 |
| The original men of Jeopardy!--Anouncer Don Pardo, creator/producer Merv Griffith, and host Art Flemming. |
This week you will not be able to turn around
without bumping into somebody’s Holy
Day. And speaking of Holy Days, geeks everywhere are celebrating the
first presentation of Jeapardy! on March 30, 1964.
The game
show went a long way to making creator,
erstwhile big band boy singer and TV impresario Merv Griffin one of the richest
men in show business.
According to Griffin, he was bemoaning the
lack of smart question and answer game
shows in the aftermath of the quiz
show scandals of the ‘50’s. His wife suggested instead of asking questions, why not give the answers and have the contestants figure out the questions? It was such a good idea that he sold it to NBC without even producing the
customary pilot.
Griffin picked Art Fleming, a strapping 6’4” former college football player and World
War II Navy dive bomber pilot to
host the show. Fleming had experience as a radio announcer, TV pitchman—he intoned the famous “Winston tastes good like a cigarette
should” catch phrase—and middling actor,
but had never hosted a game show. He was
a natural, both warm and authoritative.
Fleming he never missed a show taping on his
watch, which included the NBC daily run
from 1964 to 1975, a weekly syndicated version in ’74 and ’75, and a brief
revival in ’78-’79.
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| A few years ago Alex Trebek showed of the Day Time Emmy Awards that he and the show had won. Many more since then. |
While the show went off the air for a while,
Griffin was constantly asked when it would come back. In 1984 he launched a new daily syndicated version hosted by Canadian Alex Trebek, a handsome host
with long experience as a game show emcee
on both sides of the border.
Jeapardy! became one of the most successful syndicated programs of all time and
is still in production with Trebek
as host.
Over the years the famous answer board has become more high tech and the set glitzier. But the answers are still challenging lots of
geniuses-on-the-couch, each of whom
believes he could become another Ken
Jennings—the boyish Utah geek
who racked up 74 consecutive games
on the show in 2004—if only he could somehow get on the show and master the thumb buzzer.
While the show went off the air for a while,
Griffin was constantly asked when it would come back. In 1984 he launched a new daily syndicated version hosted by Canadian Alex Trebek, a handsome host
with long experience as a game show emcee
on both sides of the border.
Jeapardy! became one of the most successful syndicated programs of all time and
is still in production with Trebek
as host.
Over the years the famous answer board has become more high tech and the set glitzier. But the answers are still challenging lots of
geniuses-on-the-couch, each of whom
believes he could become another Ken
Jennings—the boyish Utah geek
who racked up 74 consecutive games
on the show in 2004—if only he could somehow get on the show and master the thumb buzzer.
 |
| Game show grand master Kee Jennings, quick on the plunger.... |
And now your Final Jeopardy Answer is: Brad Rutter. You have thirty
seconds. Make sure your response is
in the form of a question.
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