Bob was the silver fox who reminded me more of Chick than anyone else including other NBA announcers.
1) everyone loved, people drawn to both, generations loved them, all races loved them, figureheads of their respective organizations, fans grew up with them.
2) natural charisma
3) amusing, good comedic timing
4) debonair lads in their day
5) both fooled people re: age for a long time, especially before Bob stopped dying his hair brown
6) old school guys who worked for eons w/o missing
7) multi-talented, Chick was a game show host himself, both had small acting gigs occasionally (Chick was in an epi of Gilligan on screen and also was the radio's newsman voice in others)
8) both had exacting standards at their jobs regardless of whether they weren't of great import in a general sense. You can see that now w/ Drew Carey who is garbage as host. He doesn't care to do it like Bob, still sounds like he wants to get episodes over with. No charisma, not even funny as a supposed comedian. Chick of course got angry when he made the slightest hiccup. Old school standards. They don't make em like those gents any longer.
Posted this last year in another thread:
A few weeks ago I saw that we have a channel called "The Price is Right: The Barker Era" and at first I would just have it on for background noise while I prepped dinner or washed dishes. After dinner one night I sat down to watch a couple of episodes in their entirety. Immediately, I noted Barker's titanic charisma. His command of the stage alone was most of what kept me watching, and I found myself remarking out loud at his pure class.
The man had so much god-given magnetism and polish that I now feel like TPIR was a bit beneath him, taking hugs from midwestern marms who were jazzed to help him shill commercial goods. The way old timers used to laud Sinatra or Johnny Carson...that's how I feel about Barker today. I did note the similarities to Chick wrt charisma and vocal presence. These guys were just born for these gigs, and the broadcasters with this gift throughout TV history can be counted on one hand. I wasn't cognizant of such things, but his verve is probably what made watching the show as kid in the 80s such a treat. Drew Carey as Bob's replacement is a joke. If all the VHS porn that was ever fast forwarded had its entertainment value personified, the result would be Drew Carey.
Stage command and polish are good notes. Been watching parts of old epis of TPIR since this news and Bob's ability to speak with such clarity for so long without the slightest misstep is impressive in itself. Truly had the gift of the gab, but his comedic charm comes thru over and over. He could talk and joke on his feet, the guy. And like Carson, he was one step ahead of every little accidental occurrence that could serve as a comedic moment (a la "teachable moment"). Any chance to garner a laugh, he was right there. That by itself WAS what guys like Carson did every night. But Johnny was insecure about guests getting the laugh over him. I don't think Bob would've cared. Perhaps he wasn't insecure enough to become or even want to become a talk show host. Seems like at least half of them are insecure as people who identify as comedians instead of just funny guys who happen to host talk shows. Conan is an outlier. _________________ GOAT MAGIC REEL SEDALE TRIBUTE EDDIE DONX!
Last edited by non-player zealot on Sun Sep 10, 2023 11:06 pm; edited 1 time in total
Bob was the silver fox who reminded me more of Chick than anyone else including other NBA announcers.
7) multi-talented, Chick was a game show host himself, both had small acting gigs occasionally (Chick was in an epi of Gilligan on screen and also was the radio's newsman voice in others)
Remember Bowling for Dollars?
Before my time, I'm not quite that seasoned, but it is a shame none of that has made it to Youtube yet. Would obviously love to see a few epis. I did happen to find a Hearn/Hearns fight (Fight Night at the Forum) clip from 1991, tho. Glass jaw opponent for Tommy, can't recall name, Round 2-3 type bout. There are a few Chick-called bouts on YT. I don't recall him doing those at all, tho I'm not a fan of lower weight class boxing. That's probably why. I do recall a clip that briefly showed Chick at the Thrilla In Manilla, so he definitely called at least boxing, college hoops/football, 92 Dream Team hoops, and NBA. I'd like to find a LJ/Augmon era UNLV game he called because I've seen clips of em where he was callin games. He must've been constantly working if he could fly to Vegas to do UNLV games IN-Laker season. Not to mention the boxing, too. _________________ GOAT MAGIC REEL SEDALE TRIBUTE EDDIE DONX!
Joined: 25 Apr 2015 Posts: 31997 Location: Anaheim, CA
Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2023 11:55 pm Post subject:
non-player zealot wrote:
C M B wrote:
non-player zealot wrote:
Bob was the silver fox who reminded me more of Chick than anyone else including other NBA announcers.
1) everyone loved, people drawn to both, generations loved them, all races loved them, figureheads of their respective organizations, fans grew up with them.
