Old Game Show Celebrities

If there's been a stage in your life where you watched television game shows, you may be interested in the contents of this folder.

I've often wondered, "Whatever happened to (:-- insert name here--)?" while watching a game show that was recorded in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. I can only guess what year any particular show was filmed based on my memory and the clothes of the celebrities and the audience. As a Baby Boomer, my remembering of television is foggy if the fifties, semi-conscious of the 60s, serious in the 70s, and optional in the 80s--that was the decade MTV was born. I don't doubt that many game show watchers became MTV addicts.

There's perhaps a negative associated with game shows.

"What are you doing at home in the middle of the day watching TV?"

I suppose housewives are the target audience of the scheduling programmers. At least that was probably the case in the days of my mother, who was a housewife, who cleaned the house, but didn't watch much television. She wasn't a soap opera watcher either, which used to be the only other viewing option at the time.

Before cable tv there were three channels, three choices--one, two, three, and that's it. For those who don't know, or don't remember, "Three's Company," with Jack, Janet, and Chrissie, was during the era of only three channels. If I had to put a time to it, I'd guess that was about 25 years ago.

Like not all people had a TV as soon as they were invented, and not everyone got a color tv when they first hit the stores, and not everybody had cable TV when it was first available. If we only had three choices, cable was a tremendous invention. There was something to watch 24-hours per day. Bruce Springsteen wrote a song in 198_, called "57 Channels and Nothing On." Most TV packages now offer many more channels than 57, and the cost is based on the number of channels you have access to. Changes in broadcasting in 2011 opened up more free channels to the public. Either your TV is programmed or you have a box.

I forgot about the test screen. When I was a kid, I remember a tone sound, and a black and white picture, later color blocks, which indicated the channel had no broadcasting going out at that time.

Nowadays, people watch television from a fat set or a thin screen all day and all night. Electronic technologies seemed to be acquired by people in waves, of "as soon as we can afford it."

At some point came the Public Broadcasting Network, but their programming was so different from the other three channels. I eventually found my niche of PBS, but it was years after Big Bird had become the first mind-set of toddlers. My peers were probably the first to raise their children with Mr. Rogers in his cardigan sweater and the other neighborhood, "Sesame Street."

The game show era was before Kermit and Miss Piggy. When I was at home instead of school because I was ill, I was allowed to watch game shows. And of course in the summer tv viewing was an option, if going outside to play wasn't the thing to do.

I remember my mother giving me the choice of how I would be spending my time one particular evening, so that all my homework was completed. I could play outside with my friends until dinner, or{/} I could watch "Dr. Kildare." I think I picked Dr. Kildare. I still admire Richard Chamberlain. I remember he made news when his sexual preference became public, but I haven't heard his name in a long time. I wonder....

That's how the question comes to mind about some of those who appear on the old game shows we're watching in 2012. That was the origin of this folder. When I watch a certain amount of television, I get to feeling like those actors are my friends.

I wonder what happened to my friends, and what they're doing now, if they're around to be doing anything. My basic info comes from Wikipedia, and I add other info I find in Internet searches.

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