A Tribute to Tom Kennedy

 Jim Narz, better known to game show fans as Tom Kennedy, passed away on Sunday, October 11 at the age of 93.  

Kennedy was the brother of Jack Narz, who also presided over game shows changed his name to Tom Kennedy to avoid confusion with Jack.  

After working at radio stations in Columbia, MO and Los Angeles, Kennedy would host his first game show in the summer of 1958 titled The Big Game, which was based on the popular game Battleship.  Though the show lasted only 13 weeks, it put Kennedy on the map as a game show host.  

Later that year, Kennedy would host a short-lived revival of the quiz show Dr. IQ.  The show was best known for one of game show's famous catch phrases "I have a lady in the balcony" and contestants getting paid in silver dollars.  The show ran from December 1958 to March of 1959.  

But in 1963, Kennedy would get his big break when he was hired by producer Ralph Andrews to host the game show You Don't Say.  The show began locally in Los Angeles on KTLA with Jack Barry as host.  When NBC picked up You Don't Say to debut in April 1963, Barry was still damaged goods due to the quiz show scandal so Kennedy would become the host.  

You Don't Say would turn out to be Kennedy's breakout show.  The game where two celebrity/civilian teams identified famous names and later placed via clues that sounded like the name but not part of it would run until September 1969 when it was canceled in a revamping of NBC's daytime lineup.  When Kennedy ran through the rules at the top of each show he would always conclude with the line "and that's the word you don't say."  

Not only did Kennedy host, he did play the game a few times with Narz taking over the hosting duties.  Narz's stint landed him the job as host of another Andrews game that lasted only 26 weeks titled I'll Bet.  The show would return in the fall of 1969 under the title It's Your Bet and run for four years in syndication. Kennedy would host the 1971-72 season before he was hired by Monty Hall to host the fast paced quiz show Split Second.  Kennedy's catch phrase (sometimes used by the author of this blog at his regular job as a delivery driver) was "Look at the board."  There were three answers that contestants had to match to Kennedy's questions.  The show ran on ABC for three years following the network's revival of Password.  

As Split Second was winding down, Kennedy would host his longest running show, a revival of the popular music game Name That Tune.  The show, best known for the segment Bid a Note, ran for seven seasons from 1974 to 1981 in prime time access.  The show went through numerous changes throughout its run, including the addition of a young singer named Kathie Lee Johnson, who would later marry football great Frank Gifford and go on to even bigger success as the co-host of a talk show with Regis Philbin.  

While Kennedy was presiding over a show where contestants could win $100,000 ($10,000 a year for 10 years), he also hosted a number of short-lived shows such as a revival of You Don't Say, 50 Grand Slam, To Say the Least, the daytime version of Name That Tune and Whew!

Another show Kennedy hosted was a new version of the game show Break the Bank.  The first show from the reunited partnership of Jack Barry and Dan Enright got high ratings in ABC's afternoon lineup.  However, Fred Silverman, the president of ABC disliked game shows and canceled Break the bank after only 15 weeks.  

In October 1980, Kennedy hosted his first game show for Mark Goodson when he replaced his long-time friend Allen Ludden on Password Plus.  He hosted the show until it was axed in March 1982.  

Kennedy would host two other Goodson games in the 80s.  From 1984 to 1986, he would preside over the charades game Body Language and in the fall of 1985, the nighttime syndicated version of The Price is Right.  In Adam Nedeff's book TV Game Shows FAQ, Kennedy he admitted that he was frustrated with his performance because he had to learn the rules and staging for 27 pricing games that were played on the show.  he admitted that he was a slow learner.  The show, seen in late night slots in some markets was canceled after one season.  

The last game show Kennedy hosted was the NBC daytime show Wordplay.  A cross between Liar's Club and a lesser known syndicated game Oh My Word, contestants guessed the definitions of obscure words that were given by a panel of three celebrities.  A replacement for the long running soap opera Search for Tomorrow, the show ran only nine months.

After Wordplay ended it's run, Kennedy moved into production with two game show pilots.  The shows were Star Play, another charades game and Joker in the Pack.  None of the shows were picked up so in 1989, Kennedy retired.  

In addition to hosting game shows, Kennedy guested on other game shows such as Hollywood Squares and Password.  He also had a short stint hosting a talk show in 1970 titled The Real Tom Kennedy Show, that aired in syndication.  

Kennedy also dabbled in acting.  He appeared as a guest on shows including The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, That Girl and in an episode of Cybill as the host of Name That Tune where Cybill Shepherd performed as a featured singer.  

The game show world has lost a prolific host whose many episodes have been erased, especially the original You Don't Say.  But there are some episodes as well as other shows he hosted that are on YouTube.  Reruns of Body Language are frequently seen on the digital network Buzzr.  

May he rest in peace.