Original subtitles

Announcer: BOB BARKER!

BOY, I HIT THE BULL'S EYE RIGHT IN THE FACE.

Host: SAY, ARE MOST STOLEN CARS RECOVERED?

I HAD ONE RECOVERED IN ZEBRA ONCE.

OKAY, TOMORROW WE MAKE ANOTHER PHONE CALL,

SO BE SURE AND GET YOUR CARDS IN.

OPEN IT.

Announcer: BOB BARKER!

YOU GOT IT!

YOU GOT IT!

YOU GOT IT!

THIS PROGRAM

BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION

FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU.

THEY INVITED ALL OF US TO JOIN THEIR GAMES.

YOU MAKE DEALS

EVERY DAY OF YOUR LIVES.

OPEN IT.

Announcer: BOB BARKER!

WE PLAY GAMES AT PARTIES.

WE GO TO CLUBS AND PLAY GAMES.

AMERICANS LOVE GAMES.

THIS IS A SHOW ABOUT GUESSING

HOW MUCH SOMETHING COSTS.

THAT'S A GAME SHOW?

SAID, "IT'LL NEVER GO!"

BUT YOU LOVE YOUR HUSBAND, HUH?

YEAH, I LOVE EVERY MAN. I'M CRAZY ABOUT MEN.

HONEY, I THINK YOU'RE ABOUT THE PRETTIEST MAN I EVER SEEN.

I NEVER DID LOOK YOU RIGHT SQUARE IN THE EYE BEFORE.

I'M TELLING THE TRUTH!

I DON'T CARE IF THEY DO LAUGH.

YOU'RE GOING TO WIN

A LOT OF MONEY HERE TONIGHT.

THEY WERE ALL LAUGHING AND SCREAMING.

AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE GAME WAS.

AND BY THE END OF THIS THING,

THEY ALL SAID, "YOU GOT THE JOB."

AND I WENT, "WHOA."

Narrator: THEY LET US PARTICIPATE, PLAY ALONG,

EVERY DAY.

BERYL SAN?

UH, BERYL...

BERYL...

OH, NO!

Host: YOUR TIME IS UP, TIME IS UP.

PLAYING GAMES FOR A LIVING,

IT SOUNDS SO RIDICULOUS.

THEN I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE GAME.

I LOVE THE GAME OF "PASSWORD."

Barker: JUST LET'S SEE WHAT WE GOT

COMING UP FOR BIDS RIGHT NOW

ON "THE PRICE IS RIGHT."

Narrator: THEY OFFERED THE EXCITEMENT

OF INSTANT RICHES.

Host: WHAT'S BEHIND DOOR NUMBER 3?

YOU GOT IT!

YOU GOT IT!

WIN OR LOSE, THEY HAD THE TIME OF THEIR LIFE.

Narrator: THEY PUSHED BOUNDARIES...

WITH A SMILE.

Host: HOW, HOW DID HE SPEND HIS TIME

IN THE GEISHA HOUSE?

OH, NEGOTIATING FOR PEACE.

WE KNOW ALL ABOUT THESE SWASHBUCKLING HEROES.

BET YOUR LIFE.

WHAT SWASHES ON THE SCREEN

SOMETIMES BUCKLES

WE WERE THE EDGY SHOW.

THAT NOBODY HAD TALKED ABOUT AT THAT TIME.

Narrator: THEY GAVE US AN ESCAPE...

A FEW MOMENTS OF FUN.

Host: STEADY AS YOU GO, NOW.

SAVED BY THE BELL! WONDERFUL!

WE GOT TOGETHER ONCE A WEEK TO DO FIVE SHOWS,

MAKE A FEW BUCKS, AND HAVE A LOT OF LAUGHS.

AND THAT'S WHAT WE DID.

IT'S THE BEST JOB IN SHOW BIZ,

BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE TO MEMORIZE ANYTHING,

AND YOU GET TO SIT DOWN.

Host: MRS. PETERSON, WE HAVE A JOB

FOR THE TWO OF YOU ON THE $100...

GOING TO STOP THIS FILM COLD.

Narrator: PIONEERING A SUCCESSFUL GAME SHOW

OVER THE DECADES, JUST A HANDFUL OF VISIONARIES

HAVE MASTERED THE FORM,

SHAPING THE GAMES WE LOVE TO PLAY OVER AND OVER.

THEY ARE THE PIONEERS OF TELEVISION.

THE 1930s WERE ESPECIALLY HOT.

SUMMER VACATIONS

FOR ONE CALIFORNIA FAMILY

MEANT LONG, MONOTONOUS DRIVES

IN A SWELTERING CAR.

TO RELIEVE THE BOREDOM,

THE TWO YOUNGSTERS WOULD PLAY

A GAME CALLED "HANGMAN" OVER AND OVER.

THE GIRL'S NAME WAS BARBARA.

HER BROTHER WAS MERV...

MERV GRIFFIN.

LATER, THE MEMORY OF THESE TRIPS

WOULD SPARK MERV'S IMAGINATION.

AND I THOUGHT, "I WONDER IF THAT'S A GAME SHOW."

Host: OVER $49,000 JUST WAITING TO BE WON

TODAY ON "WHEEL OF FORTUNE"!

Narrator: GRIFFIN'S IDEA WOULD BECOME "WHEEL OF FORTUNE,"

THE BIGGEST FRANCHISE IN GAME SHOW HISTORY,

THE SHOW THAT WOULD EARN MERV HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS

AND CEMENT HIS POSITION

AS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL GAME SHOW CREATOR IN HISTORY.

BUT THE STORY OF THE GAME SHOW PIONEERS

BEGINS LONG BEFORE "WHEEL OF FORTUNE."

IN FACT, IT BEGINS EVEN BEFORE TELEVISION ITSELF.

WHEN RADIO EXPLODED IN THE 1920s,

BROADCASTERS SOON DISCOVERED

THEY COULD PLAY GAMES ON THE AIR,

AND PEOPLE WOULD LISTEN.

Host: WONDER IF THIS LADY COULD TELL ME,

FOR SEVEN SILVER DOLLARS, OF ALL THE TERRITORIES

AND STATES OF THE UNITED STATES,

NO COACHING, PLEASE.

