Posting this now before I forget; one of my favorite televised holiday moments. This is from the Christmas episode of Match Game ‘78. Here, we can see Brett and Charles have fun and dress up in costume for the occasion. This isn’t the first time Charles dressed as Santa. He also did it in 1973 and 1977. Definitely one of the best moments of what’s known as the “post-Richard Dawson” era of the show.
Showing posts with label holiday specials. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holiday specials. Show all posts
Friday, December 24, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Online Pick of the Week (10/18): Christmas Commercials
Been scouring and searching YouTube today for some Christmas themed commercials now that I’m finally in the Christmas spirit. A lot of great ones are out there.A number of them are the favorites that I grew up watching over the years. For instance, this one for Fruity Pebbles; very heartwarming. And this one from Stetson colognes. Also, who can forget this classic Folgers ad, which dates back to 1982 and has been repeated many times over the years since its original television debut? Another favorite: the Coca-Cola Panda ads.
There’s also a long forgotten one from 1991 for Target featuring the legendary Betty White. Cheesy, but fun. About one minute into this clip, the late Bea Arthur does a holiday commercial for a Canadian drug store chain, Shoppers; it is from 1987.
Grocery chain Publix always puts out really cute ads all-year round, and the Christmas season is certainly no exception. Take a look at this one from 1997.
Holiday commercials are my pick for this week. What are your favorites?
Saturday, November 13, 2010
GSN's Thanksgiving Week Marathons
Marathons for this year:Thursday, 11/25: Deal or No Deal (syndie 2008-2010, 9:00 AM-6:00 PM)
Friday, 11/26: Wheel of Fortune (episodes from seasons 23 and 24, 9:00 AM-3:00 PM)
Saturday, 11/27: Deal or No Deal (NBC 2005-2009, 9:00 AM-9:00 PM)
Well. Um.
Meh.
I can't say I'm overly thrilled about a Deal or No Deal marathon (oh, who the hell am I kidding? I'm not thrilled for that one bit). Or these particular episodes of Wheel of Fortune airing. But the really good thing that comes out of Friday is that, for once in quite a long while, something's being marathoned that hasn't been run to death yet. Even though it comes from an era of the show that is really not a particular favorite. I wish I could say the same thing about Deal or No Deal.
Monday, November 23, 2009
GSN: Upcoming Marathons
We'll be seeing some more marathons come Christmastime from GSN. Here’s the rundown (all times 9am-3pm except for the Combs and Dawson marathons, which run through 6pm):
December 24th: Combs Family Feud Marathon
December 25th: Dawson Family Feud Marathon
December 28th: Rayburn Match Game Marathon
December 29th: Deal or No Deal Marathon
December 30th: Karn Family Feud Marathon
December 31st: 1 vs. 100 Marathon
January 1st: O’Hurley Family Feud Marathon
In all honesty, this all week marathon situation is more like the Sci-Fi (or "SyFy", ugh) Channel. Deal or No Deal? Feh. Almost two whole days of the Thankgiving 4-day weekend was filled with that show. Something else should air in its place that day. I’ll be looking forward most to the Match Game, and Dawson & Combs Feud marathons, though there could have been a little less Feud too. A couple of the Match Game episodes featured are the “boobs” answer panel walkout episode from ‘74 and School Riot from ‘77. So if you do not have the DVD set and don’t have those episodes then this would be a good time to get them. As much as I find 1 vs. 100 to be an underrated show and think that it deserves a marathon, I’d rather not see it on New Year’s Eve. Dick Clark’s Pyramid should be the show for that; I mean, come on, the man is synonymous with the ringing in the new year. A Pyramid marathon would be nice even if there wasn’t as much variety with the episodes like last year.
