TVSquad

Here's the thing about game show revivals: you have to satisfy people on two levels. For fans of the old show, you have to make the gameplay of the new show familiar enough to keep them happy and coming back. And, in order to attract new fans, you have to modernize and add touches that will suck in viewers and help build drama. That's one of the reasons why most new game shows have Who Wants to Be a Millionaire-style darkened sets with swirling lights, and depend on ominous music and tight camera angles to create drama.

Million Dollar Password, premiering Sunday at 8 PM ET, has all of that. They even nabbed Millionaire's original American host, Regis Philbin, to give it that extra bit of primetime oomph. But does it work? Well... sorta. Fans of the Allen Ludden / Tom Kennedy / Bert Convy incarnations might be dissatisfied with what they've done to their old favorite, but even an objective observer can see that the gameplay has some flaws that are going to need to be worked out for the show to succeed.

(Originally aired Dec. 1, 1972)

Since CBS will debut a new, updated version of the classic game show Password this Sunday at 8, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about one of the great episodes of The Odd Couple, appropriately titled "Password." (it's also Jack Klugman's favorite). It's the one where Oscar is asked to go on the game show and he gets to choose his partner. Will he choose Felix, a nut for the show, or his girlfriend, who isn't too, um, bright? The answer after the jump...

Have you ever wondered if Mary Tyler Moore can still turn the world on with her smile? You'll be able to find out this Monday on Oprah.

The daytime talk show host will host a reunion of the show. Not only will she get all of the surviving cast members together (Moore, Valerie Harper, Ed Asner, Betty White, Gavin MacLeod, Cloris Leachman, and Georgia Engel), they will also have duplicates of the WJM set and the set for Mary's apartment on the stage (the link above includes a preview of the show - no idea why Oprah is crying).

How good are you at spotting someone's true age? There's been a few times I've caught myself wondering how old that actor really is on TV, when they're playing someone my age and look ten years older. Do I really look that good? Then again, I've seen the opposite and thought, "damn, I am an old decrepit fart." In any case, I'll pull up IMDb and usually find myself in shock of how young/old the actor on-screen really is.

The whole actor-to-character age ratio thing got me curious, so I did a little research (with the help of some of the TV Squad team) and made a list of some of the more extreme and well-known (or, maybe to some, not-so-well-known) examples. By the way, we didn't include actors who played flashback scenes of their characters for short periods of time, as there are more of those than we have room for.

(S02E10) Even with her Mode days behind her, Wilhelmina had another Betty to contend with. The fabulous Betty White was on hand to take advantage of Wili's bad PR and contempt for the elderly. There were no St. Olaf stories, but it was still one of the funnest Ugly Betty episodes I've seen in a while! I mean, come on--Betty White and a paintball war? It's like Christmas came early!

I got a real stumper from a reader this week.

Stephen Bishop wrote..."In either the late 50s or early 60s there was a show set (I think I was very young!) in France in the 100 Years War, featuring a Robin Hood type character who was the master of the sling as his weapon of choice. What was the name of the show?"

Well, I had to do some digging but I was able to come up with the title of the show. It was called Thierry la Fronde and starred Jean-Claude Drouot in the title role.

OK, not her actual house, but the show she "lived in" on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. It really is in Minneapolis, and it's on the market for $3.6 million.

Of course, this house was only used for exterior shots on the show. The actual sets for Mary's apartment and Rhoda's oh so funky 70s bachelorette pad (remember those beaded curtains and the colors?) were on a Hollywood lot. The home is an 1892 Victorian, bought for $1.1 million by the current owner, and he has spent even more fixing it up. I think it looks really nice in the pic, and I'm sure with the location and the classic TV connection, someone will snatch it up.

Though I'd wonder about tourists. As the article says, past owners have been annoyed by people coming by and taking photos. Maybe they should charge to tour the place. Nah, that wouldn't work. People would just say "hey, this looks nothing like Mary's apartment!" Then they'd leave in a huff and go try to find the offices of WJM-TV.

[via TV Tattle]

A classic sitcom with have a reunion of sorts when cast members of The Mary Tyler Moore Show gather at the Screen Actor's Guild Awards this Sunday night.

Mary Tyler Moore, Ed Asner, Betty White, Gavin MacLeod, Valerie Harper, Cloris Leachman, and Georgia Engel will give out the Best Ensemble In A Comedy Series award. Ted Knight died in 1986. Chuckles the Clown died in 1975.

The show airs on TNT at 8pm. Julie Andrews will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the show, and Dick Van Dyke will be a presenter as well.

[via TV Tattle]

I knew I wasn't seeing things when I saw a promo for this during The Price is Right last week:

On Friday, Betty White will be starting a guest stint on the CBS soap The Bold and the Beautiful, playing Ann Douglas, the long-lost mother of Stephanie Forrester (Susan Flannery). Yes, that Betty White; the Betty White of Golden Girls, Mary Tyler Moore, Match Game, Password, Boston Legal and many, many other shows throughout TV history.

Betty White, the actress best known for her roles in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls, and for being confused with the little old lady who raps in The Wedding Singer was honored yesterday by the Los Angeles Zoo. White, who has served on numerous zoo association and foundation boards, will have a plaque hung in her honor next to the L.A. zoo's gorilla exhibit.

Her new official title is "Ambassador to the Animals,' but I'd like to see what the precise job description of that position is... sounds like fun. The ceremony was attended by numerous dignitaries including the mayor of Los Angeles. White is currently in her eighth year as a zoo commissioner and plans to continue to "love the animals."