TMG: THE NAME OF THE GAME: SEASON 1 8/19/2014 (1 Viewer)

[jperez]

I've seen it on Cozi TV and it looks fine to me.

 

[Pathfiner]

Hoping Shout do release the show on DVD, it looks like it would be in three season sets


Revised order of Episodes (?):


If & When and (hopefully) all the seasons are released (?) I would suggest that while some might of course prefer to stick to the strict episode order (which is actually a bit confusing as the rotation was never 100% consistant - you get two consecutive Robert Stack eps in season one & two Gene Barry eps at the end of season three !) however there is another idea re the episodes order...


First Season one could open with the 1966 pilot TVM 'Fame is...TNOTG' starring Tony Franciosa as 'Jeff Dillon' (a few key aspects differ but it can 'loosely' be tied to the later 1968-71 TV show)

- maybe George Macready's elderly 'Glenn Howard' character in 'Fame is...' was the father of Gene Barry's later younger version of the same name (quite common) who had founded his own self named publishing concern and built it up considerably further upon inheriting his late father's money & share in Janus publications (which he then bought out) & duly 'head hunted' both 'Fame' magazine star reporter Jeff Dillon & his 'research girl' Peggy Chan-Maxwell (later k/a 'Maxwell') for Howard's new mag 'People'...?


then I'd suggest a Gene Barry episode (maybe 'The Revolutionary') as a proper intro to publisher 'Glenn Howard'


followed by Robert Stack in 'Nightmare' - Dan Farrell's intro episode re hunting his wife's killer(s) & his working for Howard editing his 'Crime' mag, which explains the more serious Ex-F.B.I. man Farrell's overall character having a tragic edge compared to the other two more 'casual/cheerful' leads...


There is one first season episode; 'Pineapple Rose' where Cliff Potter (Potts) for once takes the lead as Howard's exec asst 'Andy Hill' after Peggy is mistakenly kidnapped - Howard cameos a few times & it's put under GB segment but interestingly it is produced by TF segment producer Leslie Stevens (was this an intended TF episode originally ?).


All other season one stories feature the three regular stars in turn


In season one for series continuity purposes GB cameos in four of TF's episodes; ('Fear of High Places', 'Connie Walker', 'Shine on Jesse Gil' & 'Collector's Edition') plus in four RS episodes; ('Nightmare', 'High On A Rainbow', 'Witness', & 'The Bobby Currier Story')


TF once cameos 'as Jeff Dillon' in the GB episode; 'The Taker' (where Dillon is briefly seen at a staff meeting Howard calls early on in the episode and they exchange jokey banter...)


RS never makes any cameo appearances.


Season Two episode; 'The King of Denmark' actually co-stars TF and Susan Saint James - who features as main character - here Peggy while researching a theatre story idea for Dillon stumbles upon her own mystery adventure....TF appears right at the start and then reappears with Jeff Dillon looking for a missing Peggy for the final 20 minutes or so....Susan thus has the bigger overall onscreen role here, the episode bills TF and Susan together 'starring in...' and it is put under the TF segment.



Note that In the first season TF episode; 'Collector's Edition' GB cameos, & Peggy with Howard's approval phones Dan Farrell (unseen) to ask if Dillon can 'borrow' Crime magazine for one week...! (this episode is the only time all three leads are mentioned together - Tony Franciosa & Robert Stack never actually appear in the show together & the three are only ever in publicity pics together & also with Susan as Peggy)



Further episode order revision:


I would however, slightly alter my own viewing of the episodes by first adding the pilot, and moving the Tony Franciosa episodes up by one - putting say; 'Keep The Doctor Away' into my season two viewings...and bringing back maybe one Robert Culp season three episode say; 'Little Bear Died Running' from season three to season two - so that two Tony Franciosa stories - maybe 'The Prisoner Within' & 'The Other Kind of Spy' could then be moved out of season two & up to season three - the reason I'd watch them in that revised order is because Tony Franciosa, despite full credit in the opening graphic only appeared in just THREE episodes of season three - one the only two part story thus they had to follow each other in sequence...


as a result TF is barely in the final third season...thus by adding two second season TF stories to any revised 'season three' viewing order that would then give TF some FIVE episodes in total, (I'd put the additional two TF stories towards the latter part of season three's running order) therefore a better balance between the three regular leading stars would be established in the third season.