December 24th: Combs Family Feud Marathon
December 25th: Dawson Family Feud Marathon
December 28th: Rayburn Match Game Marathon
December 29th: Deal or No Deal Marathon
December 30th: Karn Family Feud Marathon
December 31st: 1 vs. 100 Marathon
January 1st: O’Hurley Family Feud Marathon
In all honesty, this all week marathon situation is more like the Sci-Fi (or "SyFy", ugh) Channel. Deal or No Deal? Feh. Almost two whole days of the Thankgiving 4-day weekend was filled with that show. Something else should air in its place that day. I’ll be looking forward most to the Match Game, and Dawson & Combs Feud marathons, though there could have been a little less Feud too. A couple of the Match Game episodes featured are the “boobs” answer panel walkout episode from ‘74 and School Riot from ‘77. So if you do not have the DVD set and don’t have those episodes then this would be a good time to get them. As much as I find 1 vs. 100 to be an underrated show and think that it deserves a marathon, I’d rather not see it on New Year’s Eve. Dick Clark’s Pyramid should be the show for that; I mean, come on, the man is synonymous with the ringing in the new year. A Pyramid marathon would be nice even if there wasn’t as much variety with the episodes like last year.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Christmas Episodes: Game Show Style
I’ve really had a good time this past week watching Christmas shows of game shows either on GSN’s 12 Days of Christmas this year, or watching some favorite Christmas episodes that I’ve recorded over the past few years.
As much as I agree with anyone that earlier episodes of Wheel of Fortune featured more charm and that it’s a better show without multiple gimmicks and fluff, I do admit that it’s nice looking forward to the Christmas shows ever year. I saw one from December 25, 2006 again and I did find it pretty enjoyable. It seems as though on this episode in particular, the show is more focused on the holiday theme than the extra things, which made it more fun to watch.
I think the Passwords did a really good job at getting into the holiday spirit. I love decorated game show sets, and Password Plus in 1979 did a really good job with theirs, and the Christmas puzzles in the game really help the mood as well. Super Password I enjoy just as much, and knowing that Bert was a singer, it really makes me wish that there was another instance where he sings a Christmas carol or two, like he did (albeit briefly) with “Mele Kalikimaka” in 1984.
Super Password’s 1984 holiday episode brings me to another show, the Pyramid Christmas show from 2003. I have my issues with Donnymid, but I always thought this was a high point in this version of the series. I find it really easy to get cozy and comfortable with the Christmas categories, with EVERY category both in the main games and the winner’s circle being holiday related. It’s one instance I think where the style of writing kind of came in handy. It also makes me wish we could see more of the possible Christmas shows from the Clark eras, including one from $25,000 Pyramid in 1986 -- hint, hint, GSN.
Seeing the holiday episodes of To Tell The Truth from 1990 were a real treat, and seeing them as well as a couple from the Collyer era also make me wish that television syndication was run differently back then, so we could have seen the same style of holiday charm on the 1969-78 version, which I thought were the truly the show’s best years. And as for another panel show, I’ve Got A Secret could really produce some great Christmas cheer.
As much as I agree with anyone that earlier episodes of Wheel of Fortune featured more charm and that it’s a better show without multiple gimmicks and fluff, I do admit that it’s nice looking forward to the Christmas shows ever year. I saw one from December 25, 2006 again and I did find it pretty enjoyable. It seems as though on this episode in particular, the show is more focused on the holiday theme than the extra things, which made it more fun to watch.
I think the Passwords did a really good job at getting into the holiday spirit. I love decorated game show sets, and Password Plus in 1979 did a really good job with theirs, and the Christmas puzzles in the game really help the mood as well. Super Password I enjoy just as much, and knowing that Bert was a singer, it really makes me wish that there was another instance where he sings a Christmas carol or two, like he did (albeit briefly) with “Mele Kalikimaka” in 1984.
Super Password’s 1984 holiday episode brings me to another show, the Pyramid Christmas show from 2003. I have my issues with Donnymid, but I always thought this was a high point in this version of the series. I find it really easy to get cozy and comfortable with the Christmas categories, with EVERY category both in the main games and the winner’s circle being holiday related. It’s one instance I think where the style of writing kind of came in handy. It also makes me wish we could see more of the possible Christmas shows from the Clark eras, including one from $25,000 Pyramid in 1986 -- hint, hint, GSN.
Seeing the holiday episodes of To Tell The Truth from 1990 were a real treat, and seeing them as well as a couple from the Collyer era also make me wish that television syndication was run differently back then, so we could have seen the same style of holiday charm on the 1969-78 version, which I thought were the truly the show’s best years. And as for another panel show, I’ve Got A Secret could really produce some great Christmas cheer.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Thanksgiving Episodes
I can’t believe it’s that time of the year again.
