Not so respectable

The recent death of Mike Wallace got obituary writers to mention his long-forgotten career as a game show host and player. This story reflected the general tenor of the comments on his game show life. Wallace "clawed his way up" from a career in game shows to nobler things, like annoying people on 60 Minutes.

In fact, I like how the obit writers dumped on Wallace's game show appearances. It reassured me that the genre hasn't gone respectable. That Peabody Award for Jeopardy worried me a little, as I blogged a while back.

Game shows are nothing if they're not downscale and unpretentious. They're just people playing silly little games for some cash or prizes. Sometimes the cash gets pretty big, but the games aren't any less silly. Nobody will mistake these shows for high culture or most any culture.

Culture? We don't need no stinkin' culture on game shows. Even if John Daly used to wear a tux on What's My Line, which always bugged me a little.