If you're like me, and you grew up in upstate New York in the 60's, 70's, or 80's, odds are that if your family was into bowling, then Sundays usually meant TV Tournament Time, which launched in 1958, and became as much of an icon as the station that carried it, WRGB.
Weatherman Howard Tupper was the folksy, genial host and play-by-play commentator for most of the series' run. When Tupper passed away in the mid-80's, news reporter Dick Beach took over as host for the remainder of the run, though, if memory serves me correctly, Tupper's successor as weatherman (they didn't have meteorologists just yet at WRGB), Tim Welch, also filled in when he wasn't doing Answers Please.
After taping at Boulevard Bowl for a number of years, WRGB built its own two lane bowling center for later tapings. Ye scribe had the pleasure of attending one of those tapings to root on a friend who was bowling on the show.
Following is a compilation tape featuring Guy Vizzie, Jr., an Athens native who ran the table on an Easter Sunday episode in 1980, then was the tournament leader, if you will, nearly four years later. The video is a little choppy early in the 1980 episode, but it gets better, and the video, given to the YouTube poster who put the tape online, also has some commercials, including a house ad for Tom & Jerry & Friends, which aired weekday afternoons during the 1979-80 season.
This was must-watch at my house, and, I can imagine, at yours, too, if you lived in the 518.
Rating: A+.
7 comments:
Wish there was a total library of tournaments we could watch on YOUTUBE.
My father was a huge bowling fan and when we came home from church we watched the show on Channel 6. Whenever Howard Tupper said, "Hi there small fry," my father said that he was talking to me. Great memories!!
Howard Tupper was more than these so called Meteorologists they currently have.This includes WNYT weatherman Bob K. Paul Caiano Neal Estano plus fill ins.
They are no more Meteorologists than Rod Serling on the Twilight Zone.
In summary all these modern "type" Meteorologists are a WEATHERMAN nothing else!!!
does anyone know if there are any tapes or articles related to the TV Teen Pinner broadcasts that were on Saturday mornings at 10am in late 1973? Howard Tupper hosted. It was my only 15 minutes of fame winning the championship match. I bowled 2 times on the show. Unfortunately i had a school trip the morning it aired and i missed it:( Tom Dunn
Unfortunately, many tapes of TV Tournament Time and other local or network programs dating back to the 60's & 70's likely were "wiped" or erased to reuse the tape for other purposes, and, thus, are lost to the mists of time.
In 1973 they had a junior bowler tournament instead of adults. I qualified for the show at Boulevard Bowl and beat everyone with a score of 187. That was back in the day with only plastic balls mainly and heavier pins. I was 16 at the time. I still have my plaque and shirt I wore on TV that had “TV Teen Pinner” on the back.
I won the 1974 TV Teen Pinner. Still have trophy shirt and score sheets. I beat a shaker High student. I was a Rensselaer High student. Qualified at Bowling Green lanes in east greenbush ny.
Thank god for handicaps :)
Never could find tapes of 2 shows i bowled. Never saw shows either
My dad tom dunn jr was a lifelong avid bowler and was so proud of what i did
Miss him
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