[/quote]
Burns. Burke is the one on RockStar.
(Unless Burke did a game show too?)
[/quote]
HEY! Wild On was just as much a game show as The Insider is! ;-)
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[quote name=\'dzinkin\' post=\'131660\' date=\'Sep 15 2006, 07:35 AM\']
HEY! Wild On was just as much a game show as The Insider is! ;-)
[/quote]
But Brooke isn't a television great like Pat O'Brien is.
/Brooke gives me a Wild On
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[quote name=\'DrBear\' post=\'131659\' date=\'Sep 15 2006, 09:35 AM\']
I couldn't tell those two apart in the dark. Although I'd certainly like to try.
(Groucho Marx, 1942).
[/quote]
Dang it--there's another one I forgot.
Good thing I haven't submitted my list.
Doug
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What is a stumbling block for me is the place in history of hosts who sorta did game shows as a "side job." People like Hugh Downs, Steve Allen and John Daly with much longevity with game shows, but even more doing other things.
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'131676\' date=\'Sep 15 2006, 12:30 PM\']
What is a stumbling block for me is the place in history of hosts who sorta did game shows as a "side job." People like Hugh Downs, Steve Allen and John Daly with much longevity with game shows, but even more doing other things.
[/quote]
Not to mention Johnny Carson.
And frankly, I'm not sure what to do there. I only saw WHO DO YOU TRUST? in small clips (and I don't think I ever saw EARN YOUR VACATION), but you can't deny Carson's place in television history. Besides, his notoriety on WDYT probably helped earn him the TONIGHT gig.
As of now, Johnny's on my list, but more for his name than anything else. If that's not the proper way to approach it, Matt, please let me know and I'll adjust accordingly.
/yes, I realize I'm taking this way more seriously than I should, but I still don't want to look like a total idiot
//prolly too late for that, but still. . .
Doug
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'131676\' date=\'Sep 15 2006, 10:30 AM\']
What is a stumbling block for me is the place in history of hosts who sorta did game shows as a "side job." People like Hugh Downs, Steve Allen and John Daly with much longevity with game shows, but even more doing other things.
[/quote]
And I'm tending to leave them out, for that reason. My main interest is to list people who have been game-show hosts as a primary career, not as a one-off or secondary job. YMMV, of course, but that's what I want to focus my list around.
And I'm also tending towards the generational, since those are the folks whose body of work I am most familiar with. I can't really rank Hugh Downs because I've never seen him working as a host outside of some very scant clips of Concentration.
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'131676\' date=\'Sep 15 2006, 12:30 PM\']
What is a stumbling block for me is the place in history of hosts who sorta did game shows as a "side job." People like Hugh Downs, Steve Allen and John Daly with much longevity with game shows, but even more doing other things.
[/quote]
My view was completely opposite of this. I gave more kudos to people like John Daly...who were successful in other duties, but equally successful in hosting a game show.
I think that takes a special kind of person.
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To me, someone like Downs or Daly who helmed a long-running game show even if it wasn't his primary job deserves to be on the list. I would say the same for Dick Clark even though at least as many people would associate him with American Bandstand and New Year's Rockin' Eve as Pyramid.
Carson is a tougher call. Not having seen Who Do You Trust?, I can't judge his game show hosting abilities. Do I put him on the list simply because he's Johnny Carson, who happens to have hosted a game show that undoubtedly helped him achieve greater fame elsewhere? I don't know. I think that if could come up with 20 people who are deserving of being on the list solely on the strength of their game show hosting abilities, I'd probably leave him off. (I haven't started making my list yet, so I can't say whether Johnny will eventually make the cut or not.)
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'131642\' date=\'Sep 15 2006, 09:35 AM\'](I can think of two of those three names right now myself. I don't think either of them crack my 20.)[/quote]
Hmm, really? I would bet a shiny nickel that at least 1 of those 2 wasn't on my list of 3, considering what I think I know about the GS hosts you like.
(And I want absolutely nothing to do with "cracking your 20", thank you.)
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[quote name=\'Robert Hutchinson\' post=\'131702\' date=\'Sep 15 2006, 01:17 PM\']
[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'131642\' date=\'Sep 15 2006, 09:35 AM\'](I can think of two of those three names right now myself. I don't think either of them crack my 20.)[/quote]
Hmm, really? I would bet a shiny nickel that at least 1 of those 2 wasn't on my list of 3, considering what I think I know about the GS hosts you like.
