Password Remake is Coming to NBC

[howierules86]

^In addition to the original 1961-67 version and Password Plus, Allen Ludden also hosted the 1971-75 ABC version as well.

[SledgeBarone]

Originally Posted by biffbronson

I like Password Plus and agree that Ludden was excellent.

How about a female host this time around?

Actually Betty White filled in to host a few episodes of ABC Password in the early 1970s. There's footage around that supposedly hilarious, but it hasn't been posted publicly on YouTube or anywhere else yet.

My game show watching began just shortly after Allen Ludden passed away, so I didn't have any memories of him. I heard a lot of people talk about how he was such a great host, but I was a little disappointed after seeing clips of him hosting various versions of Password and Stumpers. For me he was a little predictable in the things he would say. For example, on Password Plus when a player would use previously revealed puzzle passwords to guess the latest password, he'd tell them to "play the password, not the puzzle," even though the previous puzzle passwords were often helpful in getting the current password! I also found his episode-ending "Password of the Day" spiels grating at times, and I always thought it was strange when after a clue-giver accidentally revealed the password on PW+, he would try to give solace by mentioning how that was something that Jack Paar often used to do. (Why bring up a former star guest who played during the 1960s, when big names used to appear on game shows regularly, in an era in which the most of the big celebrities wouldn't go near a game show?) I will say that I liked when in the middle of a password puzzle, after somebody failed to solve a puzzle that was becoming obvious to many people, he would smile at the camera and say "I hear you at home", as if to acknowledge the viewers screaming at their TV sets. (Although that was predictable as well, Ludden handled that type of situation better than Bert Convy, who would brag on Super Password that he knew the puzzle.)

I think his positive reputation stems from being more openly religious (which for some may be synonymous with classier) than other hosts and from being a proponent of more intelligent games. The latter I appreciate, and the former I guess I understand. However, maybe that only works if you're comparing against other game show hosts (especially hosts employed by Mark Goodson). On Password Plus, after a female contestant accidentally gave away a password, Allen Ludden made a blue remark, which was notable since he was actually quick with a quip for once, but also because it was an adult joke on the premiere episode of a new game show!