"Actual" Staged Game Shows within television shows.

[Tim from Springfield IL]

But Art Fleming wasn't too unhappy about being overlooked for the new "Jeopardy!". As he told one interviewer, "In my day, everybody kept their winnings; now, only the winner keeps the cash" (this was before the change that gave $2000 to the second-place player and $1000 to the third-place one).

But the two runners-up still received very nice prizes--as best demonstrated in the Mama's Family "Jeopardy" episode when Thelma (who was expecting Lee Press-on-Nails) won a trip to Hawaii (and went into hysterics and kissed Alex in the process). The last minute of this video with the last part of Mama's "Jeopardy" appearance shows her reaction to the Hawaii prize (and IIRC the following one or two episodes were based on the Hawaii vacation):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EICPpsQYohM&feature=related

 

[azumanga]

...the two runners-up still received very nice prizes--as best demonstrated in the Mama's Family "Jeopardy" episode when Thelma (who was expecting Lee Press-on-Nails) won a trip to Hawaii (and went into hysterics and kissed Alex in the process).

Of course, chances are when Mama watched Jeopardy, she was probably paying more attention to the ad plugs at the end than Johnny Gilbert's description of the nice consolation prizes before Final Jeopardy. As I recall, at least before they switched to the "everyone wins cash" format, 2nd and 3rd place contestants won the nice prizes, plus the items featured in the ad plugs at the end of the show, as Johnny would precede them with "2nd and 3rd place contestants will receive...".

In other words, Mama won the fake nails AND the trip to Hawaii.

 

[jwgreek8606]

Ok Ill throw in Herb and Mrs. Tarlek on Real Families (Real People) on WKRP. If Im not mistaken Peter Marshall was the "host"

And Johnny Olson was the announcer

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

...the two runners-up still received very nice prizes--as best demonstrated in the Mama's Family "Jeopardy" episode when Thelma (who was expecting Lee Press-on-Nails) won a trip to Hawaii (and went into hysterics and kissed Alex in the process).

Of course, chances are when Mama watched Jeopardy, she was probably paying more attention to the ad plugs at the end than Johnny Gilbert's description of the nice consolation prizes before Final Jeopardy. As I recall, at least before they switched to the "everyone wins cash" format, 2nd and 3rd place contestants won the nice prizes, plus the items featured in the ad plugs at the end of the show, as Johnny would precede them with "2nd and 3rd place contestants will receive...".

In other words, Mama won the fake nails AND the trip to Hawaii.

I seem to recall that the 2nd and 3rd place prizes were announced and advertised at the end of Double Jeopardy before Alex introduced Final Jeopardy. At least in the first few seasons of modern "Jeopardy!"--unless it was changed sometime before the switch to all-cash (which wasn't until 2002 if you believe Wikipedia--but I had thought it was much earlier than that).

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

Don't forget all the SNL "Jeopardy!" sketches wherein
Alex Trebek (Will Ferrell) does battle to frustration with
Sean Connery.

Probably the only thing I liked about post-1995 SNL--"Celebrity Jeopardy."

In honor of Labor Day weekend--and the "good old days" of the MDA telethon--here's a link from Metacafe of highlights of the first SNL "Celebrity Jeopardy" skit, which appeared on the Dec. 7, 1996 episode. With Sean Connery, Burt Reynolds, and you guessed it--Jerry Lewis (portrayed by Martin Short--and he portrayed him quite well). The questions weren't quite as "dumbed down" as in later skits, IMO:

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/5649799/snl_celebrity_jeopardy_12_7_96/

 

[mbclev]

On "Square Pegs" (from the 1982-83 season), they spoofed the high school quiz "It's Academic" with an episode titled "It's Academical". (Obviously, the original game show is not totally copied.) Details of this episode can be found at:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0707835/

(The original show in Washington, D.C. celebrates its actual fiftieth anniversary on October 7, with the same man, Mac McGarry, hosting it for all 50 years. I got to meet him again this past May 14 on the final taping of the show's 50th season [I met him previously on November 11, 2000].)

Also, "Head of the Class" had a quiz game when the IHPers went to the former Soviet Union and they competed against contestants from that country.

 

[cd637299]

^ "It's Academical"! That's great....I guess that's only a show for the "edumacated."

cd

 

[anotherguyTN]

I just ran into this tonight: On Pawn Stars Chumlee fantasizes about being a contestant on Who Wants to be a Millionaire and wins the million on a question about Ms. Pac Man. But then Meredith Viera begins to sound like The Old Man telling him to wake up and get back to work, and it turns out that he was just dreaming. 

 

[FreddyE1977]

There was an episode of The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, which I am sure almost nobody else saw,
where they constructed a fake game show. Very nicely done actually.....very elaborate fake sets,
a studio audience, Kennedy in disguise as a fake host, and a fake opponent for their mark.

They brought this woman in and had her compete in a fake game show where the rules were
absolutely, positively nonsensical. But the host, her opponent, and the entire studio audience all
seemed to understand them. Only the marked contestant was left utterly clueless! Funny stuff.

