The death of ‘Jeopardy’s’ best-known and much-loved host Alex Trebek did not pass without comment from The New Yorker. In ‘The Rare Authority of Alex Trebek,’ our attention was drawn to why he and the show, left a mark on so many millions.
From that piece, by Doreen St. Felix:
He led one of our last wholesome routines—a celebration of facts, from the arcane to the accessible—with a kind of tangible enthusiasm. He also had an entertainer’s subtle edge, a jesting streak that hit like electricity when it was activated. If a contestant’s answer was silly, he might scowl imperceptibly, deflating him with a small “No.” If the answer was not given in the proper format, he might not say anything at all until the contestant self-corrected. The theatre was not based in snobbery, and neither is the show’s culture. Trebek simply respected the correctness of things too much to let error live.
Find our last conversation about game shows here.
We talk with Claire McNear, the author of book “Answers in the Form of Questions,” about Trebek’s life, work on ‘Jeopardy’ and legacy.
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