Q&A-Legendary game show casting director Beverly Pomerantz

Robert Gagnier-what exactly do you do in the world of game shows, and how long have you been at it?

Beverly Pomerantz: I am a casting director and I believe I have been at it since 1985-86. My first game show was called All Star Blitz with Peter Marshall and Merrill Heatter (who was the original creator of the Hollywood Squares). The original name of the company behind All Star Blitz was Heatter-Quigley Productions. Merrill was the producer and ultimately hired me for that show. I have to tell you that I
would never leave home on a Friday night; as I had to watch Hollywood Squares and absolutely loved it. You know, you had all of the old timers such as Cliff Arquette and Paul Lynde that were the squares in the game....those were such good times!

RG: What was All-Star Blitz about?

BP: It was about four celebrities and two contestants, based around a word puzzle where you had to figure out what was the word was.

RG: As a casting director, how did things work out logistically in terms of getting these actors to play along with regular people?

BP: Well; for the most part, I cast the contestants. However, one time I went after Rosanne Barr when I was casting for Family Feud. Her husband Tom Arnold was on the show at the time, and I thought to myself wouldn't that be funny if I could get her on? (The rest of the staff didn't think I would be able to get her to do it.) And so I just called her office; they loved the idea, and withing a few weeks she was on the show against Tom Arnold, her husband.

RG: What is your methodology when it comes to casting? How do you find your contestants?

BP: I find people everywhere! When I first started out some thirty plus years ago, I was very nervous. So eventually a producer tells me "look, you have to find some contestants", and that's when I headed out to the
Pavilions on Santa Monica Blvd. I have to tell you that I found half of my contestants right there in that store. I still do; I just walk around and find people. 90 percent of the contestants that I find are all out in the field. For example; when Abercrombie & Fitch was still in the Grove, I found four guys in that store who
walked home with over $175k on one of my shows. We liked another gentleman from there so much that we made him the host of a Discovery Channel show!

RG: How has the world of game shows evolved in turns of the networks continuing to take a chance on them? Does you think the relatively low budgets ensure they will be around for years to come?

BP: You know you will have the occasional lapse from time to time, but for the most part the games are always coming back or new ones are coming about. Price is Right, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune-those shows will be there forever. But I think where you see some evolution with regards to game shows is at the contestant level. Back in the day, some people just weren't willing to appear on a game show because the economy was so good. Now you'll get doctors and lawyers coming out to audition, whereas 20 years ago they wouldn't of thought about it because the times were so much better. I just had a lawyer and a doctor on a show, and the
doctor walked away with $300,000 dollars. The attitude is now shifting more and more to “why not”, or "let's give it a shot". I mean; anyone can always use a little more money, plus they are having fun!

RG: So you are always out and about looking for contestants. Has a former contestant ever recognized you and started up a conversation?

BP: Yes! The other day I was in Target and a man came up to me and said “Beverly, you changed my life!” And he went on to say that he had always wanted to tell me that. I asked him what he meant and he went on to say that at the time he was unsure of himself; really nervous, and didn't think he could go forward with the process. But he mentioned how I kept egging him on to go on the show until he finally decided to do it. He wasn't working at the time, and didn't have much money. So he was ready to go home, but I didn't let him. Anyways he wound up wining six thousand on the show, which wasn't a great deal of money but it was enough for him to realize that he needed to go out there and get himself a job. He said because you gave me so much encouragement, I now have a great job, make a lot of money, and still have that original six thousand I won from the show in the bank! So that was really nice to hear!

RG: How critical is it to have the right contestants and show host in place in order for a game show to be successful?

BP: The role of the contestant is critical, as is the host. The host has to be fun; able to relate to the contestants, and have a certain warmth about them. A good hosts pulls for the contestants; wants them
to win, and get emotionally involved in the process. As far as the contestant goes; I always tell them that if they are not having fun, the audience will not have fun and as a result they wont pull for you and will want you to leave. So when you decide to say that answer, right or wrong....own it. If your right and you made a great face; the camera is going to be happy. And believe it or not; the camera will be happy even if your answer is the wrong one, based on the expressions and energy that you put out there. I always tell the contestants its ok to be nervous; but be nervous-excited, not nervous-tense. When your nervous-excited your going to babble; and something is going to come out,-but when your nervous-tense you block things out.

RG: It is my understanding that you have also been a chaperon to some of your winning contestants. Where have your travels taken you?

BP: Bangkok, Jamaica, Alaska, Canada, Hawaii, (slept on the Queen Mary). I took a train ride through the Red Woods; went to Disneyland, Knot's Berry Farm-went all over the place. On a side note, my chaperon travels never took me to Montreal......but I eventually got there, and wound up meeting my boyfriend who I am going to Italy with soon.

RG: When you are given a staff who answers to you in casting, what are some of the requirements they would need if you are to work with them?

BP: They would need to know three things: That one; we have to have fun, secondly we have to get our work done, and lastly that we will all have to work as a team. And while we all have our individual jobs; if someone is not busy, I would expect them to pitch in so we could all help one another.

RG: What are some of craziest, or strangest moments you have come across in your years as a casting director?

BP: Well; when I was working on Family Feud, we had a woman who was headed up to the podium to press the button when she yells out “alright I'm ready”, and her underpants proceeded to fall down! The camera guy
pushes her onstage, grabs the underwear, and she yells out "that's the last time I'm wearing my underpants over my panty hose”! lol

I once put a guy on the show, “Are you smarter than a 5th grader” after meeting his wife who told me repeatedly that her husband was the smartest guy ever. So we brought him in and tested him....and he knew every single answer, so much so that we tested him twice. Again; he knew all the answers, so we went ahead and put him on the show. Wouldn't you know that he lost on the second question! Now granted, years later I put him on another show and he walked away with some money.... but you just never know.

While casting for game show "The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime", I came across this one particular couple; and everything that could go wrong, did. We were there for quite a while, and so this one couple begins to get annoyed and asked “hey, how much longer are we going to be here?”. Then you had another couple that stayed quiet, went with the flow, and never showed or displayed any attitude. Ultimately that day; we didn't have time to put either couple on as there was just too much going on and we ran out of time. So, which couple do you think I brought back? The couple that never complained of course.....and they eventually walked away with a million dollars!

The couple that complained all night was never called back.