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MalekTips Web Travels - Game Shows
"Congratulations - You've Just Won a Brand New Car!"
You don't hear that phrase mentioned as much on television nowadays, because the number of game shows on national television has considerably dropped since a few years ago. Before, we watched people win thousands of dollars in cash and beautiful prizes, talk to game show hosts about their cat while waiting to be introduced to their opponent, and eventually leave with nice parting gifts from the sponsors. Now, we see people chatting about their private lives on national television, receiving nothing in return but a verbal thrashing from the studio audience or perhaps a bump on the head from a flying chair.
Perhaps this is why many people are nostalgic about old game shows. The "Game Show Network," a cable channel catering to this sentimental clientele, seems to be growing more popular each day. Capitalizing on that fame, they recently introduced a "Classic TV Game Show Theme Song" CD, containing twenty theme songs from shows such as "The Gong Show," "The Dating Game," and currently-running game shows such as "The Price is Right" and "Wheel of Fortune."
Good luck getting this CD, though. It's nearly impossible to find. Because of this, I was asked "so why can't you find this CD on the Internet?" Good question. I started at CDNow. Nada. Tried Music Boulevard. Very strange. I attempted Sam Goody's website at because they supposedly were carrying the CD. Still no luck.
At this point, my Internet search credibility became seriously threatened. I decided to go straight to the source at The Game Show Network's website. Problem was, I didn't know the website address. Through a lot of digging, I finally found their website through the AltaVista Search Engine. There's even a webpage on their site dedicated solely to this seemingly rare CD at <http://www.spe.sony.com/gsn/cd.htm>. A phone number and link to their online store can be found on this site in case you would like to buy this piece of American culture.
Of course, I could not stop at finding just this website. I popped in a search of "game show themes" (with quotes) on AltaVista and found a few dozen more matches. Searching these matches, I came across something which I did not know exist - a webring that just listed websites catering to game shows. Michael Klauss runs this webring, linking to fifty or so sites that cater to current and classic game shows. Can't get enough of "Card Sharks?" Do you feel "Concentration" is "due for another revival," as does James Vipond? All these sites are here.
Yes, my friends, just about anything is available on the Internet. It may take some searching, you may have to go to some lesser-visited websites, but you can generally find information on anything you desire. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to listen to the "Tic Tac Dough" theme song. I loved that show when I was a child. Hated the dragon.
Article copyright 1998 Andrew Malek - All Rights Reserved. This article may not be redistributed without permission of Andrew Malek. All trademarks mentioned in this article are owned by their respective companies.
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