DavoTB t1_iyc6uht wrote on November 30, 2022 at 8:37 AM

Reply to comment by dishonourableaccount in TIL that in 1979, a charity special episode of the academic student quiz show "It's Academic" was held between a team of three Democratic U.S. Senators, three Republican U.S. Senators, and three members of the press. The special was handily won by the press team. by FranklinDRoosevelt32

Was this in the DC area or another part of the country? The show was very popular in the DC area for decades. The host was Mac McGarry, who would sometimes make unexpected asides during the show. The highlight was sometimes when he called down the cheerleaders or the marching band from the stands.

I’d agree, it was cool seeing the shows being filmed.I was there for another syndicated show. The tv studio itself was far smaller than expected, since the cameras did not show the entire view.

dishonourableaccount t1_iyd0icb wrote on November 30, 2022 at 2:21 PM

Yes, Montgomery County which is right north of DC in Maryland. I guess I assumed it was a show that would happen in a lot of major metro areas, but maybe it was just a DC thing!

DavoTB t1_iyd12gw wrote on November 30, 2022 at 2:26 PM

There were several versions, but DC area was the primary one.

Gumburcules t1_iyequ62 wrote on November 30, 2022 at 9:11 PM

> The host was Mac McGarry, who would sometimes make unexpected asides during the show.

I was on It's Academic! back in the early 2000s. Because of Mac's unexpected asides there was a rumor his "coffee" cup was always filled with vodka. My teammates and I kept trying to get to his cup to see if the rumor was true but we never managed it.