(And I want absolutely nothing to do with "cracking your 20", thank you.)
[/quote]
Mail me off-list, then. I'm curious. :)
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[quote name=\'SRIV94\' post=\'131677\' date=\'Sep 15 2006, 01:38 PM\']
As of now, Johnny's on my list, but more for his name than anything else. If that's not the proper way to approach it, Matt, please let me know and I'll adjust accordingly.[/quote]
As I think I've made clear, I'm not judging anybody's choices. You do what you think is best, guided only by the word "greatest", which can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people.
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[quote name=\'Mike Tennant\' post=\'131701\' date=\'Sep 15 2006, 03:13 PM\']
To me, someone like Downs or Daly who helmed a long-running game show even if it wasn't his primary job deserves to be on the list. I would say the same for Dick Clark even though at least as many people would associate him with American Bandstand and New Year's Rockin' Eve as Pyramid.
Carson is a tougher call. Not having seen Who Do You Trust?, I can't judge his game show hosting abilities. Do I put him on the list simply because he's Johnny Carson, who happens to have hosted a game show that undoubtedly helped him achieve greater fame elsewhere? I don't know. I think that if could come up with 20 people who are deserving of being on the list solely on the strength of their game show hosting abilities, I'd probably leave him off. (I haven't started making my list yet, so I can't say whether Johnny will eventually make the cut or not.)
[/quote]
I don't really believe it, but Maxene Fabe had a quote from Stu Billett that on "Trust?" Carson couldn't really ad lib and that more than once if they ran short, they were forced to go to two minutes of credits and organ music at the end.
Considering that Carson was considered already on his game the night he started "Tonight," I take it with a grain of salt.
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[quote name=\'uncamark\' post=\'131714\' date=\'Sep 15 2006, 04:50 PM\']
I don't really believe it, but Maxene Fabe had a quote from Stu Billett that on "Trust?" Carson couldn't really ad lib and that more than once if they ran short, they were forced to go to two minutes of credits and organ music at the end.
Considering that Carson was considered already on his game the night he started "Tonight," I take it with a grain of salt.
[/quote]
Me too.
I only saw my first Who Do You Trust? last week when I got one in a trade (I'd seen clips before) and he seems like a decent host. Not Groucho, and not the same Johnny from years later but decent. At one point he does a live Jell-O commercial where he's supposed to make some kind of pineapple recipe and botches it terribly and irreversibly, to the audience's delight. It very clearly showed at that point (1958) he already had the "funnier when he bombs" bit down to an art. I don't know if he could ad lib for long stretches but as far as being the "go-to" man when disaster strikes, he was already there.
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Forty ballots have come in already, WAY ahead of last time. I've only tallied twenty of them, but here are some fun facts to keep you interested.
Remarkably, through twenty ballots, only 57 total names have been mentioned. Very few strays.
The person in first is the person you think it is. The person in second might surprise you.
Number of hosts who appear on 15 or more ballots: 10
Number of hosts who appear on exactly 19 ballots: 3
Number of hosts who appear on all twenty ballots: 1
Number of female hosts named: 3
Number of fictional characters named: 2
Number of hosting pairs named: 1
Keep 'em coming!
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[quote name=\'uncamark\' post=\'131714\' date=\'Sep 15 2006, 05:50 PM\']
I don't really believe it, but Maxene Fabe had a quote from Stu Billett that on "Trust?" Carson couldn't really ad lib and that more than once if they ran short, they were forced to go to two minutes of credits and organ music at the end.
Considering that Carson was considered already on his game the night he started "Tonight," I take it with a grain of salt.
[/quote]
I'll split that grain with you seeing how Stu also claimed this past summer that The People's Court is a game show.
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people who have been game-show hosts as a primary career, not as a one-off or secondary job
That's an interesting topic for a side discussion. How many people can we name who have been career game show emcees almost to the exclusion of anything else? Barker would probably come the closest. Though he was a D.J. in the beginning, once he got T or C he did little else besides emceeing game shows and beauty pageants. You could probably say the same about Trebek and Sajak, who have such long-running and lucrative gigs that they haven't taken much outside work since getting J! and WOF respectively. Some had illustrious careers in radio before coming to game shows: Rayburn, Martindale, Edwards, Eubanks, Collyer, Daly. Some have dabbled in acting, others have had outside business interests (Merv, Jack Barry).
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Am I forgetting some major out-of-game-show work he did, or would Allen Ludden fit this bill?
-Jason
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J.D. Roth.
(ducking)
Tyshaun
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This seems tricky to pin down. How do we define Sajak's efforts that have failed (his two talk shows), or his efforts that just aren't as noticeable (his growing crossword business, his various baseball-related jobs)?
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[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'131849\' date=\'Sep 17 2006, 05:10 PM\']
Some had illustrious careers in radio before coming to game shows: Rayburn, Martindale, Edwards, Eubanks, Collyer, Daly. [/quote]
Keep in mind, John Charles Daly's full time job wasn't game show host. During the first ten years or so of What's My Line? he was ABC's weeknight news anchor and most of his work was news-related, with WML? being more of an exception.
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[quote name=\'JasonA1\' post=\'131850\' date=\'Sep 17 2006, 06:13 PM\']
Am I forgetting some major out-of-game-show work he did, or would Allen Ludden fit this bill?
[/quote]
Didn't he work for CBS News in some capacity for a while?
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He worked in radio management, for WCBS I believe.
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Chuck Woolery, perhaps?
What's Tomarken's background?
Jim Perry?
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'131864\' date=\'Sep 17 2006, 06:08 PM\']Chuck Woolery, perhaps?
What's Tomarken's background?
Jim Perry?
[/quote]Tomarken I think was a magazine writer/editor of some sort, as well as working at an advertising agency.
Perry was a straight man and overnight radio talent before the game show gig.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'131864\' date=\'Sep 17 2006, 09:08 PM\']
What's Tomarken's background?
Jim Perry?
[/quote]
Peter Tomarken was an actor. The first time I remember seeing him was on an episode of Medical Center.
As for Jim Perry, I believe he was a nightclub singer for a good while, even while hosting Card Sharks, $ale of the Century and Definition.
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I think it would be impossible to name anybody whose entire career has been exclusively as a game show host. So what we're really talking about is degrees, and we're all going to draw the line somewhere different. Chris is right, though, that Barker's career has probably been the most...uh..."gamey".
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When you think about it, some of these guys have been extremely lucky in landing shows that have been so long-lived and lucrative (from the emcee's standpoint) that they don't need any other work, save for the occasional endorsement (which requires one day of filming every now and then). They've got their annuities, they've got their mansions in Beverly Hills (or on Outpost Drive) and oodles of leisure time to drive one's pickup truck into a ditch on the way to one's ranch, or to practice karate in case one is attacked by a former disgruntled employee. If some of these guys hadn't been lucky enough to be cast on these shows, they might join other emcees in the limbo land of involuntary retirement and being permanently "between shows".
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[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'131862\' date=\'Sep 17 2006, 07:44 PM\']
He worked in radio management, for WCBS I believe.
[/quote]
As late as 1978 I also heard him doing five-minute features on the CBS radio network, mostly cooking tips and other stuff aimed at women at the time.
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[quote name=\'Don Howard\' post=\'131867\' date=\'Sep 17 2006, 08:22 PM\']
As for Jim Perry, I believe he was a nightclub singer for a good while, even while hosting Card Sharks, $ale of the Century and Definition.
[/quote]
I'm struck by how many game show hosts had backgrounds that involved music/singing. This would include Merv Griffin, Groucho Marx ("Captain Spaulding" not to mention vaudeville), Chuck Woolery, Wink Martindale, Peter Marshall, Bobby Van and Monty Hall, just to name a precious few. I just saw Monty on a couple of old Video Village episodes recently and was surprised at how much singing he did on that show, at one point even doing a duet of "People Will Say We're in Love" from "Oklahoma" with a contestant who was in community theatre. (And he did the whole song, too, not just a couple of bars.)
The more we discuss this, the more we can see a lot of these hosts are very well-rounded entertainers, perhaps for career survival reasons more than anything.
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[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'131876\' date=\'Sep 17 2006, 10:21 PM\']
When you think about it, some of these guys have been extremely lucky in landing shows that have been so long-lived and lucrative (from the emcee's standpoint) that they don't need any other work, save for the occasional endorsement (which requires one day of filming every now and then). [/quote]
You're so right. I'm always reminded that when Goodson originally re-launched The Price Is Right, the big deal was going to be the weekly syndicated version, and Dennis James, the much bigger star, would be the host of that high-profile gig. The daytime show would just be a way of drawing more attention to the evening one.
There were doubters when Trebek -- whose previous track record was spotty at best -- signed on to host AND produce the new version of Jeopardy, and there were doubters when Wheel -- an average daytime performer -- went into syndication. Now all three are institutions, and many people here don't remember a TV landscape without them.