Note that two second season episodes feature guest leads: 'Man of The People' (Starring Vera Miles as 'Hilary Vanderman' - Howard's top female reporter) & 'Goodbye Harry' (Darren McGavin guests as the craggy maverick freelance newsman 'Sam Hardy' who always gives his old friend Glenn Howard 'first refusal' on any stories he digs up) - GB cameos in both & they are in his segment


By adding Robert Culp guesting as reporter 'Paul Tyler' in 'Little Bear Died Running' to season two it makes a total of three 'guest lead' episodes, as also there would then be in season three (Robert Culp in 'Cynthia...', Peter Falk in 'A Sister From Napoli' & Robert Wagner in 'The Man Who Killed A Ghost')


the beauty of DVD is YOU can pick the episode order of course ...but I only suggest this because the lack of TF as 'Jeff Dillon' (tho' still credited on the intro) in season three is a blow to the show and by exchanging a couple of episodes between seasons you would get a better balance between the three leads plus between the 'special guest lead' episodes ( six in total plus 'Pineapple Rose' in season one)


just an idea, but I think it would improve people's enjoyment of the show & help to create the impression TF never left the programme in the final season (as of course otherwise you do get quite a bit of 'RS & GB only' altenation towards the end if you follow the screening order of eps).


Sorry this is so long, Hope this all makes some kind of sense !

 

[potnoodle]

FYI, Classic Flix is showing a release date of 5/31/15 for this series.


https://classicflix.com/name-game-season-p-15020.html

 

[FanCollector]

I wouldn't call it definitive, as May 31 is a Sunday, but it's certainly encouraging that someone is putting up new listings for the show this year.

 

[Professor Echo]

This would be a blind buy for me as I was too young to watch it first run and have only seen a handful of episodes of it over the years. I like the era in which this was done and am not averse to issue driven shows as long as they are not heavy handed and balance it out with compelling stories and characters. Plus I like all three of the actors. Still though, I'm going to have to wait for reviews on it should it indeed be released.

 

[FanCollector]

Given your description of your taste, I think it's a show you would enjoy. Alas, it may be a little while, as I emailed Shout and they told me Timeless still has no planned release date.

 

[FanCollector]

(double post)

 

[Pathfiner]

The show was made by the same production teams that went on to make the 'Mystery Movies' : Columbo, McCloud, Banacek, McMillan and Wife' etc (where Susan Saint James got her starring role as a result of her award winning role of 'Peggy' in TNOTG) - figures such as Leslie Stevens, Dean Hargrove, George Eckstein, Richard Irving, David J. O'Connell,....also Gene L. Coon (of 'Star Trek') and in season three a young Steven Bochco worked on TNOTG.


Gene Barry was Columbo's opponent in the TV Movie 'Prescription: Murder' (1968) while Peter Falk is the guest lead as 'Lewis Corbett' in TNOTG season three episode; 'A Sister From Napoli' (1971)


'McCloud' star Dennis Weaver is guest star in the Robert Stack episode; 'Give Till it Hurts' (season two)


Both 'Smith & Jones' actors appear too: Ben Murphy ('Joseph Sample' in several Robert Stack episodes) and Pete Duel (guest in 'The White Birch', & 'The Savage Eye')


alot of other 'Mystery Movies' guests appear in TNOTG too, quite a few Columbo opponents (Robert Culp, Vera Miles,William Shatner, Roddy McDowall, Ricardo Montalban, etc)


even the yellow 'episode credits' lettering for TNOTG & Mystery Movies were identical


The 'Gene Barry' stories are normally big business or political intrigue 'games of chess' type episodes...plus also a small but memorable group of more 'offbeat' surreal episodes too - such as involving a planned protest suicide against chemical weapons use by a group in the desert, a sinister family involved in the 'spooky' death of a girl, a nightmarish vision of the polluted world's future in a sci fi tale, a Western set episode, one re a girl's wild daydreams, etc...


The 'Tony Franciosa' segments are 'current affairs' in all it's forms from bogus Doctors (Robert Goulet) , corrupt political figures, racial tensions, industrial esponage, too real military training camps, reclusive millionaire (Mark Richman) with a missing wife, a blinded ex-cop (Jack Klugman) out to have a sight restoring operation to nail his attacker , a disillusioned actress (Pamela Franklin) on the point of suicide...etc


The 'Robert Stack' tales are mostly crime capers, be it organised crime, corruption in sport, charities, illegal immigration & slave labour, drug pushers, spree killers, murder in the pop music industry, armed robberies, a crusading priest fighting evil landlords who keep the poor in bad housing...even a 'seemingly 100% guilty' lady about to die for gunning down her husband whom she thought was a prowler (!) - these are the most action orientated episodes.