I’ve never been into sports that much, so I usually watch other things on Thanksgiving if I’m not with the rest of my family. There are Thanksgiving episodes of shows that I love so much that it’s become a real tradition to watch at least once every year.
For starters, it’s been a yearly tradition for I don’t know how long to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. That never, ever gets old for me.
Then there’s the episode of WKRP in Cincinnati, “Turkeys Away” where “The Big Guy” Carlson and Herb Tarlek learn the hard (and hilarious) way that turkeys don’t know how to fly. That episode is a true classic.
My true absolute favorites though are the Friends Thanksgiving episodes. I pretty much enjoy all of them to a degree. But season 6’s episode is the one I enjoy the most, “The One Where Ross Got High,” because of the secrets everyone were keeping from each other and about how in 60 seconds everything was revealed. Other favorites of mine include “The One Where Underdog Gets Away” from season 1, "The One With Chandler In A Box" from season 4, and I remember being so disappointed in most of season 9, but the Thanksgiving episode “The One With Rachel’s Other Sister” turned out really good in my opinion.
Will & Grace has made some really good ones too, I think. Even when I felt the show was no longer in its prime, season 7 did have an enjoyable Thanksgiving show, “Queens for a Day.” Although my favorites include season 2’s “Homo for the Holidays” where Jack comes out to his mother, and season 4’s “Moveable Feast.”
With some of these episodes and the Newhart marathon on WGN, there will be plenty to enjoy while dinner’s being made! I hope everyone’s Thanksgiving will be truly great!
I’ve never been into sports that much, so I usually watch other things on Thanksgiving if I’m not with the rest of my family. There are Thanksgiving episodes of shows that I love so much that it’s become a real tradition to watch at least once every year.
For starters, it’s been a yearly tradition for I don’t know how long to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. That never, ever gets old for me.
Then there’s the episode of WKRP in Cincinnati, “Turkeys Away” where “The Big Guy” Carlson and Herb Tarlek learn the hard (and hilarious) way that turkeys don’t know how to fly. That episode is a true classic.
My true absolute favorites though are the Friends Thanksgiving episodes. I pretty much enjoy all of them to a degree. But season 6’s episode is the one I enjoy the most, “The One Where Ross Got High,” because of the secrets everyone were keeping from each other and about how in 60 seconds everything was revealed. Other favorites of mine include “The One Where Underdog Gets Away” from season 1, "The One With Chandler In A Box" from season 4, and I remember being so disappointed in most of season 9, but the Thanksgiving episode “The One With Rachel’s Other Sister” turned out really good in my opinion.
Will & Grace has made some really good ones too, I think. Even when I felt the show was no longer in its prime, season 7 did have an enjoyable Thanksgiving show, “Queens for a Day.” Although my favorites include season 2’s “Homo for the Holidays” where Jack comes out to his mother, and season 4’s “Moveable Feast.”
With some of these episodes and the Newhart marathon on WGN, there will be plenty to enjoy while dinner’s being made! I hope everyone’s Thanksgiving will be truly great!
Friday, November 21, 2008
GSN: 12 Games of Christmas
Looks like GSN is spreading holiday cheer by getting some great oldies out of the vault! All through December, 12 different classics will air on 12 different days, from 1 to 3 PM eastern during the GSN Live block!
