Post by billmcdee on Sept 4, 2024 5:48:23 GMT -5
To paraphrase one of classic television's most beloved characters, Sophia Patrillo of "The Golden Girls"...
Picture it, Labor Day, 1972. Monday, September 4th.
On CBS "The Joker's Wild" debuted with host and producer/creator Jack Barry at the helm.
The show initially played a whole lot different than what we became more accustomed to in later years.
Within the first two weeks of the show, several format changes took place.
While single categories were worth $50 and a pair or a double was worth $100, triples were only worth $150 initially.
During the first two weeks of play, if any player spun 3 Jokers, the game ended right then and there, without the player having to even answer a question. I do not know if that happened or not.
During the first two to three days of the run, the bonus round just had various prizes on the reels, some of them were circled.
The winning player got up to 2 spins. They could either take the prizes that came up in the first spin or forfeit them and spin a second time, but were forced to keep whatever prizes turned up.
If all three prizes had circles around them, the player would win a new car. After 2 or 3 days they got rid of the circles and had a car on the reels as one of the prizes.
A contestant named Tex spun a car.
The show also had a Joker's Jackpot which started at $2,500. Any player who won 4 games in a row won all the money in that jackpot and retired.
The Jackpot could, and would grow, each time a champion decided to play another game. They would keep any bonus prizes won but they would risk the cash they won in the main game to try again.
After 2 wins if a player had $1,000 and lost game 3, that $1,000 would be added to the Joker's Jackpot and would continue to grow until one player won 4 games in a row.
Also during this phase, the champion always spun first instead of the challenger.
After two weeks, the bonus game was retooled with nothing but jokers and on one reel I believe 2 devils in addition to many jokers.
The winner of the main game got to take up to 4 spins and their 4th spin was for a car. If they got 3 jokers on each spin they would win 1 prize and would risk said prize to try for a 2nd prize, then a 3rd and finally the automobile.
Also after 2 weeks in the main game changed two things, a triple was now worth $200 not $150 and any player who spun three jokers was required to answer 1 question in a category of his or her choosing to win the game. An incorrect answer simply meant the game proceeded and was the only time the other player did not have the chance to "steal" the value of the question.
Soon after, they amended the bonus game to just 3 spins for 3 nice prizes and made the car part of the Joker's Jackpot. Also they amended the rules where a player had to only win 3 games in a row to win all the money in the Joker's Jackpot plus the car, and then they retired. And later on still, the show allowed players to play multiple times meaning if they won 3 games and won the car and the money in the Joker's Jackpot, they got to continue to try to win a second car and Joker's Jackpot up to the CBS limit of $25,000 in winnings.
Gambit also debuted on this day with the legendary Wink Martindale at the helm. As of this post Wink is still alive and kicking now in his early 90s! I remember being so enamored with those big Gambit cards and I have right here beside me two replica decks I purchased several years ago and I still play with them today! I may be in my late 50s but I'm still a kid at heart!
And of course last, but certainly not least, the Price is Right with Bob Barker as the star debuted on this very day on CBS and until November 3rd 1975, all shows were only 30 minutes long with the exception of one week in September 1975 when they did a week long experiment of hour long episodes in honor of the show's 3 year anniversary.
So long story short, 52 years ago today, Gambit, The Joker's Wild and The Price is Right were all NEW NOO GNU KNEW NEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Happy 52nd Birthday to The Price is Right as she is still going on to this very day! I have no doubt Mr. Goodson, Mr. Todman and Bob Barker would all be super pleased to know that their brainchild of updating the old classic 1950s Price is still as popular as ever. Truly a multi-generational phenomenon!
Picture it, Labor Day, 1972. Monday, September 4th.
On CBS "The Joker's Wild" debuted with host and producer/creator Jack Barry at the helm.
The show initially played a whole lot different than what we became more accustomed to in later years.
Within the first two weeks of the show, several format changes took place.
While single categories were worth $50 and a pair or a double was worth $100, triples were only worth $150 initially.
During the first two weeks of play, if any player spun 3 Jokers, the game ended right then and there, without the player having to even answer a question. I do not know if that happened or not.
During the first two to three days of the run, the bonus round just had various prizes on the reels, some of them were circled.
The winning player got up to 2 spins. They could either take the prizes that came up in the first spin or forfeit them and spin a second time, but were forced to keep whatever prizes turned up.
If all three prizes had circles around them, the player would win a new car. After 2 or 3 days they got rid of the circles and had a car on the reels as one of the prizes.
A contestant named Tex spun a car.
The show also had a Joker's Jackpot which started at $2,500. Any player who won 4 games in a row won all the money in that jackpot and retired.
The Jackpot could, and would grow, each time a champion decided to play another game. They would keep any bonus prizes won but they would risk the cash they won in the main game to try again.
After 2 wins if a player had $1,000 and lost game 3, that $1,000 would be added to the Joker's Jackpot and would continue to grow until one player won 4 games in a row.
Also during this phase, the champion always spun first instead of the challenger.
After two weeks, the bonus game was retooled with nothing but jokers and on one reel I believe 2 devils in addition to many jokers.
The winner of the main game got to take up to 4 spins and their 4th spin was for a car. If they got 3 jokers on each spin they would win 1 prize and would risk said prize to try for a 2nd prize, then a 3rd and finally the automobile.
Also after 2 weeks in the main game changed two things, a triple was now worth $200 not $150 and any player who spun three jokers was required to answer 1 question in a category of his or her choosing to win the game. An incorrect answer simply meant the game proceeded and was the only time the other player did not have the chance to "steal" the value of the question.
Soon after, they amended the bonus game to just 3 spins for 3 nice prizes and made the car part of the Joker's Jackpot. Also they amended the rules where a player had to only win 3 games in a row to win all the money in the Joker's Jackpot plus the car, and then they retired. And later on still, the show allowed players to play multiple times meaning if they won 3 games and won the car and the money in the Joker's Jackpot, they got to continue to try to win a second car and Joker's Jackpot up to the CBS limit of $25,000 in winnings.
Gambit also debuted on this day with the legendary Wink Martindale at the helm. As of this post Wink is still alive and kicking now in his early 90s! I remember being so enamored with those big Gambit cards and I have right here beside me two replica decks I purchased several years ago and I still play with them today! I may be in my late 50s but I'm still a kid at heart!
And of course last, but certainly not least, the Price is Right with Bob Barker as the star debuted on this very day on CBS and until November 3rd 1975, all shows were only 30 minutes long with the exception of one week in September 1975 when they did a week long experiment of hour long episodes in honor of the show's 3 year anniversary.
So long story short, 52 years ago today, Gambit, The Joker's Wild and The Price is Right were all NEW NOO GNU KNEW NEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Happy 52nd Birthday to The Price is Right as she is still going on to this very day! I have no doubt Mr. Goodson, Mr. Todman and Bob Barker would all be super pleased to know that their brainchild of updating the old classic 1950s Price is still as popular as ever. Truly a multi-generational phenomenon!
