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Post by thekid965 on Oct 23, 2014 12:21:02 GMT -5
Alex Davis is reporting that GSN will be airing two 1986 episodes of the David Sparks-hosted Crosswits this Sunday at 11 PM Eastern / 10 Central. The episodes in question will feature some of the earliest television appearances of Rosie O'Donnell and Arsenio Hall, both falling into the "rising young comic" category at that time. This will be the first time this version of Crosswits has been seen since a brief rerun cycle on the old Family Channel in the mid-'90s, and the first time GSN has aired the celebrity crossword game in any form. (Sadly, the original Jack Clark version from the '70s, properly titled The Cross-Wits with both a hyphen and a definite article, is believed to have been wiped save for a tiny handful of episodes.) The BuzzerBlog article goes so far as to suggest this is the first time these particular episodes will have been seen since their original broadcast in '86, but that may or may not be an accurate statement. It also appears this is a one-off special, and Crosswits will not be joining the regular lineup as things currently stand. Definitely something to keep a watch out for, though, especially if you like rarities. [Source: BuzzerBlog] |
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Post by WarioSajak on Oct 23, 2014 19:16:23 GMT -5
This will be the first time this version of Crosswits has been seen since a brief rerun cycle on the old Family Channel in the mid-'90s, Not quite -- American Independent Network (AIN) aired repeats from 1997-2001. The BuzzerBlog article goes so far as to suggest this is the first time these particular episodes will have been seen since their original broadcast in '86, but that may or may not be an accurate statement. Doubtful. Not just because AIN aired it for four years, but also because there's an episode from that particular Rosie O'Donnell week out there (Hal vs. Jo Jo). |
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Post by Mario500 on Oct 28, 2014 9:08:52 GMT -5
The Game Show Network was set to have "Crosswits" broadcast again this Thursday, October 30th, between 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. (Central times).
The editions to be broadcast may be the same ones they had in their programming last Sunday, October 26th.
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Post by wildjackmonroe on Oct 28, 2014 9:41:35 GMT -5
I'm not really a fan of David Sparks' version but it's nice to see some rarities surface.
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Post by gameshowfan on Oct 29, 2014 10:55:52 GMT -5
I'm not really a fan of David Sparks' version but it's nice to see some rarities surface. That pretty much summed up how I felt, watching it for the first time the other day. I like most of the oldies, but this one just seemed to drag on. Watching people do crossword puzzles ain't that exciting, it turns out. And David didn't show much of anything in the way of personality. I didn't even save the eps. I DVRed. |
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Post by wildjackmonroe on Oct 29, 2014 20:42:35 GMT -5
I wish some broadcast quality episodes of the Jack Clark version could be found. That version's far superior to me. '80's Crosswits I'd probably watch based on which celebs were on and that's pretty much it.
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Post by Chameleonwhammy on Oct 30, 2014 12:01:17 GMT -5
Though I'd tune in. That was a mistake. David Sparks couldn't host a game show to save his life.
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Post by Mario500 on Oct 30, 2014 12:20:28 GMT -5
I got the chance to see the Game Show Network's broadcasts of the program today since I had missed their previous broadcasts of it last Sunday and found it very appealing and enjoyable.
I thought its crossword format was much better than the one for "Merv Griffin's Crosswords" since it did not require players to spell words for its puzzles (thus giving it a faster pace).
I hope the folks in charge of the Game Show Network consider making it a part of the regular programming plans and have other editions of it broadcast.
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Post by thekid965 on Oct 30, 2014 14:55:51 GMT -5
I understand a show like this isn't going to be to everyone's taste, but I implore you, don't judge the format based on David Sparks's hosting abilities (or lack thereof). That would be as big a mistake as judging Tic Tac Dough if the only version you'd ever seen was Patrick Wayne's. Trust me when I tell you—with the right host and the right mix of personalities, this format can be very entertaining indeed. It's sad that so little of the Jack Clark-hosted original is available to us today; the Sparks version, while not terrible (there have certainly been worse efforts made in the intervening years), certainly isn't representative of what Crosswits, with or without a hyphen, could be at its best. So that everyone can more fairly form their opinion on the show itself, here's a 1978 Clark episode in fairly decent quality (for YouTube):
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Post by WarioSajak on Oct 31, 2014 1:03:08 GMT -5
Asked this over at The Game Show Forum (since I don't have GSN and as far I know neither episode has turned up online yet) on the 27th and didn't get a response, so I'll ask here: * Who were the contestants on the two shows? Particularly curious about the Rosie O'Donnell episode, since I know there's an episode of that week out there (specifically, Hal vs. Jo Jo). * Assuming either episode got to the "pick a car, then pick a celeb and hope their box contains the car you picked" part of the bonus round, were all four celebs involved or just the standard three? I ask because at least once (specifically, this), the car game had a fourth box containing $1,000. Thanks in advance.  |
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Post by gamecrazyh on Nov 16, 2014 22:05:20 GMT -5
that would also be like saying "The Joker's Wild" is bad if the only version you'd ever seen was Pat Finn's.
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Post by Kaos on Nov 18, 2014 23:35:09 GMT -5
that would also be like saying "The Joker's Wild" is bad if the only version you'd ever seen was Pat Finn's. Or the version hosted in 2010-2013 on the old justin.tv by that one guy. Oh wait. That was me! Never mind. Personally, I still liked Jack Barry's version the best. |
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Post by thekid965 on Dec 4, 2014 13:22:14 GMT -5
Per BuzzerBlog, GSN is digging up some Christmas cheer for fans of the quintessential G-T panel show, including at least one very rare special. On Sunday the 21st, there'll be back-to-back episodes of What's My Line? and To Tell the Truth at 11 PM EST, with the connecting theme of Betty White being on both shows. What's most interesting about this is that both will be from the rarely-seen color syndicated versions, though more details as to specific episodes aren't known right now. This includes whether the Line episode is from the Wally Bruner or Larry Blyden seasons, or if Betty is a Mystery Guest or a panelist on it. But GSN's leaving something very special in your stocking on Christmas Eve: The twenty-fifth anniversary special What's My Line? at 25, featuring tons of rare clips from the original Sunday-night CBS show you won't see anywhere else — because, sadly, the kinescopes of those episodes were sacrificed to put the special together — and in-studio reminiscing from Mark Goodson, John Daly, and Arlene Francis. This 90-minute retrospective has not been seen since it originally aired on ABC (of all networks!) in 1975. Look for it at 1 AM EST on 25 December. |
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Post by tpirrules1972 on Dec 4, 2014 14:04:08 GMT -5
According to the PDFs on Game Show Follies, the syndie WML? episode will be with Bruner as host.
Also, looks like the PYL fans will be satisfied as they're showing the Christmas episodes on 24 December.
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Post by vahan on Dec 4, 2014 14:10:04 GMT -5
According to the PDFs on Game Show Follies, the syndie WML? episode will be with Bruner as host. Also, looks like the PYL fans will be satisfied as they're showing the Christmas episodes on 24 December. I don't know if the PYL eps. will be from 1985 or not. |
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