User Reviews

This has to be one of the funniest game shows produced by Goodson-Todman. The only thing that keeps a lot of people from remembering it is the fact that it was lost in the shuffle with their other two panel shows that were running at the same time, "What's My Line?" and "I've Got a Secret". Also, another thing that probably didn't do it any favors was that it was not on CBS as the other two shows were. Instead, it was on ABC, which wasn't exactly dominating the Nielsen's at the time. However, it had all the elements that made a great panel show, a great host in Robert Q. Lewis and a great panel with Meredith Wilson, Joan Alexander and Jerry Lester. (Note: as of this writing, GSN has not started showing the episodes featuring Bess Myerson, Gene Rayburn or future "60 Minutes" anchor, Mike Wallace). Another thing that made this show so special was the fact that it was a little ahead of its time. Whenever a person with a name that pertains to an action, especially a somewhat suggestive one, would appear on the show (eg. I. Kiss, A. Caress), the audience would giggle a little bit. However, whenever the panelists ask if they would do this, especially Joan Alexander, the audience would break out in uncontrollable laughter. This show should be remembered more fondly than it has been. Lucky for us, we now have GSN and we can now enjoy this forgotten classic.

I have been watching The Name's The Same on GSN for the past few weeks (at 2 AM CST) and I enjoy it very much. I believe that this show is one of the true classics of the Golden Age of Television (50s and 60s). I also believe that it is up there with other classics such as What's My Line and I've Got A Secret. The host Robert Q Lewis was just outstanding (he helped keep the show going in terms of interest and humor). The guest panelists like Gene Rayburn (pre Match Game with a crew cut), Joan Alexander (every time I see her on this show, I wish I had been alive (and an adult) back in the 1950s), Bill Stern (known for his sports commentary on radio), Meredith Willson (known for the Music Man musical), and Jerry Lester added an informative (many times quite humorous also) dimension to the show.

I was born in 1956, and remember, however vaguely, watching a segment of "The Name's the Same," many, many moons ago. Anyway, last night, I woke up to watch one of my all-time favorites, "What's My Line?" It airs 12:30 a.m., everyday. "Beat the Clock" usually runs one-half hour before that; however, last night, "The Name's the Same" was aired at 12 midnight. I tell you I've never laughed so hard in such a long time: it felt really good. I am a real critic when it comes to comedy, any kind of comedy: stand-up, movie, etc. (and I never watch "sitcoms"). I can sit through the majority--if not all--"comedy" movies these days without so much as cracking a grin. But, I really must have bust a gut last night. "The Name's the Same," last night, featured Eddie Albert, and the panelists included Bess Myerson and Gene Rayburn. The host, Mr. Lewis, alone, was fabulously entertaining. Laughter from the audience oozed throughout the show. I, too, had tears in my eyes less than ten minutes after the game had started. The formal wear and presentation of the panelists combined with the casual, free and easy approach to questioning toward solving the name was for many in the 1950's, a most delightful recipe for comedy, and is for me now, too.

As a fan of old-style panel shows and GSN's "Black and White Overnight," I was interested in seeing examples of "The Name's The Same," a panel show I'd never heard of. Having watched it evolve from its Robert Q. Lewis-hosted incarnation into the Bob and Ray version, I can say, frankly, that this forgettable show deserved to be forgotten.

There is nothing seriously objectionable about the show, but the game concepts are lame even for this genre. In the main segments, a panel of three (later four) tries to guess the name of "a regular person" who shares his name with a familiar object, action, or person (real or fictional). Examples included such names as "Marilyn Monroe," "Tom Sawyer," "A. Hog" and "I. Kick." In the original "special guest" segment (an obligatory panel show staple), the panel tried to guess whom the guest would LIKE to be. Later, the segment was altered: now the panel had to guess what the guest's special wish was. Often the wish involved the host or members of the panel ("I'd like to dance the rhumba with Audrey Meadows," and "I'd like to sing a duet with Robert Q." were two), and generally the wish was fulfilled on stage. As the show aged, the wishes became progressively sillier and it became very obvious that the wishes were "provided" for the guests.

The panel shows of the fifties and sixties were not known for their intellectual concepts, and "The Name's The Same" shouldn't be discounted strictly because of the inherent thin-ness of its focus. However, the members of the panel over the years, the hosts (with the possible exception of Lewis), and the special guests, failed to rise to the level of the great line-ups enjoyed by "What's My Line" and "I've Got A Secret." Panelists like Joan Alexander, Walter Slezak, and Meredith Willson were affable enough, but there rarely seemed to be anyone with the sparkle of an Arlene Francis, the cuteness of a Betsy Palmer, the wit of a Fred Allen or Henry Morgan, the intellect/pretension of a Louis Untermeyer or Bennett Cerf, or even the "love-her/hate-her" passion inspired by Dorothy Kilgallen. Even during those periods when a genuinely funny or interesting panelist like Gene Rayburn or Hal Block joined the show, the panel never enjoyed an interesting balance of types. The long runs of genuinely UNfunny panelists like Roger Price further doomed the show to oblivion.

When Bob and Ray took over hosting duties the show became even more insufferable. Long segments were devoted to "comedy" bits that bore only a tangential relationship to the game portions; Bob and Ray, so brilliant and subversive on the radio, became tedious, unfunny, and frankly, painful to watch.

"The Name's The Same" is worth watching for much the same reason other old panel shows are worth watching- it often gives one a chance to see familiar and beloved stars in a more down-to-earth mode, and it offers a window into the tastes and comedic mores of its time. It is not, however, a comedic gem, nor is it an example of exciting game-play. If offered a choice, I believe most viewers would prefer a bad episode of "I've Got a Secret" or "To Tell The Truth," to even the best episode of a show like "The Name's The Same."