THE LARGEST OF OUR TERRITORIES OR STATES. Woman: TEXAS.

WHAT'S THAT? TEXAS.

Host: I'M SORRY, IT WOULD BE ALASKA.

INCLUDING THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS,

MORE THAN TWICE THE SIZE OF TEXAS.

AND TWO TICKETS TO NEXT WEEK'S PRODUCTION TO THE LADY.

Narrator: THE EARLIEST PROGRAMS

FOCUSED PURELY ON THE CONTEST.

THE PEOPLE WERE NEARLY IRRELEVANT.

THE PLAYER COULD SAY, "JEEZ, I'M SORRY

"I COULDN'T COME LAST WEEK, BUT MY MOTHER DIED,

AND I HAD TO GO TO THE FUNERAL,"

AND THE GAME SHOW HOST WOULD SAY,

"WELL, IT'S REALLY GREAT TO HAVE YOU WITH US."

I MEAN, IT WOULD JUST GO COMPLETELY OVER THEM,

WITH NO SYMPATHY... IT WAS LIKE, "LET'S GET ON WITH THE GAME."

Narrator: BY FAR THE BIGGEST SUCCESS ON RADIO

WAS A SHOW CALLED "STOP THE MUSIC,"

CREATED BY THE MOST PROLIFIC

GAME SHOW PRODUCER IN HISTORY,

MARK GOODSON.

"STOP THE MUSIC'S" INNOVATION WAS MONEY...

EACH WEEK, THE HOST WOULD MAKE A PHONE CALL

TO A RANDOM NUMBER SOMEWHERE IN THE UNITED STATES.

IF THE PERSON WHO PICKED UP COULD NAME THE SONG,

THE PRIZE MIGHT REACH $30,000...

AN UNHEARD-OF JACKPOT FOR THE ERA.

Host: MRS. DALEY, THIS IS BERT PARKS

CALLING FOR BUICK ON "STOP THE MUSIC."

CAN YOU TELL ME THE NAME OF THE SELECTION

THE ORCHESTRA WAS JUST PLAYING?

Man: I REMEMBER, AS A YOUNGSTER,

17, 18 YEARS OLD, AS A SODA JERK

AT BAKER'S DRUG STORE,

IN JACKSON, TENNESSEE,

GATHERING AROUND THE RADIO AAT 8:00 ON SUNDAY NIGHT, ,

TO LISTEN TO "STOP THE MUSIC."

WOW, WHAT A GREAT SHOW THAT WAS.

Narrator: IN TRUTH, MANY PEOPLE

FOUND THE SHOW ANNOYING,

BUT STILL LISTENED, ANYWAY,

BECAUSE THEY HOPED TO WIN THE PRIZES.

IN EFFECT, MARK GOODSON HAD CREATED

THE FIRST NATIONAL LOTTERY.

AND AMERICA COULDN'T RESIST.

THE ONE WORD THAT I WOULD CHOOSE

TO DESCRIBE MARK IS "BRILLIANT."

BRILLIANT.

HE WAS BRILLIANT, AND HE WAS A PERFECTIONIST.

Narrator: SOON, MARK GOODSON WOULD FACE

A WORTHY CHALLENGER...

AN INNOVATOR WHO TOOK RADIO GAME SHOWS

IN A BRALPH EDWARDS.ION...

HIS CREATION WAS "TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES."

AT THE AGE OF 26, HE SOLD "TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES"

AS A PRIME-TIME SHOW ON RADIO,

AND HE PUT TOGETHER THE STAFF,

HE PRODUCED IT, HE HOSTED IT,

AND IT BECAME... I BELIEVE IT WAS 1941...

IT WAS THE MOST POPULAR RADIO SHOW IN THE UNITED STATES.

AND HE GOT IT ALL STARTED AT 26.

Host: THAT'S JUST ABOUT GOING TO BE

WHAT YOUR CONSEQUENCE IS...

NOW, DOCTOR, HERE ARE THE THREE MEN

WHO WILL PRETEND THEY ARE BABIES

THAT YOU'VE JUST DELIVERED.

NOW, WE'VE SEEN IN MOVIES HOW A DOCTOR

ALWAYS SORT OF SLAP THEIR BABIES

TO GET THEM STARTED.

UPSIDE-DOWN AGAINST THIS BACKBOARD HERE,

JUST GET OVER THERE.

AND SO THE DOCTOR CAN SLAP YOU,

JUST AS IF... JUST AS IF

YOU WERE GETTING BORN.

Narrator: "TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES"

DID HAVE A QUIZ, BUT EDWARDS' REAL AIM

WAS TO PUT ORDINARY CONTESTANTS INTO FUNNY SITUATIONS.

THE GAME WAS MERELY A FRAMEWORK.

THE GOAL WAS FUN.

IT WAS A NEW APPROACH TO GAME SHOWS.

AND IT WOULD TRANSLATE WELL AS THE GENRE ADAPTED

TO THE NEXT BIG THING... TELEVISION.

WHEN THE BELL SOUNDS,

THAT PERSON THEN BECOMES OUR LUCKY MOTHER.

Narrator: EARLY TELEVISION NEEDED PROGRAMMING.

AND GAME SHOWS WERE EASY TO PRODUCE.

IT WAS A PERFECT MATCH.

Host: ALL SET?

♪ OKAY, MOTHER ♪

♪ IT'S YOUR TIME OF DAY ♪

♪ OKAY, MOTHER ♪

♪ TIME TO HAVE YOUR SAY ♪♪

Narrator: THE FIRST TV GAME SHOWS PREMIERED

IN THE LATE 1940s.

THE PROGRAMS WERE PRIMITIVE.

BUT AUDIENCES

DIDN'T SEEM TO CARE.

THE LIGHTING WAS SO INTENSE IN THOSE DAYS,

IT WAS, IT WAS JUST... THEY'D TURN ON THE LIGHTS,

AND YOU BROKE OUT IN A SWEAT.

IT WAS TERRIBLE.

YOU'RE LOOKING AT A TIME

WHEN THE FACT THAT THE SCREEN LIT UP

WAS IN ITSELF A NOVELTY.

