Line 2, Position 5,
Farewell
October 20
I'm not exactly sure
where to go with this. The loss of game show host Jack Narz is sad, for
sure, but the man had a long life and a decent career. I'm loath to
brand it a "tragedy" in the same way that losing a youngster to horrific
circumstances would be. The other thing is that I'm a bit young to have
seen much of his career. I've seen a handful of episodes of Now You See
It, one Beat the Clock and a Seven Keys, and that's all. I missed out on
the 1970s syndicated Concentration, but saw a handful of bits that have
popped up online. And it's too bad, because the more I see, the more I
enjoy watching him.
From the tape that I have seen, however, you see exactly the kind of
host that Jack was. He wasn't ever the star; he was always there,
moderating the proceedings but never taking over. His style was
competent and solid, but never flashy, garish or overbearing. And that's
to his credit. He wasn't loud or obnoxious, or silly, he was Jack. He'd
celebrate with the winners and commiserate with the losers.
Jack's career spanned more than just the shows we recognize: he was the
host of Dotto, the show that launched the quiz show scandals (Jack was
never implicated in any wrongdoing), he was the Mayor of Video Village,
a board game/game show, among other substitute engagements, radio
performances and panel appearances.
So, if you're reading this, please raise your glass, and take a moment
to reflect on one of the good guys from the old guard. Prospective hosts
would do themselves a favor by watching Jack do his thing, as we could
learn much from him.
So long, Jack.
Travis Eberle can be reached at
traviseberle@gmail.com.
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