Luck is huge.
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There were doubters when Trebek -- whose previous track record was spotty at best -- signed on to host AND produce the new version of Jeopardy, and there were doubters when Wheel -- an average daytime performer -- went into syndication. Now all three are institutions, and many people here don't remember a TV landscape without them.
Luck is huge.
Turns out that Merv is the luckiest of all.
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As for Jim Perry, I believe he was a nightclub singer for a good while, even while hosting Card Sharks, $ale of the Century and Definition.
Perry also pulled a Barker and hosted the annual Miss Canada Pageant for several years in the mid '70s.
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[quote name=\'Don Howard\' post=\'131861\' date=\'Sep 17 2006, 07:35 PM\']
[quote name=\'JasonA1\' post=\'131850\' date=\'Sep 17 2006, 06:13 PM\']
Am I forgetting some major out-of-game-show work he did, or would Allen Ludden fit this bill?
[/quote]
Didn't he work for CBS News in some capacity for a while?
[/quote]
The capacity I've read about is that he advised CBS News on-air personnel on wardrobe. Really.
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I just submitted my list.
I found this one easier to compile in that there were fewer good candidates for the list and that the relative shortness of the list forced me to think more carefully about who should be on it. Ranking them, as always, is the hard part.
I'm even more interested in seeing the results of this poll than I was in seeing the results of the show poll. I think there will be more surprises, both in terms of who makes or doesn't make the list and where each one ranks.
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[quote name=\'Mike Tennant\' post=\'131928\' date=\'Sep 18 2006, 10:17 AM\']
I just submitted my list.
I found this one easier to compile in that there were fewer good candidates for the list and that the relative shortness of the list forced me to think more carefully about who should be on it. Ranking them, as always, is the hard part.
[/quote]
I actually found this one harder to compile. It hurt me to leave off so many deserving hosts, and when it comes time to reveal our own submissions I'm going to have a long list of "honorable mentions." But every time I would think of another person I didn't mention before I couldn't find a place to put him/her on the list so I must've really submitted the ones I thought were best.
I even had to leave off my rather obvious choice of "funniest host of all time" because I was judging them as hosts, not as comedians.
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[quote name=\'Mike Tennant\' post=\'131928\' date=\'Sep 18 2006, 11:17 AM\']I found this one easier to compile in that there were fewer good candidates for the list and that the relative shortness of the list forced me to think more carefully about who should be on it. Ranking them, as always, is the hard part.[/quote]
Comments I've gotten have been divided between yours and other, equally valid comments that say limiting the list to only 20 is too difficult, and it should have been expanded. While I respect that thought, I think leaving it at twenty sort of forces our hands and makes us select from only the cream of the crop.
There's no question that when you pick fifty shows, your last few are hardly classics. However, when you only pick twenty hosts, there are definitely going to be some bigger names that you can't include. Still, I personally think that overall, limiting the list makes it better. It certainly makes it easier to compile, though that wasn't my reason for doing it.
Not that this has stopped some people. I just got one of my more unusual entries (no, not Mike's). Without going into detail, let's just say that there is no longer any host that appears on every list. And I didn't even recognize two of the names.
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'131931\' date=\'Sep 18 2006, 10:27 AM\']
And I didn't even recognize two of the names.
[/quote]
Oh, do share.
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So I take it, the next list is best announcers?
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Ha, I think a list of the worst game shows would be a bit more humorous and enjoyable to be honest.
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'131931\' date=\'Sep 18 2006, 08:27 AM\']
Without going into detail, let's just say that there is no longer any host that appears on every list. And I didn't even recognize two of the names.
[/quote]
Five bucks says one of them sings the anthem at Philadelphia Flyers games.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'131940\' date=\'Sep 18 2006, 12:47 PM\']
[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'131931\' date=\'Sep 18 2006, 08:27 AM\']
Without going into detail, let's just say that there is no longer any host that appears on every list. And I didn't even recognize two of the names.
[/quote]
Five bucks says one of them sings the anthem at Philadelphia Flyers games.
[/quote]
Not Kate Smith? (Although I dont have 5 bucks to spare)
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[quote name=\'Tim L\' post=\'131946\' date=\'Sep 18 2006, 10:08 AM\']
Not Kate Smith? (Although I dont have 5 bucks to spare)
[/quote]
No, she would sing "America The Beautiful."
