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The Game Show Forum => Game Show Channels & Networks => Topic started by: Winkfan on January 13, 2015, 05:49:55 PM

Title: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: Winkfan on January 13, 2015, 05:49:55 PM
Just checked out the GSN schedule for 1/26-2/1/2015. Two items of note here: Match Game jumps back to May 1978 with a week featuring Bill Anderson, Didi Carr, & Marcia Wallace, not to mention the regs. This means we'll witness the arrival of the "Star Wheel" and the new set; oh, and the departure of Richard Dawson. (Yes, he's back on GSN, if only for a few weeks.)

Also, The $25,000 Pyramid will air a week with Shelley Smith and Nathan Cook that I don't think they've aired. Correct me if I'm wrong on that.

Cordially,
Tammy
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: ivoryman1986 on January 13, 2015, 06:27:12 PM
Just checked out the GSN schedule for 1/26-2/1/2015. Two items of note here: Match Game jumps back to May 1978 with a week featuring Bill Anderson, Didi Carr, & Marcia Wallace, not to mention the regs. This means we'll witness the arrival of the "Star Wheel" and the new set; oh, and the departure of Richard Dawson. (Yes, he's back on GSN, if only for a few weeks.)

Also, The $25,000 Pyramid will air a week with Shelley Smith and Nathan Cook that I don't think they've aired. Correct me if I'm wrong on that.

Cordially,
Tammy
Tammy, the $25,000 Pyramid week of episodes that you indicated has aired on GSN many years before, the only difference between the coming airings of that week's episodes and the green ball-era airings of this week is if there's any Mystery 7 wins during this week, we'd hear the Mystery 7 prize descriptions where in all the airings of the green ball-era years the Mystery 7 prize plugs were somehow omitted altogether. IIRC, they stopped at that very week of episodes before the rerun-abused Vintage Squares took over the time slot the $25,000 Pyramid had and Love Connection entered the network.
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: aaron sica on January 14, 2015, 09:05:30 AM
I wonder if they only had rights to the first syndicated season and just certain weeks of it...That would seem to check out why they switched it up..
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: BillCullen1 on January 14, 2015, 01:34:51 PM
I wonder if they only had rights to the first syndicated season and just certain weeks of it...That would seem to check out why they switched it up.. 

Or perhaps the ratings for syndie MG weren't as good as the CBS version.
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: BillCullen1 on February 02, 2015, 01:03:54 PM
On the MG '78 episodes seen today (2/2), Dawson does not look happy to be there. Gene said that audience members wanted Dawson to smile, and the big wheel has NOT been introduced yet. Guests are David Doyle, Elaine Joyce and Betty White.
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: Jimmy Owen on February 02, 2015, 06:54:16 PM
Depending on the tape date, maybe the murder of Bob Crane had something to do with the sour mood?
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: WarioBarker on February 02, 2015, 07:29:16 PM
Per Match Game.org (http://web.archive.org/web/20051102195054/http://www.matchgame.org/episodeguides/matchgame/mg78.html), this week aired in late May/early June 1978, taped April 29.
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: dale_grass on February 02, 2015, 09:07:06 PM
Depending on the tape date, maybe the murder of Bob Crane had something to do with the sour mood?
Per Match Game.org (http://web.archive.org/web/20051102195054/http://www.matchgame.org/episodeguides/matchgame/mg78.html), this week aired in late May/early June 1978, taped April 29.

Crane's death occurred in June.  Perhaps Richard was miffed at the surcharge incurred by not rewinding a tape before returning it to Crane, being too rushed to avoid late fees.
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: BillCullen1 on February 16, 2015, 11:28:52 PM
The star wheel was introduced on the first MG show this morning (2/16).
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: BillCullen1 on February 18, 2015, 01:05:56 PM
We're up to the second week of the star wheel, with McLean Stevenson as a guest. So far the wheel has stopped on Richard Dawson twice.
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: Thunder on February 18, 2015, 04:45:18 PM
I'm sadly willing to bet that someone has or is compiling statistics on the Star Wheel results.
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: JonSea31 on February 18, 2015, 08:15:42 PM
As of lately, I believe the episodes from May or early-June 1978 have not aired since 2002, and when we get to July 4, 1978, GSN will likely be showing episodes last seen in 2005, unless I am mistaken.  2005 was when GSN had its "July 4th skip", skipping over multiple weeks of Match Game, Super Password and Password Plus just to synch up with July 4 in present time then (2005).