SO THAT THE AUDIENCE OUT THERE

WAS SO THRILLED TO HAVE PICTURES IN THEIR LIVING ROOM!

AND THE MAKEUP... TONS OF IT.

BLACK LIPSTICK, DEEP... ALMOST PINK...

PANCAKE MAKEUP.

IT WAS WILD.

Narrator: IN 1950, RALPH EDWARDS

BROUGHT HIS FRANCHISE TO TV.

A FEW YEARS LATER, EDWARDS HANDED OVER

THE EMCEE JOB TO A YOUNG UNKNOWN

NAMED BOB BARKER.

HE WOULD STAY ON FOR 19 YEARS.

Announcer: HELLO THERE!

WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU.

IT'S TIME TO PLAY "TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES."

AND NOW, HERE HE IS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

THE STAR OF OUR SHOW,

BOB BARKER!

Barker: HE SAID, "BOB, YOU ARE NOW

THE STAR OF 'TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES.'"

HE SAID, "I DON'T WANT YOU TO IMITATE ME.

"I DON'T WANT YOU TO IMITATE ANYBODY.

I WANT YOU TO GO OUT THERE AND BE BOB BARKER."

AND WHAT BETTER... WHAT BETTER BREAK

COULD A YOUNG MAN HAVE?

YOU CAN DO IT.

GO AHEAD, STEP ON THE...

YOUR ARM'S IN THE WAY.

WELL...

PUT YOUR RIGHT FOOT MYUP THERE.

ISN'T THAT RIGHT? ALL RIGHT, GO.

PUT YOUR HAND ON MY SHOULDER, GO AHEAD.

NOW, GET UP THERE FAST, BEFORE IT FALLS.

OKAY, THERE.

OKAY, I GOT IT.

ALL RIGHT, GO.

I'M GOING TO GO.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

THIS IS NOT MR. BELDEN, THIS IS NOT

DON THOMPSON.

FOR THE INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN VALENTI BROTHERS.

HERE THEY ARE.

Narrator: THE FIRST FEW YEARS OF "TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES"

WERE PRODUCED LIVE

AT 8:00 A.M.

THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE WAS GETTING

A LOS ANGELES AUDIENCE

TO SHOW UP SO EARLY.

THEY HAD UP HERE ON THE MARQUEE,

THEY HAD,

"FREE DONUTS AND BOB BARKER."

AND AFTER I'D DONE THE SHOW

A FOUR-WEEK OUT CLAUSE IN MY CONTRACT...

SO THEY KEPT ME.

AND WHEN THEY DID, I SAID,

"I WANT IT, 'BOB BARKER AND FREE DONUTS.'"

I GOT BILLING OVER THE DONUTS.

I HAD IT MADE!

Narrator: BY THE EARLY 1950s,

RALPH EDWARDS HAD TWO HIT SHOWS...

"TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES" AND ITS SPIN-OFF,

"THIS IS YOUR LIFE."

Announcer: "THIS IS YOUR LIFE,"

AMERICA'S MOST TALKED-ABOUT PROGRAM!

NOW HERE HE IS,

MR. "THIS IS YOUR LIFE" HIMSELF,

RALPH EDWARDS!

DON'T GO AWAY TONIGHT.

I WARN YOU, DON'T LEAVE THE SET.

THIS IS GOING TO BE TERRIFIC.

HELLO, EVERYBODY, THANKS FOR JOINING US AGAIN

ON "THIS IS YOUR LIFE."

Narrator: COMPETITOR MARK GOODSON

HIS COMPANY WAS BUSY PERFECTING THE FIRST MAJOR

GAME SHOW INNOVATION UNIQUE TO TELEVISION...

Host: ALL RIGHT, MR. OLSON,

COME ON OVER HERE AND SIT DOWN.

I KNOW IT'S HARD TO TEAR YOURSELF AWAY

YOUNG LADIES ON IT AND JUST STEVE ALLEN,

BUT COME OVER HERE AND JOIN ME,

WE'LL LET THEM GET GOING.

WE'LL LET OUR VIEWERS HAVE A FURTHER LOOK

AT MR. OLSON... AT THE SAME TIME,

WE WILL TELL THEM WHAT HIS LINE IS.

THE GENERAL QUESTIONING WITH STEVE ALLEN.

WOULD ANY OF THE MEMBERS HERE ON THE PANEL TONIGHT...

YES.

I DIDN'T EVEN HEAR THE QUESTION.

Narrator: IN "WHAT'S MY LINE?"

GOODSON'S PRODUCER, BOB STEWART,

CREATED A PANEL OF FOUR CELEBRITIES

WHO WOULD TRY TO GUESS A CONTESTANT'S OCCUPATION.

WITH THIS MASTER STROKE,

GAME SHOWS HAD FUSED WITH TALK SHOWS...

A WINNING FORMULA

THAT WOULD BE REPEATED MANY TIMES OVER.

NOW, MISS CLEVELAND, IF YOU'LL WHISPER TO ME,

WE'LL SHOW THE AUDIENCE WHAT YOU DO

THAT KEEPS YOU S

THE CLUE TO MISS CLEVELAND'S SECRET

CONCERNS SOMETHING SHE DOES.

AND WE'LL START THE GAME WITH BETTY.

Narrator: IF A PANEL OF CELEBRITIES WORKED,

WHY NOT INSTALL

A BIG MOVIE STAR

AS A GAME SHOW HOST?

IT'S A FORMULA THAT WORKED...

JUST ONCE.

Announcer: "YOU BET YOUR LIFE"!

HERE HE IS, THE ONE, THE ONLY...

Audience: GROUCHO!

Narrator: MOVIE COMEDIAN GROUCHO MARX

APPLIED HIS AD-LIBBING SKILLS TO TELEVISION

TO CREATE ONE OF THE BIGGEST GAME SHOW HITS

OF THE ERA.

PESOS, NOT BESOS.

WELL, WHEN DO YOU...

WHAT DID I SAY?

YOU SAID... WELL, BESOS MEAN "KISSES."

