The Ancient Wheel in the Daytime

Well, you'll see that yesterday's post is about older Wheel of Fortune. Well today, we'll go back even further to the NBC daytime era. It started in 1975 on NBC, but Pat and Vanna aren't there. Yup we're screwed. Instead Chuck Woolery hosted it. I do have to say he did a very good job hosting. It fit well. Susan Stafford was the original hostess. Yeah the word "Vanna" seems a lot more fitting for today. But she did good too. Unfortunately the shopping was still around, but Chuck makes it worth watching. He left in 1981 and was replaced by Pat Sajak, who still hosts the show today. Susan left in 1982 and was replaced by Vanna White. Susan was guest-hostess for a week in June 1986 on the daytime version. They did OK on the daytime version.

However, when we talk about awful game show hosts, Rolf Benirschke. He looked uncomfortable during the show, and it was totally unwatchable, and the shopping didn't help either (yeah, it wasn't that great). I think announcer M.G. Kelly should've taken over instead, after seeing a segment with him being introduced, he seemed to have fit in well. The show was cancelled in June 1989, but was brought back 3 weeks later on CBS. Bob Goen hosted it for 2 years on CBS, it moved back to NBC in 1991 and was then cancelled. Vanna stayed with it though. Bob did real good, and they dropped the shopping. The only downside was it was about as cheap as cheap. Yep, the show sure has changed.

The Older Wheel

In a group of tapes I got, I got some old reruns of Wheel of Fortune from the "infamous" 1988-1989 season. (It's called infamous because internet game show boardies hate it because GSN ran it more than once). But anyway, it's definetley different than the episodes today. Back then, Vanna actually had to turn all of the letters. Pat looked a lot younger, and the wheel didn't make a lot of noise. There was also a free spin wedge, and all you had to do was land on it, and you got the free spin. Same with prize wedges, you land on it, you pick it up, then guess a letter. Some changes have took place, where you have to guess the letter first before you get it. Adding a little more challenge. Not to mention the sound effects were also different back then. I like the newer ones, although I like the old category intro sound better than the new one (which debuted in July 1989), I don't know why I like it better, I just do.

One thing that sucked about the older ones is the shopping. Gee the prizes were awful, and it was waste of time. When the nighttime show eliminated it in 1987 there was more puzzles that were able to be fit in a show other than just 3. Although they're not totally unwatchable. It's interesting to see how much the show has evolved. It's definetley better today in 2012 then compared to 1984.

Online Pick of the Week (5/27) - Train Of Thought Solid Gold

Well, I'm tired and want to go to bed, but before I do, here's a performance of Train of Thought from aha on Solid Gold enjoy.

Train of Thought, My Online Pick of the week

And, We Change....AGAIN

Well, GSN is changing the schedule yet again, and daytime looks to be getting some changes.Let's look at them, shall we.

At 8:00am, Match Game departs and Richard Dawson's Family Feud moves in. There's your first error. His version of Feud has proven it cannot start of the day. Remember 2 years ago when Dawson's version couldn't crack 100K on a regular basis. It does currently at 9:00am, but that's because he's got Gene as a lead-in. This will hurt whatever is at 8:30am, which is still Match Game 74. 


At 9:00am is Password Plus. Looks to me like the show is failing at 10:00am, and they're giving it a throwaway slot. And with a potential week 9:00am hour, yep, this show's gonna fail :( I also wonder if they will run the episodes they have now 7 days a week considering the fact the show got added to Weekends. Meaning if they air an episode Friday, meaning the next episode will air Saturday. Hm.

As for the next change, The $100,000 Pyramid will air at 10:00am. Well, here's the first good part I see. Good addition, whether it be 1985-1986, or even 1987-1988 (Which they're airing), good move.

And Chain Reaction will air at 11:30am. Yeah, GSN's version. I think Match Game should've been left there.

And for Noon, we've got Jeopardy!. Hm, that's interesting, Alex always seems to show up in that spot.

I Was Wrong, Dead Wrong

Well, I just got off vacation from beautiful Victoria British Columbia in Canada. While I was eating lunch at the Bay Centre mall, while enjoying some pizza and  pasta and root beer, I used the slow Wifi there, and came across some good news. GSN's online schedule listed Donnymid Monday at 10:30am, and The $25,000 Pyramid for the other days. To my surprise, I saw a thread that said they aired The $25,000 Pyramid that morning. Hm, well, there's one thing I was wrong about, as you've read in my blog posts. I also said there was no new lease of episodes. They aired the June 20, 1986 episode, which is an episode they have not yet aired, and they aired the next consecutive episode after that. Well, I feel stupid, and apologize for my cynical behavior. Yes, I was wrong again, and I am glad to see different episodes back, and it looks like we've got some good stuff coming up, like an All*Star week, Bill Cullen playing the game again, the 1,000th episode, and much more. That's pretty exciting.

I did like seeing Donnymid again though. That was fun, and it was a placeholder. This situation, It's almost like The Music Man. Charlie Cowell says there is no boys band, and what do ya know, one is organized, although this sounds much better.