Occasional Special Guest Leads; Robert Culp, Robert Wagner, Peter Falk, Darren McGavin, & Vera Miles play other reporters & a freelance newsman featured in certain episodes as working for or with Howard Publications - creating the impression of a vast publishing concern.


TNOTG has been rather 'eclipsed' and 'forgotten' (until recently) by shows that followed it (notably the later seventies 'Mystery Movies' it's success helped to launch) while besides 30 or so episodes most have not been seen in many years now


I do hope they restore the original 'rotating' opening graphic as & when any DVD release transpires...

 

[John Karras]

Given your description of your taste, I think it's a show you would enjoy. Alas, it may be a little while, as I emailed Shout and they told me Timeless still has no planned release date.

I understand that continued issues with the elements and associated restoration costs have significantly reduced Shout's enthusiasm to continue with this planned release.

 

[Pathfiner]

who told you that ?

 

[Professor Echo]

Jeff, thank you so much for the very comprehensive overview of the series. I know the Universal shows of that era didn't have a lot to recommend them as far as production values go, but the money they saved on "appearance" was more than compensated by excellent writing, directing and acting. Unlike a lot of series, many of the Universal ones were not necessarily dependent on locations and art direction, so the focus on other aspects of the production were allowed to flourish, almost akin to the live dramas of the previous decade.I can't imagine not liking this and I truly do hope it's released in its entirety.

 

[Ian K McLachlan]

I understand that continued issues with the elements and associated restoration costs have significantly reduced Shout's enthusiasm to continue with this planned release.

How disappointing. I was enjoying reading these recent posts and hoped that it was going to happen. Is there anything that we can do to encourage Shout to go ahead. Perhaps the release of a few episodes might determine the interest in the show?

 

[FanCollector]

The first season has the most episodes with updated elements, so it should require less work and expense than the second and third seasons. I would hope that we could at least get the first year as a test of market interest.

 

[Pathfiner]

I would suggest people keep sending email requests for the show to be released on DVD to both Timeless Media (Shout !) and NBC Universal via their 'contact us' product suggestion sections on their websites (NBC Universal Shop website have a 'contact us' section re product suggestions)


CBS also have one - I have emailed them a few times asking after 'The Defenders' (original b/w sixties show starring E.G. Marshall & Robert Reed & a couple of seventies color TV Movies starring E.G. Marshall & Beau Bridges)...I'm not at all bothered about the recent short lived (aren't they all now ?) awful 'Defenders' remake that so badly wasted Jim Belushi & Jerry O'Connell by trying to 'be funny' left, right, & centre etc....

(groan, whatever happened to TV drama ?)


'The Name of The Game' was a surprisingly lavish show with the biggest show budget on TV (at that time) considering how 'forgotten' it has become since...it had a longer running time of 70-75 minutes (like 'The Virginian' & earlier 'Arrest and Trial') and while it often moved at a slower pace (with some 'padding' apparent) was an attempt to move towards a deeper 'feature film' approach - the complete opposite of today's fast cut mega quick 42 minute episodic stuff like 'Law And Order' (where while it's enjoyable it's often hard to remember a specific episode or any guest cast roles by the time you've seen the next one... !)



'The Name of The Game's episodes, lead star, story idiom and TOP international guest cast with deeper plotlines made them (to me) far more memorable


for example, say one week Gene Barry is trying to stop an international incident with the Chinese delegation flaring up at the UN ('The Emissary')...then Robert Stack is investigating a crooked charity in the USA ("Give Till it Hurts')...then Tony Franciosa looks into a claim Army personnel are being brutalised at an 'all too real' training camp pre-Vietnam duty ('The Prisoner Within') - hows that for script variation...?


Universal's own' Black Tower' office block built in 1963 played 'Howard Publications' - and quite a number of locations were featured - Gene Barry's stories used location filming & some overseas set episodes; 'Love in at Ground Zero' (filmed a year before the Manson gang became known of...) used a remote desert location, while his story 'Lola in Lipstick' is set in Italy, which Glenn Howard also visits in 'The Inquiry' , 'The White Birch' (Boris Karloff's final acting role & with Pete Duel and Roddy McDowall guesting) was set in (then) Czechoslovakia, 'The Emissary' in France, & both 'An Agent of The Plaintiff' & 'Lady on the Rocks' were set in England - often it's 'Universal sets posing as...' of course but some location footage was well used too.


