Universal Finds Time to 'Beat the Clock'
ORLANDO (Orlando Sentinel) -- Phyllis and Melvin Miles, visiting Universal Studios from Seabrook, Md., are squealing happily while they bounce several inches off the ground. "Who knew we would be taking 'bouncing lessons' on our vacation in Orlando?" said Phyllis Miles, a 47-year-old music teacher. "They really want you to show enthusiasm if you win, and my bouncing needed some work," added her husband, Melvin, 46, a jazz pianist. The Mileses on Sunday were contestants in the taping of a revival of Beat the Clock, a game show that harks back to 1950s origins with host Bud Collier. The program is being taped at Universal Studios in July and August to air on the Pax channel for 13 weeks starting in September. "Having this show has a big impact at Universal. It's putting more than 70 people to work and it gives us an extra attraction for guests who can be part of the live audience or even audition as contestants and win cash and other prizes," said Paul Meena, vice president and general manager of studio production at the attraction. The show is corny in the tradition of its genre, with contests that include stacking huge empty cardboard boxes. But it's a real working studio show, and that's a novelty lately to Orlando tourists. For its part, West Palm Beach-based Pax Communications Corp. is delighted to find rental space in Orlando, with Universal providing free audiences. "If you were doing this in California, you'd have to pay people," said S. William Scott, programming president. Free admission to the show has a downside: Dozens of the roughly 200 audience members abruptly rise from their seats and leave the studio during taping breaks. "You can't blame them when there are rides beckoning right outside," Scott said. Meanwhile, replacements, recruited near the turnstiles, trickle in. But on Sunday, the Mileses don't notice the audience deserters; they're too busy bouncing -- and winning. When the Mileses try to "Beat the Clock" in a one-minute grab at flying money, they snare $3,600 out of the $25,000 that's up for grabs.
ORLANDO (Orlando Sentinel) -- Phyllis and Melvin Miles, visiting Universal Studios from Seabrook, Md., are squealing happily while they bounce several inches off the ground. "Who knew we would be taking 'bouncing lessons' on our vacation in Orlando?" said Phyllis Miles, a 47-year-old music teacher. "They really want you to show enthusiasm if you win, and my bouncing needed some work," added her husband, Melvin, 46, a jazz pianist. The Mileses on Sunday were contestants in the taping of a revival of Beat the Clock, a game show that harks back to 1950s origins with host Bud Collier. The program is being taped at Universal Studios in July and August to air on the Pax channel for 13 weeks starting in September. "Having this show has a big impact at Universal. It's putting more than 70 people to work and it gives us an extra attraction for guests who can be part of the live audience or even audition as contestants and win cash and other prizes," said Paul Meena, vice president and general manager of studio production at the attraction. The show is corny in the tradition of its genre, with contests that include stacking huge empty cardboard boxes. But it's a real working studio show, and that's a novelty lately to Orlando tourists. For its part, West Palm Beach-based Pax Communications Corp. is delighted to find rental space in Orlando, with Universal providing free audiences. "If you were doing this in California, you'd have to pay people," said S. William Scott, programming president. Free admission to the show has a downside: Dozens of the roughly 200 audience members abruptly rise from their seats and leave the studio during taping breaks. "You can't blame them when there are rides beckoning right outside," Scott said. Meanwhile, replacements, recruited near the turnstiles, trickle in. But on Sunday, the Mileses don't notice the audience deserters; they're too busy bouncing -- and winning. When the Mileses try to "Beat the Clock" in a one-minute grab at flying money, they snare $3,600 out of the $25,000 that's up for grabs.