Greetings,
What do the TV studios love more than a show that is successful and cheap? Probably nothing. No wonder Whose Line is it Anyway? lasted for so long. That show was hilarious and it is one of my all time favorites. If you haven't seen it, let me give you a little back story.
Whose Line is it Anyway? started as a British improv show, first radio then TV, hosted by Clive Anderson, and it featured several UK comedians such as Josie Lawrence, Tony Slattery and Stephen Fry, the former comedy partner of Hugh Laurie. They also let some non-Brits invade, as well they should, with appearances by many people who would later be on the U.S. version of the show, like Ryan Stiles and Colin Mochrie.
Speaking of which, in 1998, the show got rebooted for a U.S. audience with Drew Carey as the host, due to the popularity of his sitcom. The other regulars on the show were Ryan and Colin, and, in the second season, Wayne Brady. The fourth chair was vacant for a number of revolving door comics, like Greg Proops, Brad Sherwood and Chip Esten. Sometimes celebs like Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams would drop by. Even a pre-Colbert Report Stephen Colbert showed up, suit and all, one time. And off the panel, they would occasionally be joined by people like Sid Caeser and Richard Simmons. Yeah, that Richard Simmons thing should be seen by every person on the planet, because it was probably the funniest thing I ever saw on that show.
Now there were not that many changes made to the format of the show, especially the games. For the most part, the U.S. version used the same games as the U.K. version. So today I will be giving my top ten list of Whose Line is it Anyway? games. Though I did watch and love both versions, today, I'll mainly be focusing on the U.S. version, since I'm sure that is the one that most of you have seen. So here we go.
#10. 'Film Dub' - The performers watch an obscure film clip on mute and fill in what they want the actors to say. This one just made me want to find these movies and watch them just so I could know what they were really saying. You know what? I don't want to do that because there is no way it would be more entertaining than what I got on this show.
#9. 'What Are You Trying to Say?' - This game would have been higher on the list, but it was only aired once, as far as I saw. I have no idea why, because it was hilarious to see Ryan and Colin make assumptions about what the other was saying about them, which was the point of the game. And, as I recall, it made me think twice about the phrase 'double breasted'.
#8. 'African Chant' - Don't worry. I'm sure no one was offended by this game at all. Here we had Wayne, who, in case you didn't know, is black, leading the three remaining white performers in, yes, an African chant. I think it may have been that racial fact that made it funny, which is why I brought it up. But I guess as long as they got no angry letters, it's all good. And it just gave Colin and Ryan another excuse to dance.
#7. 'Song Titles' - The performers are made to speak in only song titles in this game. It's a game that I would be great at but would never win. Mostly because I know so many songs that I would say ones that are real, but, since no one else really knows them, I would get buzzed out. How unfair. Once again, my huge brain would be my downfall.
#6. 'Infomercial' - Ryan and Colin get a box of random items and must sell something using those items, such as cures for hair loss or cellulite (or celluloid, if you're Ryan. Just look it up). One time this game was played stood out because Colin was referred to as a celebrity guest, Craig T. Nelson. That was an ongoing joke on the show.
#5. 'Song Styles' - An audience member is chosen to have a song sung to them in a specific style or as a particular artist. It was one of the only times I could enjoy a Britney Spears or Eminem song. My personal favorite was when Wayne and Chip sang to a little old lady as the Bee Gees, and if you're surprised by that, well, welcome to my blog.
#4. 'Title Sequence' - This game was for everyone. Two players would sing the theme to a show, while the other two acted it out. But the show would be about two random people living together or being friends, like Brad Pitt and Bea Arthur. I didn't make that one up. Little did Brad know, he was in for something much worse.
#3. 'Newsflash' - One performer stands in front of a green screen while two others give him clues as to what is behind him. Again, I have no idea where they got some of those videos, but I really want to know. The most genius installment was when Colin was standing in front of clips of himself. He was so in tune, he even made a bald joke BEFORE he knew it was himself up there.
#2. 'Sound Effects' - There are two versions of this game. Earlier, Colin would silently act out a scene as Ryan made sound effects. Later, Ryan and Colin would act out a scene with dialogue, but also with sound effects being made by two audience members. If I learned one thing from this game, it is that when all else fails, bark like a dog.
#1. 'Questionable Impressions' - This a great variation on the game called Questions Only, where they are, no kidding, allowed to only speak in questions. Here they are, again, only allowed to speak in questions, but they must also do an impression of a celebrity. Oh, the many, many times we got to see Ryan as John Wayne. Priceless!
I don't know why this show was ever cancelled, since, like I said, it was successful and very inexpensive to make. Apparently, they could knock off several shows in just a day. But the good news is that the show really got people excited about improv and that hasn't stopped. Still, I miss the days of a Drew Carey led comedy troop making me laugh. Thank God for reruns and DVD!
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
