The Quizmaster of 72 Whooping Cough Lane
Before it became a showplace for vapid and insipid wannabe reality “stars,” before they needed to ply their “talent” with copious amounts of booze to make them interesting, MTV actually had some pretty innovative and original programming. Back in the day, MTV’s non-music shows were an anomaly, something sandwiched between music videos. One of the first – and arguably one of the best – was the game show “Remote Control,” premiering in 1987. The show’s premise was a simple one: college-aged contestants – the TV Generation – answered a series of questions from categories around a faux television set. The show, which launched the careers of Adam Sandler, Denis Leary and Colin Quinn (who could forget “Sing Along with Colin” in which the gravel-voiced Quinn would wheeze out such classics as “Like a Virgin”?) , was presided over by “the Quizmaster of 72 Whooping Cough Lane,” Ken Ober.
Sadly, Ober was found dead on November 15th at the age of 52. Ober got his big break, like many other comedians, when he became the comedy champion on “Star Search.” His performance was enough to capture the attention of the fledgling MTV network, which hired him to host “Remote Control.” After the show ran its course, Ober would find success with the occasional acting gig, even returning to the game show podium for Comedy Central and ESPN. He was also a writer and producer for such shows as “The Mind of Mencia,” “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” and reunited with his old “Control” sidekick on “Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn.” In the mid-90s, he would team-up with the former Cindy Brady, Susan Olson (a frequent target on “Control”), for a radio show in Los Angeles.
But it will be “Remote Control” that Ober will forever be remembered for by the MTV Generation. It was his quick wit and obvious love of the material that really moved the show along. Through his humor and every-guy appeal, Ober really did make it feel like the show was taking place in his mother’s basement (although I’m not really sure how many people’s mother’s basement came complete with a giant-sized Bob Eubanks PEZ dispenser). The show was funny, it was fast and, most importantly, it was fun. The show was, to me personally, a bit of an inspiration – here were people making a living off of the fact that they watched way too much television in their youths. Twenty years later, I get paid for my useless knowledge. Ken Ober’s contribution to popular culture won’t be forgotten by my fellow Gen X-ers. And who knows? Maybe one day, someone will buy Ken’s Mom’s house, dust off the ol’ barcaloungers and we’ll all sing along with Colin again. Sadly, it won’t be the same. –Ron Motta
