Filmmaker Patricia Boiko's sweet documentary tells a truly American success story about her parents, Claire and Bernard, who were popular contestants on game shows from the 1950s through the ‘90s. Bernard, a Korean War veteran who became a high school teacher in New York, and Claire, a one-time Hollywood stand-in for Rita Hayworth and a successful children's theater playwright, needed money for an expanding family. Each found a way onto pioneering game shows such as Tic-Tac-Dough and Concentration, picking up enough winnings to pay off bills and buy a house. With the passing decades and five kids in school, game shows became a source of regular revenue, except during the famous “quiz show scandal” of the late ‘50s. (Neither Bernard nor Claire ever cheated, although Bernard did appear before a grand jury.) When the TV game show industry migrated to California, the Boikos followed, and during Bernard's retirement, both he and Claire appeared on numerous programs, including To Tell the Truth, Jeopardy, and Wheel of Fortune. The documentary examines the secret to the Boikos' success: studying the shows in advance, pairing up with same-age partners during tapings, and having a profile hook (professional grandma, book collector) that made them sympathetic to audiences. This backdoor look at one of the stranger phenomenons in popular culture is also a wonderfully warm tribute to a sharp-witted and likable couple. Recommended. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)
Game Show Dynamos
(2014) 60 min. DVD: $19.95. Music Video Distributors (avail. from most distributors). Closed captioned. Volume 30, Issue 6
Game Show Dynamos
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: