ma a

Danny Bonaduce, far right, then of "The Partridge Family" and now the morning radio show host on 95.5 FM, makes an appearance on The Dating Game" with host Jim
Lange in 1972. Chuck Woolery is slated to host a new version of the show this fall.

The Gaines
People Pl

SUZANNE CHESSLER
Special to The Jewish News

p

ictionary” with Alan Thicke
and new versions of "The
Dating Game" with Chuck
Woolery and "The
Newlywed Game" with Bob Eubanks
are on the adult game show horizon
for the upcoming television season.
That's according to David
Schwartz, who wrote The Encyclopedia

Suzanne Chessler is a Farmington
Hilts-based freelance writer.

9/12
1997

96

Everything you
ever wanted
to know about
TV game shows
(but were
afraid to ask).

of TV Game Shows with Steve Ryan
and Fred Wostbrock. The book details
more than 500 programs and the per-
sonalities associated with them.
Young viewers will be introduced to
"World 2,000," an adaptation of
"Wheel of Fortune," as well as "Peer
Pressure" and "Click," new shows yet
to be unveiled, Schwartz reports.
"For network television, it's a slow
period for game shows," Schwartz
said. "CBS only has 'The Price Is
Right' on daytime television, while
ABC and NBC currently are not run-
ning any network game shows. 'Wheel

of Fortune' and 'Jeopardy' are in syn-
dication."
Game shows are gaining more
attention on cable channels, particu-
larly with the recently launched Game
Show Network, where Schwartz cur-
rently works.
"I think people are attracted to
game shows because everybody wants
to win," said the author, who started
researching his favorite topic and col-
lecting relevant trivia long before a
book idea surfaced.
"I also think people like the idea of
playing in games and contests. It's
something that comes naturally and
spills over into this television format.
People like playing sports, which are
games, and they like to be chal-
lenged."
Schwartz met Ryan when he was
tracking down information on the
1980s game show "Blockbusters,"
which Ryan helped create. After the
two began working on the book, they
met Wostbrock, who has been associ-
ated with more than 13 game shows
and is now an agent.
The trio completed their first vol-
ume in 1987 and the revision in 1995.
The first edition involved assembling
the information Schwartz had collect-
ed as a hobby. The second expanded
what was written.