Sunday, June 22, 2008

Blank

Author(s): Daniel Crooke
Location: Ohio

“Blank”

Produced by: Lynn Rayburn, Brett Somers, Charles Nelson Reilly
Directed by: Barry Levinson
Edited by: Hughes Winborne
Costume Design by: Colleen Atwood
Original Music by: Carter Burwell
Original Screenplay by: Barry Levinson and Peter Morgan

Principal Cast:

Chris Cooper as Gene Rayburn
Catherine O’Hara as Brett Somers
David Cross as Charles Nelson Reilly
Kevin Spacey as Richard Dawson
Ellen DeGeneres as Betty White
Reba McEntire as Fannie Flagg
Bernie Mac as Nipsey Russell
Rebecca Romijn as Loretta Swit
Don LaFontaine as Johnny Olsen
Ed Asner as Mark Goodson
Richard Gere as Bill Todman

Tagline: “Behind the blanks, there was a story”

Synopsis: In the 1970’s, “Match Game” ruled the game show business. It had the highest ratings and would continually push the envelope of what was acceptable at the time on broadcast television. The show’s setup was like this- there were two contestants and the host, the always enthusiastic Gene Rayburn, who would give the contestant a question that had a word missing and the word was replaced with “blank”. An example, “Dumb Dora is so dumb that when she went to Easter Island, she thought it would be covered with blanks”. The contestant gave their answer for what they thought filled the blank. Then, that answer would be compared to a panel of six celebrities and the contestant would get one point per celebrity matched. What made “Match Game” so appealing to the American public was not the setup, although amusing, but the celebrity panel. The six celebrities would always include the three regulars, Brett Somers, Charles Nelson Reilly, and Richard Dawson. Somers was the hilarious female and was married to famous actor Jack Klugman. Her funny personality was what made her one of the reasons viewers would watch the show. She was always excited to be on the show and always had a lot of fun. Reilly was outrageous and a famous Broadway actor. Brett and Charles had an ongoing comic feud that lasted the whole show. The feud was one of the funniest parts of the show. Dawson was the man who always had the correct answer and women adored him. A few other frequent celebrity panelists were Betty White, Fannie Flagg, Nipsey Russell, and Loretta Swit. The taping schedule was that two or three shows were taped in the morning and afternoon, dinner (which meant plenty of alcohol), and then a final taped show. This made the celebrity panel bond and form a sort of family. The show was like a big party. Behind the scenes, there was lots of hilarity going on. Whether it was accidental, like the time Rayburn accidentally told a contestant that she had “nice nipples”, when he meant to say “nice dimples” or when a contestant would give a racy answer to a question, “Match Game” continued to push the envelope throughout its 10 season run.

Richard Dawson loved working on the show and the attention that he received from the contestants, until the producers, Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, created a devise that would keep the contestants from always choosing Richard as the celebrity that they chose to match in the final round. The producers created a wheel that would choose the celebrity for you. Dawson took this as a direct hit and ever since then, his enthusiasm was not as great as it was before for “Match Game”. According to Rayburn, Dawson’s ego got in the way. Dawson eventually showed no enthusiasm whatsoever, and quit the show. He went on to host the smash hit game show “Family Feud”.

In 1982, “Match Game” was cancelled due to the time slots and Gene Rayburn signed off for the last time. Rayburn always thought that the show should have lasted longer. He fell into a depressive slump, and as his daughter said, “killed himself by not working”. Rayburn stopped working altogether eventually, except for a few interviews and a failed reincarnation of the show. Rayburn became a Hollywood recluse, but also a living legend. Rayburn died in 1999.

“Match Game” was one of the greatest game shows ever to air. It was certainly one of the most enjoyable to watch. As Charles Nelson Reilly said, “This isn’t a job, it’s a social engagement”.

What the press would say:

It is about time that Hollywood tackled one of television’s greatest shows ever, “Match Game”. Going into the theatre, I was concerned that a two hour movie could be made solely on “Match Game”. But it can and it did. Barry Levinson’s “Blank” does a fantastic job of delivering that goal. The film focuses on the show’s run, the celebrities involved (especially Richard Dawson and Gene Rayburn who are played by Kevin Spacey and Chris Cooper, respectively), and the aftermath of the show. The film begins when Gene Rayburn is closing the last recorded show and from there the film goes back and forth from Rayburn’s life after the show and when the show was on the air. The film does not hold back when going into detail of the show. A few scenes that come to mind right now are when Richard Dawson quits the show, when fights break out between the producers and the creative team, and the social lives of the celebrities. The standouts in the supporting cast are Kevin Spacey, as Richard Dawson, and Catherine O’Hara as Brett Somers. Spacey’s performance gets better and better as the film progresses. His enthusiasm for the show as Dawson is so convincing, and he really gets into his character when he becomes sick of the show and eventually quits. A certain scene comes to mind when Dawson has just finished a wrap of “Family Feud” and you can tell that he thinks he had made the right decision to leave the show. Spacey is currently a frontrunner for the Best Supporting Actor award, and he has won a few precursors and has some serious Oscar buzz. In order for Brett Somers to be portrayed on screen, a strong comedic actress must be required. Catherine O’Hara plays the part to perfection, as she gets every single mannerism of the iconic Brett Somers down right to the frantic hand movements. O’Hara is also excellent, and should (finally) be receiving her first Academy Award nomination. But the real star of “Blank” is Chris Cooper. His portrayal of Gene Rayburn is magnificent. In his scenes after the show had been cancelled, Cooper nails the emotional range in order to play this part correctly. Cooper steers away from his normal straight faced approach to his brilliant characters he has played in the past. This is a brand new Chris Cooper. His vocal inflexion is different, his facial expressions are different…this is a different Chris Cooper. “Blank” is one truly great and entertaining film. It accurately tells the story of one of the greatest game shows ever made. “Blank” is a triumph and is rightfully earning rave reviews. It is certainly one of my favorite films this year and has a strong chance of doing extremely well at the Oscars.

Nominations
Best Picture- Lynn Rayburn, Brett Somers, Charles Nelson Reilly
Best Director- Barry Levinson
Best Actor- Chris Cooper
Best Supporting Actor- Kevin Spacey
Best Supporting Actress- Catherine O’Hara
Best Original Screenplay- Barry Levinson and Peter Morgan
Best Costume Design- Colleen Atwood
Best Film Editing- Hughes Winborne

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