BUT PESOS MEAN, YOU KNOW, LIKE DOLLARS.

OH, WELL, IF YOU HAVE ENOUGH PESOS,

YOU CAN GET ENOUGH BESOS.

ON THAT, HE USED HIS FULL RANGE

OF GIFTS AND CONVERSATIONAL ABILITIES,

AND IMPROVISATION, AD-LIB,

SPONTANEOUS, WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT,

OF WHICH HE IS, WAS OF THE HIGHEST ORDER

OF ANYONE WE HAVE EVER KNOWN.

Narrator: ONE OF GROUCHO'S MANY CONTESTANTS

YOUNG COMIC MAKING HER FIRST NETWORK APPEARANCE...

YES, I'VE, UH, Marx: WORN A WEDDING RINGOU MARRIED?

FOR 18 YEARS.

REALLY?

TWO MORE PAYMENTS,

AND IT'LL BE ALL YOURS.

I WAS NOT ONLY NERVOUS,

I WAS PETRIFIED!

MR. MARX WAS TALKING ABOUT HIS PSYCHIATRIST,

AND I DECIDED I'D SURELY BETTER BE WELL ADJUSTED

BEFORE I WENT INTO SUCH A SHAKY BUSINESS,

AND... SO I DECIDED I SHOULD BE ANALYZED,

AND I WENT TO THIS ANALYST.

HE'S HELPED ME A GREAT DEAL.

IN FACT, I AM SO MUCH BETTER NOW

THAT I GET TO SIT UP.

MY DELIVERY WAS SO SLOW.

I HAD... I LOOKED AWFUL.

I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT MAKEUP.

I HAD DRAWN EYEBROWS ON

THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN GREAT ON HALLOWEEN.

Narrator: WHILE IT'S TRUE THAT GROUCHO

QUIZZED HIS CONTESTANTS AND GAVE AWAY SMALL PRIZES,

THE REAL ATTRACTION OF THE SHOW

WAS THE HUMOR THAT HE WOULD EXTRACT

FROM THE SITUATION.

WELL, YOU KNOW, THE GIRLS

USUALLY CONSIDER IT A COMPLIMENT

WHEN THE BOYS WHISTLE AT THEM.

I DON'T SEE HOW THE BOYS COULD WHISTLE AT YOU.

I SHOULD THINK IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO WHISTLE

WHEN THEY ALL HAVE THEIR TONGUES HANGING OUT.

Narrator: THE NEXT BIG WAVE IN TELEVISION GAMES

WOULD STRAY FROM GROUCHO'S APPROACH...

FAR AWAY.

THE RESULT WAS DEVASTATING

TO THE GAME SHOW INDUSTRY AND THE COUNTRY.

IF YOU'RE READY, LET'S GET INTO THE ISOLATION BOOTHS.

Narrator: BY THE LATE 1950s,

GAME SHOWS WERE THE HIGHEST-RATED

PROGRAMS ON TELEVISION.

SERIES LIKE "THE $64,000 CHALLENGE,"

"TWENTY-ONE," AND "DOTTO"

ATTRACTED UNPRECEDENTED AUDIENCES.

MAY I QUESTION YOU ONCE AGAIN?

TONIGHT IT'LL BE THE BIGGEST GAME

WE EVER PLAYED HERE ON THE PROGRAM.

Narrator: PRODUCERS HAD LEARNED

TO RATCHET UP THE DRAMA OF THE GAMES

WITH LARGE CASH PRIZES, SOUNDPROOF BOOTHS,

THE TECHNIQUE WAS SO REFINED, ANTHEY EVEN KNEW EXACTLYS.

WHEN TO TURN UP THE HEAT IN THE STUDIO

TO ENSURE A CONTESTANT WOULD DAB HIS BROW DRAMATICALLY.

Host: THEN YOU WIN $20,000!

CONGRATULATIONS!

Narrator: BUT THEN SOME PRODUCERS

ADDED ONE MORE DRAMATIC ELEMENT...

A PREDETERMINED OUTCOME.

THEY RIGGED THE GAMES TO FAVOR APPEALING CONTESTANTS.

THE STRATEGY WAS SUCCESSFUL FOR A WHILE.

AND RATINGS INCREASED.

THEN THEY GOT CAUGHT.

THE FIRST GAME TO BE EXPOSED WAS "DOTTO."

EMCEE JACK NARZ HAD NO IDEA

THE SHOW WAS BEING RIGGED...

UNTIL HE RECEIVED A LATE-NIGHT PHONE CALL

FROM HIS BOSS.

HE SAID, "COME OVER TO MY HOUSE,

WOULD YOU COME TO MY HOUSE FOR DINNER TONIGHT?"

I WENT OVER, AND HE GAVE ME A MARTINI.

AND THEN HE SAID, "HOW ABOUT A SECOND MARTINI?"

HE SAID, "DON'T GO TO WORK MONDAY."

HE SAID, "THE SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELLED."

IT CAME AS A BOLT OUT OF THE BLUE FOR ME.

BOOM, HIT ME RIGHT BETWEEN THE EYES.

I WENT FROM CLOUD NINE TO...

THE NETHER REGIONS, IN ONE DAY.

THAT WAS TOUGH.

HE WAS STUNNED BY IT, AND I WAS, TOO.

WHEN HE TOLD ME, I SAID, "YOU'RE KIDDING!"

EVERYBODY'S FIRST REACTION... "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, IT'S OFF?

"YOU'RE KIDDING! SOMEBODY GAVE AN ANSWER

TO SOMEBODY? OH, COME ON!"

AND HE'D SAY, "YEAH."

Narrator: SOON, "TWENTY-ONE"

RIGHT AFTER THE SHOW, IT INSTALLED A NEW HOST...

MONTY HALL.

NOW, WHEN I WAS DOING THE SHOW,

I WOULD BE TAKEN INTO AN OFFICE,

THEY'D TAKE... OPEN UP A SAFE AND SHOW ME THE QUESTIONS,

SO I'D FAMILIARIZE MYSELF WITH THE QUESTIONS,

PUT IT BACK IN THE SAFE, AND NEXT THING I KNEW,

I WAS ON THE... IN FRONT OF A CAMERA,

DOING THE SHOW WITH CONTESTANTS.

