Fast Friends Pilot with Special Intro by Bob Goen

Special guest & game show host, Bob Goen is here with a special introduction to this rare pilot, Fast Friends. Bob shares his memories from the pilot as well as his wonderful working relationship with the legendary Jay Wolpert. Thanks Bob!
Go behind the scenes with TV and radio legend Wink Martindale!
Facebook: / winkmartindalegames
Twitter: / winkmartindale
SUBSCRIBE: bit.ly/1galy1L

[@briansmith2990]

If it wasn't for the recognition of his voice, I would never have believed that this is Bob Goen, because his appearance has changed dramatically.

[@brianburgart]

wink, I am REALLY surprised that this programme never made it past pilot stage; Bob always does a great job...I'm not usually fond of non-celebrity game shows, but this was nice...AND the set was NOT cheesy

[@chris.twentyeightt]

Bob Goen’s going to host Wheel of Fortune LIVE! this year in some locations!

[@stedco75]

Since this was taped for NBC in November 1984 and they passed on it, I’m guessing they went with Time Machine instead as that was the next game show to debut on NBC following this pilot.

[@ABCEasyas--]

I always liked Bob Goen. He never had a long running hosting gig, but if he did, he’d get the credit he deserves.

[@1TexasTV]

I always liked BG when he was hosting Wheel of Fortune (Daytime) and was anchoring and reporting on Entertainment Tonight.

[@unknown-kh7dg]

@ABCEasyas, you are right. Bob Goen did deserved a long running game show host in gig. I thought it would had been "Wheel Of Fortune", which was on CBS at the time, then moving back to its original home NBC after "Let's Make A Deal" was cancelled in 1991 but it wasn't meant to be. That was the longest Bob Goen had a game show host in job. He had a long running hosting job on the syndicated entertainment magazine show "Entertainment Tonight" before returning to game show hosting with "That's The Question" for The Game Show Network in the mid 2000's.

[@realfrantic]

Me, too. Very down to earth and fun.

[@jeprice08]

Me too! If I could and if he wasn't too busy or tired, I'd try my darnedst to create a game show tailor made for him and him only: "The Bob Goen Show to end all Bob Goen shows."

[@giovannia5685]

Wink, thank you so much for not only uncovering another rare pilot, but also allowing Bob Goen, one of the most underrated game show hosts out there to introduce. Really grateful for what you do. ❤️ The pilot… well, there’s a lot to unpack. Bob does an exceptional job in only his second pilot. Bob Hilton also does great announcing. The set and graphics were definitely products of the time. The game itself is interesting and funny (well it’s Jay Wolpert, everything he did was funny); the answer choices were pretty hilarious as well. But it could get a bit drawn out, made more clear in the bonus round. I honestly thought it was Kate Smith with the voice; I’m not too good at movie trivia. 😂 Again, thank you Wink and Bob! 😁

[@AdamJ617]

On the set, I thought that a was Jack Hart, but James Agazzi in the credits proved me wrong.

[@MTCesquire]

This was actually a clever idea. Shame it got passed on, I could've seen myself becoming a fan of this.

[@kingporter67]

Extremely rare game show and a very good game show as well!!

[@bigdcountryzone]

Interesting concept I like the fact the main game moves faster.

[@P112473]

Best Miss Universe host (1994-1996) by far 👏

[@DrummingWriterTrekfan84]

Love the unsold never before seen pilots! It's fun to get a glimpse at what could have been! Plus a cool intro by Bob Goen on this one is so awesome! He definitely is an underrated host! Thanks Wink and God Bless You!!

[@gregspot]

Holy cow! That show is something else. My jaw is stuck in the open position on this one.

[@goldenchick85]

I find it hilarious that a game show that didn’t get picked up has “Far From Over” as a theme song, lol

[@port566]

Thank you very much for posting this, Wink. I think this is a good show. I enjoyed it a lot. I can see it lasting a while. Sad that it wasn't sold. I get the feeling it was the Frank Sinatra among seven other pilots. As a side note, I thought it was interesting that Bob said "we're getting rid of all the women first" after the contestant chose Michael Jackson.

[@QHMCQ]

Thank you for the upload, sir! Another rare one for sure! Bob was great on every show he did, and that includes his GSN Radio run. Incredibly genuine and nice man. (Marianne was equally genuine and nice!)

[@tyshaunmiles1973]

Interesting that this taped at Television City, but was for NBC...

[@bmasters1981]

Another pilot made in 1990, TKO w/Peter Tomarken, was made there as well, but that for ABC.

