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Post by ladykelsey on Jan 16, 2016 5:19:04 GMT -5
Sometime ago when listening to music I was listening to my game show themes cd that talked about a remake of the show Break The Bank and mentioned a game show host named Joe Farago and I would like if anyone remembers this host? When I read more about Joe Farago in my game show book it mentioned that Joe Farago moved on from game shows to hosting informercials in the 80's. What wonderful info can you tell me about Joe Farago and is he still alive today?,
Kelsey
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Post by addemup on Jan 16, 2016 10:53:17 GMT -5
I vaguely remember him from the god-awful Break The Bank remake. Gene Rayburn was the original host of that show, I love Gene but he was completely out of his element here and was replaced by Farago shortly into the show's run.
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Post by vahan on Jan 16, 2016 12:58:09 GMT -5
I vaguely remember him from the god-awful Break The Bank remake. Gene Rayburn was the original host of that show, I love Gene but he was completely out of his element here and was replaced by Farago shortly into the show's run. Also, the executives refused to let Gene goof off during the stunts, and told him to just play them straight. Could they have been anymore stupid? |
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Post by couponboy on Jan 16, 2016 15:34:13 GMT -5
It's a shame how uptight the producers were on Break the Bank as their stunt format was easily one of the greatest game show set-ups ever. It was a great blend of a challenging GAME and an enjoyable SHOW, which is really what the game show genre should be all about.
Honestly, it wasn't Joe Farago himself who ruined the show; it was the fallout woth Gene Rayburn and change in format shortly after Joe started hosting. It left a bad taste in the mouths of viewers AND it made the game a lot more dull by removing all of the stunts and entertaining guest stars that differentiated it from other game shows.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2016 17:27:43 GMT -5
I remember watching a few episodes of Break the Bank during my Easter and summer vacations in 1986. I do remember the game play being altered after Joe Farago's tenure started, with a round where one one-word clue is revealed at a time, and the couple must buzz in to answer. One puzzle I remember vividly is when the clues "comedy" and "Darla" appeared, and needless to say, someone buzzed in with "The Little Rascals" (makes sense, what else would people think of when they heard the name Darla? Now it's a name associated with Finding Nemo and Buffy the Vampire Slayer as well).
Another round involved shuffling of batches of cards in six squares. Each time a clue was revealed, up to three cards were discarded, and if the answer is guessed correctly, the remaining bank cards were awarded to the winning couple.
But yeah, I may have seen one Gene Rayburn episode on my day off from school on Thanksgiving Day 1985, but other than that, it was the altered format with Joe Fargo as host. The second format was slightly better, and I had no problem with Joe Farago but the series didn't do good in the ratings possibly because of competition against syndicated talk shows or Wheel of Fortune/Jeopardy! on other affiliates.
But yeah, as a fan of 80s fsre, I like that version of Break the Bank more than Kennedy's version.
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Post by ladykelsey on Jan 16, 2016 20:23:26 GMT -5
Joe Farago sounds like an incredible host. I always like to discover facts about game show stars and it helps me learn more interesting facts about TV stars and more,
Kelsey
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