Most Tony Franciosa stories are set in California, tho' 'Keep The Doctor Away' begins down South, 'Laurie Marie' is set in the woodlands of the millionaire's vast estate & if I remember correctly 'Island of Gold...' also included a location, while 'The Enemy Before Us' (narrated by Orson Welles) sees Jeff Dillon return to his New York home...


The Robert Stack episodes were chiefly California set, however several were shot elsewhere - 'The Savage Eye' (with brothers Pete Duel & Geoff Deuel appearing together for the only time) is set in a vast lumberjack woodland....'Chains Of Command' (with Pernell Roberts) was set on the Mexican border & 'The Cowboys' (with William Conrad) is set in the swamplands outback


About 32 restored episodes, screened by Encore TV in the nineties & more recently running on Cozi TV might be initially released as a sample set...then hopefully a complete 76 episodes three season DVD set, including the 1966 pilot TV Movie; 'Fame is The Name of The Game' starring Tony Franciosa and 'Introducing' Susan Saint James as 'Peggy' could later follow once all the episodes have been restored & remastered etc (with any remaining clearances obtained) or, as stated above, complete the first season and put that out.


...oh and with the 'rotating opening graphic' put back ! - for some reason this really annoys me (!) LOL - as the idea was all three were the leading 'star' and each thus led off the trio on their respective segments while the other two stars were then also credited even if not featured at all that week -'The Bold Ones' later adopted the same 'rotating' cast credits idea for each segment cast, & even later the seventies 'Mystery Movies' opening; "man with the flashlight" did too (tho' that was often edited off...)


Note the rotation IS still correctly present on; 'Keep The Doctor Away' & 'The Tradition' episodes (per youtube postings I've seen) where Tony Franciosa & Gene Barry are duly put up first on each episode respectively - the 'Robert Stack' led graphic taken from an 'RS' episode was, it appears, later incorrectly put on the vast majority of the 32 episodes for some reason when Encore TV screened theme, but NOT on all....)


it's a small point maybe but WHY 'muck about' with the original (good) concept ?

 

[Ian K McLachlan]

The more posts you make Pathfiner the more I would like to see this show. So thank you very much. I knew of its existence when it originally screened here in Britain but I don't think I saw much of it. I would really like to see it now as I enjoy TV from the 50s, 60s and 70s - even the shows I did not see at the time. Perhaps a book about The Name of the Game would be interesting!

 

[Pathfiner]

In Britain ITV screened seasons one and two (most regions) over 1968-70 - season one on saturdays around 8.30pm then later season two on both saturday & friday nights (around 11.20pm) it was later rerun (certain episodes only) in afternoon slots around 2.30pm circa 1973 (the last general UK screening of the show)


season three episodes were later screened in the London area circa 1973-74 but these were not shown in all areas...and TNOTG was not rerun at all after that in the UK as far as I know


the show seemed to become 'eclipsed' by the later seventies 'Mystery Movies' that it's success helped inspire Universal to make...


as far as I know it wasn't shown that much later in the USA either, the Encore TV screenings of 30 odd episodes in the 90's was it's first rerun for many years & now it's back on Cozi TV cable channel.



The still lovely Susan Saint James (as research girl / assistant 'Peggy Maxwell') - who had one co-lead in 'The King of Denmark' and featured heavily in 'Pineapple Rose' too - was the show's main 'continuity link' appearing with all three stars thus she was in the most overall episodes if in a supporting role, & Ben Murphy (who played Robert Stack's assistant & photographer 'Joseph Sample' - prior to his 'Alias Smith and Jones' role) are currently both still with us and maybe they could be interviewed re the show ?


Sadly the three leading stars of the show are all deceased now (one reason it's probably been 'forgotten' by TV, plus the sheer length of the episodes etc) - and any archive interviews they did NEVER seemed to ask them to ever talk about TNOTG (?) - rather re their other famous Film & TV roles plus 'Hollywood' instead (shame !)


