Crowds turn out at 'Opportunity Knocks' in Salem

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September 22, 2008

Susan Flynn The Salem News Mon Sep 22, 2008, 12:48 AM EDT

SALEM — Laurie Cabot took the stage with three witch imposters during a taping of a new TV game show in Salem Saturday night.

They billed the segment “Which Witch is a Witch?”

An ABC TV crew comes to Salem close to Halloween and sets up a stage in the middle of the Witchcraft Heights neighborhood. Of course, there would be a witch question.

“Can you believe this?” said Gloria Merrill, looking at the 90-foot-wide stage, and towering towers of bright lights and roving cameramen on her neighborhood street. “It just goes to show you, anything can happen in Salem.”

“Opportunity Knocks” picked the Bertone family of Crescent Drive to compete for prizes and money. But plenty of others in Salem got cast in supporting roles.

Former Salem High football coach Ken Perrone and a few former players came out on stage for one question. Neighbors Ron and Maryann Turcotte delivered the answer to another. The Salem High Marching band played. And even Peppy’s Pizza got some publicity.

And, of course, about 700 Salem people — friends, family and neighbors of the Bertone family — made up the audience, cheering wildly for close to 31⁄2 hours of filming for the one-hour TV show.

On Friday morning, the Bertone family — Laurie and Dan and their three children, Jen, Matthew and Nathan — learned they were picked for the show with a knock on the door after having applied online for the chance. They were whisked away blindfolded, and returned Saturday night just before 7 p.m.

“Opportunity Knocks” is sort of a “Newlywed Game” for families, a chance to test how well you know the ones you love the most. The first show debuts tomorrow night on ABC at 8 p.m.

The Bertones didn’t need to travel far to play. ABC set up the stage in front of their gray colonial home and the audience sat or stood on their small front lawn. They signed consent forms and were told to cheer with enthusiasm, turn sweatshirts inside out to hide logos, and avoid doing anything embarrassing while cameras were rolling.

Four of the five family members got a turn to answer questions. Dan seemed to relish the role more than the rest, joking with host JD Roth and pointing at friends in the audience.

“He’s shy isn’t he?” joked neighbor Nancy Savageau, as Dan came onto the stage in swim trunks at one point. “No personality at all.”

While unwilling to spill all the details before the show airs, expected sometime in October, we will say Dan knows his family and wife of 22 years, his Salem High sweetheart, very well. For instance, he knew she only takes her wedding ring off for one reason — to make meatballs.

Laurie is no slouch, either. She remembered the score of a Peabody-Salem football game where her husband scored the winning touchdown.

Saturday night the crowd got a behind-the-scenes look at filming a TV show, a long and labor-intensive process. A caravan of 10 trucks with 125 crew members came to Salem for the taping of the show. They left yesterday morning.

A few times family members answered a question all over again because of a production snag. There were long delays for commercial breaks. Yet, many in the audience stayed for the whole thing, even some with sleeping toddlers in their arms.

“I’ve always wanted to go to New York to see the taping of a TV show,” said Savageau. “Here’s one right in my backyard.”

Staff writer Susan Flynn can be reached at (978) 338-2659 or by e-mail at sflynn@salemnews.com

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Crowds turn out at 'Opportunity Knocks' in Salem

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