Author Topic: Your TPiR Confessions  (Read 21654 times)

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Offline gamesurf

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Re: Your TPiR Confessions
« Reply #30 on: January 28, 2020, 03:55:52 PM »
George Gray is a wonderful human being. As a support for Drew, warm-up guy, comedic sidekick, fill-in model, professional audience wrangler, he's 10/10. He adds a ton to making an enjoyable taping atmosphere.
 
But his announcing voice just doesn't click with me at all and I'm annoyed by the way he adds a high intonation on things like "In-CLEW-did!"
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Offline ThomHuge

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Re: Your TPiR Confessions
« Reply #31 on: January 28, 2020, 05:12:25 PM »
Rich Fields is probably definitely the worst permanent announcer the show has had.

FTFY.

Offline CBSpromoman

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Re: Your TPiR Confessions
« Reply #32 on: January 28, 2020, 06:43:32 PM »
Rich Fields is probably the worst permanent announcer the show has had.

The thing is, when Rich started, he sounded great. But over time, he seemed to become more and more over the top. And I have to wonder if he was actually ENCOURAGED to announce that way. Because even if he somehow couldn't have heard how over the top he was, surely the producers did and would have said something if they weren't happy with him.

I don't know why he was removed from the show. After all they put him through in those "Drewcases," I think he deserved better.

But speaking of over the top...now we have someone who's even more so!

Quote from: gamesurf
George Gray is a wonderful human being. As a support for Drew, warm-up guy, comedic sidekick, fill-in model, professional audience wrangler, he's 10/10. He adds a ton to making an enjoyable taping atmosphere.
 
But his announcing voice just doesn't click with me at all and I'm annoyed by the way he adds a high intonation on things like "In-CLEW-did!"

THAT. Right there. And I'm so glad someone else said it!!!

George has a great voice and his on-camera personality is very positive.

But his announcing has become horrendous. Gamesurf is dead-on with the "in-CLEW-did" thing. It's at times as if George is trying to sing through his copy.

And I'll say this about the calldowns: think about it...telling someone on that show to "Come on Down" is potentially giving them life-changing news! It's a GREAT thing.

But listen to George's first four calldowns on any show. And try this little exercise: make a mental note of the pitch and tone he uses for each of the first four "come on down" calldowns. And in your head, substitute the words, "You got the job!" (Essentially, you're on a casting call...so if you impress the producer, you get cast in the show.)

His first and fourth calldowns, when you substitute "You got the job!" with the same tone and pitch he uses, makes it sound depressing. On the word "down," he's using a DOWNWARD pitch. But if it's good news, you'd use an UPWARD pitch because it IS good news. Instead, they come off sounding like they're being said by someone who's a bit too interested in hearing his own voice!

His second "come on down" almost passes. His third is the worst...it almost comes off like a question instead of a statement.

And he does those first four calldowns the exact same way every single show. Pick any show and sub "Come on Down" in your head for "You got the job!" You'll hear it.

Am I overthinking it? Maybe. But then again some of us of a certain age grew up with shows actually run by Mark Goodson who thought things out to this degree to get into the psychology of the game. If you're old enough to have been immersed in Goodson's vision of how game shows should work, today's shows -- not just picking on 'Price' here, but ALL of them now -- fall short because it appears that there's not nearly as much thought going into things.

I took a broadcast announcing class and back then, they were still teaching us to mark up your copy the way we know Johnny Olson did. We were encouraged to read the scripts, study them, look for meaning and think about what we were trying to convey.

It just doesn't feel like that's happening anymore, and unfortunately, on a show like 'Price' where the announcer has SO MUCH TIME in the show, it's harder to enjoy.
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Offline Flerbert419

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Re: Your TPiR Confessions
« Reply #33 on: January 28, 2020, 07:24:25 PM »
If the show enjoys playing non-car games for cars so much, they should consider playing car games for non-car prizes.
...
Have some fun with it, you cowards.

I'm potentially on board for this but what does it have to do with insulting the courage of the production staff?
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Offline DRPrice

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Re: Your TPiR Confessions
« Reply #34 on: January 28, 2020, 07:35:25 PM »
     The Showcases are my least favorite portion of the show, especially nowadays when they seem so slapped together. 