The schedule is like this:
December 8th: Card Sharks (CBS 1986-89; Christmas shows from 1986)
December 9th: Beat the Clock (CBS 1979-80; Christmas shows from 1979)
December 10th: Family Feud (CBS 1988-94; DAYTIME Christmas shows from 1991)
December 11th: Super Password (NBC 1984-89; Christmas shows from 1984)
December 12th: To Tell The Truth (NBC 1990-91; Christmas shows from 1990)
December 15th: Press Your Luck (CBS 1983-86; Christmas shows from 1984)
December 16th: Match Game (CBS 1973-79; Christmas shows from 1973, 1976, and 1977)
December 17th: Card Sharks (NBC 1978-81; Christmas shows from 1978)
December 18th: Family Feud (ABC 1976-85; Christmas shows from 1978)
December 19th: Body Language (CBS 1984-86; Christmas shows from 1984)
December 22nd: Password Plus (NBC 1979-82; Christmas shows from 1979)
December 23rd: Wheel of Fortune (Syndie 1983-Present; Christmas shows from 1994)
This is all so awesome, really looking forward to this. I really like that we’ll be seeing a different show each day. And it’s been quite a while since shows like classic To Tell The Truth, Body Language, and one of the 1980’s versions of Card Sharks have been on in the daytime. And daytime Combs Feud! This has not been seen on GSN at all lately. I know there are people like me who hate that GSN always seemed to skip some of these episodes, like the ones of Truth, and not even air them during the holidays; so it’s great to finally get to see them. And for oldie fans, I think this is a great way to make up for the pretty lackluster Thanksgiving stunts.
The schedule is like this:
December 8th: Card Sharks (CBS 1986-89; Christmas shows from 1986)
December 9th: Beat the Clock (CBS 1979-80; Christmas shows from 1979)
December 10th: Family Feud (CBS 1988-94; DAYTIME Christmas shows from 1991)
December 11th: Super Password (NBC 1984-89; Christmas shows from 1984)
December 12th: To Tell The Truth (NBC 1990-91; Christmas shows from 1990)
December 15th: Press Your Luck (CBS 1983-86; Christmas shows from 1984)
December 16th: Match Game (CBS 1973-79; Christmas shows from 1973, 1976, and 1977)
December 17th: Card Sharks (NBC 1978-81; Christmas shows from 1978)
December 18th: Family Feud (ABC 1976-85; Christmas shows from 1978)
December 19th: Body Language (CBS 1984-86; Christmas shows from 1984)
December 22nd: Password Plus (NBC 1979-82; Christmas shows from 1979)
December 23rd: Wheel of Fortune (Syndie 1983-Present; Christmas shows from 1994)
This is all so awesome, really looking forward to this. I really like that we’ll be seeing a different show each day. And it’s been quite a while since shows like classic To Tell The Truth, Body Language, and one of the 1980’s versions of Card Sharks have been on in the daytime. And daytime Combs Feud! This has not been seen on GSN at all lately. I know there are people like me who hate that GSN always seemed to skip some of these episodes, like the ones of Truth, and not even air them during the holidays; so it’s great to finally get to see them. And for oldie fans, I think this is a great way to make up for the pretty lackluster Thanksgiving stunts.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Halloween Episodes: Game Show Style
As far as the game shows go, it looks like another really good year for Halloween. I still cringe about theme weeks on syndie Deal or No Deal because of how the NBC version has seriously overdone the concept. But in the case of holidays, I generally make an exception and I must say that they did a good job with this week. Wheel of Fortune was certainly another. I loved the decorations. And The Price Is Right has done it again with a brilliantly themed episode. I liked the spooky border at the beginning as well. Also, the models looked really nice in their costumes and Rich looked great as Zorro. GREAT showcases.
For the classic game show fans there were some goodies on GSN, including three episodes of Super Password and a week’s worth of Family Feud with Ray Combs. And while I’m not a fan of multiple Karn airings, I admit it’s nice seeing the Halloween episodes again. I think Family Feud is the show that I look forward to most this time of the year. I love the costumes that the families wear, and the Halloween themed survey questions, albeit some of them on the recent versions can be a tad on the gross side. I love seeing John O'Hurley and his son Dylan in their costumes as well. And they even make the music appropriate for the occasion. It really makes me wish that they would put the same effort in around December and have a Christmas week. I’m sure it would be truly great.
The only thing I really hate is that I managed to miss the Halloween episodes of I’ve Got A Secret this weekend in the overnight block. That show managed to make some really awesome holiday shows and Halloween was no exception. Oh well, there’s always next year.
