Game show host
He was offered the job of hosting the original "Family Feud" , before Richard Dawson was hired, but had to decline because of his commitment to Bob Stewart Productions and NBC.
On February 13, 2013, he and his wife, Michael Feffer , celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. They tied the knot on February 13, 1973, Geoffs forty-second birthday.
When he replaced Mark Richards , as host of video arcade game show, "Starcade" , in September 1983, Geoff had not yet played video games. Unlike Richards, he grew to love video games, continuing to play them until he died. His favorites, back in the day, were "Sinistar;" Le Bagnard ; Hamburger ; Super Burger Time ; and Change Lanes . He had a difficult time with Donkey Kong Jr. (1982/I) and Pengo .
Father of Todd Edwards, Chess Edwards & Shawn Edwards, none of whom went into the entertainment business.
He was in the Air Force for a short time during the Korean War.
In 2009, he received the Ralph Edwards Award for Service to Broadcasting at the Game Show Congress Convention in Los Angeles, California.
He met fellow game show host, Wink Martindale , when they were both working at KMPC Radio in Los Angeles, California, prior to Edwards becoming a successful game show host in 1971. Also among the staff at that station were Gary Owens , Dick Whittinghill , Robert W. Morgan and Sonny Melendrez.
Because his wedding ceremony took place on his birthday, he and his wife, Michael Feffer , celebrated both his birthday, and their wedding anniversary, every February 13 for forty-one years, from 1973 until he died in March 2014.
His favorite game show was the short lived "Play the Percentages" . Geoff got the job as its host, without auditioning, because of his friendship with producer and show owner Jack Barry of Jack Barry-Dan Enright Productions.
Co-hosted a weekly radio travel show called The Touring Company, with his wife Michael Feffer , and journalists Paul & Elizabeth Lasley.
Filled-in, over one full week of five episodes, for Monty Hall on "Lets Make a Deal" , due to Halls suffering from laryngitis. However, this was not five actual days of work, due to game shows typically filming multiple episodes in one day.
Edwards was one of four game show hosts to have emceed a game show in the United States and another in Canada at the same time. The other three were Howie Mandel , Alex Trebek and Jim Perry. Mandel and Trebek are native Canadians, and Perry, although born in New Jersey USA, had legal residency status in Canada, due to his family living in Toronto for most of the 1970s, and maintaining a home in Toronto, even after moving back to the USA. Because of no legal ties to Canada, Edwards was the only one required, by the Canadian Government, to have a Canadian co-host.
The first game show he hosted was Lucky Partners, a pilot produced by Bob Barker , which did not sell.
Was friends with: Chuck Barris , Gavin MacLeod , Michele Lee , Dick Clark , Gary Owens , Bob Barker , Bob Goen , Bill Cullen , Wink Martindale , Bob Eubanks , Alex Trebek , Bob Stewart , Jack Barry , Jim Lange , Jim Perry , Chuck Woolery , Meredith MacRae , Pat Sajak , Pat Finn , Richard Dawson , Tom Kennedy , Ralph Edwards and Monty Hall.
Before he was a successful game show host, he was a radio disc jockey at KFMB-AM in San Diego, California, hosting an evening show alone, and co-hosting the drive time "Don Ross/Geoff Edwards Show".
He was Chuck Barris first choice to be host of "The New Treasure Hunt" , where he hosted for the shows entire run, from 1973-1977. Previously he had hosted two short-lived game shows, Cop Out! , which lasted less than one month, and "Hollywoods Talking" , which lasted for only three months.
Best known by the public as the host of "The New Treasure Hunt" and "Chain Reaction" .
Before he was a successful game show host, while in college, he was a radio announcer for a station in Albany, New York, continuing for a few years after graduating, then moving to California by 1956.
At age 18, he graduated from Westfield High School in Westfield, New Jersey, in 1949.
Geoff once substituted for Bill Cullen for two weeks on "Chain Reaction" , because Cullen was filling in for an ailing Allen Ludden on "Password Plus" . When "Chain Reaction" returned to USA, Edwards himself replaced Blake Emmons for the second week, because the shows had been filming in Montreal.
Before he was a successful game show host, he did everything from being a radio announcer, to radio news reporter, to local TV talk show host, to local television news anchor, to being an actor.
(November 24, 1963) While being a radio news reporter for KHJ Radio in Los Angeles, he found himself involved in the years biggest story not long after he arrived, being dispatched to Dallas to cover the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. While covering the story, he was present when Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald , and in fact, was interviewed by NBCs national correspondent, Tom Pettit , for NBCs coverage of the incident.
Replaced Chuck Woolery , as the second host of "The Big Spin" , while the show was still in its first year of production, and stayed with the show for ten seasons, through his announced retirement at the end of the shows eleventh season in 1995.
He guest-starred on the last episode of "Trapper John, M.D." {Elusive Butterfly (#7.19)} , which was broadcast on September 4, 1986, where he played the host of a lottery game show.
Worked with game show announcer Johnny Jacobs on both "Hollywoods Talking" and "The New Treasure Hunt" .
Over his career, he hosted ten game shows.
After he hosted "The Big Spin" , over the period from late 1985 through to the end of the 1995 season, he retired from hosting game shows at age 63.
When the third incarnation of "Jackpot" returned to the United States, producer Bob Stewart hired Edwards back, replacing Mike Darrow.
First met Chuck Barris when he hosted a pilot for a game show that did not sell.
At a very young age, he was a drummer, playing with a band during his summer vacations.
His hobbies were: traveling, writing, listening to music and tennis.
Before he was a successful game show host, while in college, he was a drummer in a jazz band and played clubs on weekends.
Attended Duke University.
