Still Buzz(r)ing!

Upon our recent post about watching Buzzr, the over the air classic game show network, one of our long-term readers (who's truly been in it for the long haul all these years!) noted that the station plays the same episodes over and over again. Sadly, I've found that to be true, particularly with some of the shows I was most interested in such as the early-'70s renditions of To Tell the Truth and What's My Line? However, even with this dreary news that I've probably already seen all I'm going to see for now of these (and other) programs, I still dug up a few fun bits I want to share with you today! Now off we go.

I realize that as of late it seems to have nearly become Kitty Carlisle's Underworld. LOL I can't help it. Something about her just makes my day and getting to see her in color lately has made it all the more enjoyable. I just love her helmet hair and glitzy get-ups.

"Get a piece of the rock..."

I always love it when she throws her head back in laughter.

The brooch!

This ep was about a teen boy who designed jewelry using a variety of minerals and gems.

The model actually achieved the impossible by out-accessorizing Miss Kitty!

On International Women's Day, Buzzr ran a series of special episodes devoted to famous women. This shot is from a later version of TTTT.

The panel was charged with identifying one Miss Rosa Parks...

Though she was thrilled to meet her, Carlisle got it wrong (and wasn't the only one.)

That same day, Buzzr ran a Super Password that featured two comic legends working together. You ought to be able to tell from even this far off glimpse who they are...

Miss Lucille Ball and the recently departed Miss Carol Channing.

Not too much natural hair on the set that day!

Sadly, Ball would be gone within two years of this 1987 broadcast while Channing lived on for more than thirty years!

Take a look at this hair-raising episode of Supermarket Sweep.

In the late-'80s/early-'90s it was "the bigger the better" (I'm talking about hair.)

The name of the game was PERM. Ha ha! Today, gals add in all sorts of hair extensions, falls, etc... but back in the day chicks like Sherri had no need of things like that.

Pity poor Michelle and her dreary head of limp, thirsty, crispy waves and tower of "mall bangs."

More my style was humpy Seth, a fireman who appeared on the show with his girlfriend Darla...

They won the Big Sweep, but got hung up on a question and lost the $5,000 grand prize.

Thus, they were invited back for a show featuring past winners who missed scoring the final prize. He and Darla probably had a long, happy life together, but I've shoved her into a Christmas tree in so many of my dreams. LOLOL!

Tattletales had a couple of the players sharing an ashtray during the 30-minute program!

Curmudgeonly comic Scoey Mitchell.

Mr. Tan, George Hamilton.

Often, a combination of sun & cigs leads to some real lizard-face by old age, but he's managed to hold it together (with obvious help!) nonetheless at seventy-nine.

Moving on now to Card Sharks, there was this contestant (with child at the time) named Sue who really looked for all the world like a '70s version of Ramona Singer of The Real Housewives of New York!

Or what about the time Roger Daltrey of The Who, in the guise of contestant Steve, stopped in for a few quick hands? Ha ha!

Jean looked terrifyingly similar to one of Andrea Martin's old SCTV skit characters!

Classic Concentration put forth a contestant named Jolene who somehow opted to wear this conglomeration on national television...

Alex seems tickled by something yet all four hands of the players are within view.

She sort of reminded me of a mix of Blanche Devereaux and one of the burly gals who portrayed women's prison matrons on TV shows like Charlie's Angels!

And then there's Marjorie Todson, daughter of the show's creator, rocking a sparkly banana clip and tormenting her poor dog Punky as she was wont to do.

Even more canine torment lay in store for these pooches from an episode of What's My Line?, in which the contestant was a doggie clothing designer.

At least WML had the divine Miss Arlene Francis and her almost always visible signature heart necklace.

One Mystery Guest of the program was Broadway legend Lotte Lenya and you really had to hear the way Arlene pronounced the name, giving it its full Austria-Hungarian due.

WML had its own jewelry designer episode and bedecked their model with a large collection of examples!

If the rule of thumb is that one should stop and remove one piece of jewelry before leaving the house, this gal would still be quite overdressed.

Another Mystery Guest of note was the famed dancer/actress Miss Ginger Rogers.

At the time Rogers was hoofing it all across America to promote affordable JC Penney clothing! The host Larry Blyden attempted to tease her about it, but she was having none of that. A fashion show followed...

I could not love shit like this any more. Ever since The Women (1939), I've been nuts over any TV show or movie that includes a fashion show.

Nearly always, the flashiest or most elegant outfit is saved for last.

And, of course, I also have always loved people in arrangements!

For some reason, Ginge was in white gloves the entire time. Not sure if those were from JC Penney or not.

Is that CHER on Sale of the Century??

False alarm... it's just Dara in costume.

In even less of a costume (thank you, Jesus) is our fave spokesmodel David, allegedly showing off a camera, but actually we didn't really notice!

David Gibbs was one awesome looking man.

I still marvel that daytime television of the 1980s had moments like this that I completely missed.

Here practically the whole cast is having a ball.

If you missed it earlier, there's a whole big post about this show right here!

I've been startled a time or two by some of the things that got on TV in the early-'70s. Take this What's My Line? installment about the designer of male bodysuits! A vignette about them took place in a makeshift locker room.

Then the next model sauntered in wearing this busy number.

This pic and the next one were added several days after I posted this because the episode re-ran again and I was able to get a few more angles...

"How 'bout them Giants last night, huh?"

That's pretty much flank for a 1970s morning TV game show, not to mention the fact that they were alternately dressing/undressing.

Another beefy turn of events occurred on this To Tell the Truth about an Olympic wrestler.

Can you spot the real one?

His coach came out and put him in a headlock!

Then the guys got busy with a demonstration.

I love these flimsy li'l singlets and I must say I was appalled when the Olympics discontinued Greco-Roman wrestling, one of the original cornerstone sports, as a competitive event.

I probably should have kept some beefcake for the end, but I opted instead to wind up with this hoot. As Garry Moore introduced Kitty Carlisle and Peggy Cass on this ep of TTTT, he had them stay on stage to model the caftans they'd been given to wear just before taping.

Kitty did a turn and went to her seat, then it was Peggy's turn. It was then revealed where the clothing had originated. They were Jean Louis originals based upon designs of his from the expensive (and hugely belly-flopping) musical Lost Horizon (1973.)

Kitty's gown was based on a design for Sally Kellerman.

Peggy's, must to her chagrin, was based on a design for George Kennedy!!  LOL  They may have been pulling her leg as I don't recall this from the movie, but perhaps not!

They next had to guess which of these men was the real Jean Louis.

This is the real Jean Louis, responsible for creating Rita Hayworth's Gilda (1946) dress, Marlene Dietrich's "nude" beaded gowns, Lana Turner's eleganzas in Imitation of Life (1959), all the clothes of Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) and so much more. An Oscar-winner for The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956) and a nominee 13 other times, he was wed three times, the final time to Miss Loretta Young. He'd been responsible for virtually all of her famous entrance gowns on The Loretta Young Show.

That closes the door on this post!