Thursday, April 30, 2020

Thursday Movie Picks: TV Edition-Game Shows


Hi, Wink Martindale here and I am so glad to be hosting here..why Birgit allowed me to write here is beyond me but I am not complaining. Well, I do believe Bob Barker is actually an alien, that evil bastard but I digress. Over at Wandering Through The Shelves the theme are TV Shows and I am so happy to talk about Tic, Tac Toe which her dad loved watching before The Muppet Show. Oh...ok I won’t show my show which was the best show ever, I will concentrate on Canadian TV Shows that Boom Boom Birgie loved watching. Here they are...

1. PARTY GAME-1970-1981


When most kids were playing outside on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, Birgit was watching this show that featured Dinah Christie, Jack Duffy and Bobby Van who would each be on two teams, sitting on a couch playing charades. Yup a game show on Charades with really tough words and sentences that they had to decipher in a certain time limit. I don’t know what the party guests won, maybe some turtle wax but it was fun seeing the banter.

2. THIS IS THE LAW-1971-1976


I think Miss. Birgie talked about this show before but she loves it so much that she whipped..Er, strongly suggested I talk about this very interesting game show. You would have celebrity(hahaaa) guests paired with participants who would watch a silent Short taking place in some town where the person in this short, would get arrested by the cop and now you had to guess the obscure law that the person in the short broke. It was an original show and I want to watch more episodes as Birgit got me hooked.

3. DEFINITION-1974-1989


We know this theme music well because of the Austin Powers movies which was composed by Quincy Jones..pretty cool. There were 2 teams who had to guess which letters were in that saying or word. The Jim Perry, would give clues in puns and if you won, you could get $10 for each letter..a whole $*(+ $10 dollars! You were very special is you won a fridge...Man, these Canadians were cheap in the winnings.

Ok, I have to choose one more because this show was on forever

4. FRONT PAGE CHALLENGE-1957-1995


Some famous faces were on this program from Malcolm X, Boris Gandhi to Shania Twain. The panel of journalists had to guess who and why these famous people were involved in some major news story of that day, afterward. the  journalists would question the guest. This is one very cool show that is intelligent and much better than people screaming because they won a car..too bad they no longer have the episode with Jayne Mansfield.

This was fun and I am so glad that Birgit..oh oh , she came back from her walk I gotta go but I leave you with one more...

TIC, TAC, DOUGH- 1978-1986


I know this was on before but nothing compared to my hosting this program even though I left in 1985 to do another game show. Basically 2 guests had to answer questions to get either an X or an O. There's more to it but this is it in a nutshell and we gave out more than $10 or a fridge so people loved getting our prizes. Now I gotta go before Birgit sees what I've written. I wanted to talk about this one because her daddy died this day back in 1988. Let's toast to her dad.

Which Game Shows would you pick?

What tv game show would you pick?

39 comments:

  1. Once I understood the theme, the first thought was Name that Tune (1953-1959). Back in the early 70's we would play it on our breaks at the hospital. Never saw any of the shows you mentioned.

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    1. I liked Name That Tune. I am not surprised you don't know the shows I mentioned as they are, except for Tic Tac Dough, all Canadian

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    2. But I live in Detroit and always had access to Canadian TV. I just never watched much of it from the 70's - 2000. Now, I enjoy programs on the CBC.

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  2. Hi, Birgit (uh, I mean Wink)!

    This is a fascinating post featuring game shows of the past that Birgit watched in Canada. I am not familiar with any of them except Tic, Tac Dough. Question: Where did Wink get all those perfect teeth? First of all, I want to tell you that I owned Wink Martindale's hit record, the religious spoken word recording about a young soldier and his "Deck Of Cards." Did you ever hear it? If not I'm sure it is on YouTube.

    I never saw Party Game, but I regularly watched a U.S. produced game show based on Charades. It was called Pantomime Quiz, later renamed Mike Stokey's Stump the Stars.

    This is the Law is a brilliant idea for a game show. I didn't know it is illegal and you can get arrested for hauling manure outside the barn in that part of Alberta. "Shit happens." :)

    This is a very educational post, dear friend BB. Thank you and enjoy the rest of your week!

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    1. I had no clue Wink had a record done. Deck of Cards sounds familiar so I have to look it up. I loved Party Game which was done in Hamilton. It really was low budget but so much fun to watch. This Is The Law is a great concept and one I loved watching.