2) natural charisma
3) amusing, good comedic timing
4) debonair lads in their day
5) both fooled people re: age for a long time, especially before Bob stopped dying his hair brown
6) old school guys who worked for eons w/o missing
7) multi-talented, Chick was a game show host himself, both had small acting gigs occasionally (Chick was in an epi of Gilligan on screen and also was the radio's newsman voice in others)
8) both had exacting standards at their jobs regardless of whether they weren't of great import in a general sense. You can see that now w/ Drew Carey who is garbage as host. He doesn't care to do it like Bob, still sounds like he wants to get episodes over with. No charisma, not even funny as a supposed comedian. Chick of course got angry when he made the slightest hiccup. Old school standards. They don't make em like those gents any longer.
Posted this last year in another thread:
A few weeks ago I saw that we have a channel called "The Price is Right: The Barker Era" and at first I would just have it on for background noise while I prepped dinner or washed dishes. After dinner one night I sat down to watch a couple of episodes in their entirety. Immediately, I noted Barker's titanic charisma. His command of the stage alone was most of what kept me watching, and I found myself remarking out loud at his pure class.
The man had so much god-given magnetism and polish that I now feel like TPIR was a bit beneath him, taking hugs from midwestern marms who were jazzed to help him shill commercial goods. The way old timers used to laud Sinatra or Johnny Carson...that's how I feel about Barker today. I did note the similarities to Chick wrt charisma and vocal presence. These guys were just born for these gigs, and the broadcasters with this gift throughout TV history can be counted on one hand. I wasn't cognizant of such things, but his verve is probably what made watching the show as kid in the 80s such a treat. Drew Carey as Bob's replacement is a joke. If all the VHS porn that was ever fast forwarded had its entertainment value personified, the result would be Drew Carey.
Stage command and polish are good notes. Been watching parts of old epis of TPIR since this news and Bob's ability to speak with such clarity for so long without the slightest misstep is impressive in itself. Truly had the gift of the gab, but his comedic charm comes thru over and over. He could talk and joke on his feet, the guy. And like Carson, he was one step ahead of every little accidental occurrence that could serve as a comedic moment (a la "teachable moment"). Any chance to garner a laugh, he was right there. That by itself WAS what guys like Carson did every night. But Johnny was insecure about guests getting the laugh over him. I don't think Bob would've cared. Perhaps he wasn't insecure enough to become or even want to become a talk show host. Seems like at least half of them are insecure as people who identify as comedians instead of just funny guys who happen to host talk shows. Conan is an outlier.
Carson really was incredible at what he did, though. He was a great interviewer and he truly had a comic wit and could roll with the punches during an interview. One of my all-time favorites is Don Rickles, and of course Rickles would always kill as a late-night guest. But if you watch Rickles in clips with other late-night hosts, it's mainly Rickles doing the dishing and being his usual self, while the host is just along for the ride. With Carson, sure Rickles was the one doing more of the dishing, but Carson was awesome with witty comebacks that would even have Rickles in stitches. He was the absolute best. No one who came after him comes close imo, with the possible exception of Jon Stewart, and that was a cable show, not one of the NBC/ABC/CBS late-night shows. I think Letterman was a good interviewer and could bring out the best in his guests comedically (which is a talent in and of itself, don't get me wrong), but I don't think that he was particularly funny. Like, I'd never want to go see Letterman performing standup or something, and I never cared for his opening monologues. Unlike Carson, whose monologues I thought were really funny. Anyway, just my .02 on Carson.
Joined: 15 Nov 2006 Posts: 19874 Location: Prarie & Manchester, high above the western sideline
Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2023 11:19 am Post subject:
non-player zealot wrote:
But Johnny was insecure about guests getting the laugh over him. I don't think Bob would've cared. Perhaps he wasn't insecure enough to become or even want to become a talk show host. Seems like at least half of them are insecure as people who identify as comedians instead of just funny guys who happen to host talk shows.
Johnny didn't train up the fortitude to snap out of g-loc against zeros and stukas like Bob did. _________________ http://chickhearn.ytmnd.com/
Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 52686 Location: Making a safety stop at 15 feet.
Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2023 11:57 am Post subject:
ChickenStu wrote:
non-player zealot wrote:
C M B wrote:
non-player zealot wrote:
Bob was the silver fox who reminded me more of Chick than anyone else including other NBA announcers.
1) everyone loved, people drawn to both, generations loved them, all races loved them, figureheads of their respective organizations, fans grew up with them.
