Alex Trebek RIP

The man was a North American Institution.


Rest In Peace, Mr. Trebek

 

https://www.cbc.ca/archives/when-gordon-lightfoot-met-alex-trebek-on-cbc-tv-1.4668018

 

Ken is the Jeopardy GOAT. I thought he was fine reading clues and think he will get consideration.

 

The man liked him some vinyl!

 

He must really have been proud of that collection!

 

and Mark Twain as well, apparently

 

Vinyl and Mark Twain-- just two of the things that made Alex the well-rounded personality he was (IMO).

 

Brief tribute on The Simpsons tonight...

 

In the 90s, my high school got a chance to get Alex Trebek for their video yearbook.

 

Google has a nice Easter egg when you search Alex Trebek.

Spoiler

Did you mean: Who is Alex Trebek

 

Alex was born at a time when nobody even thought of TV game shows, let alone making a very good career out of hosting TV game shows.

 

that’s actually not true at all.

 

And himself, apparently. Who has a painting of themselves on the wall?

I like the guy and all, but yikes.

 

Perhaps someone painted it for him? What's he supposed to do, throw it away?

 

Literally, you are correct. Effectively, however, it holds water.
Yes, the first TV's were made in the late 1920's, 1928 I think..
Yes, households had TV's in the late 1930's...but at a cost of around $1,000 (roughly a $19,000 TV today) it certainly was not a common purchase. Nor were there many of them produced, thus making a TV show still an uncommon thing to be viewed.

In 1940 this was pretty much the norm. TV's were highly expensive, few were produced, and few familys had a TV.

By 1947 this all began to change rapidly, and by about 1954 a TV had become much less expensive and much more common. Now the average family did have a TV and they did watch TV shows...But not in 1940 when Alex was born.

Yes, you are literally correct, and I am literally wrong, when I wrote Alex was born at a time when nobody even thought of TV gameshows.
Gameshows were being thought up, and they were being shown, but to a terribly small audience who could afford such an expensive purchase as a TV, and who also lived where a TV signal was being broadcast.

 

I just heard on radio news that Jeopardy will resume production on Dec. 3 with Ken Jennings as "interim host".

Earlier it was announced that Alex' final show would air Dec. 25, Christmas. But now the weeks of Dec. 21 and Dec. 28 will have Alex' 10 best shows, and Alex' final week of shows starts Jan. 4.

They're taking Alex into 2021, which I think is nice in a way.

Then Ken's first shows start airing Jan. 11.

That's what I heard they announced, but anything can change.

 

It’s good that they’re delaying Alex’s final show until after the New Year. Chances are good that it would have been pre-emptied on a lot of stations on Christmas Day.

 

I have a close family member with the same disease. It is not easy and this hurts. They have so far beaten the odds at 2 years. Tell your friends and family you love them.

None of this life is guaranteed.

 

They’re going to be using a variety of guest hosts - Ken is first. I still don’t think they’ll use him as the permanent host. They’re giving multiple people tryouts. That’s smart. You don’t want to be the person who starts hosting three days after Alex’s last episode airs. Instead, they’ll give viewers a chance to get used to the show without Alex and gain some distance from his death before putting whoever is the permanent host into the hot seat.

“Alex believed in the importance of Jeopardy! and always said that he wanted the show to go on after him,” said EP Mike Richards in a statement. “We will honor Alex’s legacy by continuing to produce the game he loved with smart contestants and challenging clues. By bringing in familiar guest hosts for the foreseeable future, our goal is to create a sense of community and continuity for our viewers.”

Jeopardy!: Ken Jennings to Succeed the Late Alex Trebek as First 'Guest Host'

 

Radio game shows or "quiz shows". Supposedly the first-ever-anywhere radio quiz show was in 1935 in Canada:
Canada history: May 15, 1935: "I'll take quiz shows for $1,000, Alex"

In US, radio quiz shows are said to have begun in 1936 (a few complete show example audio files are on this page including an undated but complete Groucho Marx You Bet Your Life radio version):
https://www.otrcat.com/quiz-and-game-old-time-radio-shows

Many of the first TV game shows were adapted versions of radio game shows.

Alex, born in Ontario in 1940, grew up with game shows on radio, then TV, all of his life. As he started his broadcasting career in Canada in 1961 as a general radio announcer doing "every possible job", being the announcer or host of a radio or TV game show was always a possibility for him.
Jeopardy is a quiz show, with the twist of giving the answer first, of course, a concept created by Merv Griffin - or his wife.
Alex Trebek - Wikipedia

 

I had a feeling that they would get him.

 

One of the problems I've always had with JEOPARDY! is that it really doesn't do what it purports to, that is to have the clues give "answers" and then the contestant supplies the "question".

A sample from the show:

Clue:
THIS NUMBER, ONE OF THE FIRST 20,
USES ONLY ONE VOWEL
(4 TIMES!)

The question would be:
WHAT IS SEVENTEEN?

Now, in reality, if someone were to ask you the question, "What is seventeen?", I can guarantee you that you would never answer with "This number, one of the first 20, uses only one vowel (4 times!)"
No, instead you'd answer something like, "It's the integer after sixteen". Or "It's the number between sixteen and eighteen".

Most of the answers and questions on the show have that failing. The correct "questions" are usually something very specific, while the "answers" are somewhat rambling.

But who am I to criticize the mechanics of a show that has been around for many years and is beloved by many. I suppose it's a case of "it is what it is", but really, it's not exactly answers and then questions.

 

'Witness To Yesterday' is one of my favourite television shows of all time ... so naturally, it has never been released on home video in any form. I think there's only one episode available on Youtube - Joan of Arc. And yes, I remember Trebek's appearance as Twain.