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Post by blackwoodcompany on May 9, 2016 16:39:58 GMT -5
Last week, famed developer of Sale of the Century and Scrabble died in Bermuda at the age of 92. As a tribute, I will post my favorite Sale episode on which John Goss won the lot in the wildest fashion.
Plus, I add one big winner from the Winner's Board:
And now the Scrabble premiere:
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Post by dougmorrisontheair on May 9, 2016 20:54:37 GMT -5
The year was 1983. My family and I relocated to Dayton, Ohio from San Antonio, Texas. Due to commitments to syndicated programming ("Donahue" as I recall), the NBC affil in San Antonio (the then KMOL; since reverted to the classic WOAI calls) wasn't carrying "$ale of the Century" -- but did carry "Dream House". Once in a while, Bob Eubanks would drop in a mention of Jim Perry and "$ale".
Fast forward to the relocation in Dayton -- where the NBC affil at the time (WKEF; it and WDTN swapped affiliations long after we left to come here to Mississippi) *did* carry $otC. I finally got to see what the fuss was all about.
And what a show. A space-aged set, prizes offered at certain intervals at ridiculously low discounts and Jim Perry in the dual role of quizmaster and salesman. It was great seeing him again. It was also nice to hear certain bonuses from the fame game referred to as "money cards" -- a nod to his previous project on NBC, CS78.
As I recall, my first viewing of $otC was roughly two or three days before -- this happened.
All the while, I wondered who put this masterpiece together. Barry and Enright? Sure didn't seem like their cup of tea (no bad guy to avoid in the bonus round). Goodson/Todman? Maybe.
By the end of the half hour, I got my answer. Per Jay Stewart's copy, "'$ale of the Century' is a Reg Grundy production"
Reg Grundy? Who's he? If he's a rookie producer, I thought, he's off to one heckuva start.
Over time, and seeing other shows such as "Scrabble" and "Time Machine" -- and still much later when I started corresponding with fellow game show fans on the internet -- I'd learn Reg Grundy was a prolific Australian TV producer -- not only of game shows but dramas as well. The base of operations was the land down under -- but that didn't stop him from selling shows to networks here in the states as well as the United Kingdom ("Going for Gold").
RG left behind quite a legacy. May he rest in peace.
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Post by billmcdee on May 10, 2016 8:25:20 GMT -5
Seems so many great producers' last names began with G...
Goodson
Griffin
Grundy
92 is a very long life indeed and his innovations of game shows really brought a great deal of joy to this viewer during the 1980s with $ale, Scrabble and even the much too short-lived Time Machine.
Deepest condolences to Mr. Grundy's family and friends, and to his fans, of which I am one...
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Post by mrb2000 on May 10, 2016 13:29:04 GMT -5
Reg Grundy was a legend of his own. Not only here in America, but in his home country of Australia as well. In Australia, he produced Blankety Blanks in 1977-78 and $ale of The Century from 1980-2001. In America, he did $ale of The Century from 1983-1989, Scrabble from 1984-1990 and again in '93, Scatagorries in 1993, Bruce Forsyth's Hot Streak in 1986 among many others. Reg was amazing at what he did. May god bless his soul.  |
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