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  3. I can still watch reruns of the old Match Game.

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    1. I love the original Match Game and will watch it when it's on

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  4. Never heard of these. My game shows game is terrible haha

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  5. The only one I know is Tic Tac Dough though I think I only saw it maybe twice. Party Game reminds me very much of Stump the Stars which had the same setup and was on when I was a kid.

    I don't watch any game shows now but I watched quite a few when I was younger. I usually preferred ones that required some skill and intelligence rather than crap like Let's Make a Deal.

    The $25,000 Pyramid (1973-1988)-Starting in ’73 as the $10,000 Pyramid the game is played in two parts-two teams consisting of one contestant and one celebrity play three rounds of seven words which must be guessed by a description. Whichever team gets the highest score moves over to the Winner’s Circle where six subjects (in a pyramid shape) must be guessed using only a list in one minute. If all are guessed the contestant wins the title amount. Requiring both focus and a keen mind Dick Clark hosted the series in this iteration with a sure hand keeping the game moving. The latest tricked out version isn’t nearly as good with Michael Strahan doing a terrible hosting job but the game is strong enough to withstand even his feebleness and the weak, braying celebs and contestants that seem to populate it now. Betty White was a regular guest celebrity!

    Password (1961-1989)-Again two teams consisting of one celebrity and one contestant try to guess a series of words which then are clues to a word puzzle. The first to solve three puzzles moves to Super Password where they attempt to guess ten words in alphabetical order for a big money prize. Betty White (she was married to original host Allen Ludden) was a regular guest celebrity!

    Match Game (1962-1982)-Two contestants give answers to a series of fill in the blank questions and try to match the six celebrity panel to win big cash. Hosted by Gene Rayburn this goofy, freewheeling show (a week’s worth of shows were filmed in one day and the celebrities were known to imbibe heavily during the lunch break) was famous for its suggestive questions and madcap antics. Betty White was a regular guest celebrity!

    Bonus oddity:

    Celebrity Bowling (1971-1978)-Exactly what the title says. Two teams of celebs bowl to win prizes for selected home viewers! Bizarre show somehow managed to last an incredible seven years!! As far as I know Betty White was never a guest celeb!

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    1. I love the Betty White connection...except for the last one. We had a bowling game show too..I just don't get it. I have to see who was on that Celebrity Bowling. I love all 3 of your picks and so agree about Michael Sheehan who needs to vacate that hosting duty. The original was excellent and I love Password. I remember seeing an Odd Couple episode where Felix was on it and created a shambles. I love Match Game and didn't know they had some liquid lunches...Hahahaaa. That explains a lot. Who doesn't love Charles Nelson Reilly

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  6. Is This The Law? sounds funny, and I think I *may* have heard of it before, all of these are new to me.

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    1. This is the Law is funny because they made the skits silent but with a real law and you had to guess that.I rarely got it right.

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  7. I remember you, Wink! ☺ Boom Boom Birgie always picks interesting stuff for these themes. I used to watch Party Game, and remember most of the others, but not This Is The Law. Sounds fascinating! My favourites were Hollywood Squares, Match Game and The Newlywed Game.

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    1. I knew you would know some of these. Frankly, I thought I was the only person who watched This is the Law until my brother commented he watched it to at the same time I watched it. My mom each gave us B & W TVs so we would not bother her or Daddy. I never knew he watched it until just a few years ag9.

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  8. Toasting your dad! Thanks Wink for your take on Birgit's favorite game shows. I hadn't seen any of these but then I saw she picked Canadian ones (or perhaps you picked them for her Wink - wink :) I liked and still like Jeopardy here. I actually enjoy that I get a few of the answers right too :)

    betty

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    1. Jeopardy is excellent and I love watching it to but my hubby hates it. I think Alex Trebek is great and I, too, am glad when I get some answers right.

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  9. I would choose:

    - The Match Game - both incarnations (NBC and CBS)
    - Hollywood Squares
    - The Price Is Right
    - Password in all its forms (Password, Password Plus, and Super Password)
    - What's My Line?
    - To Tell The Truth
    - the ones that have survived (Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune)

    I could sit here all day and talk about game shows, past and present. The best part of summer vacation was watching them.