I HAD NO IDEA THAT THE CONTESTANTS

ALSO SAW THE QUESTIONS.

Narrator: BUT THEY DID.

CONTESTANT CHARLES VAN DOREN

HAD BECOME A NATIONAL HERO.

WITHIN DAYS, HE WAS A DISGRACE.

MILLIONS WERE OUTRAGED.

GRAND JURIES WERE ASSEMBLED.

PERJURY CHARGES WERE FILED.

AND THE GAME SHOWS THAT REMAINED ON

Stewart: ONE OF THE PAGES CAME OVER TO ME

AND SAID, "SOMEBODY JUST CALLED BACKSTAGE AND SAID

THAT THEY HAD PLANTED A BOMB IN THE AUDIENCE."

WELL, THIS KIND OF THING WAS SORT OF TAKING PLACE,

AND THE PEOPLE WERE VERY ANGRY AT TELEVISION SHOWS

FOR ALL OF THAT SCANDAL.

AND... WE HAD FIVE MINUTES

TO GO ON THE AIR.

"TELL THE AUDIENCE THAT EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE,

"WE HAVE A PRIZE FOR SOMEBODY THERE.

"AT THE COUNT OF THREE, STAND UP, PICK UP YOUR SEAT,

"AND THE PERSON WHO SEES A PACKAGE THERE,

RAISE YOUR HAND, WE'LL COME AND GET IT."

AND WE WERE ABLE TO EXAMINE

THE WHOLE THEATER IN ONE MINUTE.

THOSE WERE... THOSE WERE DANGEROUS DAYS.

I MEAN, THERE WAS A LOT OF ILL WILL GOING ON.

Narrator: CONGRESS SOON PASSED LAWS

TO PREVENT FURTHER RIGGING.

AND THE NETWORKS WERE DETERMINED

TO POLICE THE GAME SHOW INDUSTRY CLOSELY...

A PRACTICE THAT WENT ON FOR MANY YEARS.

ALL THE NETWORKS HAD A NEW DEPARTMENT

CALLED "STANDARDS AND PRACTICES," S & P.

AND IT WAS LIKE AN FBI.

IT WAS AN IN-HOUSE FBI.

BECAUSE AT FIRST, THEY WERE SO OVERLY PROTECTIVE,

YOU WOULD SEE LITTLE FACES PEERING OUT FROM BEHIND THE SET,

AND THEY'RE LOOKING TO SEE IF ANYBODY IS READING A SCRIPT

OR LOOKING ASKANCE AT ANYTHING.

YOUR CONTESTANTS HAD TO BE CLOSETED IN A DIFFERENT

AND THERE'S SOMEBODY STANDING THERE,

WATCHING THAT YOU DIDN'T HAVE CONTACT WITH THEM,

BRUSHED BY THEM IN THE HALLWAY, STUFF LIKE THAT.

SO WE HAD A SETUP IN "CONCENTRATION,"

WHERE WE HIRED A GUY FROM SCOTLAND YARD

WHO WAS BACKSTAGE TO MAKE SURE

THAT NOBODY... SEE, THE STAGEHANDS

WOULD KNOW THE ANSWER TO THE PUZZLE.

AND AS SOON AS THEY... SO THEY HAD TO MAKE SURE

THAT THAT DIDN'T SOMEHOW GET TO A CONTESTANT

NBC, ON ITS OWN, HIRED SOMEBODY TO DO THAT.

AND THEN THE GUARDS CLASHED.

EACH DIDN'T KNOW THE OTHER WAS HIRED,

AND THEY'RE... AND EACH THOUGHT THE OTHER

THEY WANTED TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING WAS ON THE UP AND UP,

WANTED TO MAKE SURE NO ONE WAS GIVING ANYONE

ANY SIGNALS, YOU KNOW.

AND I WOULD LOOK OVER

AT A CELEBRITY, FOR INSTANCE,

ON "YOU DON'T SAY," I CAN REMEMBER,

AND JUST BEYOND THAT, WITHIN EYE SHOT,

THERE WOULD BE

A LITTLE HEAD PEERING AROUND THE EDGE OF THE THING.

WE DIDN'T SCORE A POINT,

BUT WE HAD LOTS OF FUN THAT TIME.

SO, DOROTHY DANDRIDGE

AND PETER LAWFORD, NEXT NAME.

Announcer: HE DIDN'T KNOW

A FEATHER IN HIS HAT FROM MACARONI.

YANKEE DOODLE.

ALL RIGHT, DOROTHY FIRST,

WHAT IS YOURS?

Narrator: THE QUIZ SHOW SCANDAL DIDN'T TAINT MARK GOODSON.

HIS PANEL SHOWS LIKE "WHAT'S MY LINE?"

DIDN'T LEND THEMSELVES TO CHEATING, ANYWAY.

SO IT WAS NO SURPRISE THAT HIS COMPANY

DEVELOPED THE FIRST BIG GAME SHOW HIT

OF THE P "PASSWORD." ERA...

Announcer: THE PASSWORD IS "BACKFIRE."

Narrator: MARK GOODSON DIDN'T

CREATE "PASSWORD" PERSONALLY.

INSTEAD, THAT CREDIT GOES TO HIS PRODUCER,

PERHAPS THE MOST INVENTIVE MIND IN THE GENRE,

BOB STEWART.

IN MY OPINION, YOU HAVE A GREAT GAME SHOW

IF THE PERSON AT HOME

IS TALKING TO THE SCREEN ALOUD.

WHEN THEY... WHEN THEY YELL AT THE SCREEN,

"SAY SO-AND-SO!"

OR "DO SO-AND-SO!"

YOU GOT 'EM HOOKED.

THANK YOU!

HELLO THERE!

Narrator: YEARS EARLIER,

BOB STEWART HAD CREATED THE FIRST ITERATION

OF "THE PRICE IS RIGHT,"

AND LATER, "TO TELL THE TRUTH."

"PASSWORD" INTRODUCED

ANOTHER BREAKTHROUGH INNOVATION...

TEAMING ORDINARY CONTESTANTS

WITH CELEBRITIES.

