Friday, January 22, 2010

JACK & GROUCHO

The blending of real TV game shows (as opposed to shows like '$50,000 Steeplechase' from 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show')with TV characters from other shows has been a staple in TV crossovers: 'LA Law' and 'Wheel Of Fortune', 'Cheers' and 'Jeopardy!', and 'Family Matters' and 'American Gladiators'.

This is from April of 1955, two months before I was born - it's a scene from 'The Jack Benny Show' in which Jack disguised himself so that he could appear on 'You Bet Your Life' with Groucho Marx and win some cash. The other contestant is great character actress Irene Tedrow, perhaps playing Congresswoman Geddes (from two episodes of 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show') before she ran for office......



This may be the first such crossover between a TV series and a game show, although if any show might have trumped it, I would guess 'I Love Lucy' might have done so.....

(My thanks to Mark Evanier - link to the left! - for pointing this out!)

BCnU!

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