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    1. I watched all of these and love the original Match Game and I love What’s My Line. I also loved Truth or Consequences hosted by Bob Barker. Who does love Hollywood Squares with the great Paul Lynde

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  10. All lost on me! I was trying to remember what we had but could only remember Take the Money and The Generation Game. And those are probably lost on you!

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    1. They are lost on me but love to know more about them

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  11. Those look like fun. I have so many associations with various game shows over the years. I see commenters have mentioned Match Game and Hollywood Squares. My mother loves those.

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    1. Yes, those 2 are great and my mom loved Jeopardy and would watch Wheel of Fortune more because it was on right after Jeopardy

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  12. I don't really watch game shows, but the new match game can be a good laugh. I do like Jeopardy and shows where I can acually test to see what I know. Or usually don't!

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    1. I love the old Match Game which was just as hilarious...can’t beat Charles Nelson Reilly. I love Jeopardy and am happy when I know the answers

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  13. I've not seen any of these, but I'm not anywhere near Canada, so I don't suppose I ever will see them. I watch Jeopardy daily. It's my one fix I can't miss. Loved the synopses for these shows, even if Birgit didn't write them (yea, right)!

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    1. Wink says hi:) Jeopardy is great and love it when I get one right

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  14. I never saw any of those Canadian game shows, but I used to watch a lot of game shows.

    I used to watch a lot of game shows. I enjoyed Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Wheel of Fortune, and, from way back, Hollywood Squares.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

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    1. Who Wants To Be a Millionaire is a fun show and sometimes I am shocked when they don’t know the answer and need a lifeline. Hollywood Squares is great and love Paul Lynde

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  15. No "Mad Dash"? :-)

    I'm not Canadian but saw Definition the one time we visited Canada. I went with three shows from Canadian Alex Trebek instead.

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    1. I forgot about Mad Dash! I loved your Alex Trebek special

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  16. I'd go for Whammy. Hollywood Squares I enjoyed way back when. This is the law sounds interesting indeed.

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    1. I don't know Whammy at all. Loved Hollywood Squares

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  17. I used to like to watch THE DATING GAME and HOLLYWOOD SQUARES was usually pretty funny.

    Overall, though, I've never really spent a whole lotta time watching game shows.

    ~ D-FensDogG
    STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS

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    1. The Dating Game was so icky but I watched it and love Hollywood Squares..Paul Lynde was great

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  18. Hi sis! Interesting topic... though I thought you may talk about movies with a game-show theme. I was all set to reference a movie called "Quiz Show" which I'm sure you are already familiar with. Highly recommended! Hey, Canadian game shows weren't necessarily "cheap" with their prizes... I think they were legally limited as to the value of what they could give away. "This is the Law" was a show all of us would watch on occasion... mom and dad both liked it. I remember one of the regular panelists on the show was a gregarious and funny guy named Hart Pomerantz. He was actually a Toronto-based lawyer. I did some research on him and he is buddies with Lorne Michaels, the long-time driving force behind Saturday Night Live. Hart had a brother named Earl who went on to become a TV sitcom scripwriter for shows like the Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, Taxi, Cheers, and The Cosby Show. Not a bad resume! Small world, eh?Oh, and I think I also have to reference my all-time favourite episode of The Honeymooners in which Ralph Kramden gets a chance to participate on a fictional game show called the $99,000 Answer. If you haven't seen it, please watch it... I think it's on YouTube. Absolutely hilarious to this day!

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  19. I love Quiz Show-excellent film! Yes, they were limited by what they could give but at least they didn't give 20 years supply of turtle wax. You know, I don't remember watching This Is The Law with mom and dad. Funny how the brain works...I only recall watching it on my own. I forgot he carpet set though-LOL. That is interesting about this guy named Hart...never knew that. Yes, I know that episode with Ralph Kramden and it is hilarious. The fictional game show is actually a take on the show that Quiz was talking about..well, maybe the other one the $64,000 question which was also giving the answers to the people. I know, one one of them Vincent Price was on as a guest as he loved the show and his expertise was on either art or cuisine...I forget. Dr. Joyce Bros won for knowing about ...bowling! Yeah..maybe she was given the answers.

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  20. I don't think I've ever seen a Canadian game show, they don't get exported much I suppose.

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  21. Cheers, Birgit's Dad! How come we didn't get good game shows like yours?

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