There have been a few game shows built around movies over the years. ABC tried something called The Reel Game, which didn't last long, for example. AMC gave Gene Rayburn his last game show, The Movie Masters (previously reviewed), for another.
The Movie Game, I thought, was another network show, but sources say it's a syndicated entry that went through two hosts in its three years (1969-72). In the video below, Sonny Fox (ex-Wonderama, later of Way Out Games) was tried out, with veteran Johnny Gilbert (no relation) as announcer. Subsequently, actor-turned-game show host Larry Blyden (ex-Personality) took over for Fox for the balance of the run before moving to What's My Line?'s syndicated run, where he succeeded Wally Bruner.
Independent producers Henry Jaffe & Bob Stivers packaged The Movie Game, and the use of film clips in some segments will recall another popular syndicated game show, Sports Challenge, which came along in 1971, and had a healthy run for most of the decade.
In this episode, Fox presides over Laugh-In's Dan Rowan & Dick Martin (who are on opposite teams), Greer Garson, & Sharon Farrell, with well known gossip columnist Army Archerd heard from as well.
As memory serves, Henry Jaffe later packaged Dinah Shore's NBC daytime series, Dinah's Place.
Rating: A.
2 comments:
The Reel Game was concerned with rare newsreel footage, not movies.
On the premiere, ABC publicized the appearance of a clip of Howard Hughes testifying before Congress about 'Spruce Goose', his mammoth airplane; this was when Hughes was in the process of buying up Las Vegas, and his well-known reclusiveness made any kind of appearance at all a rarity.
Reel Game also marked Jack Barry's reemergence as a producer as well as host.
Not long ago, Decades ran a Dick Cavett Show on which Barry appeared to plug Reel Game; he spoke briefly (and somewhat self-servingly) about his part in the Quiz scandals of a decade earlier.
Ok, so Reel Game was more about newsreels. Got it.
Post a Comment