[@Square1986]

Thanks!👍

[@scootover7]

I like this bonus round. I could think of another title for this pilot "Team Building"

[@MetroShadow1]

Bob Goen game shows are never a bad thing.

[@TerrickTerran]

Apparently the final round was a lie. According to research, Bacall did her own singing in the movie.

[@marcpower4167]

It's unclear, It's believed they had Andy record a dub because Lauren had little singing experience and they didn't know how she'd sound. So if that's the case he did provide a dub but they may or may not have actually used it.

[@geerowr.6666]

YEP. You're correct!

[@sha11235]

I guess they were mistaken.

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

I had heard this before. But I think the rumor had since been debunked.

[@David-dy7xc]

yes Les Dowson hosted this show on BBC 1 the show lasted only one season and was quickly forgotten

[@tommyhoffman969]

i love bob

[@JZCRAZY]

I think one of the main issues with this show is that it took over 13 minutes just to pick contestants and get thru the rules. That took up almost half the show before they even got to main game play. That was a painful amount of time. I think the show had a chance of working if they revised the first segment and made finding friends a much quicker process.

[@jeffreystreger2026]

Well, that was an interesting unsold pilot. Even if we did not know it was a Jay Wolpert production, I would have been able to determine that it was from his company. It shares some production elements with other shows of his that did get on the air. Bob Goen was, as usual, very good as host on this. The round where the contestants pick their friends was fun but lacked a play along aspect for home viewers. However, the rest of the show had a lot of play along aspects for viewers. I think with a few tweaks this pilot might have sold, but it was fun to watch. Thank you to Wink and team for posting this.

[@RedStrikerBeetleborg]

The theme is Far From Over by Frank Stallone

[@LittleRockElevators]

Interesting pilot. Bob was indeed a great host.

[@marcomacias3960]

theres that Penny Ante noise again when the clock reveal is shown

[@SigmaRho2922]

The theme was later recomposed for use on Blackout.

[@williammackie4816]

Les Dawson hosted the UK version on bbc1

[@vestonbruno2795]

THE Bob Goen of Entertainment Tonight and Jimmy Neutron? What an honor!

[@blakerice6238]

Nice Job, Bob. I fought that he did “Entertainment Tonight” (1981) as a talk show and the movie “Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius” (2001)!

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

I like it. With a little tweaking, should have gone to series. Love Bob's hair.

[@antster1983]

As the late Les Dawson would have said when he hosted the BBC version... ALAS! BEGONE! _Fast Friends,_ thou has been cast into the depths of the Dump Dock.

[@geerowr.6666]

Oh wow! Bob Goen looks like Jim Carrey when he was on In Living Color.

[@Matthew6418]

Interestingly enough this sold in the UK almost exactly as is. They had a comedian named Les Dawson host it.

[@marcomacias3960]

damn its like if any game show pilot made in the us get a second chance abroad. Boggle, Keynote, and now this. also i like to see Bob Goen with his mustache again. now its a beard

[@williambone5678]

Bob Goen always looked better with the mustache. Thank God for Wheel Of Fortune daytime.

[@SP84Fanatic]

The first two rounds were interesting in that they relied on people the contestants had only brief interactions with. The first round had an interesting mechanic with wagering time to find someone who knew the answer to the question asked. The second round in particular gave me some Hot Potato vibes, especially with the sound effects and the elimination of players. The bonus round seemed like a complete afterthought and really dragged on. It would have made sense if there was some element in working the contestant's found friends into that round somehow, but the contestant was on their own here.

[@mshroye2]

Boy howdy jay wolpert creates some nutty game shows

[@sha11235]

Did he get any successful ones out there?

[@devares2006]

​@sha11235 he had a few. Whew! (which lasted a year), and Shopping Spree (which lasted 2 years) are 2 at the top of my head.

[@sirkrunch]

I had hoped Bob would get Wheel after Pat retired. I think he got a raw deal his first time around on the Wheel of Cheapness. Our CBS affiliate here didn't pick it up and only on rare occasions (thanks to the power of analog TV) I could pick up the out of market station that actually carried it. From the videos I've seen on YT, I thought he did great, and would be a sure fire choice.

[@IanGouki]

Hmmmmm. Frank Stallone must love this show. His music was used.

[@TLEberle]

Odd that they didn’t name it Fast Company. Bob is such a good host-I loved him on Blackout. I do do wish he had more chances to do game shows in this country.

[@nwebster84]

It's no Beat the IRS, but it's still pretty good.

[@bryanloveseighties]

15:49 Colin said he was a tour guide at Universal Studios. Personally, I'd rather ask if Babs would give me the tour instead (reference to Animal House and John Landis).

