Sunday, March 29, 2015

Maybe the most insane game show ever

This comes from the early 50s, the embryonic days of television, and a network (Dumont) that long since has disappeared. OKAY MOTHER starring Dennis James. He later went on to host a gazillion national game shows. But here he's on speed with a Red Bull chaser.  Thanks to friend of the blog, Mike McCann for finding this hilarious and appalling chestnut.


16 comments :

thirteen said...

Someone at YouTube says the air date was 18 July 1950. This must have been on steam television.

There's a tall kid in the midst of the audience, and he's standing up throughout. His arms are folded over his head, and he looks like he's about to go nuts. I can't really blame him.

Canda said...

You only posted half the show, so we never saw his sketch comedy skills.

Great deal of fun and joy being had by the ladies in the audience. This is what I remember of the 1950s.
Hollywood films now portray all women of the 1950s as oppressed, depressed, and suppressed.

Curt Alliaume said...

I'm beginning to think game show producers in the 1950s told their hosts nothing but "Faster, faster!" Bill Cullen on Winner Take All in the 1950s was just as fast; by the time he got to The Joker's Wild in 1984 the show moved at a snail's pace to suit his style.

Mike Schryver said...

The title OKAY MOTHER was a reference to a catchprase James used when announcing pro wrestling.

KG said...

Ken, I have a Friday question:

Given the chance to choose, what kind of show would a network prefer: a successful drama or a successful comedy?

A drama is longer and creates more advertising space. But a comedy, I think, has a much higher re-watch-value. I honestly think that Breaking Bad is the best show ever created but I am not going to watch every episode 10 or 20 or more times like I did with Friends, Frasier, Seinfeld, Cheers etc.

Greetings from Germany!

Stoney said...

On a recent episode of "American Pickers" there was a 2-second shot of a De-luxe Polaroid Television Filter (shown at 3:09) from somebody's junk collection. The pickers passed it up in favor of a tin Popeye toy for which they shelled out $450.

And, whatever happened to Phillips Milk Of Magnesia Toothpaste?

Tim W. said...

Canda: Really? You think this shows equality for women? They get an hour a week where they're "listened to" by a VERY creepy guy.

Anonymous said...

That must have been shot in nyc because everyone appeared to be either eurotrash from brooklyn, or rural farm refuse from the dark pits of New Jersey.

Anonymous said...

Tim Said:

"Canda: Really? You think this shows equality for women? They get an hour a week where they're "listened to" by a VERY creepy guy."

He didn't say it showed equality for women. Calm down.

I think he meant there was an exchange of humanity that was light-hearted and sincere, common in the '50's, that you don't see much of now, and I agree with him.

I liked that young girl with her mom, chewing the gum. She was so funny. So excited to be there. Even though they came from many walks of life, and ethnicities, there is a commonality very american about all of them that's endearing. Kind of a "we're all in this boat together" kind of thing, I guess.

That's not around so much anymore.

I guess that's what David Brinkley meant when he said our unchecked immigration policy is changing the character of this country.

It really is, and it's a shame.

Used to be an foreign ethnic person struggling to be an american. I guess that's what helped bring us together. Helping each other out. Now too many immigrants fight to maintain their separate ethnicity.

I guess it's not only sad to see millennials miss out on the human quality of life the boomer's had, as far as warm exchanges of humanity, they don't even know it.

All they know are fences around their neighbor's houses, and frozen faces in iPhones.

-Brad

Anonymous said...

Good Lord. My Favorite Martian is coming to Cozy TV in April.

RCP said...

Canda said...

"Great deal of fun and joy being had by the ladies in the audience. This is what I remember of the 1950s.
Hollywood films now portray all women of the 1950s as oppressed, depressed, and suppressed."

Sort of the same way that some people now remember all women - heck, Everyone - during the 50s as being full of fun and joy.

Anonymous said...

RCP Said:

"Sort of the same way that some people now remember all women - heck, Everyone - during the 50s as being full of fun and joy."

Well said, RCP. Today's millennial women are just as full of fun and joy as to those old-time '50's women. Just look 'em now. All empowered and happy and joyful and stuff. Nothing gets millennial gals down, and that's awesome:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/03/29/epic-selfie-shaming-seven-ladies-took-advantage-of-a-tragedy-to-snap-photos-they-probably-never-expected-to-wind-up-on-the-cover-of-the-new-york-post/

Johnny Walker said...

Ooh! Lighter Fluid!

Hamid said...

I really should apologize I've been very rude to some commenters on here. I don't agree with them but I didn't respect their right to have opinions that differ even if they are wrong. I now realize their nonsense posted next to my brilliance only makes me shine all the more.

VP81955 said...

I understand Dumont had disappeared by '54 or '55; many of its stations (WNEW in New York, WTTG in Washington and a few others) evolved into Metromedia and later formed the key O & O's of the Fox network.

Was at Larry Edmunds Bookshop today for Carl Reiner, 93 and a national comedy treasure. I'm sure Ken has at least some passing acquaintance with him.

Anonymous said...

Yes, ladies... you've come a long way...

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=1e6_1427831986