Game shows to get the museum treatment with National Archives of Game Show History

Variety

The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York plans to preserve and present the history of game shows. Bob Boden, an adjunct professor at Syracuse University and veteran TV game show producer, is partnering with fellow veteran TV producer Howard Blumenthal to curate the collection of scripts, set designs, props, technical plans, marketing materials, creative plans, production plans and more from the producers, performers, directors, designers, writers and executives who worked on historic game shows. They also plan to film interviews with creators, producers, hosts and iconic contestants, including Jeopardy!'s Ken Jennings, who has thrown his support behind the effort. “I’ve often said that game shows, like jazz and comic books, are one of the great American art forms,” says Jennings, “but they have always been considered by many to be a disposable genre. I am delighted by this new effort to take game shows seriously and to archive and preserve their history. I grew up watching game shows as a daily ritual. They’ve shaped who I am as a person, as well as our cultural landscape.” Legendary game show host Wink Martindale adds: “Without this initiative, many primary resources relating to these shows, as well as oral histories of their creators and talent, risked being lost forever. I am very excited to see this launch and grow to become the primary destination for game show information in the country.” The Strong National Museum of Play is the only collections-based museum in the world devoted to the history and exploration of play.