I enjoyed GSN's best hosts documentary from the last weekend. Mainly because I thought they got it right for the most part. You can't please everyone and obviously there were some people who thought it was flawed. Here's where I think they went wrong and where they went right.

Right:

Bill Cullen - Thank God they got him in there.

Chuck Woolery -- Could be a controversial choice, but there's a reason he's there. 30 years of hosting, still a household name, and "2 and 2" cinches it. If we think outside the game show super fan world, this guy would be named by casual fans everywhere when asked to name a famous host. Not to mention the fact that he's a walking blooper tape and can ad lib better than almost anyone.

Wrong:

Only one guy, and that's Regis. Millionaire is an instant classic, but in the long run his flirtation with game shows only lasted 4 years total. If he'd had a few other shows under his belt it would have made sense.

To replace Reeg? Hmm, it would have to be Dick Clark, all those years of Pyramid, he was a total pro, despite being totally unlikeable off camera. Peter Marshall would have been my #11, but he really did kind of end up being second banana to the stars on Squares, so I don't think that helped him much.

Who I wouldn't have added to the list? Tom Kennedy. Maybe I'm reflecting more on his final shows, but on Body Language and Price he just seemed lost all the time, even on Password Plus as well. He did nail Split Second though, and that's a super tough quiz. But in the long run he wouldn't beat out Dick.

And did someone mention Hal March? Man, it's hard to put a guy on a serious list of best hosts ever when his only big show was a total sham.

 

posted by Brad @ 8:49 PM   1 comment(s)