Many just associated Gene Barry with TV shows; 'Bat Masterson', 'Burke's Law', The Adventurer' & films; 'War of The Worlds' etc


Tony Franciosa with TV shows; 'Valentine's Day', 'Search', 'Matt Helm', 'Finder of Lost Loves', & films ( 'A Face in The Crowd', 'The Long Hot Summer', 'Assault on A Queen', 'Fathom', 'The World is Full of Married Men' etc)


Robert Stack with TV shows 'The Untouchables', 'Most Wanted', as host of; 'Unsolved Mysteries' (& films; 'The High & The Mighty', 'The Last Voyage', & 'Airplane 2' !)


so TNOTG with few if any TV reruns & the three stars associated with other famous works has been rather 'forgotten'...left in Universal's archive for far too long...


TCM ought to have been screening them (some of the episodes were screened at theaters as feature films)


The show deserves both DVD release, and a proper documentary retrospective - Perhaps some of the three leading stars surviving family members might like to speak of their time on the show of course...while figures such as Dean Hargrove, Steven Bochco, etc might be interviewed ? (out of any surviving production staff, directors & writers etc)


- a young Steven Spielberg directed the memorable sci fi flavoured surreal third season Gene Barry episode; 'LA. 2017' re a nightmare-ish future polluted world (later saying that work 'opened alot of doors for him in the industry') so maybe he might want to talk about that ?


The Late Nicholas Colosanto (later 'Coach' in 'Cheers') both appeared in the 1966 pilot 'Fame is...TNOTG' and directed later series episodes.


Famous Guest stars included; William Shatner, Ricardo Montalban, Burl Ives, Roddy McDowall, Robert Duvall, Boris Karloff, Jill St. John, David Carradine, Pernell Roberts, Dennis Weaver, Honor Blackman, Edward Asner, Jack Klugman, Robert Lansing, Jessica Walter, Julie Harris, Shirley Jones, Robert Young, Robert Webber, Chuck Connors, William Conrad, Leslie Neilsen, Hari Rhodes, David Hartman, Joseph Campanella,Bradford Dillman, Clu Gulager, Barry Sullivan, Jack Kelly,Broderick Crawford, Pete Duel, Geoff Deuel, Steve Forrest, Brandon deWilde,Tim O'Connor,Martin Balsam, Sammy Davis Jnr, Barbara Feldon, Donald Sutherland, John Van Dreelin, Ivan Dixon, Mark Richman, Nigel Davenport, Ed Begley,Zsa Zsa Gabor, Jackie deShannon, Keenan Wynn, Charles Boyer, Lee Merriwether, Van Johnson,Sharon Farrell, Michael Anderson jnr,Robert Goulet, Steve Ihnat, Anne Baxter, Burgess Meredith,Frank Gorshin, Pamela Franklin, Lloyd Bochner,Seven Darden,Will Geer, Brenda Vaccaro, James Whitmore,Don Stroud, Susan Strasberg, Edward Andrews, and many more...


The special guest leads were;

Robert Culp as Howard Publications reporter 'Paul Tyler' in; 'Little Bear Died Running' and; 'Cynthia is Alive and Living in Avalon' (season three)


Robert Wagner as HP reporter 'Dave Corey' in; 'The Man Who Killed A Ghost' (season three)

Peter Falk as HP reporter 'Lewis Corbett' in; 'A Sister from Napoli' (season three)

Vera Miles as HP reporter 'Hilary Vanderman' in' 'Man of The People' (season two)

Darren McGavin as freelance newsman 'Sam Hardy' (who gives Glenn Howard 'first refusal' on his stories) in; 'Goodbye, Harry' (season two)

 

[Tooncy]

I have to chime in here and remind everyone about the Universal fire. Remember the bad/faded/reddish prints they had to resort to with It Takes A Thief? Yeah, that.

 

[FanCollector]

I have to chime in here and remind everyone about the Universal fire. Remember the bad/faded/reddish prints they had to resort to with It Takes A Thief? Yeah, that.

That's a fair warning, but I am still enjoying my DVDs of It Takes A Thief more than my DVDs of, say, Switch or Run For Your Life. If that's what they have for The Name of the Game, I'll take it.

 

[Tooncy]

They may not even have that. Name Of The Game wasn't as heavily syndicated, and the ones that weren't transferred to tape years ago might not exist at all.

 

[FanCollector]

I think they have at least something for all the episodes. A couple of years ago, I was in contact with someone at Madman in Australia when they were considering the title. They didn't end up doing it, but at that time, they were told that there were elements available for all the episodes, but they were in two different formats. The ones shown on Encore had been transferred more recently and were in a newer format. They could get the other episodes, but yes, they would look a lot rougher without further cleanup.