We had a loony back in the day who would suggest that some nobody who used to be the resident Anthem singer for the Flyers would be a good host for various game shows.
As if I could have less respect for Flyer fans.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'131951\' date=\'Sep 18 2006, 01:15 PM\']
[quote name=\'Tim L\' post=\'131946\' date=\'Sep 18 2006, 10:08 AM\']
Not Kate Smith? (Although I dont have 5 bucks to spare)
[/quote]
No, she would sing "America The Beautiful."
[/quote]
Actually, that would be "God Bless America." (http://\"http://katesmith.org/gba.html\")
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We'll She probably has sang all three at least once..
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[quote name=\'itiparanoid13\' post=\'131939\' date=\'Sep 18 2006, 11:42 AM\']
Ha, I think a list of the worst game shows would be a bit more humorous and enjoyable to be honest.
[/quote]
I'll have to admit that it would be interesting.
/Firefox is nice...wish it would open a new window though and display the current contents, not the home page.
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'131816\' date=\'Sep 17 2006, 01:02 AM\']
Forty ballots have come in already, WAY ahead of last time. I've only tallied twenty of them, but here are some fun facts to keep you interested.
Remarkably, through twenty ballots, only 57 total names have been mentioned. Very few strays.
The person in first is the person you think it is. The person in second might surprise you.
Number of hosts who appear on 15 or more ballots: 10
Number of hosts who appear on exactly 19 ballots: 3
Number of hosts who appear on all twenty ballots: 1
Number of female hosts named: 3
Number of fictional characters named: 2
Number of hosting pairs named: 1
Keep 'em coming!
[/quote]
I'm dying to see if Malcolm is on here somewhere.
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I just put my list in to Matt today..The first 10 were fairly easy..The last 10 were harder..I just wrote down 20 names and then ranked those 20...The whole think took about 15 minutes..I based my list on Hosts I've actually seen, whether first run..(from the late 1960's -now) or GSN reruns..probably not the most scientific way to do it..
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[quote name=\'Tim L\' post=\'131974\' date=\'Sep 18 2006, 02:51 PM\']
.I based my list on Hosts I've actually seen, whether first run..(from the late 1960's -now) or GSN reruns..probably not the most scientific way to do it..
[/quote]
No, but definitely the fairest.
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Forty-five ballots so far, and all have been tallied. 74 different hosts (well, 75 since one's a duo) have been mentioned. Of those, 52 appear on at least two ballots. Only five hosts appear on at least 40 ballots.
In terms of mentions, female hosts now lead fictional characters 5 to 3.
I consider myself pretty up on TV in general and game shows in particular, and I still had to look up three names (two on the same ballot) to see who they were.
Fourteen of the current top twenty are living.
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'132022\' date=\'Sep 18 2006, 07:27 PM\']
In terms of mentions, female hosts now lead fictional characters 5 to 3.
[/quote]
Fictional characters? The only two that come to my mind quickly are Olmec and Cyber Lucy.
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[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'132023\' date=\'Sep 18 2006, 06:45 PM\']
[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'132022\' date=\'Sep 18 2006, 07:27 PM\']
In terms of mentions, female hosts now lead fictional characters 5 to 3.
[/quote]
Fictional characters? The only two that come to my mind quickly are Olmec and Cyber Lucy.
[/quote]
Wouldn't Guy Smiley be in the team photo?
/shoulda considered him
//my final cut should be ready sometime tonight
Doug
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Troy Stevens and Burt Luddin, maybe.
/and anyone who included either one...well, I don't need to say it again.
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Ah.. I'm thinking along the lines of non-living people, but not pseudonyms or characters. Guy Smiley is an interesting choice, if anyone so chose him.
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[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'132023\' date=\'Sep 18 2006, 07:45 PM\']
[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'132022\' date=\'Sep 18 2006, 07:27 PM\']
In terms of mentions, female hosts now lead fictional characters 5 to 3.
[/quote]
Fictional characters? The only two that come to my mind quickly are Olmec and Cyber Lucy.
[/quote]
Malcolm. Bad Chad.
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[quote name=\'MikeK\' post=\'132034\' date=\'Sep 18 2006, 08:36 PM\']
Bad Chad.
[/quote]
That was another voting process. :-P
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'132022\' date=\'Sep 18 2006, 06:27 PM\']
Forty-five ballots so far, and all have been tallied. Only five hosts appear on at least 40 ballots.[/quote]
I just submitted mine. Now that I've caught up on this thread, I think I left one name off that I should have included. But this number makes me think that's not too bad.
