Not technically comedy, but game show with heavy doses of humor:
The Game Show Network is showing reruns of the old Match Game weekday afternoons at 1:30 Eastern. For those of you too young, host Gene Rayburn would read a sentence with a key word left out. A panel of six celebrities would come up with words to fill in the blanks. Two contestants would come up with their own answers, trying to match as many celebrities as possible.
(Sample sentence: Bernie is the world's best salesman. He could even sell a push-up bra to ___________.)
Sounds dumb, yes. But the celebrities (Brett Somers, Charles Nelson Reilly, and Richard Dawson being regulars on the panel) are quick-witted and clearly having a great time. There's nothing quite like '70s innuendo. And the '70s fashions are genuine!
You say that last as if it's a selling point.
We captioned that! The whole office loved working on it. Gene Rayburn is a GOD.
I watched Match Game the first time around. Gene Rayburn always came across to me as a dirty old man that moms would pull their kids away from if he approached them on the street.
Gene Rayburn always came across to me as a dirty old man that moms would pull their kids away from if he approached them on the street.
Well, yeah, but it totally works for the show--and he always keeps things moving, even with all those drunk celebrities to handle.
I loved Match Game! I even had it as a board game, which was hi-larious.
You say that last as if it's a selling point.
On the comedy thread, it is. Not to mention that the really, really shuddery stuff you see in the media wasn't what the average person always wore.
I mean, Richard Dawson in a turtleneck and checked jacket is more humorous than scary. And Fannie Flagg in a "Southern Comfort" shirt fits in with the innuendo.
Also seconding Scrappy. The chemistry really makes the show.
I wish I could find the review of the new Match Game I read on AICN. Their search engine sucks. The gist of it was that what made the original show great was that it was naughty. Today you can get away with anything so there's no way to recapture that bawdiness.
what made the original show great was that it was naughty. Today you can get away with anything so there's no way to recapture that bawdiness.
I'm not sure the naughtiness was the big factor, but they do get the changing times right. The original came out at the right time for innuendo -- when it was permitted but daring to say "boobs" or "make love" on TV. Nothing really fits that category now that Jerry Springer has been on for more than 10 years.
I used to hate it when The Newlywed Game called sex "Making Whoopee"- drove me crazy!
