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Post by carpetcrawler on Aug 31, 2018 0:12:51 GMT -5
I'm watching an episode of The Hollywood Connection; the 1977-78 Barry/Enright game.
Normally I'm nice about game shows and don't complain much about them. I think I've made that perfectly clear in the past. It doesn't take much to please me I guess as the person who enjoys even stuff like The Newlywed Game. So let me just say that with regards to The Hollywood Connection, I speak from the heart when I say: good god this show sucks. What a pathetic and lifeless attempt at ripping off Match Game, with a main game that moves so slow that it somehow makes me yearn for the brisker paced Mindreaders.
The main game is Mindreaders-esque in that contestants predict what celebrities will answer to questions, but it has such a huge ass copout. In the episode I watched (which was apparently the premiere, so this game show was doomed right off the bat) one of the questions was "is it OK for a woman to pay alimony to a man?" and the options are "yes", "no", and "depends". The fact that they had the nerve to include "depends", which is essentially the "ask again later" option in a poll--why would the celebrity ever pick a concrete answer when you give them the copout? And unsurprisingly the contestant guessed every celebrity would say "depends", and that's absolutely what happened.
I know like most all of you have either seen or at least heard of this show, but I just had to get this off my chest. I couldn't even believe how bad this show was. I actually started feeling sorry for Jim Lange and everyone involved.
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Post by wildjackmonroe on Aug 31, 2018 1:53:54 GMT -5
Some of their shows in their strongest era (70s-80s) may have had their flaws but this was easily the worst Barry & Enright show I've ever seen. I'd say if I was around back then, Mindreaders I'd at least look forward to seeing depending on what celebrity was on. This show though... I don't think even the brightest or funniest celebrity could save it for me and at least make me want to see the episode they're on.
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Post by addemup on Sept 1, 2018 8:04:36 GMT -5
To say many of Barry & Enright's game shows were derivative would be an understatement. Hollywood Connection was a ripoff of Match Game, Break The Bank was a ripoff of The Hollywood Squares, Hot Potato was a ripoff of Family Feud, Play The Percentages was basically Card Sharks without the cards, etc. They even managed to rip off one of their own shows, as Bullseye was just a flashier, slower version of The Joker's Wild.
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Post by WarioSajak on Sept 1, 2018 10:35:21 GMT -5
I'd argue that Bank, Potato, and Percentages were all good shows in their own right, at least.
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Post by wildjackmonroe on Sept 2, 2018 1:48:50 GMT -5
I would say that at least Break the Bank was a good knockoff. Hot Potato was too until it became Celebrity Hot Potato. I could see them doing like a special week of celebrity episodes and only that, but making that a permanent fixture was what killed it. Same with Bullseye, and to make matters worse, the format changes that slowed the game down were not helpful at all. I thought Play the Percentages was also decent way to spend a half hour until the format change to solo players.
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Post by addemup on Sept 2, 2018 16:17:57 GMT -5
Yeah....BTB, HP, and PTP (first format) were still enjoyable despite their similarities to other shows. They also had three great hosts in Tom Kennedy, Bill Cullen, and Geoff Edwards. The Barry version of BTB wasn't as good IMO, celebrity games were not Jack's forte. Bullseye was OK, but a little too slow paced. And I hope it's not sacrilege to say this, but I never cared much for Jim Lange as a host either. He always seemed a little too canned.
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Post by wildjackmonroe on Sept 2, 2018 18:41:27 GMT -5
If you don't care for Jack Barry's version of Break the Bank, I'd suggest Tom Kennedy's daytime version if you can track down some episodes.
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Post by carpetcrawler on Sept 2, 2018 19:26:05 GMT -5
And I hope it's not sacrilege to say this, but I never cared much for Jim Lange as a host either. He always seemed a little too canned. Ah see, I've always liked Jim, he has a down-home folksy kind of California style to him that I think is fantastic on The Dating Game. I don't think anyone could've done the opening episode monologues better than Jim. I dunno, I just like his radio emcee style. As for B&E, I'm fine with all shows from that company except for The Hollywood Connection.
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Post by Kaos on Sept 3, 2018 11:49:56 GMT -5
As for B&E, I'm fine with all shows from that company except for The Hollywood Connection. Me too, but I have to add the Pat Finn version of TJW to the "No Thanks" pile.
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Post by carpetcrawler on Sept 3, 2018 11:55:12 GMT -5
As for B&E, I'm fine with all shows from that company except for The Hollywood Connection. Me too, but I have to add the Pat Finn version of TJW to the "No Thanks" pile. I honestly don't even count that since that's a Kline and Friends joint.
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Post by Kaos on Sept 3, 2018 12:06:08 GMT -5
Me too, but I have to add the Pat Finn version of TJW to the "No Thanks" pile. I honestly don't even count that since that's a Kline and Friends joint. It also was listed as "... in association with Jack Barry Productions."
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Post by carpetcrawler on Sept 3, 2018 14:41:37 GMT -5
I honestly don't even count that since that's a Kline and Friends joint. It also was listed as "... in association with Jack Barry Productions." That was mainly out of courtesy; heavy Richard Kline fingerprints in that.
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Post by vahan on Sept 3, 2018 14:43:23 GMT -5
The show had traces of Win, Lose or Draw which they also produced. The time's up buzzer, and both shows taped at CBS Television City.
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Post by aaaa on Sept 3, 2018 15:32:00 GMT -5
Jon and Douglas Barry, Jack's sons, co-produced the 1990 Joker. The 1990 Tic Tac Dough was a Barry and Enright production
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Post by Kaos on Sept 5, 2018 10:27:20 GMT -5
That was mainly out of courtesy; heavy Richard Kline fingerprints in that. Actually, Richard Kline was also the director of the Jack Barry/Bill Cullen version as well...
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