WE SAW CELEBRITIES STRUGGLING LIKE CONTESTANTS.

BECAUSE THEY PLAYED EXACTLY THE SAME GAME

THE CONTESTANTS DID.

WASN'T A PANEL OF SHOW-OFFS.

THESE WERE PEOPLE STRUGGLING...

TO GET THE RIGHT WORD AT THE RIGHT TIME,

AND WIN THE GAME.

AND A NEW DIMENSION WAS ADDED

TO THEIR PERSONALITY

AS THEY STRUGGLED,

AND THEY STRIPPED THEMSELVES

OF THE KIND OF COVER THAT AN ACTOR USES.

AND THAT TURNED OUT TO BE

ONE OF THE UNQUESTIONABLY KEY ASSETS OF THAT IDEA.

AND A KEY ELEMENT "PAOF THE SHOW'S SUCCESST.

WAS HOST ALLEN LUDDEN.

IF A CONTESTANT GAVE A DUMB CLUE

HE WOULD, HE WOULD ALWAYS TRY TO BE VERY NICE ABOUT IT,

BUT HE'D LOOK AT THE CAMERA WITH THIS LOOK,

LIKE... YOU KNEW WHAT HE WAS THINKING ABOUT,

"DUMMY, WHY DID YOU SAY THAT?"

AND I THINK THE AUDIENCE LOVED THAT.

THEY LOVED THAT, AND THEY ALWAYS LOVED

COPYING HIS, WHENEVER HE GAVE THE CLUE,

HE WOULD ALWAYS, HIS HANDS WERE...

ALLEN'S HANDS WERE SO EXPRESSIVE,

AND IT WAS ALWAYS THIS.

PEOPLE... WE'D BE DRIVING DOWN THE STREET,

AND SOMEBODY WOULD RECOGNIZE HIM, AND THEY'D SAY...

Narrator: CERTAIN CELEBRITIES

HAD A NATURAL GIFT FOR "PASSWORD"...

PEOPLE LIKE CAROL CHANNING, JIM BACKUS,

WHO WOULD EVENTUALLY MARRY AND HOST ALLEN LUDDEN.ITE,

BY THE END OF THE YEAR,

HE BEGAN... HE WOULDN'T SAY, "HELLO,"

HE'D SAY, "WILL YOU MARRY ME?"

WELL, I THOUGHT THAT WAS SUCH A JOKE.

YOU KNOW, THAT'S RIDICULOUS.

ONE NIGHT, WE WENT TO DINNER.

AND HE GAVE ME A JEWELRY BOX,

AND I OPENED IT, AND THERE'S A WEDDING RING.

WITH DIAMONDS ALL THE WAY AROUND.

HE SAYS, "YOU MIGHT AS WELL WEAR IT.

YOU'RE GOING TO SAY YES SOONER OR LATER."

WELL, AS ANY RED-BLOODED AMERICAN GIRL WOULD DO,

I GOT MAD, I GOT FURIOUS.

AND I GAVE IT BACK TO HIM, AND I SAID, "FORGET IT!

"AND STOP PUSHING ME!

I'M NOT INTERESTED!"

THERE WAS NO WAY I WAS GOING TO MOVE TO NEW YORK.

DID HE GIVE IT BACK TO THE JEWELER?

NO, HE PUT IT ON A CHAIN AROUND HIS NECK.

HE WORE THAT DAMN WEDDING RING

FOR... WE'D GO TO THE BEACH,

THERE'S THE WEDDING RING.

YOU'D SEE IT AT ALL TIMES,

SO, IN MY IDIOCY, I WASTED A WHOLE YEAR

WE COULD HAVE BEEN TOGETHER.

I MET THIS LADY ON THIS GAME.

14 YEARS AGO.

I'VE LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT.

I'VE WORKED FOR THE BEST.

IT'LL BE A TOUGH GAME TO REPLACE.

SOMEDAY MAYBE SOMEWHERE THERE'S ANOTHER GAME SHOW

WORTHY OF THIS KIND OF INTEREST AND LOVE,

BUT THIS IS THE BEST GAME SHOW

YOU CAN BE ASSOCIATED WITH,

AND I'M DARN GRATEFUL

I HAD 14 LOVELY YEARS WITH IT.

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING IT.

THANK YOU.

Host: THAT WAS $7,000...

YOU'VE DONE IT!

Narrator: AFTER "PASSWORD" HIT

IN 1961,

GAME SHOWS BEGAN A RENAISSANCE.

Announcer: AND NOW, HERE'S AMERICA'S TOP TRADER,

TV'S BIG DEALER, MONTY HALL!

CREATED BY MONTY HALL AND STEFAN HATOS,

"LET'S MAKE A DEAL" DIDN'T HAVE ANY CELEBRITIES

OR QUIZ QUESTIONS.

IT DIDN'T EVEN HAVE MUCH OF A SCRIPT.

IT MIGHT BE BEHIND DOOR NUMBER ONE

OR DOOR NUMBER TWO OR DOOR NUMBER THREE.

Narrator: THE GAME RELIED

SOLELY ON MONTY HALL'S

ABILITY TO BUILD DRAMA

FROM INDECISION.

Hall: I WOULD LOOK INTO HER EYES

AND SEE WHETHER I HAD MORE DRAMA

IF I WENT TO 500 OR 700 OR 800,

AND LET THE CAMERA PICK OUT HER REACTION.

OR YOU CAN HAVE WHAT'S IN THE BOX

THAT CAROL IS SHOWING US RIGHT NOW.

OH! AGH!

Hall: AND YOU'RE NOTICING THE CONTESTANTS' REACTIONS,

BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO PLAY

OFF THEIR REACTIONS.

THAT'S THE FIRST THING YOU DO.

YOU ARE LIKE AN AMATEUR PSYCHOLOGIST,

BECAUSE YOU'RE WATCHING THE EYELIDS FLUTTER,

AND YOU THINK YOU KNOW WHEN HER BREAKING POINT IS.

AND YOU GO TO THAT POINT AND NO FARTHER.

