From Laura I – Hello Mr. Pop Culture. Reality show producer Mark Burnett pitched NBC a reality series – right after “Survivor” – and it never aired. What was it?
Mr. Pop History – This goes to show you – even hot producers can get shows axed – out of the box. NBC ordered “Destination Mir” from his production company. A little far-fetched – it was to follow a dozen American civilians undergoing Russian cosmonaut training. The winner would be sent into space with the Russian Mir space station.
Mr. Pop History – Yes and no. The success of “Millionaire” helped producers pitch a new kind of show – “Survivor” – which in itself – is really a game show. You could say, that set-off a whole new wave in television – for better or worse.
The problem is “Millionaire” got burnt-out so quickly because ABC scheduled it almost every night of the week – so – it didn’t last long.
Let’s face it – One game show influenced them all – and that has to be “The Price Is Right.” Its long-time announcer – the late Johnny Olson, is the subject of a book by another gameshow announcer (and not a bad one at that) – Randy West. Check out “Johnny Olson: A Voice In Time.” It’s an amazing effort that spans well-over 400 pages.
Go to Amazon.com and type in the book’s title.
Mr. Pop Culture Report
Recent Comments