tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post3864224890587214128..comments2024-03-27T22:27:16.556-04:00Comments on It's About TV: Bess Myerson, R.I.P.Mitchell Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08695771505209080030noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-20980831201662830492015-01-11T04:52:30.969-05:002015-01-11T04:52:30.969-05:00Heckuva tribute to Bess Myerson, Mitchell.
I grew ...Heckuva tribute to Bess Myerson, Mitchell.<br />I grew up in they NYC suburbs, she was ubiquitous. <br />The game shows, co-hosting parades, advertising, a talk show here and there, radio and a column for consumers called "Listen, Bess" in the New York Daily News.<br /> She had such appeal.<br />Marc Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04604853220531758026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-69800130182544265342015-01-07T17:05:12.015-05:002015-01-07T17:05:12.015-05:00The classic "big three" Goodson-Todman p...The classic "big three" Goodson-Todman panel-formatted game shows ("What's My Line?", "To Tell The Truth" and "I've Got A Secret") were long-term successes because of the casting of their panels.<br /><br />All three panels (Bennett Cerf, Arlene Francis, and before her death, Dorothy Kilgallen on "Line"; Tom Poston, Orson Bean, Peggy Cass and Kitty Carlisle on "Truth"; and Bill Cullen, Betsy Palmer, Henry Morgan and Bess Myerson on "Secret") had great chemistry among their members.<br /><br />That chemistry was very entertaining, and kept viewers coming back week-after-week (or in the case of "Truth", day-after-day since during the 1960's it was on five days a week in the afternoon as well as in prime-time once a week) for more.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-44336802891815626532015-01-07T16:41:44.621-05:002015-01-07T16:41:44.621-05:00"Black and White Sunday Night' was a joy ..."Black and White Sunday Night' was a joy to watch on GSN and it's too bad they can't be bothered with that anymore. Now, it's all such insipid and lame game show creations or cheap looking revivals of some of the more mediocre game shows that once existed. <br /><br />For years, I knew the name of Bess Myerson and knew she had won a beauty contest, but that was it. Then I happened upon the first episode of "IGAS" that she appeared on. I thought she was beautiful and polite and charming and bubbly. Out of curiosity I began to dig up more about her on Wikipedia, etc... to see whatever became of her later in her life and that's when I learned about the slow, entangled slide into the "Bess Mess". The NYT ran a very good obituary a few days back which delved quite well into what all happened, the people involved and her years after that. I came away feeling that she was a sad and lonely person for the most part after the "Bess Mess" was over and her acquittal complete. She pretty much made a determined effort to never get anywhere close to any spotlights ever again. Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17269689015712662193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-50099691245489950952015-01-07T16:26:50.248-05:002015-01-07T16:26:50.248-05:00hang on... You get re-runs of classic game shows? ...hang on... You get re-runs of classic game shows? Never happens in Australia although one show from the '70s, <i>Blankety Blanks</i> (Australia's version of <i>The Match Game</i>) has selected episodes on DVD. But how great would it be to see actual classic game shows on TV?! I suspect much of ours barely exist in archives anymore, especially anything pre-colo(u)r.Television.AUhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17903689901203419868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-20887542723772208132015-01-07T13:53:32.920-05:002015-01-07T13:53:32.920-05:00"She had class, as did so many TV personaliti..."She had class, as did so many TV personalities of the time, and so few today." That pretty much says it all. GSN's Sunday Night in Black and White bloc was must-see viewing - and I was always struck by the wit and sophistication of the panel shows of the era, while more recent game shows were defined by screaming contestants and outrageous behavior. It seems now like an almost ancient chapter in our broadcasting history - but happily Betsy Palmer is still with us. David Hofstedehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288510542472710879noreply@blogger.com