And around what date in the run did Richard Dawson's final Match Game appearance originally air?
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: ivoryman1986 on February 18, 2015, 09:56:01 PM
As of lately, I believe the episodes from May or early-June 1978 have not aired since 2002, and when we get to July 4, 1978, GSN will likely be showing episodes last seen in 2005, unless I am mistaken.  2005 was when GSN had its "July 4th skip", skipping over multiple weeks of Match Game, Super Password and Password Plus just to synch up with July 4 in present time then (2005).

And around what date in the run did Richard Dawson's final Match Game appearance originally air?
I believe it was August 16, 1978. His last MGPM appearance was taped in early August '78.
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: BillCullen1 on February 25, 2015, 12:30:43 PM
Just checked out the GSN schedule for 1/26-2/1/2015. Two items of note here: Match Game jumps back to May 1978 with a week featuring Bill Anderson, Didi Carr, & Marcia Wallace, not to mention the regs. This means we'll witness the arrival of the "Star Wheel" and the new set; oh, and the departure of Richard Dawson. (Yes, he's back on GSN, if only for a few weeks.)

Cordially,
Tammy

The new set debuted today, with Nipsey, Fannie and Susan Richardson of Eight is Enough. The previous week had Henry Morgan. I believe that was his only appearance on MG.
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: Vahan_Nisanian on February 25, 2015, 12:39:16 PM
Just checked out the GSN schedule for 1/26-2/1/2015. Two items of note here: Match Game jumps back to May 1978 with a week featuring Bill Anderson, Didi Carr, & Marcia Wallace, not to mention the regs. This means we'll witness the arrival of the "Star Wheel" and the new set; oh, and the departure of Richard Dawson. (Yes, he's back on GSN, if only for a few weeks.)

Cordially,
Tammy

The new set debuted today, with Nipsey, Fannie and Susan Richardson of Eight is Enough. The previous week had Henry Morgan. I believe that was his only appearance on MG.

And Gene Rayburn says he loves the new set. I love it, too.
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: aaron sica on February 25, 2015, 01:43:43 PM
And Gene Rayburn says he loves the new set. I love it, too.

I was always more of a fan of set #2 as well. More colors, and of course, the Star Wheel. The Wheel was what hooked me to the show when I first saw it as a very young child.
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: BrandonFG on February 25, 2015, 03:42:09 PM
I dunno how to explain it, but the second set looked....."cleaner". Either that or, that even in 1978, the orange, shag carpet and stucco just looked really dated.
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: PYLdude on February 25, 2015, 09:52:12 PM
I dunno how to explain it, but the second set looked....."cleaner". Either that or, that even in 1978, the orange, shag carpet and stucco just looked really dated.

I say both statements are certainly accurate. New set was certainly brighter, for sure. And I might even argue the original set never really looked modern to begin with. To me, it always had that old parlor with the dingy furnishings and smoke stained wall look about it.
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: BrandonFG on February 25, 2015, 10:59:53 PM
"Smoke stained" is a perfect description. :-)
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: jjman920 on February 25, 2015, 11:26:21 PM
The reason I enjoyed the original set more was because of how warm it was. It oozed literally every stylistic trope of the era. The updated set, while more modern, seemed cold and a bit too bright with all the white. It was such a stark contrast to what was there previously. I agree that by '78 the times were a changing, but that was a bit too much.

The original set also means to me, the apex of the show. The show was at its best on that set in my opinion. More time, zanier Gene. While the new set had nothing to do with that (they were going to lose time no matter what the set), I was still left with an impression of that version. Plus, I'm probably biased because dingy smoke stained orange and beige reminds me of the living room I was babysat in.
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: BillCullen1 on March 13, 2015, 02:00:10 PM
And it has happened. As of the MG '78 episode aired on March 13, Dawson has left the building. Bob Barker sits in his chair on the second show aired. There was a noticeable edit when Gene acknowledges Barker. who mentions something about the British empire. Rayburn says "We thought he was going to be here forever." He then banters with the others and introduces the contestants.
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: That Don Guy on March 18, 2015, 03:59:05 PM
I dunno how to explain it, but the second set looked....."cleaner". Either that or, that even in 1978, the orange, shag carpet and stucco just looked really dated.
Did the "new set" switch colors at some point?  I seem to recall that the celebrity podiums were red at one time and blue at another.
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: chrisholland03 on March 18, 2015, 04:56:53 PM
The corrugated backdrop behind the lower tier changed from a dark blue to a light blue (matching the corrugated contestant backdrop) after the first week or so.  They also switched up the background lighting from time to time (shades of orange and blue).
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: WhammyPower on March 19, 2015, 11:23:40 AM
The corrugated backdrop behind the lower tier changed from a dark blue to a light blue (matching the corrugated contestant backdrop) after the first week or so.  They also switched up the background lighting from time to time (shades of orange and blue).
And they also removed the white fill-in from the contestants score displays.
Compare:

Premiere of blue set:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWNXeSpiTFs

Episode from final week:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg6EVsYW_V0
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: BillCullen1 on April 20, 2015, 07:50:49 AM
A rare MG sighting. A couple of weeks back, they aired the week when Raymond Burr made his only appearance on MG. He was in the Richard Dawson memorial chair. He got several matches.
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: Neumms on April 28, 2015, 08:24:26 PM
Perhaps the least star-studded panel the CBS version ever saw just ended on GSN: From Carter Country Guich Cook, BS, CNR, from What's Happening!! Mabel King, from Flying (or was it Flyin') High, Ken Olson, and MW.

Granted, the three newcomers were all working at the time--Gene noted that Mabel King was also in The Wiz with Nipsey Russell, and Gulch and Ken certainly tried their best--but it was weird to see that many unfamiliar faces, I suspect even watching in '78.
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: aaron sica on October 14, 2015, 02:27:29 PM
Bumping this because, per the GSN schedule for October 28, the second episode at 8:30am (EST) starts the journey back to MG78, episode 1216.
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: JonSea31 on October 14, 2015, 06:45:18 PM
Bumping this because, per the GSN schedule for October 28, the second episode at 8:30am (EST) starts the journey back to MG78, episode 1216.

I don't see a PDF schedule for that week on Casey Abell's blog.
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: BrandonFG on October 14, 2015, 08:09:41 PM
Bumping this because, per the GSN schedule for October 28, the second episode at 8:30am (EST) starts the journey back to MG78, episode 1216.

I don't see a PDF schedule for that week on Casey Abell's blog.
Your source was your first mistake.
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: whewfan on October 15, 2015, 11:05:49 AM
Depending on the tape date, maybe the murder of Bob Crane had something to do with the sour mood?

No, I don't think so. He would've mentioned Crane's death on Family Feud, which to my recollection he never did. I do remember him mentioning Bing Crosby's death, and Crosby produced Hogan's Heroes. I don't think he was close to Bob Crane. He was at this breaking point as of this time though. There were rare moments where he was in better mood and interacted more, but he never really snapped out of it. In one of Gene Rayburn's interviews that someone did a while back, he said that the producers were playing backgammon with him to get him in a good mood (Richard loved backgammon) but obviously it didn't work too well.

One nice thing to say about Dawson though is that he always remembered people's birthdays and was generous with gifts, which is likely why on Family Feud, they always surprised Richard on his birthday. (That, and maybe Howard Felscher liked seeing a man with a big ego totally lose it and cry his eyes out on national TV)
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: clemon79 on October 15, 2015, 12:38:03 PM
The ex-rectum speculation is INCREDIBLY strong in the above post.
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: BillCullen1 on October 30, 2015, 07:20:28 PM
Yes GSN is now airing MG '78 Bill Anderson was on this week. It's the old set, no wheel and Richard at least looks like he's having a good time.
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: SRIV94 on November 03, 2015, 12:53:23 PM
Yes GSN is now airing MG '78 Bill Anderson was on this week. It's the old set, no wheel and Richard at least looks like he's having a good time.

That'll change shortly.  Unless it aired today, the "refuses to smile" ep is forthcoming (probably the next day or so).
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: BillCullen1 on November 05, 2015, 07:03:34 PM
Sure enough, it aired on Wednesday, Nov. 4
Title: Re: GSN goes to MG '78
Post by: SRIV94 on November 05, 2015, 10:50:31 PM
So it aired on both GSN and Buzzr within a couple of weeks of one another.  Interesting.