Narrator: NOT LONG AFTER "LET'S MAKE A DEAL" STARTED,

CONTESTANTS REALIZED THAT WEARING A COSTUME

MEANT THEY WERE MORE LIKELY TO GET PICKED BY MONTY.

Hall: SO NBC CALLED US IN AND SAID,

"WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT THIS?

"THERE'S 350 PEOPLE OUT THERE ON YOUR SHOW

"WITH THESE CRAZY COSTUMES.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?"

AND WE SAID, "NOTHING.

"YOU KNOW, THIS IS TELEVISION,

"AND THAT'S VERY PICTORIAL.

YOU WANT ALL THE STUFF YOU'VE SEEN SO FAR

AND THE MONEY IN THE POCKETS?

WHEN MOST TV SHOWS PRESENTED AN ALL-WHITE CAST,

GAME SHOWS LIKE "DEAL" TOOK A VERY DIFFERENT APPROACH,

SHOWCASING A CROSS-SECTION OF AMERICA,

REAL PEOPLE FROM EVERY DEMOGRAPHIC.

WE FIGURED THAT "LET'S MAKE A DEAL"

WAS A SHOW THAT WAS DONE IN THE AUDIENCE.

AND THIS AUDIENCE COMPOSITION HAD TO REPRESENT AMERICA.

"WHEN YOU GO OUTSIDE TO PICK THE 30 OR 40 PEOPLE

SITTING IN THE FRONT SECTION,

GIVE US A CROSS-SECTION OF AMERICA.

OF COURSE, IT PROVED TO BE THE RIGHT DECISION.

Narrator: A YEAR AFTER "LET'S MAKE A DEAL" DEBUTED,

ANOTHER JUGGERNAUT WAS LAUNCHED,

A GAME THAT HELPED MAKE ITS CREATOR

ONE OF THE RICHEST MEN IN AMERICA.

THE SHOW WAS "JEOPARDY!"

AND THE MAN WHO INVENTED IT WAS MERV GRIFFIN.

GRIFFIN WAS NO NEWCOMER TO GAME SHOWS.

AS EARLY AS 1958, HE'D HOSTED

MARK GOODSON'S "PLAY YOUR HUNCH."

MY AGENT SAID, "YOU'RE GOING FOR AN INTERVIEW

THEY HAVE SEEN YOU, AND THEY ARE INTERESTED IN YOU

AS A GAME SHOW HOST.

I SAID, "BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THAT."

AND I CAME UP TO THIS HIGH FLOOR IN NEW YORK CITY

AT GOODSON-TODMAN.

IT WAS 9:00 AT NIGHT.

THE ELEVATOR DOOR OPENED, AND I WALKED OUT,

AND THERE WAS A RECEPTION ROOM,

AND I SAT DOWN FOR A FEW MINUTES,

AND I WENT, "NO, NO, NO, THIS IS NOT FOR ME."

AND THERE WAS NOBODY THERE,

AND I STARTED AND RANG FOR THE ELEVATOR.

AND NOT EVEN MY AGENT WAS THERE.

AND I... SOMEBODY CAME OUT... A DOOR OPENED,

AND A GIRL CAME OUT, AND SHE SAID,

IN JUST ABOUT TWO MINUTES, MR. GRIFFIN."

AND I SAID, "READY FOR WHAT?"

"TO PLAY THE GAME."

I SAID, "I DON'T KNOW THE GAME.

NO ONE HAS EXPLAINED TO ME WHAT YOUR GAME IS."

SHE SAID, "OH, GO IN, AND YOU'LL FIGURE IT OUT."

Announcer: STARRING MERV GRIFFIN!

Griffin: SO I WALKED IN, AND I STEPPED UP THERE

AND STARTED TO TALK, AND THEY WERE ALL LAUGHING AND SCREAMING.

AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE GAME WAS.

AND BY THE END OF THIS THING,

THEY ALL SAID, "YOU GOT THE JOB."

AND I WENT, "WHOA.

THAT WAS THE STRANGEST INTERVIEW."

AND THEN I WENT TO WORK ON "PLAY YOUR HUNCH,"

AND LOVED GAME SHOWS.

I THINK YOU'LL HAVE FUN. HERE'S HOW WE SCORE.

EACH TIME YOU PLAY YOUR HUNCH CORRECTLY,

YOU GET A POINT... EACH POINT IS WORTH $100.

THREE POINTS WINS THE GAME FOR A TOTAL OF $300,

AND, MORE IMPORTANT, THE RIGHT TO STAY ON

AND MEET NEW COMPETITION.

SO GOOD LUCK TO BOTH TEAMS.

Narrator: GRIFFIN WANTED TO APPLY ALL HE'D LEARNED

TO CREATE HIS OWN GAME SHOW.

BUT A WINNING CONCEPT ELUDED HIM.

THE SPARK OF THE IDEA THAT WOULD BECOME "JEOPARDY!"

FINALLY CAME FROM GRIFFIN'S WIFE,

JULANN.

MY WIFE SAID TO ME...

I SAID, "I WANT TO DO A QUIZ SHOW."

AND SHE SAID, "WELL, DO ONE."

THEY WON'T ACCEPT THEM AT THE NETWORK."

SHE SAID, "WELL, DO ONE

WHERE YOU GIVE THEM THE ANSWERS."

AND I SAID, "WELL, THAT'S WHY EVERYONE WENT TO JAIL.

ARE YOU CRAZY?"

AND SHE SAID, "NO...

AND I SAID, "HOW MANY FEET IN A MILE?"

AND SHE SAID, "THAT'S GOOD."

AND THEN I THOUGHT, "WHOA, THAT IS A SHOW!"

BUT THEN TRYING TO PUT IT INTO A GAME SHOW FORMAT

IS THE MOST DIFFICULT OF ALL.

Narrator: GRIFFIN SPENT A FULL YEAR EXPERIMENTING,

PAPERING HIS MANHATTAN APARTMENT

WITH ANSWERS SCRAWLED ON 3x5 CARDS.

AND MAKESHIFT BULLETIN BOARDS WITH ROWS OF CATEGORIES.

A YEAR LATER, "JEOPARDY!" WAS FINALLY READY

TO PITCH TO THE PRESIDENT OF NBC.

