Anything You Can Do (game show)

Infobox Television
show_name = Anything You Can Do


caption =
format = Game show
runtime = 60 min.
producer = Lorne Freed
Allan Reid
Richard Reid
starring = Gene Wood (host, 1971-1972) Don Harron (host, 1972-1974)
narrator = Bill Luxton
country = flagcountry|Canada
language = English
network = CTV
first_aired = 1971
last_aired = 1974
num_series =
num_episodes =
list_episodes =
imdb_id = 0199183
tv_com_id =

"Anything You Can Do" is a Canadian stunt-based game show that aired on that country's CTV network and in syndication in the United States from 1971 to 1974. The host in the show's first season was Gene Wood, who at the time was also the announcer on "Beat the Clock". For the last two seasons Don Harron of "Hee Haw" was the host. Bill Luxton was the announcer.

ynopsis

The game was billed as a "battle of the sexes" and was played by two teams of three, men against women. Center stage was a board containing the names of occupations that are (or were, at the time) generally performed by men, and occupations generally performed by women. The men picked from the women's side of the board; the women, from the men's. The object was to complete a stunt related to the chosen occupation in 90 seconds or less. The time required to complete the stunt was added to the times for completing previous stunts; the team with the least total time at the end of the show won and received prizes; the losing team received prizes of lesser value. There was also a "mental challenge" about midway through the show; the teams would have to complete some activity such as unscrambling a word, reciting a tongue twister, etc. The time taken to complete the task was added to the team's overall time.

In an interview Gene Wood said he left the show because producer Don Reid had assured him that all the stunts were completely safe. That proved not to be the case; a woman choosing the occupation "newspaper carrier" was required to ride a bicycle down a narrow yellow line (without veering from it) and throw several newspapers at targets. She lost control of the bicycle, fell to the studio floor, and apparently broke a bone. Wood mentioned other contestants being injured as well. In the fall of 1972, he became host of "Beat the Clock", at which point Don Harron, best known as Charlie Farquharson on "Hee Haw", took over as host of "Anything You Can Do".

The show aired as a daily daytime show as well as a weekly nighttime show in Canada. Some U.S. stations aired it daily; others, only once a week.

External links

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