Thoughts about certain props used on game shows

[nathandiniz]

What are your favorite props used on game shows? The ‘rotating platform’ (used on game shows like PYL and Scrabble) the ‘FAST MONEY’ computerized board, (which should’ve been used for the main rounds and was used during the fast money round), Wheel of Fortune’s wheel (which did rotate during the early episodes with Pat Sajak and Vanna White), TPiR’s big wheel, the clue board (that had a really cool ‘screensaver’ for both the opening and closing of Double Dare), the board used on Strike it Rich that showed the category and its possible answers, and the rotating trilon used on NYSI (which had one of the coolest opening and closing moments) come to mind. What else should be added to this list?

[babytims]

Wheel's trilon board holds a special place in my heart. I know it must have been tedious to setup in between rounds, but man what I would give to spin those letter blocks around on a puzzle.

Fun fact: my job has a 4-side sunglass spinner, one bearing this resemblence:

Whenever work gets slow and no customers are around, I spin it around pretending to reveal a "letter" in a "puzzle" like Vanna did in the early days!

[nathandiniz]

Without a doubt, I’m completely beyond convinced that the fast money board has to be one of the most incredible game show props ever used. I should mention that when Jeopardy had the grid set, which is one of my favorite sets used on the show (in addition to the set before) the lighting should’ve been alternating colors of the background along with alternating colors for the word ‘Jeopardy!’ The’ ‘box’ transition on the sets of Jeopardy during the ending of each episode during the 1984 to 1991 seasons were cool, and if that wasn’t enough, the grid set would use special transitions during the end of each episode during the 1991-1997 seasons, and I do believe that those who were responsible for activating the display transitions for the 91-97 seasons had the theme rigged so that when the Merv Griffin Productions logo appeared after the last ‘snake transition’, the theme was ending. I saw this on YouTube somewhere not too long ago. I also saw some ending to a very early episode of J! where someone won the game and I think the player’s tote board not only showed that day’s winnings for the player, it’d alternate between ‘to date’ winnings and the winnings for the player on that particular episode.

I absolutely loved the opening to each episode of PYL!!! Various winning moments, players hitting whammies, the electronic bass used in the opening moments, the lights surrounding the big board cascading down, followed by a ‘boxed in’ transition with the opening bass sequence still playing followed by Rod Roddy’s opening spiel ‘Today, these 3 players are after high stakes, but they’ll have to avoid the WHAMMY AS THEY PLAY THE MOST EXCITING GAME OF THEIR LIVES!!’, and then the fun begins!!!! One by one, the big board has all the colored spaces fill with various amounts of money, whammies, and prizes in a chasing clockwise direction (with a really cool board filling sound) followed by Rod Roddy saying ‘FROM TELEVISION CITY IN HOLLYWOOD, IT’S TIME TO (with the audience shouting) “PRESS YOUR LUCK “!!!! (Love the center box displaying the logo that lights up one by one) And then the background color changes as the 3 players transition from facing the big board to face the audience. Another really neat thing happens right after the 4 questions are given and answered. As the players rotate to face the big board, a camera moves down behind the players to show the logo that (again lights each word in the logo one by one. The display transitions used on game shows always interested me. I also know a little known secret about PYL: during the transition to the final round on the big board, you can slightly see one of the 3 displays in front of the players that show their earnings, spins earned and any spins passed.

Anyone remember when TPiR started using the eggcrate display for the center display on ‘Check-out’? One of the best pricing game aesthetics ever made. I loved it when this pricing game was won. The difference that would be shown would flash along with the WIN sign either lit up or flashing. That one episode with Pauline who ended up getting an EXACTA on Check-out was simply unbelievable!!! The way she, drew, and the audience reacted to her very unexpected win was beyond priceless. I remember it happening before my very eyes, and the end result literally shocked me so much that I felt like my jaw had dropped to the floor. I must admit, in the time I’ve lived, I never thought I’d see the day when someone beat Check-out perfectly, let alone, see a Canadian of all people pull off the most unbelievable pricing game win I’ve ever seen in my entire lifetime. To this very day, I’ve always wondered how Pauline pulled it off. I wonder how the rest of the staff who worked for TPiR felt when they saw it happen.

[bighornbattle]

I say my favorite is the eggcrate display on the scoreboards e.g. PYL in the 80s.

[billmcdee]

Ever so many great props used over the years.

First and foremost for me were the oversized cards used on Gambit and Card Sharks.  From my earliest memories in life, I have always had an obsession with playing cards.  I am happy to say I own two replica Gambit decks as well as two normal sized decks of Card Sharks cards that I still use and play with at times.

The G2-T2 device from Jim Perry's version of Card Sharks was awesome too.

Classic zonks from Monty Hall's versions of Let's Make A Deal were incredible props too!

I always had an obsession and fascination with the game show Concentration too.  And while the Trebek version was fine, I always preferred the Jack Narz version with the 30 trilons making up the game board.

I loved the numbered tiles from Scrabble, the "Chuck Bucks" that he would pay players when they solved a word on the pink or blue bonus squares, the Three on a Match game board, mercy I could go on for hours typing but I'll leave it at this for now.