Too bad it was on such a lowly-rated show because it was a very funny piece of "gotcha TV"!

 

[azumanga]

I just ran into this tonight: On Pawn Stars Chumlee fantasizes about being a contestant on Who Wants to be a Millionaire and wins the million on a question about Ms. Pac Man. But then Meredith Viera begins to sound like The Old Man telling him to wake up and get back to work, and it turns out that he was just dreaming.

That episode originally served as a tie-in for the Pawn Stars' real appearance on Millionaire, where they played as a group for charity.

 

[anotherguyTN]

I just ran into this tonight: On Pawn Stars Chumlee fantasizes about being a contestant on Who Wants to be a Millionaire and wins the million on a question about Ms. Pac Man. But then Meredith Viera begins to sound like The Old Man telling him to wake up and get back to work, and it turns out that he was just dreaming.

That episode originally served as a tie-in for the Pawn Stars' real appearance on Millionaire, where they played as a group for charity.

Yeah, I realized that when I tried to find clips on You Tube. I haven't been able to get Millionaire on TV for a few years now since nobody carries it in Memphis or Jackson, TN now, so I didn't realize the guys from Pawn Stars had done an appearance for charity.

 

[BoscoGoldBear]

Don't forget the "Cybill" episode where Cybill Sheppard was applying for a job as a singer on a "Name That Tune"-type show hosted by game show vet Tom Kennedy, and before she even gets a note in her contestant gets the answer correct. Roger Clinton (brother of you-know-who) was the other singer whose contestant partner was dumb as bricks. The sub plot of this episode was that Christine Baranski (the best friend of the title character) thought that she was pregnant.

 

[bpatrick]

Tom Kennedy once appeared on "Hardcastle & McCormick" as the
host of a rigged game show. Didn't anyone tell Stephen Cannell
that rigging a game show has been a federal offense since 1959?

 

[wbhist]

Tom Kennedy once appeared on "Hardcastle & McCormick" as the host of a rigged game show. Didn't anyone tell Stephen Cannell
that rigging a game show has been a federal offense since 1959?

This must've been really ironic - given that Kennedy's brother, Jack Narz, was host of Dotto when that show was investigated for rigging.

 

[azumanga]

Tom Kennedy once appeared on "Hardcastle & McCormick" as the
host of a rigged game show. Didn't anyone tell Stephen Cannell
that rigging a game show has been a federal offense since 1959?

Was Tom a villain in that episode? If so, now you know why he rigged it, laws notwithstanding.

 

[LKellerIII]

Tom Kennedy once appeared on "Hardcastle & McCormick" as the
host of a rigged game show. Didn't anyone tell Stephen Cannell
that rigging a game show has been a federal offense since 1959?

I'm no fan of Hardcaste & McCormick - I thought it was ridiculous, but I have to ask - since when are the plots of action or mystery shows written to ensure historical accuracy? I see so many historical and logical holes in the plots of these shows - not to mention continuity problems, that I have to keep reminding myself to relax and just enjoy the show.

 

[borderblaster]

Take any cop show and if what happens were done in real life, the cops would be under suspension and discipline multiple times every episode. Somehow I doubt a real CSI investigator chases and shoots the bad guys

 

[LKellerIII]

Take any cop show and if what happens were done in real life, the cops would be under suspension and discipline multiple times every episode. Somehow I doubt a real CSI investigator chases and shoots the bad guys

Yes - in Bones for example, the main character (played by Emily Deshanel) is a forensic anthropologist. Yet somehow, she always gets out of the lab, and goes out to question suspects, and has pulled her gun and chased suspects on a few occasions.

 

[FreddyE1977]

Take any cop show and if what happens were done in real life, the cops would be under suspension and discipline multiple times every episode. Somehow I doubt a real CSI investigator chases and shoots the bad guys

Or as a veteran New York City detective put it on The Mike Douglas Show many years ago,
"the least realistic cop show on TV is Hawaii Five-O".

When asked why he replied, "Because at the end of every episode McGarrett says "Book 'Em, Danno".
And if that were actually the case, you would never see Danno on the show. He'd spend all of his
time in court."

The same gentleman felt the most realistic cop show on TV at the time was......Barney Miller!

 

[LKellerIII]

[

The same gentleman felt the most realistic cop show on TV at the time was......Barney Miller![/quote]

I've heard that said a number of times, and I would agree that Barney Miller is probably closest. As a graduate student, I participated in a research project that involved ride-alongs with Police officers in a big city during their shifts. The experience reminded me of that old statement (which I think was about airline pilots)...something like - "Hours of boredom broken up by occasional incidents of stark terror."

Ninety-five percent of police work is routine and repetitive. I remember responding to many many domestic disputes - though most of them didn't involve physical violence, just angry people arguing. Dealing with people is what makes the cop's jobs interesting, but often frustrating, since the people they deal with are often criminals or mental cases.

If police officers in real life saw as much action and violence as they do in these shows, they'd be drooling basket cases with raging PTSD.