Another “general knowledge” failure tonight (Monday).
It was a triple stumper that no one knew which movie featured Melinda Dillion as Mother Parker! Sonufabitch! I went out to face the world again, wiser.
I knew it was “Ralphie, bunny suit, Darren McGavin, leg lamp, Jean Shepherd, Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range-model air rifle, ‘you’ll shoot your eye out’”, but for the life of me, I couldn’t think of the title in time.
I’m willing to cut the contestants a little slack.
Me too. I’m reminded of the “panel shows” of the 1950s and 1960s, where a group of panelists—often celebrities in the arts and journalism—would appear, show after show, asking questions of a “mystery guest.” Examples would include “What’s My Line,” “To Tell the Truth,” and in Canada, “Front Page Challenge,” where celebrity panelists would try to guess who the newsmaker of the day was.
But the panelists on those shows were seasoned professionals, who did this for a living, or as a part of their living. But “Jeopardy” contestants aren’t. They’re ordinary people, who have never likely been on TV before; or if they have, not in a close-up. That, plus the lights, the cameras, the audience, and (gasp!) Ken Jennings himself, can rattle any first-timer on TV, which all Jeopardy contestants are/were once.
I got that FJ about “Mother Parker,” no problem. But then, I was sitting at home. Not standing behind a podium, with cameras, lights, and Ken Jennings a few feet in front of me. If the contestants didn’t get that one under studio conditions, well, I’m willing to cut them a little slack.
I’ve caught a few episodes of What’s My Line?, To Tell the Truth, and I’ve Got a Secret recently, some with the commercials left in. They are an absolutely fascinating time capsule.
The WML panelists were from the New York literati in a way that we don’t seem to have anymore; or if we do, they’re not household names on television. I don’t know that that makes them the best qualified to guess someone’s occupation, but since the same panelists were on for years they got a lot of practice. They often seem to start with the same questions before narrowing things down. Sometimes the language is almost torturously polite and precise.
I was watching at home, but just couldn’t think of the title. That doesn’t happen to me very often, but it did on that one clue. I don’t know how well I’d hold up under the studio lights an all, but I tend to focus pretty well on things like that. I took the home test again a few weeks ago.
I’ve been in TV studios before, as a member of a studio audience, and then, a long-ago girlfriend caught the game show bug, so we were on a couple of those. (Didn’t win, but we did get the “lovely parting gifts,” which, in both cases, were a nice pair of his and her matching watches.) And I do voice work from time to time, so I’ve been in voice studios too (“Please, not the ‘Phone Booth’ again!”). And I’ve done radio, so studios with microphones and producers are nothing unusual to me. Lights, not so much in radio, but then, I was on those game shows that had bright lights.
I’ve been contemplating the Jeopardy home test. I’m very good at shouting responses to my TV; I just always forget to preface it with the form of a question.
May I ask which shows you were on? Sounds like they might have been fun, and an interesting time capsule, as I mentioned.
I did a couple of guest host gigs on my campus radio station back in college. It was only 1200 watts, so I’m not sure the signal even reached the whole campus, but still kinda fun. And I’ve given technical presentations in college, and at a computer users’ group meeting. Those are all things I could prepare for. I think Jeopardy! would be different, but whatever nerves I have when speaking in public tend to help me focus.
Plus, I’ve been posting here for more than 20 years. If I can survive the withering gaze of the Teeming Millions, a game show should be a walk in the park.
When I’m at home, even watching alone (which is almost always), I phrase my responses in the form of a question. I even mime writing my Final Jeopardy response, so I allow enough time to complete it.
I’m ready; bring it on!
Sure thing. We were on “Bumper Stumpers,” which aired on the USA Network back in the late 1980s/early 1990s. Note that I said it was for the USA Network, but all the contestants and the host were Canadian. It was taped at the Global Network studios in Don Mills, Ontario (a suburb of Toronto), and the host, Al Dubois, was normally a weather reporter.
Then, we were on “Definition,” whose theme song you would recognize from the Austin Powers movies (it’s really “Soul Bossa Nova,” by Quincy Jones). The host was Jim Perry. The “announcer/prize guy” was the local Toronto weatherman on CFTO-TV, Dave Devall. He was very nice, and made a point of greeting all contestants, and reassuring them that they’d be just fine. (“You’ll do well, Spoons and Liz, I know you will.”)