Online Pick of the Week (5/20)

For this week, I picked the finale of Jim Perry's Card Sharks. It had a very good run, and this was an excellent episode. And I'm heading to Canada right now, now how appropriate featuring a guy who hosted a Canadian game show. Enjoy

Card Sharks 1981 Finale My Online Pick of the Week

Please Keep Things Up To Date

Well, obviously GSN made a switch. They are no longer airing The $25,000 Pyramid and are now airing Donnymid (the newer version hosted by Donny Osmond) Now, I used to be an Older show Fanboy I will admit that, so I know where they're coming from. As of late, all of the Clark's version episodes have been replaced by Donnymid. There are many theories on what is going on, but here is what I think. Well, I do think a lease expired which explains the randon jumping around that happened during the first week of may. Now, last month, I think GSN knew that, so the PDF's just put "New" in the place of the episode numbers. With Crunch Time coming up and realizing they had nothing filled there, Donnymid was put there. I bet any $25,000 Pyramid listings past 5/4/12 are bull. There is no new lease, the probably was no new lease, and there may never be any new lease. I don't think that's rocket science. It's not that hard to understand. Yeah I like Clark's better than Donny's, but obviously Donny is doing quite well, it's still the same game we all know and love, just with someone else controlling it, and a slight bit more challenging. Dick had a good run, and yeah he died, but when you're in business, respect things like that, really don't matter. I think Donnymid is set in stone for now, but GSN seems to be slow in updating the schedule. Please just list Donnymid from now on so those board members who think The $25,000 Pyramid is coming back with a different season can shut up. That is all.

The New and Old Clock

Well, some Youtuber decided to upload some rare gems that GSN aired a few years ago. I do have to say, this is an older show that I enjoyed. Beat the Clock was not the most interesting show, but it could be fun. The 1969-1974 version of the show was my favorite, even though it was dirt cheap. It was just nothing but fun. Jack Narz was a good host at this show. And the pipe organ music was fun. The celebrity guests also did some shows, like Tom Kennedy, Patti Decutcsh, Dick Clark, Leslie Nielsen, Richard Dawson, and others. It was just fun to see them win stunts, and also a little bit of proof big money isn't necessarily the key to all game shows. I mean this show gave out very cheap amounts, I won't lie about that. But the stunts were fun, and it was fun to watch the celebrities.

Announcer Gene Wood took over when Jack Narz left in 1972. He did a very respectable job. As a matter of fact, he seems to be the one everyone remembers from this version. He did a good job, but I preferred Jack. Hey the show was still fun. Also later in the run, it was just one couple, instead of 2 couples competing against each other. It was really fun IMO. Yeah, it was better than the original B&W version.

Online Pick of the Week (5/13) - Color I've Got a Secret

Well for this week, I chose a color episode of I've Got A Secret from 1972, with Greg Morris as the Guest.

I've Got A Secret, My Online Pick of the Week

Online Pick of the Week (5/5) - Three on a Match

Well, in memory of Bob Stewart, I chose one of his creations. Three on A Match. Bill Cullen Hosts. If you follow all episodes that still exist, you'll see the big winner Fred Abrahams. Enjoy.

R.I.P. Bob Stewart

Out With the Old, and In With The New

Well, for this next week (and possibly beyond), GSN will be airing Donnymid at 10:30am and 3:00am replacing The $25,000 Pyramid. They say it should last only a week, but I highly doubt it. I personally think $25K is a goner. Sorry, I think that's what the NEW meant on the PDF's. Well, we'll just see what happens. It's a good exchange for me. I love Donnymid and he was a good host. I also liked the 6/20 format. The only thing that pissed me off was the judging. Really, Bike is not good enough for bicycle? Give me a break. Well, I'm excited. And also apparently $25K is on Friday nights still, but for how long? We'll just wait and see. I doubt it's a placeholder for a different season of $25K.

Remembering a Legend - Bob Stewart

Well, just a couple weeks after the famous host of Pyramid  Dick Clark passed away, the creator dies. Bob Stewart, the creator of Pyramid, and other shows like Chain Reaction, Jackpot! Go!, The Price is Right, Password passed away yesterday at the age of 91 from natural causes. Well, 91 is a long life. I do have to say, Bob was a bright man. Many of his formats and shows were awesome, and fun. And yes, I enjoyed Three on a Match a little bit. Pyramid is my absolute favorite of his productions. Chain Reaction was my 2nd favorite. He created a lot of good stuff, and we owe a great deal of thanks to him.

R.I.P. Bob Stewart

Condolences to his family at this difficult time.

Let Them Eat Waffles

Thinking back to my childhood, I do have to say one of my favorite cartoons was Invader Zim. I once again got hooked early in 2010 when Nicktoons brought it back. Ah it was a funny show, Zim was stupidly hilarious, Dib couldn't foil his plot (even though there was no need to) and Grrr was stupid. The characters were funny, and this show was enjoyable from time to time. My favorite episode was Zim Eats Waffles where Dib puts a hidden camera in his house, and he's eating waffles for breakfast. Good times. Haven't seen it lately and don't know if it's on in reruns still, but this was a fun show.

Watch Your Step

Well, over the years GSN has made many originals. My favorite, Russian Roulette. This was a good quiz show hosted by Mark L. Walberg. This show was very fun. What made it great though, the people falling through the trap door. That's probably what got me hooked to the show back in the day (2003ish) was the people falling through. I always laughed and cheered whenever someone would fall into the trap door, after being randomly selected by the drop zones. Not to mention Mark was a good host who was always great with the contestants. The set was awesome (yeah, a dark 21st century set pulled off right), and the music and sound effects were cool too. And on April Fools Day 2003, Todd Newton host of Whammy! on GSN hosted an episode. He did good. Unfortunately when GSN decided to try something other than game shows, this show got the boot for new episodes, and eventually reruns. In 2008, GSN gave the show another slot, but it bombed. Very sad, but hey I got a few episodes on tape so it's not a total loss. And yes, it beat Who's Still Standing. Yes, this was my favorite GSN original. Yeah, it beats Lingo.