William T. Naud
Born (1929-06-07) June 7, 1929
New York City, US
Occupation(s)Film producer, film director, screenwriter
Years active1964-2011
SpouseKaren Chutsky[1]
Websiteojispygirlsatthegate.com

William T. Naud (born June 7, 1929) is an American director, writer and producer. His films include Ricky 1, Wild in the Sky and Island of Blood. He is best known for creating television game shows such as Rhyme and Reason and Haggis Baggis.

Career

William T. Naud, sometimes credited as Bill Naud, was born in New York City, New York on June 7, 1929. He created his first game show in 1958 called Haggis Baggis for Rainbow Productions (Joseph Cates Productions) starring Jack Linkletter.[2]

Naud produced his first movie Thunder in Dixie in 1964 starring Harry Millard, Judy Lewis, Nancy Berg and Mike Bradford. The film’s promotional teaser line was "500 miles of gut wrenching suspence (sic)" and was a "drive-in programmer, filmed at the Atlanta Motor Speedway; utilizing stock footage from the 1962 Dixie 400."[3] Naud wrote and directed the 1982 mystery horror film Island of Blood, (also known as Whodunit? and Scared Alive: Island of Blood) starring Marie-Alise Recasner. In a 2018 newspaper interview, he was quoted to say about the film, "Every week it seems, someone calls me for something I might have for Island of Blood for a convention or something,"[1] The story is based on the novel And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. The theme song "Face to Face" was written by the band Factor Four.[4]

In 1972, Naud directed Wild in the Sky (AKA Black Jack). The film starred James Daly as the President of the United States with three escaped prisoners played by Brandon deWilde, Georg Stanford Brown and Phil Vandervort.[5] In 1983, Naud wrote, produced and directed Ricky 1 (titled Heart to Win in Australia); a parody of the film Rocky with references to other movies such as The Godfather. It was not released until 1988.[6] The leading character's catchphrase throughout the film is: "Don't be negative."

Naud created the daytime television show The Girl in My Life. Hosted by Fred Holliday it showcased American women and aired on ABC from 1973 to 1974. The show replaced the 2:30 p.m. afternoon spot normally held by The Newlywed Game. It was spoofed in an episode on The Carol Burnett Show called: "The Girl That We Like". On July 7, 1975, the game show Rhyme and Reason premiered on ABC, hosted by Bob Eubanks, with announcer Johnny Jacobs.[7][8] It was the #1 rated game show in 1975.[9] Panelists included Richard Dawson, Jaye P. Morgan, Nipsey Russell, Jack Cassidy, William Shatner, Joanne Worley, Dick Clark and others. Family Feud replaced the show at 1:30 pm time slot on July 7, 1976. Naud said, "For some reason I have a penchant for game shows and a knack for creating them."[1]

In 2012, it was announced that Ryan Seacrest was in talks with Small World IFT to produce an updated "hip hop" version of Rhyme and Reason called Rhyme, Rap or Reason through his production company Ryan Seacrest Productions.[10] Naud also attempted to revive Rhyme and Reason locally in 2018 from his hometown of Boothbay Harbor, Maine with celebrity panelists horror-writer Stephen King and humorist Tim Sample.[1]

Personal life

Naud is married to artist and author, Karen Chutsky.[1] Together they wrote the book Oji - Spy Girls at the Gate. They live in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.[11]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role
1964 Thunder in Dixie Producer-Director
1966 Hot Rod Hullabaloo Producer-Director
1972 Wild in the Sky Producer-Director
1982 Island of Blood Producer-Director- Screenwriter
1988 Ricky 1 Producer-Director-Screenwriter
1988 Necromancer Screenwriter

Television

Year Title Role
1958 Haggis Baggis Creator
1973 The Girl in My Life Producer-Creator
1975 Rhyme and Reason Producer-Creator
1975 Blank Check Producer-Creator

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Kristoff, Lisa (April 18, 2018). "William T. Naud, the game show guy". www.boothbayregister.com. Boothbay Register. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  2. ↑ Baber, David (October 15, 2007). Television Game Show Hosts: Biographies of 32 Stars. McFarland. p. 87. ISBN 9780786429264.
  3. ↑ Elvis, Count (September 22, 2015). "Thunder in Dixie (1964) Review". badmoviesforbadpeople. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  4. ↑ Face to Face on YouTube
  5. ↑ Bolam, Sarah Miles (July 1, 2011). Fictional Presidential Films: A Comprehensive Filmography of Portrayals from 1930 to 2011. p. 89. ISBN 9781462893195.
  6. ↑ Ricky 1. TVguide.com.
  7. ↑ Nedeff, Adam (June 1, 2018). Game Shows FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Pioneers, the Scandals, the Hosts and the Jackpots. Applause / Hal Leonard. pp. 168–172. ISBN 9781617136559.
  8. ↑ USA Today. "50 of the most beloved game show hosts throughout history" Rhyme and Reason. Bob Eubanks.
  9. ↑ Eubanks, Bob; Hansen, Matthew Scott (September 10, 2004). It's in the Book, Bob!. BenBella Books. pp. 263–265. ISBN 9781932100280.
  10. ↑ White, Peter (October 15, 2012). "Ryan Seacrest to produce hip hop gameshow". Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  11. ↑ Kristoff, Lisa (May 8, 2018). "Game show is a go!". Wiscasset Newspaper. Retrieved April 24, 2023.

Bibliography

  • Naud, Willam T (2011). Oji - Spy Girls at the Gate. ISBN 978-1466351509.

Further reading

  • Nedeff, Adam (April 1, 2014). This Day in Game Show History - 365 Commemorations and Celebrations. ISBN 978-1593935719.
  • Walker, David (March 30, 2009). Reflections on Blaxploitation: Actors and Directors Speak. ISBN 978-0810867062.
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