Topic: Americana
Gameshows: Purgatory for Comics??? A brief look into the last stop for comics before disappearing into the sunset.by James Lloyd Griffin
(libertarian)
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Monday morning. A new week, a new chapter of my life, a new start, being recently unseated from my almost 3 year stint as a claims adjuster for an undisclosed automotive service contract company. I have found that in this hardened, nose-lifted job market, it is hard to find anything from a one column help wanted list found in the classifieds section from the local paper. Heck, from ANY paper in the area, for that matter.
So here I sit, in front of my computer, craigslist.com, usajobs.com, yahoo classifieds, the number of sites are countless, most posting the same jobs repeatedly, most also being a mirror of the postings on the other sites. Over the past few days, I have gotten to see exactly what all the other people at home are doing during the day. In MY neighborhood, driveways are nearly empty, for those more fortunate, able to be behind a desk, on the phone, under a car at the repair shop, running the register at Wal-Mart. I have found myself doing my day-long agonizing web-searches for jobs that aren't there, while allowing the t.v. to run in the background.
Occasionally, I will look over my shoulder to see Kelly Rippa with the guest of the day, the unshackled Martha Stewart making doilies out of napkins, or whipping up a treat for dinner planning. I am pretty flexible with my television, and usually let it play what it wants to show me, as I don't really have the time to be channel surfing to find something I would RATHER be watching. That would only allow me to lose concentration of the job at hand, finding a job.
Then, this morning, out of the blue, something really hit me.
The roar of the crowd, cheering, clapping. The wonderful music that starts the show called The Price is right. Visions of Bob Barker, and all those gorgeous tight-dressed models that parade around the floor, showing off what COULD be given away in today's showcase. The show was beginning, and, in the same manner as it did when I was growing up back 30 years ago as an adolescent.
Then, as Ole Bob would be coming out, waiving to the crowd, and calling names of those who need to "Come On Down!", the scariest thing happened. On the stage walks comic Drew Carey.
I was very taken aback, and almost to the point of total deflation, with a touch of disappointment. Don't get me wrong, I love Drew as a comic, his sitcom was good, though "Who's Line Is It Anyways" was a LOT funnier. But The Price is Right??? There was a long awkward silence between me, myself and I. I believe I may have even heard myself mutter a "No, way." How could someone go from his own sitcom, running a game show that was clearly fitting for him, to this? I desperately racked my brain trying to think of something else he may also currently be doing to even out the the uppercut i just took. Absolutely nothing came to mind. Not a show, a movie, a project, or even a tour...
Then that made me think back to another show. Family Feud. Remembering the old host from my youth, Richard Dawson (or Kissy-Face, as my dad used to call him). The man who had the patience and stomach to kiss any woman that graced his stage, on the lips. No matter age, size, height or appearance. Men, lock up your women, here comes Richard Dawson!!! There were other hosts following Mr. Dawson, but it has all come down to the current host, Louie Anderson, who evidently doesnt have any additional callings, either, as he has been on that show for several years now. Richard Karn, Al of Home Improvement, also a past host of Family Feud. Howie Mandel, though a better game show, which he does a spectacular job at, but a game show still the same. Bob Saget, from sitcom Full House to America's Funniest Home Videos, which all that was really good on the show was... Well... I never was one for that show, anyways...
So here I sit now, making the connection. The last stop before the end of the line. The "Game Show Stop". With all these spots being freed up in the comic field, maybe I should try a career change???
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The views expressed in this
article are those of James Lloyd Griffin only and do not represent
the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. James Lloyd Griffin is
solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an
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Game show hosting ain't a bad gig. Did you know that Mike Wallace, Hugh Downs, Walter Cronkite and Anderson Cooper were all game show hosts? Wallace hosted seven of 'em; Hugh Downs was on Concentration for the better part of 14 years.
Comics can be successful with game shows, too. Johnny Carson's first big gig (with Ed McMahon, too) was Who Do You Trust?, a comedy game show that ran from '57-'62. Jimmy Kimmel got his start as Ben Stein's assistant on Win Ben Stein's Money. When Dawson took over Feud, he may have been a B-lister, but the Feud made him an A-list TV star, with Feud being number one in syndication for 8 years and ABC running regular prime-time All-Star specials, Richard was in demand. He even hosted the Tonight Show for Carson on three different occasions, and he was the highest paid game show host at the time. He was a real star.
And what about guys like Bob Barker, Regis Philbin, and Dick Clark? These guys are television legends. As for Drew and Price, The Price is Right is like the Tonight Show of game shows. It's a cherry gig; it's been on for 37 years, is considered an American institution, and it made an icon out of Bob Barker (or perhaps vice versa). Drew should be proud to have such a gig, and it could make an icon out of him too.
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