Tom Kennedy - My Thoughts on Him if You Care

[Chameleonwhammy]

Some posts from My Blog, with Screenshots of Tom Kennedy on those shows.

Tom's Turn

Well, yesterday I just got some tapes in a giveaway contest. In one of those tapes it contained the France/French Blooper of Password Plus with my 2nd favorite permanent host, Tom Kennedy. I also got a couple other episodes from early in his run. Yes, I thought Allen Ludden was the best host of this series, but Tom was an excellent replacement. He seemed to settle in just fine. Although something happened on that France/French blooper with Dick Martin and Betty White. No human or game show host is perfect, and that was an exception of the best having an occasional screw up. He did really well on the show. He was also the first host I saw host Password Plus when I began watching in 2005 when GSN brought the show back (I started watching Ludden 2 months later when GSN ran it on a Saturday night marathon). There were many memorable moments on this run, such as when his brother Jack Narz hosted an episode of the show, and others. If Allen were still alive, I bet he would say that Tom did a good job succeeding him. I would have to agree with that. Also ironic on an episode when he played when Allen Ludden hosted, Ludden asked him if he would rather be a participant than an emcee. Kennedy said participant. Little did we know about a year and a half later he would be the emcee.

The Kennedy Administration

So, I might as well give more praise to Tom Kennedy. In another tape I got, it had 5 episodes of Tom Kennedy The Price is Right. It was a special syndicated half hour edition of the show that ran from 1985-1986. The show had the format of the first few years of the show, 3 pricing games, and the top 2 winners compete in the showcase. I saw Tom's hosting. Man, he can go into any show that someone else had hosted, and could make it great in his own way, and his style would just settle right in comfortably. Yeah, he's no Bob Barker or Drew Carey, but he's good enough. The way he handled it was just great all round. Personally, I scratch my head wondering, why didn't this show last into the 1986-1987 season. I think it should've. Although part of the show was taped during a rough period of the show after Johnny Olson passed away in 1985. It was a good run, which could've (and should've) been longer. Hey, GSN aired it from 1996-1998, so it's not that bad. It beat the other syndicated version that followed a few years later.

[CardSharks8689]

Very well said, CW! Tom was a great host, and had lots of energy on any game show he hosted, and was always happy when he hosted those shows.

As for Kennedy's TPIR, he did a great job as host. As much as I would have wanted the show extend into at least 1987, I understand that while that version was pretty good, it faced several roadblocks, including tough competition against Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! - two of the highest-rated syndicated game shows during that time, plus in some other affiliates (not necessarily CBS affiliates) it aired well after midnight. The local CBS affiliate in Detroit (where I got CBS from back then) only aired Tom Kennedy's TPIR for barely over 3 months max. As we headed into 1986, they dropped the show in favor of The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime - which lasted twice as long as Kennedy's TPIR. To be quite honest, Tom Kennedy and Drew Carey are far better than Bob Barker as TPIR host. Bob Barker seemed stubborn and took the show too darn seriously, it seems - I don't know how Barker managed to retain staying power as TPIR host for 35 years.

But all in all, Tom Kennedy was a great game show host, always putting energy, liveliness and happiness into a show. It's a shame that a lot of the shows he hosted were apparently short-lived.

[phimat37]

Tom Kennedy was a great host, I think. I loved Body Language when GSN aired it. But any show he was on, I'm sure was great!

[Lingofan97]

Tom Kennedy was a great host, I think. I loved Body Language when GSN aired it. But any show he was on, I'm sure was great!

GSN hasn't aired Body Language in 15 years if I'm not mistaking, but that may have been another one of Kennedy's game shows. It's been a while since we've seen the face of Tom Kennedy on GSN

[sdbn3351]

Based on the severe lease restrictions on GT classics the past two years, we may never again see the Kennedy hosted P+ episodes on GSN.

[Lingofan97]

Based on the severe lease restrictions on GT classics the past two years, we may never again see the Kennedy hosted P+ episodes on GSN.

If GSN keeps leasing Password Plus seasons, we'd see him eventually...even if it's three years from now

[sdbn3351]

I remember that throughout 2008 GSN aired Body Language, the Trebek hosted Double Dare and the Monty Hall hosted Beat the Clock on Sunday overnights. Also I remember occasionally seeing Body Language at 7:30 am Mountain, (9:30 am Eastern) in 2007.

[phimat37]

I remember that throughout 2008 GSN aired Body Language, the Trebek hosted Double Dare and the Monty Hall hosted Beat the Clock on Sunday overnights. Also I remember occasionally seeing Body Language at 7:30 am Mountain, (9:30 am Eastern) in 2007.

I think we also saw Now You See It.

[Lingofan97]

I remember that throughout 2008 GSN aired Body Language, the Trebek hosted Double Dare and the Monty Hall hosted Beat the Clock on Sunday overnights. Also I remember occasionally seeing Body Language at 7:30 am Mountain, (9:30 am Eastern) in 2007.

2008? It was on all the way until then? I knew GSN still had a variety of classics back then but I didn't think they had Body Language

[sdbn3351]

Did some research and found the last time Body Language aired on GSN was 9-21-08 source: http://www.flashgameshows.com/wordpr...ds/9-15-08.pdf
I had forgotten that GSN aired it on both Saturday and Sunday nights.

[Lingofan97]

Did some research and found the last time Body Language aired on GSN was 9-21-08 source: http://www.flashgameshows.com/wordpr...ds/9-15-08.pdf
I had forgotten that GSN aired it on both Saturday and Sunday nights.

Buzzerblog's past pdf's are always useful. Just with he still had some from before them and now (or the past ones could be found somewhere else)

[Reckonin]

Are the 2012 PDFs archived anywhere? I'm missing quite a few.

[CardSharks8689]

GSN hasn't aired Body Language in 15 years if I'm not mistaking, but that may have been another one of Kennedy's game shows. It's been a while since we've seen the face of Tom Kennedy on GSN

Body Language was off the schedule sometime in the spring or summer of 2002, but came back to the weekday schedule at the very end of July 2006. It continued airing until June 1, 2007, and was barely into 1985 when it went on its first hiatus. Body Language returned later in 2007, continuing with 1985, but on some late nights. This trend continued until September 21, 2008, after that Body Language was no more.

But wait a minute...

Did some research and found the last time Body Language aired on GSN was 9-21-08 source: http://www.flashgameshows.com/wordpr...ds/9-15-08.pdf
I had forgotten that GSN aired it on both Saturday and Sunday nights.

Actually, the last time Body Language aired on GSN altogether was on December 12 or 19, 2008 - during the "12 Games of Christmas" series of weekday mini-marathons. They aired All-Star week from Christmas 1984, if I remember correctly. Isabel Sanford, Lucille Ball, Richard Simmons, and I forget the other celeb who participated. I do remember recording those episodes on my TV Tuner card on a Friday afternoon in December 2008.

Of the 3 confirmed names who participated in All-Star week during Christmas 1984, only Richard Simmons is still alive, if I recall. Not sure about the other celebrity I couldn't figure out.

[Chameleonwhammy]

Robert Morse was the other one.

[Xavier1989]

GSN hasn't aired Body Language in 15 years if I'm not mistaking

Wow, has anyone been more wrong?

I miss the days when posters knew what they were talking about. It took 3 posts in this thread before you guys finally figured out the last time Body Language aired.