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I consider myself pretty up on TV in general and game shows in particular, and I still had to look up three names (two on the same ballot) to see who they were.
Barring a fairly sizeable gap in your knowledge, which I doubt, this confirms a fear I had going in: some people would be making lists featuring little-known hosts that they've seen to show what they know rather than actually make a good ballot.
-Jason
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[quote name=\'JasonA1\' post=\'132134\' date=\'Sep 19 2006, 03:43 PM\']
Barring a fairly sizeable gap in your knowledge, which I doubt, this confirms a fear I had going in: some people would be making lists featuring little-known hosts that they've seen to show what they know rather than actually make a good ballot.
[/quote]
Well, yeah.
But Matt's philosophy has always been that there are more intelligent folks than there are utter nitwits, and that the clueful vote will dilute the impact of said nitwits. And for the most part I think his previous poll bore that out.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'132140\' date=\'Sep 19 2006, 07:49 PM\']
But Matt's philosophy has always been that there are more intelligent folks than there are utter nitwits, and that the clueful vote will dilute the impact of said nitwits. And for the most part I think his previous poll bore that out.
[/quote]
Plus Matt's scoring system works against any "oddball" vote skewing the results.
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[quote name=\'cweaver\' post=\'132142\' date=\'Sep 19 2006, 05:55 PM\']
Plus Matt's scoring system works against any "oddball" vote skewing the results.
[/quote]
'Zackly. I think the whole thing is very well-thought-out, really.
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While basking in praise, let me say that yes, the three fictional characters have appeared on one ballot each, as have the three names I didn't know. For the most part, all of them were pretty far down their respective lists. By and large, all of you are playing this right down the middle, and as several have mentioned, there are a lot more than twenty absolutely worthwhile choices to pick from. I think even some of the goofier, more obscure choices can be explained as coming from younger fans who don't have as much of a sense of history and just know what they know.
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Dammit.
I just thought of a name I left off my list.
Can we resubmit?
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[quote name=\'Modor\' post=\'132151\' date=\'Sep 19 2006, 09:54 PM\']
Dammit.
I just thought of a name I left off my list.
Can we resubmit?[/quote]
If it's important to you, I'll take corrections, sure.
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'132152\' date=\'Sep 19 2006, 08:56 PM\']
[quote name=\'Modor\' post=\'132151\' date=\'Sep 19 2006, 09:54 PM\']
Dammit.
I just thought of a name I left off my list.
Can we resubmit?[/quote]
If it's important to you, I'll take corrections, sure.
[/quote]
Correction sent!
I feel a little guilty I forgot about him the first time.
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[quote name=\'Modor\' post=\'132157\' date=\'Sep 19 2006, 10:26 PM\']
I feel a little guilty I forgot about him the first time.
[/quote]
It's okay. I'm sure Matt will forgive you for forgetting to add him.
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'132150\' date=\'Sep 19 2006, 06:53 PM\']
I think even some of the goofier, more obscure choices can be explained as coming from younger fans who don't have as much of a sense of history and just know what they know.
[/quote]
So you're telling me that Phil Moore (Nick Arcade) wont be on the list!? Too bad.
//No, I didn't actually put him down.
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[quote name=\'Hastin\' post=\'132162\' date=\'Sep 19 2006, 11:07 PM\']
So you're telling me that Phil Moore (Nick Arcade) wont be on the list!? Too bad.
//No, I didn't actually put him down.
[/quote]
Sounds like a put down to me. :)
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'132144\' date=\'Sep 19 2006, 08:02 PM\']
... 'Zackly.
[/quote]
Watch it! (I know it ain't the same, but it's too close.)
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Those of you still waiting, you've got about a week to get me your lists of the twenty greatest game show hosts of all time. With fifty-eight entries so far, the first three positions seem to be solidly in place, but positions 4-6 are very close to each other, plus lots of jockeying for other positions means your vote will make a difference.
Ten individuals have received first place votes, including two that aren't in the Top 30. Everybody in the top six has multiple first place votes, plus there's a serious drop-off between number six and number seven, so we seem to have collectively identified the Big Six of all time already.
Eighty-one entries have been created, though only fifty-two of those appear on more than one ballot. (Appearing on at least two ballots will be a requirement of making the full list.) Keep 'em coming!
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Just hours left now for you to get your ballot in. Starting tomorrow, I'll reveal our picks for the greatest hosts of all time.