[@mattbum1975]

I think now after watching being almost 40 years later finding thus pilot. As rotten as this world is, some network would buy this show, like COMEDY CENTRAL

[@coldsnap5742]

That's The Question should have been so much more successful than it was. If only it was picked up by a bigger network than GSN...

[@TheAverycross]

I agree! It was an interesting and intriguing concept, just combining a quiz concept and an acrostic puzzle together like that. And GSN's revival of "Camouflage" with Roger Lodge should have been given a longer run with "That's The Question", too:)

[@viddykiddy18]

Amen!

[@MyGuyJustinH]

I loved, "That's the Question". It should've lasted longer than it did.

[@petercolbeysgameshowmania7176]

I like to think that That’s the Question is what you would get if Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! had a baby.

[@marcomacias3960]

i wonder if Inquizition got the idea for the 2-3 multiple choice format from this show. of course the last answer is none of the above.

[@LudoRex]

The main game is interesting but if one team is eliminated early that would leave a lot of time for the host to fill. It would have been appropriate to work the friends concept into the bonus game which is disappointing. Goen did an admirable job of keeping the show moving along.

[@cbgmp]

Some of the theme song elements sounds like they were re-used for Blackout. (PS Gotta search the vault for more Blackout episodes)

[@RadioDon1]

I'm going to assume that this was not mentioned in the comments, but Bob mentions at about 0:45 that it went to series in the UK. The BBC version was hosted by Les Dawson. I loved the intro/credits scene, and it gives a great look at how this would have played out if it went to series in the US. There's even a difference in the bonus game where the "fast friends" help out the contestant for 💷💷. You have to get past a music video and a BBC promo to get to it, but this links to the whole show. Ennnn-joy... kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqPTaGt7j5mdebMsi=wnXumtm6HnbOAFFU

[@gameboy9]

I actually like this pilot. If there were a few tweeks, I think this would be a great show. The first part I really liked; you hardly needed to change anything. The second part could have been simultaneous instead of one question at a time. The bonus round probably was what was most lacking; where were your friends?! Maybe there could have been a progressive bonus round winnings thing based on the number of friends you had left? Either way, I kind of would have liked to see this as an actual show!

[@I_WANT_MY_SLAW]

How is there a returning champion if this is the pilot episode?

[@jimharris6570]

They decided between the first contestants who was going to be designated champion

[@nintendonerdsvideos4727]

that's the way pilots worked

[@digiblader1]

Not a bad pilot - and the bonus round is very similar to Gas Money on The Price Is RIght where they eliminate the wrong answers.

[@LittleRockElevators]

Make that trivia trap.

[@Chainsawslots]

20 minutes to get the game started.

[@wschmrdr]

That second round feels like it could boringly last forever. Granted, I was expecting a buzzer battle closer to something like Hit Man, but that's just me.

[@Chainsawslots]

Ridiculous end game. Only one is possible.

[@chrishansen9357]

The mustache looks odd. Goen was clean shaven, usually.

[@AdamJ617]

In John’s 3rd question, was that John Crump from the Pie in the Sky pilot?

[@ChuckD79]

Bob certainly had a lot of praise for his former boss...he did a fine job here, as usual, but the game itself was just too complex. Also, the UK version aired for one series in 1991 and was hosted by Les Dawson (former emcee of Blankety Blank, the British version of Match Game).

[@jnadle1]

Recorded at CBS Television City, Hollywood, California

[@reedberry]

Bob seems like a great guy, and he certainly is a capable host, but this show just had TOO much going on. Too much chit chat -- and too much time explaining the rules. I'm not just saying this because I was today's showcase winner on The Price is Right, but TPIR has lasted 52 seasons because it's fun, fast and easy to play. That's the key to a good game show, in my humble opinion.

[@gilbert9400]

"Promo SM" 🌈

[@VahanNisanian]

RE: The Bonus Round, I thought that was an Urban Myth.

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

Yeah me too.

[@yaphettvazquez9796]

Right?

[@DBradshaw25]

Penny Ante SFX!

[@someguy23475]

The pacing is way too slow overall, since the game ran close to half an hour without commercials. Perhaps limiting the friends to two or three would work better. The bonus round is essentially the main game of Trivia Trap where you cut wrong answers. I would cut down on the number of choices, and not have so many obvious ones. Bob Goen does a good job, but this would have been 13 and out if sold. I really hope the music was just filler for the pilot. It’s horrid, especially Bette Midler.

[@nextbarker2702]

Now a bad pilot

[@williambone5678]

This pilot is boring and too simple. Bob Goen deserves better.