Comics are best choice for game show hosts

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on February 22nd, 2008

Duh! A USA Today article confirms what we’ve said for some time now.

On the occasion of the debut of the Dennis Miller-hosted Amne$ia, the article quotes Miller, Mandel and others on the comedian/game show host trend.

Look for more stand-up comics as hosts. “Their experience with a live audience is invaluable,” says Deal or No Deal producer Scott St. John, a veteran game show runner. “They’re relaxed and at ease with who they are. And they’re adept, because they’ve dealt with hecklers and know how to handle unexpected situations.”

The piece makes the case that comics have been hosting game shows forever. They cite You Bet Your Life and two short-lived shows hosted by Johnny Carson… during the Eisenhower administration.

For the next fifty years, it was Bill Cullen and Jack Narz and Wink Martindale and the Tom Kennedy and a cadre of professional game show hosts, some of whom also co-produced their shows.

We’re not sure why this shift has occurred, but it certainly raises the visibility of comedians and it quite possibly might endear them to the public. Comedians will be seen as people who dress nicely, are in control and who hand over a sack of cash to a screaming suburbanite every half-hour or so.

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