I’m not a game show junkie, but I have been on them. Compared to the ones I was on though, Jeopardy is a whole 'nother ball of wax. “Should I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach? I shall wear white flannel trousers and walk along the beach.”
Do I hear the mermaids singing each to each? Do I dare disturb the universe?
Decisions. And before I go off on another T.S. Eliot tangent regarding decisions, I’ll just say that I might try.
I remember Defibition having the glamourous prizes of “$50” and “Dinner for two”. Big bucks! No whammies!
Politely, I’m not willing to cut them too much slack. These are the best of the best. The third place finisher could probably beat be in bar trivia every time.
Jeopardy! contestants routinely and quickly answer clues that I didn’t even know were things. Example:
The only surviving work from this ancient Greek sculptor’s own hand is thought to be “Hermes Carrying the Infant Dionysus”.
I mean, srsly? And they got it! Praxiteles? Ok then! So all three not knowing the title of the film that plays 24/7 during the Christmas season does seem like a embarrassing failure.
What’s My Line? is like the best Manhattan cocktail parry we never get invited to. Bennett Cerf was da man! Dorothy Kilgallen was looped into all the entertainment circles. John Charles Daly ran the game like it was just friends playing charades. (I sometimes imitate his long rambling dissertations on why an answer is the way it is.)
But the mystery celebrity guests! Please! There’s no way the audience, were we blindfolded, could guess, but the panel! Bennett always has the “you’re not in our crowd, dearie” questions, like, to a movie star, “We’re you over to my house for dinner last Saturday?” I could never ask that!
I saw an episode recently where the celebrity guest was Debbie Reynolds. After the reveal to the panelists, Arlene (I think) said something like “is Eddie with you?” and Eddie Fisher came on stage with her. It struck me as emblematic of the old Hollywood publicity machine, when everybody knew the latest gossip (that the studios wanted them to know). On the other hand, “hey, it’s Princess Leia’s parents!”
I get the feeling that sort of thing made the panelists jobs easier. If you knew who was in New York, and heard how big a cheer they got when they signed in (“please”), it narrowed down your choices. It might even be someone in the legitimate theatre.
Debbie: “No, he’s backstage, banging the hatcheck girl”.
Oh, you said “that the studios wanted them to know”!
I’ve managed to avoid seeing that movie (A Christmas Story).
To clarify, that was not in Final Jeopardy, correct?
Yes, correct. It was the $600 clue in regular jeopardy. “Stars we lost last year” was the category.
I once came across an interview with Bennett Cerf, where he said exactly that about the mystery guests. They all knew who was in town, who had a new movie or Broadway show to plug, who was in the news. If the audience wolf-whistled when the mystery guest entered, you knew it was an attractive woman. If they laughed, it was probably a comedian who did some little bit, or signed in a funny way. And so forth.
OK, thanks.
I wished the celebs wouldn’t have tried to disguise their voices, some were so bad at it. To the point you couldn’t tell if it was a yes or a no. Daly should have just answered for them.
Alas, they are all dead. I should just get over it.
Final Jeopardy on Tuesday, July 23.
Champion Neilesh had $19,000
Challenger 1Lindsay had $13,000
Challenger 2 Tim had less than zero and did participate in FJ
Neilesh will likely wager $7001 to cover a double-up by Lindsay. If he bets this, and is correct, Lindsay has no chance of winning. Thus, Lindsay has to hope that Neilesh is incorrect and should wager $1000 or less.
Neilesh did wager $7001, was incorrect, and finished with $11,999.
But Lindsay wagered $5000, was incorrect, and finished with $8000.
Missed opportunity, Lindsay.
BTW, I had no clue on FJ. I guessed Old Lady O’Leary’s barn.
You’re forgetting the Brother typewriter. Brother, for all your typewriting needs. Plus guests stay at the Holiday Inn Don Valley–an urban resort.
Actually, I’ve stayed at the Don Valley. It’s not owned by Holiday Inn now, nor is it anywhere near what I’d call a resort, but it’s a nice place. Recommended, if you’re visiting Toronto.