2) natural charisma
3) amusing, good comedic timing
4) debonair lads in their day
5) both fooled people re: age for a long time, especially before Bob stopped dying his hair brown
6) old school guys who worked for eons w/o missing
7) multi-talented, Chick was a game show host himself, both had small acting gigs occasionally (Chick was in an epi of Gilligan on screen and also was the radio's newsman voice in others)
8) both had exacting standards at their jobs regardless of whether they weren't of great import in a general sense. You can see that now w/ Drew Carey who is garbage as host. He doesn't care to do it like Bob, still sounds like he wants to get episodes over with. No charisma, not even funny as a supposed comedian. Chick of course got angry when he made the slightest hiccup. Old school standards. They don't make em like those gents any longer.
Posted this last year in another thread:
A few weeks ago I saw that we have a channel called "The Price is Right: The Barker Era" and at first I would just have it on for background noise while I prepped dinner or washed dishes. After dinner one night I sat down to watch a couple of episodes in their entirety. Immediately, I noted Barker's titanic charisma. His command of the stage alone was most of what kept me watching, and I found myself remarking out loud at his pure class.
The man had so much god-given magnetism and polish that I now feel like TPIR was a bit beneath him, taking hugs from midwestern marms who were jazzed to help him shill commercial goods. The way old timers used to laud Sinatra or Johnny Carson...that's how I feel about Barker today. I did note the similarities to Chick wrt charisma and vocal presence. These guys were just born for these gigs, and the broadcasters with this gift throughout TV history can be counted on one hand. I wasn't cognizant of such things, but his verve is probably what made watching the show as kid in the 80s such a treat. Drew Carey as Bob's replacement is a joke. If all the VHS porn that was ever fast forwarded had its entertainment value personified, the result would be Drew Carey.
Stage command and polish are good notes. Been watching parts of old epis of TPIR since this news and Bob's ability to speak with such clarity for so long without the slightest misstep is impressive in itself. Truly had the gift of the gab, but his comedic charm comes thru over and over. He could talk and joke on his feet, the guy. And like Carson, he was one step ahead of every little accidental occurrence that could serve as a comedic moment (a la "teachable moment"). Any chance to garner a laugh, he was right there. That by itself WAS what guys like Carson did every night. But Johnny was insecure about guests getting the laugh over him. I don't think Bob would've cared. Perhaps he wasn't insecure enough to become or even want to become a talk show host. Seems like at least half of them are insecure as people who identify as comedians instead of just funny guys who happen to host talk shows. Conan is an outlier.
Carson really was incredible at what he did, though. He was a great interviewer and he truly had a comic wit and could roll with the punches during an interview. One of my all-time favorites is Don Rickles, and of course Rickles would always kill as a late-night guest. But if you watch Rickles in clips with other late-night hosts, it's mainly Rickles doing the dishing and being his usual self, while the host is just along for the ride. With Carson, sure Rickles was the one doing more of the dishing, but Carson was awesome with witty comebacks that would even have Rickles in stitches. He was the absolute best. No one who came after him comes close imo, with the possible exception of Jon Stewart, and that was a cable show, not one of the NBC/ABC/CBS late-night shows. I think Letterman was a good interviewer and could bring out the best in his guests comedically (which is a talent in and of itself, don't get me wrong), but I don't think that he was particularly funny. Like, I'd never want to go see Letterman performing standup or something, and I never cared for his opening monologues. Unlike Carson, whose monologues I thought were really funny. Anyway, just my .02 on Carson.
IMO, Johnny and Dave are their own Mt. Rushmore of late night TV. Carson was obviously tremendous at his brand, but I became a fan of Dave's back in my mid-teens when he had his brief morning show back in the early 80's. I used to watch when I ditched school (which was far too often ) and then daily that summer. Dave's style was much more my thing. He was wryer, but also quite silly. He was goofy, didn't take himself too seriously. Not really the anti-Carson, but much fresher to my mind.
That's not a knock on Conan or Craig Ferguson (my favorite outside of Carson and Dave), but JC and DL were generational giants in the genre. And those who have been here long enough know my feelings about Leno , and don't even get me started on Fallon . . . _________________ You thought God was an architect, now you know
He’s something like a pipe bomb ready to blow
And everything you built that’s all for show
goes up in flames
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) and then daily that summer. Dave's style was much more my thing. He was wryer, but also quite silly. He was goofy, didn't take himself too seriously. Not really the anti-Carson, but much fresher to my mind.
, and don't even get me started on Fallon . . .
