A Wink Martindale Pilot.
June 23, 2022 11:54 PM Subscribe
Gameshow set design from that era was really remarkable.
posted by msbrauer at 5:56 AM on June 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by msbrauer at 5:56 AM on June 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
Fascinating glimpse of what feels like a lost time; the sets, the questions, the teams (Franciscans, teachers, and IRS agents?) and the banter about whether or not IRS agents beat their husbands at the end...
But an interesting idea for a game show.
posted by nubs at 8:30 AM on June 24, 2022
But an interesting idea for a game show.
posted by nubs at 8:30 AM on June 24, 2022
And just to add on - what I found fascinating is that while there was banter, the game itself moved along quick - compare and contrast with Netflix's new game show "Would I lie to you?" where the banter & drama gets stretched out for each question, with this. The pacing is dramatically different and (I think) preferrable.
posted by nubs at 8:34 AM on June 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by nubs at 8:34 AM on June 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
It depends on whether the point of the show is the game, or the banter.
My impression (as an American) of British panel shows is that the "game" is just there to be an excuse/minimal structure to hang everything off of, and the real draw of the show is the banter and drama. Otherwise I assume they wouldn't include so many professional comedians, and opt instead for "regular" people who had less-developed bantering skills.
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:56 AM on June 24, 2022 [3 favorites]
My impression (as an American) of British panel shows is that the "game" is just there to be an excuse/minimal structure to hang everything off of, and the real draw of the show is the banter and drama. Otherwise I assume they wouldn't include so many professional comedians, and opt instead for "regular" people who had less-developed bantering skills.
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:56 AM on June 24, 2022 [3 favorites]
That's a good point, Greg_Ace, and my takeaway is: If you're going to do banter, have professional comedians.
posted by nubs at 8:57 AM on June 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by nubs at 8:57 AM on June 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
I hope that doesn't extend to Metafilter, or I'd have to stop commenting entirely...
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:15 AM on June 24, 2022
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:15 AM on June 24, 2022
(not to imply that I'm a "regular person" by any stretch)
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:16 AM on June 24, 2022
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:16 AM on June 24, 2022
Fascinating glimpse of what feels like a lost time; the sets, the questions, the teams (Franciscans, teachers, and IRS agents?) and the banter about whether or not IRS agents beat their husbands at the end...
On cable I've seen this game show called "Idiotest." The game itself is fairly generic brain-teaser material, but I love their teams of opponents for each show: "Best Friends vs. Sisters," "Police Officers vs. Germophobes," and so on.
posted by rhizome at 11:13 AM on June 24, 2022
On cable I've seen this game show called "Idiotest." The game itself is fairly generic brain-teaser material, but I love their teams of opponents for each show: "Best Friends vs. Sisters," "Police Officers vs. Germophobes," and so on.
posted by rhizome at 11:13 AM on June 24, 2022
Netflix's new game show "Would I lie to you?" where the banter & drama gets stretched out for each question
This is a thing now, I think to help stretch half-hour game shows to an hour. The Weakest Link, The Chase, Masked Singer...every interaction and development is bookended by patter and cheers, every confirmation is "and the answer is...[several seconds elapse as camera cuts eight times]...Gomer Pyle." It's maddening.
posted by rhizome at 11:17 AM on June 24, 2022
This is a thing now, I think to help stretch half-hour game shows to an hour. The Weakest Link, The Chase, Masked Singer...every interaction and development is bookended by patter and cheers, every confirmation is "and the answer is...[several seconds elapse as camera cuts eight times]...Gomer Pyle." It's maddening.
posted by rhizome at 11:17 AM on June 24, 2022
Wink Martindale and his team (several others in the game show business) have been posting game show pilots and other rare game show videos to YouTube for several years. Hot Potato was a Barry and Enright production. B&E is probably more well-known for shows like The Joker's Wild and Tic-Tac-Dough, though Hot Potato was one of several attempts by B&E to rip off other popular game shows.
Due to a terrible timeslot, the show was short-lived (and interestingly enough, Family Feud, of which Hot Potato was a blatant copy, went off the air just over a year after Hot Potato died). A misguided attempt to add celebrities to the game did not help, and probably hastened its demise.
Two friends of mine have an excellent site dedicated to Bill Cullen here. You can read more about Hot Potato here and this pilot here.
posted by DRoll at 4:21 PM on June 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
Due to a terrible timeslot, the show was short-lived (and interestingly enough, Family Feud, of which Hot Potato was a blatant copy, went off the air just over a year after Hot Potato died). A misguided attempt to add celebrities to the game did not help, and probably hastened its demise.
Two friends of mine have an excellent site dedicated to Bill Cullen here. You can read more about Hot Potato here and this pilot here.
posted by DRoll at 4:21 PM on June 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
Greg_Ace - you’re bang on about this. Occasionally guests / guest hosts make the very gauche mistake of appearing to care about the score, as if it were actually a thing.
posted by breakfast burrito at 4:49 PM on June 24, 2022
posted by breakfast burrito at 4:49 PM on June 24, 2022
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posted by rhizome at 3:03 AM on June 24, 2022