     But then again, everything was better back when the whole classic cast was together (Bob, Johnny, Dian, Janice and Holly) and Marc Breslow was directing.

Offline ooboh

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Re: Your TPiR Confessions
« Reply #35 on: January 28, 2020, 07:49:24 PM »
It bothers me (more than it should) that there’s no lower-third “$20,000” graphic for a complete Time is Money win anymore. Same goes for a $10,000 or $100,000 win on Pay the Rent (although I’m pretty sure the huge sign descending from the ceiling would suffice in the latter example).

Offline tpiradam

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Re: Your TPiR Confessions
« Reply #36 on: January 28, 2020, 07:50:52 PM »
I wish they still used the clangs and whoops for wins on It's In the Bag and Triple Play.

Offline pricefan18

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Re: Your TPiR Confessions
« Reply #37 on: January 28, 2020, 07:57:03 PM »
I took a broadcast announcing class and back then, they were still teaching us to mark up your copy the way we know Johnny Olson did. We were encouraged to read the scripts, study them, look for meaning and think about what we were trying to convey.

You know, thinking about that...imagine if Johnny Olson was alive and in his prime as an announcer today, and he tried to eliminate words in the script to suit what he felt sounded better, like he did back then by subbing "Here's" for "Here is" when introducing Bob, and omitting "Which are" in the spiel going into the break after PG #4. If he tried that now? He might well be out of a job, or at least told to not do that again by someone on staff after he did it, especially given how much things tend to be scripted out/are attempted to be now compared to that era and after him. That in itself tells you a lot about how things have changed.

Offline ThomHuge

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Re: Your TPiR Confessions
« Reply #38 on: January 28, 2020, 08:18:29 PM »
If he tried that now? He might well be out of a job, or at least told to not do that again by someone on staff after he did it, especially given how much things tend to be scripted out/are attempted to be now compared to that era and after him. That in itself tells you a lot about how things have changed.

Actually, it's just as likely that they'd do a re-take or an audio pickup to make it work, likely without managerial commentary at all. One of the most substantial changes to the show since Johnny's day is that they no longer do it as though it's live-to-tape, and don't shy away from post-production editing (and all the studio rental time that implies) in the slightest. (I call that pretty darn irresponsible, but that's another discussion.)

Offline Casey

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Re: Your TPiR Confessions
« Reply #39 on: January 28, 2020, 08:29:23 PM »
     The Showcases are my least favorite portion of the show, especially nowadays when they seem so slapped together. 

     But then again, everything was better back when the whole classic cast was together (Bob, Johnny, Dian, Janice and Holly) and Marc Breslow was directing.
I've been binge watching old episodes on YouTube.  What bothers me about the showcases is back then, there was obviously a "great one" and a "not so great one" with really no middle ground on almost every show.  I can almost always predict what the first person is going to do when asked whether they want to bid or pass.  At least now, the showcases seem to have some parity.

Offline pricefan18

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Re: Your TPiR Confessions
« Reply #40 on: January 28, 2020, 09:27:46 PM »
Actually, it's just as likely that they'd do a re-take or an audio pickup to make it work, likely without managerial commentary at all. One of the most substantial changes to the show since Johnny's day is that they no longer do it as though it's live-to-tape, and don't shy away from post-production editing (and all the studio rental time that implies) in the slightest. (I call that pretty darn irresponsible, but that's another discussion.)

Yeah there's that too, but like say he insisted on keeping it that way? He'd probably not last long. I could be wrong though, but I tend to doubt it.

Offline ThomHuge

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Re: Your TPiR Confessions
« Reply #41 on: January 28, 2020, 09:44:39 PM »
Yeah there's that too, but like say he insisted on keeping it that way?

In an ideal world, the announcer would be able to have input on the prize copy, at the very least in the interest of making it easier for them to read. Without knowing for sure, Mike's video addresses to us always presented him like an easygoing type of guy, so I'd like to think he'd have been willing to listen to inputs from talent (especially those with established reputations and credibility in the business). I'd like to think that if Johnny had insisted on reading something in a particular way, as long as there was no outside contractual obligations involved, he'd have been listened to.