For the classic game show fans there were some goodies on GSN, including three episodes of Super Password and a week’s worth of Family Feud with Ray Combs. And while I’m not a fan of multiple Karn airings, I admit it’s nice seeing the Halloween episodes again. I think Family Feud is the show that I look forward to most this time of the year. I love the costumes that the families wear, and the Halloween themed survey questions, albeit some of them on the recent versions can be a tad on the gross side. I love seeing John O'Hurley and his son Dylan in their costumes as well. And they even make the music appropriate for the occasion. It really makes me wish that they would put the same effort in around December and have a Christmas week. I’m sure it would be truly great.
The only thing I really hate is that I managed to miss the Halloween episodes of I’ve Got A Secret this weekend in the overnight block. That show managed to make some really awesome holiday shows and Halloween was no exception. Oh well, there’s always next year.
Halloween Episodes
There was some pretty interesting stuff for Halloween this past week, and being the holiday episode freak that I am, I thought I’d talk about some of it.
Ellen did a great job with her Halloween show this year. Though I honestly was expecting more of an outrageous costume like some of her previous ones (like J. Lo and Dr. Phil). I loved the Halloween themed charity dunk tank for breast cancer awareness filled with slime. Wanda Sykes made yet another awesome appearance, this time as a Wall Street businessman. I find Wanda to be a brilliant comedian who never fails to make me laugh.
From what I’ve seen in primetime: You can’t forget the classic Peanuts special It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown on ABC. Supernatural had a great Halloween episode. I am enjoying this season so far a lot. It’s probably my favorite season after season two. And much kudos to Lifetime for airing the Halloween episode of Reba on Halloween night.
The only thing that’s really disappointing to me is pretty much from a local standpoint. With only one airing of The Simpsons here a night, it’s impossible to show off a lot of the Halloween specials, especially the earlier ones, which I think were the best. I don’t know if it’s a national thing or not or if it’s just something that’s done here, but I truly hate that it seems in the past year or so only recent episodes are rerun. This is a show that has enough Halloween episodes to deserve its own marathon on cable or something… *cough* FX *cough* - hint, hint.
Ellen did a great job with her Halloween show this year. Though I honestly was expecting more of an outrageous costume like some of her previous ones (like J. Lo and Dr. Phil). I loved the Halloween themed charity dunk tank for breast cancer awareness filled with slime. Wanda Sykes made yet another awesome appearance, this time as a Wall Street businessman. I find Wanda to be a brilliant comedian who never fails to make me laugh.
From what I’ve seen in primetime: You can’t forget the classic Peanuts special It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown on ABC. Supernatural had a great Halloween episode. I am enjoying this season so far a lot. It’s probably my favorite season after season two. And much kudos to Lifetime for airing the Halloween episode of Reba on Halloween night.
The only thing that’s really disappointing to me is pretty much from a local standpoint. With only one airing of The Simpsons here a night, it’s impossible to show off a lot of the Halloween specials, especially the earlier ones, which I think were the best. I don’t know if it’s a national thing or not or if it’s just something that’s done here, but I truly hate that it seems in the past year or so only recent episodes are rerun. This is a show that has enough Halloween episodes to deserve its own marathon on cable or something… *cough* FX *cough* - hint, hint.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Hope Everyone Had a Nice Holiday Season
Just wanted to say that I hope everyone had a great holiday season.
I wish I had remembered about the Price Is Right Christmas shows. I normally don’t forget but this time I did and didn’t get to see all of them. I’ll have to keep this in mind next holiday season, because that just screams “We’re Christmas episodes, review us!” And it completely passed my mind that they would air a new show on the 25th, not only was it new, but a Plinko record was set. What a bad game show fan I was to miss that. If I had known, I would have taped it along with the 1995 episode of The Young and the Restless and the 2003 episode of The Bold and the Beautiful that aired the same day. Watching those two older episodes made me realize the one pet peeve I have when it comes to watching one older random episode of a soap opera. Of course, it’s not knowing all the history. I soon found out that Nicholas Newman on The Young and the Restless was framed for murder, and that’s why he was in prison on that show, but I’m still wondering why Sally Spectra was so depressed at the beginning of The Bold and the Beautiful episode. However, tiny pet peeve aside, it’s always nice to see older episodes of the genre when the shows were better written as a whole and were good every single day. There was also the marathon of A Christmas Story on TBS. I made sure to watch that at least twice. I really am not a big fan of modern-day TBS and don’t watch regularly anymore; but I’m happy that they keep one tradition. I made sure to see Elf on USA as well for the first time in full; not a favorite but it wasn‘t bad to me. I’m glad NBC is keeping up with the tradition of It’s A Wonderful Life. And last but not least who can forget the animated classics? Seeing A Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudolph, and Frosty really help put me in a good mood for the holidays if I‘m not already in one.
