Voting Station

Name That Tune

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TV Series

The Resume

    (1953-1985)
    Aired on NBC and CBS (1953-59), NBC (1974-75,1977) and in syndication (1974-81,1984-85)
    Hosted by Rod Benson (1953-54), Bill Cullen (1954-55), George DeWitt (1955-59), Tom Kennedy (1974-81), Dennis James (NBC version, 1974-75) and Jim Lange (1984-85)
    Also known as 'The $100,000 Name That Tune' (1976-81,1984-85)
    Best-known Sing-a-Tune vocalist: Kathie Lee Johnson (1974-78)
    Premise: Contestants try to win money based on their ability to identify songs

Why Name That Tune might be annoying:

    It unleashed Kathie Lee Gifford on an unsuspecting world.
    Child actor Eddie Hodges and Marine Corps pilot John Glenn teamed up to win $25,000 on the show (1957), but Hodges had attended meetings where the production staff sang the songs that turned up in the Golden Melody Marathon.
    The 'Money Tree' game (one contestant tried to guess three songs while the other removed dollar bills attached to a 'tree') was dropped because Tom Kennedy felt it appealed too much to greed. (And on a practical level because too many contestants cut their fingers on the bill holders.)
    The $100,000 Mystery Tune was a bitch to guess: only 2 contestants won in 1976 and three in 1977.
    The Mystery Tune was usually a recognizable song whose title did not appear in the lyrics, and the contestant had to give the exact title to win.
    A proposed 2006 revival to be hosted by Donny Osmond never got off the ground.

Why Name That Tune might not be annoying:

    During the signature 'Bid-a-Note' segment, some contestants could name that tune in a single note.
    In a memorable moment, a contestant correctly identified 'Please Help Me, I'm Falling,' then slipped and fell while celebrating.
    Unlike The Singing Bee and 'Don't Forget the Lyrics,' the contestants were not required to sing their answers, sparing viewers from tone-deaf renditions of the songs.
    Between rounds, Kennedy would lead the audience in sing-alongs and occasionally dance with an audience member.
    If there was enough time at the end of the game, Kathie Lee would sing a song over the phone to a randomly chosen viewer, who would win a car if they named that tune.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 11 Votes: 45.45% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 8 Votes: 12.50% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 11 Votes: 63.64% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 77 Votes: 41.56% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 6 Votes: 16.67% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 8 Votes: 37.50% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 8 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 13 Votes: 61.54% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 11 Votes: 45.45% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 26 Votes: 65.38% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 9 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 62 Votes: 66.13% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 28 Votes: 50.0% Annoying