Feuding And Fussing

FAMILY FEUD? OH, YEAH, LET ME GET ON THAT ONE FOLKS. Heh, Heh, Heh. I’d make Steve Harvey lose control of his… Oh, never mind. It ain’t gonna ever happen. It sure wouldn’t be a pretty picture.

I remember when that show first appeared on the scene with Richard Dawson as the Host. He was a British Actor/Comedian best known in the country from his regular stint on “The Match Game” (another game show) and the TV show “Hogan’s FAMILY Heroes.” For you younger readers “Hogan’s Heroes was a rollicking Sitcom set in a Nazi Prisoner of War Camp – a place always known for its laughs.

In those early days “Family Feud” was as innocuous as a cheese sandwich. The only controversy was about Richard Dawson kissing EVERY female contestant. Nobody on the show seemed to be all mussed up about that. Dawson even met his future wife that way. After they married, though, he did curtail the kissing.

After Dawson left the show a seemingly endless series of people took the helm. Ray Combs, who committed suicide, was followed by Comic Louie Anderson, Actor Richard Karn from “Home Improvement.” Then came Actor John O’Hurley from Seinfeld” and current host Steve Harvey.

Well, let me tell you – it sure ain’t the same show Richard Dawson hosted.

In the intervening years the world has changed. What is considered acceptable on TV has changed as well. Back in the late 1950s Late Night Talk Show Host Jack Paar walked off of his show when the network banned his use of the term “W.C.” on the air. How many people even know what that means? It is a British abbreviation for “Water Closet” which is another word for “Bathroom.” Pretty racy stuff, eh?

These days on the “Family Feud” it is everyday common practice to hear questions being answered with “Strip Clubs”, “Sexual Intercourse,” “Pooping your pants,” and the like. I’m not saying that the show should go back to the 1950s, but there are times even I cringe a bit.

I’m certainly no prude, as can be verified by anyone who spends some time with me, but I do think I show a little class now and then….not often, but sometimes.

I must admit that Steve Harvey runs that show better than I ever could. He is quick, patient, and keeps it moving in spite of having some contestants who are stupid as a sackful of hammers. There’s no shortage of those walking around out there and

they all seem to end up on “Family Feud.” Gather them all in one place and you have all the contestants you’d ever want, a responsive and malleable audience who will applaud on cue, and…well actually what you have is Congress.

Television is and always has been the best place to see the worst.

Single Post Navigation

← Older Entry

Newer Entry →