On New Year’s Eve I noticed that Sci-fi had the Twilight Zone marathon. Not that big a fan of that show but it’s nice that a network is keeping a tradition alive for the fans. I wish I had WPIX-TV. I hear that they had a great marathon of The Honeymooners. Also there was the $100,000 Pyramid marathon on GSN. While I wish that hopefully they’ll get the rights to another season, the episodes they picked were good. Speaking of Pyramid, its original host and master of the game was back for the Dick Clark New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2008 special. It was nice seeing him again, and I noticed that he has movement in one of his arms again, but sadly his speech was still somewhat slurred from his stroke in 2004. This man is one of my favorite celebrities of all time and I truly respect and admire his braveness and willing to continue being apart of helping America have fun in bringing the New Year. I wish him all the best and a continued recovery.
New Year’s Day had the Let’s Make A Deal marathon. I wish I remembered to tape the whole thing. It was unique in the fact that they were all apart of the final season, when they taped at the Las Vegas Hilton.
I’ve got to do better at this marathon thing lately. Normally I try not to lag. Not only is this stuff a lot of fun to watch, but at the same time it also just screams “we’re marathons, review us!”
I wish I had remembered about the Price Is Right Christmas shows. I normally don’t forget but this time I did and didn’t get to see all of them. I’ll have to keep this in mind next holiday season, because that just screams “We’re Christmas episodes, review us!” And it completely passed my mind that they would air a new show on the 25th, not only was it new, but a Plinko record was set. What a bad game show fan I was to miss that. If I had known, I would have taped it along with the 1995 episode of The Young and the Restless and the 2003 episode of The Bold and the Beautiful that aired the same day. Watching those two older episodes made me realize the one pet peeve I have when it comes to watching one older random episode of a soap opera. Of course, it’s not knowing all the history. I soon found out that Nicholas Newman on The Young and the Restless was framed for murder, and that’s why he was in prison on that show, but I’m still wondering why Sally Spectra was so depressed at the beginning of The Bold and the Beautiful episode. However, tiny pet peeve aside, it’s always nice to see older episodes of the genre when the shows were better written as a whole and were good every single day. There was also the marathon of A Christmas Story on TBS. I made sure to watch that at least twice. I really am not a big fan of modern-day TBS and don’t watch regularly anymore; but I’m happy that they keep one tradition. I made sure to see Elf on USA as well for the first time in full; not a favorite but it wasn‘t bad to me. I’m glad NBC is keeping up with the tradition of It’s A Wonderful Life. And last but not least who can forget the animated classics? Seeing A Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudolph, and Frosty really help put me in a good mood for the holidays if I‘m not already in one.
On New Year’s Eve I noticed that Sci-fi had the Twilight Zone marathon. Not that big a fan of that show but it’s nice that a network is keeping a tradition alive for the fans. I wish I had WPIX-TV. I hear that they had a great marathon of The Honeymooners. Also there was the $100,000 Pyramid marathon on GSN. While I wish that hopefully they’ll get the rights to another season, the episodes they picked were good. Speaking of Pyramid, its original host and master of the game was back for the Dick Clark New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2008 special. It was nice seeing him again, and I noticed that he has movement in one of his arms again, but sadly his speech was still somewhat slurred from his stroke in 2004. This man is one of my favorite celebrities of all time and I truly respect and admire his braveness and willing to continue being apart of helping America have fun in bringing the New Year. I wish him all the best and a continued recovery.
New Year’s Day had the Let’s Make A Deal marathon. I wish I remembered to tape the whole thing. It was unique in the fact that they were all apart of the final season, when they taped at the Las Vegas Hilton.
I’ve got to do better at this marathon thing lately. Normally I try not to lag. Not only is this stuff a lot of fun to watch, but at the same time it also just screams “we’re marathons, review us!”
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