Monday, January 23, 2017

A Modern Classic (?): Love Connection (1983)

Imagine, if ya will, a video personals column after a sort.

Love Connection wasn't exactly a reincarnation of Chuck Barris' seminal Dating Game, and it technically wasn't a game show, either. What producer Eric Lieber had in mind, it would appear, was to have contestants submit videos, and couples were matched by the producers on a number of common themes. 

Chuck Woolery (ex-Wheel of Fortune) was tapped to host, and, as it happened, had greater success with Connection than he did with Wheel. Love Connection ran for 11 seasons (1983-94), then made a brief comeback in 1998 with comic Pat Bullard taking over as host. Bullard's version lasted just the one season.

Let's take a look at a sample episode from 1988.



It wasn't long after this that the series was immortalized in rap lyrics. Tone Loc mentioned Love Connection in the lyrics to his spring 1989 hit, "Funky Cold Medina".

Would another revival work? Nope. These days, with online dating an in thing to do, the only place a revival would go is on Netflix. Maybe.

Rating: B.

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