This is How Movies Should Be Made

Strong and Moving!

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

I began about a couple of years ago watching Kinescope repeats of Beat the Clock on "the Game Show Network". It brought back many memories from when I originally watched it live when I was a kid. One night, among the repeats, I notice the inclusion of an African American family as contestants. I was surprised, and I guess so were a lot of the viewers in the fifties. Because the only time you seen Black people on Television in the fifties, were ether-portraying servants, or Musical entertainers appearing on Variety shows. But I did thought it was interesting that "Beat the Clock" included an African American Family that I think on their next appearance on the show to continue with their stunts, they had no sponsor.... It was too bad, but understandable that "Hazel Bishop Cosmetics " pulled their sponsorship on the family's second appearance. But one has to remember that in fifties and into the early sixties, Television networks and their sponsors did not want to offend their racist Network affricates in the South. So any appearance of Black on Television then was nil.... But I have applause Bud Collier and the producers for being bold enough to take the risk to include a Black Family on the show at a time when Black were beginning to make progress in terms of respect and dignity in the media.

Whatever happened to Dolores Rosedale? Is she still alive? If so, she would in her late seventies. I've come across more than one site that identifies her with Roxanne Arlen--so the IMDb is not alone in this. I'm not certain how the confusion started, unless Ms. Arlen (who died today, Feb. 22) herself did some game shows. The two women are the same physical types (curvacious blondes), but it is quite obvious, from the pictures of the two at a Roxanne-dedicated website, that they are different people. It's curious that someone who was once so famous could slip so completely into oblivion. You'd think that some TV historian would be scrambling after her story.

I remember this show years ago. This along with To Tell the Truth, What's My Line, I've Got a Secret and the Old Price is Right were staples in my home. I agree with the person who said that shows like the Fear Factor should take a look at this show. It was very simplistic. A couple would attempt these seemingly impossible stunts. If they completed the first stunt they got a prize worth 100.00 , the second 200 and a bonus round in which the female has to figure out a famous quote from jumbled words. If they win that they usually will get nice TV and in later seasons a TV and a stereo. If they just won the 200.00 round they might get a washing machine or a fridge and 100.00 a radio. The stunts were not dangerous but just as suspenseful as they are in shows like Fear Factor. If the stunt involved something like whipped cream or water one of the models would come out and take a picture. What is amazing is a lot of the women are wearing high heel shoes and a dress while doing these stunts. I would say most of the time people are able to complete the bonus. But some of the shows the stunts seem very hard. Later they added these super bonus stunts, worth 1000's and the amount went up s long as no one got them. These tasks were next to impossible. If I described them one would think they weren't until they actually saw the stunt. One involved wearing a hat and getting the balls hanging from the rim to balance on the rim. One involved a toupee. I am now looking at the GSN and the stunt is up to 26,000! What I think sets the shows of the 60's apart from the game shows of today was the hosts. Bud Collyer, Bill Cullen, Daly , and Garry Moore, were all class acts. And the lack of vulgarity. Beat the Clock showed that stunts can be exciting without being vulgar and exploitive. Bud Collyer was almost as involved in the stunts as the contestants. He treated everyone very nice and if the contestants showed up with their children he would take time to talk to them and give the girls a Roxanne doll(the hostess)and the boy a board game. Even if the kids weren't there he would send them something. I really miss hosts like him. Who seem to be having just as good a time as the contestants. They all seem so cynical now.

Roxanne Arlen was not on this show.It was Delores (Roxanne) Rosedale that was the co-star.In the early 50s she was a major league star...and among the most glamorous females on TV.Many people remember Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield,but the actress with real style,real quality and real honor was Roxanne Rosedale.Her run on Beat the Clock (1950-1955) made her a regular television attraction for untold how many guys.From what I read she left the show to get married and have a child.I guess after that she became a full time mom and wife and ducked the Hollywood scene.Roxanne even had a Roxanne doll back in her Beat the Clock days.It sorta didn't look a whole lot like her,but she handed them to girls that appeared on the show with their parents.The dolls had a camera with strap that went around the dolls neck,much like the real Roxanne did on the show when a contestant would get covered in some gloppy mess,she would dart out from offstage with camera at the ready to take a snap of the laughable scene.Of course using the Sylvania blue dot for sure shot flash bulb the sponsor was hawking.Wonder if there ever was any film in that camera....and if so,where are those shots today? There very much needs to be a DVD of seasons of Beat the Clock offered for sale,the 3-4 episodes (Kinescope versions)that are now commercially available are surely not enough for BTC and Roxanne fans everywhere. *******Update*********** Roxanne fans....we need to straighten the Roxanne tale out....Seemingly every site has Roxanne Arlen in the place of Dolores Rosedale.....We know she was married in 1954 to Tom Roddy from New York,and we know she had a daughter "Anne" in 1955 after her Beat the Clock stint was over.She was dismissed from Beat the Clock,supposibly asking for more money.She later blamed it on Bud Collyer for her dismissal,him being jealous of her and all (false).She was in a 15 second beach scene in "the Seven Year Itch",and was on many magazine covers.She wanted to be a serious actress and a wife more than anything else on earth.She got 50% of her wish by 1954.There's what we know people.....Keep the Roxanne Rosedale spirit alive.....lets set her career straight...and find out what happened to the biggest thing on TV in the 50s.....