Just days before Bobby Darin s death, Edwards visited him in the hospital.
He hosted "Chain Reaction" and "Jackpot" at the same time in 1989.
Prior to being a successful game show host, he also worked at KMPC Radio in Los Angeles, California.
Years before Peter Tomarken s death, for a short time, Edwards rotated hosting duties with Tomarken, Bob Eubanks , and Charlie Chase on "The $25,000 Game Show," a traveling game show owned and produced by Eubanks.
Worked with Meredith MacRae on an episode of "Petticoat Junction" and on "Mid-Morning L.A." when he replaced Bob Hilton , who used to work with Edwards on "Play the Percentages" .
During the run of "The New Treasure Hunt" , without any cue cards, Edwards had to memorize something like sixty skits and perform them, depending on which box was selected.
Edwards was once ranked fifth behind Bill Cullen , Tom Kennedy , Wink Martindale and Alex Trebek , in the number of game shows hosted at 8, with Bob Eubanks sharing that record. However, by the end of his career, he had hosted ten different game shows himself.
Hosted his own travel website and travel podcasts with his wife, Michael Feffer.
Survived by his wife, Michael Feffer , and stepsons Justin and Jason Feffer. Survivors also include his ex-wife, Suzanne, and their children Todd, Shawn and Chess, and nine grandchildren.
Missed out on being hired for the hosting job of "The New Tic Tac Dough" to friend and fellow game show host Wink Martindale.
Geoff Edwards died on March 5, 2014, just one week after friend and fellow game show host Jim Lange died.
He was physically healthy and active until contracting the pneumonia which caused his death at age 83.
When he began hosting game shows, it was his choice to never wear a tie, he favored jeans over suits.
An avid radio listener, he became a broadcaster with the help of his idol Gene Rayburn.
Edwards and Meredith MacRae emceed a publicly unnamed, Bob Stewart produced, game show pilot for ABC which did not sell.
It was his replacement hip surgery that led to his pneumonia that ultimately took this life.
Upon his retirement and before his death, he resided in Playa Del Rey, California.
Geoff Edwards passed away on March 5, 2014, just one month after his 83rd Birthday.
He was known to be a very private person.
He met fellow game show host Jim Lange , while working in the Chuck Barris Studios, in Los Angeles, California, prior to becoming a game show host in 1972. The other host in the same studio was Bob Eubanks.
Prior to his retirement from hosting game shows, Edwards hosted a weekly travel segment on Mark Carbonaros radio show on KION in Salinas, California, in 2001-2004, and again from 2007-2009.
The theme from Edwards show "Hollywoods Talking" was later used for another Barry & Enright game show, "Hollywood Connection" ,.
"60 Minutes" profiled Edwardss show, "The New Treasure Hunt" , in an "expose" segment during its run after a contestant fainted during the show, and he actually lost a few potential gigs as a result of a magazine article about him titled "The Worlds Cruelest Emcee.".
Was employed with Bob Stewart Productions from 1974 to 1977, and again from 1986 to 1991.
The theme from Edwards show, "Play the Percentages" , was later reused on another Barry & Enright game show, "Juvenile Jury" .
Before he was a game show host, he was also invited to be a part of the "The Bobby Darin Show" , where he met Bobby Darin.
Had hosted the pilot of Fun & Fortune, the lottery game show in Missouri (before Rick Tamblyn became the permanent host).
Had commuted from his home in Los Angeles to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, every other weekend to host "Chain Reaction" , for the USA Network.
His birthplace, Westfield, New Jersey, is 13 miles South of Newark, New Jersey.
Edwardss game show "The New Treasure Hunt" was based on "Lets Make a Deal" a popular game shows that was similar in concept. Coincidentally, Edwards hosted both Treasure Hunt and "Lets Make a Deal" , within a decade of each other.
Was one of the handful of emcees to use a marble-top microphone like: Bob Barker , Gene Rayburn and Bill Cullen.
Was idolized by: Bob Goen , Pat Finn , Graham Elwood , Todd Newton and Matt Ottinger.
Replaced Mark Richards as the second host of "Starcade" .
Was the author of Going All The Way, The Good, The Bad, the Weird of a World Cruise, which foreworded by Gavin MacLeod.
Had commuted from his home in Los Angeles to Sacramento, every weekend to host the California Lotterys "The Big Spin" .
Had commuted from his house in Los Angeles to New York City every other weekend to host "Jackpot" for 1 year. He also did the same when he hosted "Shoot for the Stars" , which would be the final game show that was taped in New York City.
Edwards said that during the run of "Play the Percentages" , the percent sign went out of control when it came up one time and tried to take the rest of the set down with it. It wasnt used beyond the first couple of weeks of the run because of that. Though the bonus round changed a couple of time over the six month run, as did the main game format.
When Chuck Barris made his first (and only) on-camera appearance on "The New Treasure Hunt" , he threw a pie in Edwardss face.
Prior to his retirement, his final hosting job was the morning host of KSUR in 2003.
At age 32, Edwards moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1963, to continue pursing his career as a radio disc jockey and an actor.
The worst pilot he had ever hosted was "Bride & Groom," which was shot in 100 degree weather.
He wasnt a fan of preschool graduations, commercialized holidays or even his own birthday.
Lifelong friends of: Wink Martindale and Bill Cullen.
The Treasure Hunt TV show dates back to 1956-1959 hosted by comedian Jan Murray. On the Geoff Edwards versions there were no questions but women contestants only. One of three women would be chosen for a game by a jack in the box. Other than that the format was about the same.
[upon returning to New York to resume his musical career, when he became,a successful musician] I went to the Union Hall in New York, and a guy,named Phil Urso, who was a very famous - at that time-tenor player. . .
