Here in Ottawa, Ontario, where he's the city's favourite adopted son, I was driving back into the city tonight past the Canadian Tire Centre, home to the Ottawa Senators NHL team. There on the screen outside was a picture of Alex in the stands at a game with the caption, "Thank you, Alex". I knew it could only mean one thing. Given the increase in the number of celebrities doing PSAs for municipal transit services, I wish the City of Ottawa had jumped on the bandwagon with Alex while they had the chance. Would have made city bus rides a tad more humuorous.
I saw Jeopardy! in person three times between 2012-2013. When question time with the audience came during the break at my first taping, I tried to go off the run of the mill questions and asked Alex what his favourite hosting gig was outside of Jeopardy!. Of course, we all know the answer: "To Tell the Truth... because it was the first show where I got to sit down." At another taping, I tried to fish for anecdotes asking him about working with Jay Wolpert and Johnny Olson (hey, it was at least highly original). Truly stumped him. He paused and could only muster, "Is Jay Wolpert still alive?... Johnny Olson isn't."
For the many hundreds of times he was asked the same questions over the decades, I was truly pleased how he could, for all those people in the audience there for their first time and probably never again, come across as engaged and interested as he would have been opening night. He probably was engaged, or if he was not, he knew he'd be making a lasting impression on some loyal fan of the show and he mustered up the enthusiasm. Props to him. He made the Jeopardy! experience enjoyable watching at home as well as in the studio. Truly a class act. I am glad so much of his work remains for us to enjoy for the decades to come.
Indeed, thank you, Alex.