He'd probably not last long. I could be wrong though, but I tend to doubt it.

Exactly what makes you think he'd "probably not" last long? What industry knowledge or experience do you have to make you think that? For that matter, what do you know about the inner workings of the show, and the personalities involved, to offer so definitive a conclusion about what would "probably" happen? (If you couldn't tell, it gets on my nerves when people lend their opinions too much weight and draw unsupported conclusions out of thin air.)
« Last Edit: January 28, 2020, 09:50:16 PM by ThomHuge »

Offline Torgo

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Re: Your TPiR Confessions
« Reply #42 on: January 28, 2020, 10:14:31 PM »
I'm potentially on board for this but what does it have to do with insulting the courage of the production staff?

The show tends to play it safe. Most shows have two car games and three-prize showcases. They won't ever do this.
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Offline Mr. Weatherman

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Re: Your TPiR Confessions
« Reply #43 on: January 28, 2020, 11:54:19 PM »
Topics like these almost make me feel like I need to place the following disclaimer: “The thoughts and opinions expressed below are mine and mine alone and do not represent the forum as a whole.  Disagreement is healthy, as long as it is with taste and doesn’t stray far from the topic at large.”

With that out of the way...

I love George and think he is a great guy, but in my opinion, the announcing gig never should have been given to him, for virtually the same reasons pointed out by others here.  He just doesn’t have that announcer ‘sound,’ especially for a show where that particular role is almost as important as the host’s!  I do, however, believe he would make an excellent host — and quite frankly, I think he would be better suited for the role than Drew.  I’ve felt this way for quite some time and would love to see an episode where he gets to take a stab at it (if such an episode has happened, I was completely out of the loop lol).

Rich Fields wasn’t all that bad, but the job should have gone to Burton Richardson or Randy West.  Both had more than proven themselves worthy of the role when subbing for Rod, and if either of them had been given the job, I believe they may very well still be with the show today and would have helped maintain a certain level of consistency through a period when the show needed it most.

I was completely put off by the new set and theme music adjustment with Season 36. Drew’s hosting didn’t bother me so much, but the other changes were so much of a distraction that I about hated it (keep in mind I was only 13 at the time, so what I knew to that point is what I was used to). That initial shock from Day 1 of the Drew era really set the tone for my feelings toward the show for quite a few years thereafter.  It really hasn’t been until recently that I’ve grown to accept the show for what it is and began enjoying it again without being totally distracted by changes I (still) disagree with.

It really, really bothered me when Bob was introduced on the 2015 April Fools show as “Drew Carey” by George, and it stills bothers me to this day whenever I play back that clip.  Yes, it was an April Fools gag to have him come out, but at least give the man a proper introduction!  Especially when that moment was quite likely to be the final time he’ll ever walk through those doors (although I still hold out the tiniest bit of hope for just one more surprise appearance!).

Admittedly, my impressions of Mike Richards when I first joined this site several years back were not fair, but I grew to greatly appreciate his work.  Once he got the kinks worked out, he really turned the show back into something special — even if I don’t agree with certain nuances like ditching virtually all of the classic music cues (which may not have even been his doings, at least fully).  I wish he was still with the show now!

I absolutely detested cheap Showcases during the Barker years, especially when both ended up being cheap and/or filled with less-than-desirable prizes.  You spend the entirety of the show building to this suspenseful segment where a lot of loot can be won, only to offer random trips and a snow mobile as your top prizes.  I get rather annoyed today by how basic the Showcase ‘themes’ (or lack-there-of) are today, but at least the prizes have improved leaps and bounds in the average Showcase!

The late 90s set, cues (in use at that time), etc. will forever be the best.  Don’t @ me!
« Last Edit: January 29, 2020, 04:16:31 PM by PayingTheRent »
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Offline TPIRViewer

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Re: Your TPiR Confessions
« Reply #44 on: January 29, 2020, 09:02:48 PM »

Why? That era, Bob seemed mean. Shoving and grabbing contestants, rushing through descriptions, zero connection with other cast on stage, it was all about Barker it nobody. The show seemed bland and boring.

This is total fantasy and not even remotely true.