I JUST CUT THE BACKS OFF OF THE ENVELOPES

AND STUCK THE CARDS IN THERE AND BROUGHT IN THE CONTESTANTS.

AND THE PRESIDENT SAT THERE, AND THE TWO OF THEM,

AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, I RAN THE WHOLE SHOW,

AND THE PRESIDENT OF NBC LOOKED ME, AND HE SAID,

"I AIN'T GOT ONE OF 'EM!"

AND I WENT, "OOH... OH, WELL, UH,

IT'S A DIFFICULT SHOW, YOU KNOW."

"BUT I DIDN'T GET ONE!"

AND I SAID, "WELL, I CAN'T HELP THAT, SIR."

Narrator: THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE END OF "JEOPARDY!"

BUT A YOUNG NBC EXECUTIVE NAMED GRANT TINKER

PERSUADED HIS BOSS

TO PICK UP THE SHOW.

"JEOPARDY!" PREMIERED ON NBC IN 1964.

AND IT WAS AN IMMEDIATE HIT.

Host: TRY AGAIN, PLEASE, KAREN.

Woman: SPORTS FOR $10, PLEASE.

THE ANSWER IS, "OF BASEBALL, L FOOTBALL,

AND HORSE RACING..."

THE ONE THAT DRAWS THE LARGEST

LIVE ATTENDANCE IN THE UNITED STATES... KAREN.

WHAT'S HORSE RACING?

Narrator: LIGHTING WOULD STRIKE A SECOND TIME FOR MERV GRIFFIN

WHEN HE REMEMBERED THE CHILDHOOD GAME OF HANGMAN

AND THOUGHT IT MIGHT MAKE A GREAT GAME SHOW.

BUT IT NEEDED A GIMMICK.

FOR THE SOLUTION, GRIFFIN REACHED BACK

TO ANOTHER MEMORY FROM HIS YOUTH...

THE BIG SPINNING-WHEEL GAME

AT THE ANNUAL CHURCH PICNIC.

GRIFFIN HAD HIS GIMMICK... ALMOST.

THE FIRST COUPLE OF PILOTS WE DID ON IT,

THE WHEEL WAS STANDING UPRIGHT LIKE THIS,

AND IT LOOKED AWFUL.

Narrator: LAYING THE WHEEL DOWN

MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE.

BUT MERV STILL HAD ONE MORE ISSUE TO SOLVE.

WHEN THE ORIGINAL HOSTESS, SUSAN STAFFORD,

LEFT TO PURSUE HER Ph.D...

I NEEDED A GIRL ON THE SHOW.

SO I SAID TO THE WOMAN WHO PRODUCED IT,

"PLEASE FIND 12 PICTURES, 8x10 GLOSSIES,

"PUT THEM ON MY DESK, AND I'LL WALK IN

AND SHE DID THAT, AND POAND I WALKED ININK."

AND JUST WENT, "HER."

GET ME SOME TAPE ON HER TALKING.

AND IT WAS VANNA, AND THAT WAS IT.

Narrator: GRIFFIN HAD BROUGHT TOGETHER THE PERFECT COMBINATION

OF ELEMENTS TO CREATE WHAT WOULD BECOME

THE MOST PROFITABLE GAME IN THE HISTORY OF THE GENRE...

"WHEEL OF FORTUNE."

Announcer: OVER $49,000

JUST WAITING TO BE WON

TODAY ON "WHEEL OF FORTUNE"!

NOW, HERE'S YOUR HOST, CHUCK WOOLERY!

Narrator: IF A KIDS' GAME LIKE HANGMAN

COULD BE MORPHED INTO A MAJOR GAME SHOW FRANCHISE,

WHY NOT ANOTHER CHILDHOOD FAVORITE,

TIC-TAC-TOE?

THAT WAS THE QUESTION

PRODUCERS MERRILL HEATTER AND BOB QUIGLEY

PONDERED IN EARLY 1964

AS THEY DEVELOPED A GAME

WITH A GIANT TIC-TAC-TOE BOARD

AND CELEBRITIES IN THE SQUARES.

Kennedy: WHEN THEY MOUNTED "HOLLYWOOD SQUARES"

WITH THOSE NINE CUBICLES,

I SAW THAT GOING UP, AND I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT.

THAT WAS REALLY MONUMENTAL.

THAT WAS THE BIGGEST, STRANGEST,

WILDLY DIFFERENT THING

I'D EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE.

IT WAS SO BIG, I THOUGHT TO MYSELF,

IT CANNOT WORK, BECAUSE IT'S TOO BIG,

ITIT WAS A HUGE SUCCESS.E.

HUGE SUCCESS.

Host: WHAT WOULD YOU NORMALLY

FIND A CAMPER MOUNTED ON?

A CAMPRESS.

"HOLLYWOOD SQUARES" IS THE MOST FUN GAME SHOW IN THE WORLD.

Narrator: MUCH OF THE SHOW'S POPULARITY

FLOWED FROM THE PARTY ATMOSPHERE...

NINE CELEBRITIES, HAVING A GOOD TIME TOGETHER.

Host: KAREN, A PARACHUTIST HITS THE GROUND

A HOW MANY MILES PER HOUR?

DID HIS CHUTE OPEN?

"DO THE STARS KNOW THE QUESTION?"

I SAY, "NO." THEY NEVER KNEW THE QUESTION.

THEY KNEW AN AREA OF THE QUESTION.

BUT THEY NEVER KNEW THE QUESTION.

THEY MIGHT GET A JOKE, BUT THEY NEVER KNEW

WHAT THE STRAIGHT LINE WAS.

YOU'D TAPE FIVE IN A DAY.

SO YOU'D DO THREE SHOWS, BREAK FOR DINNER,

AND THEN YOU WOULD DO TWO MORE.

AND BY THAT TIME... YOU KNOW,

THEY'D SERVE WINE AT DINNER.

SO THAT WAS ALWAYS INTERESTING.

AT HOME IN BED, AT 2:00 IN THE MORNING,

YOU'D THINK OF THE GREATEST LINE THAT YOU DIDN'T USE.

THAT'S ENOUGH TO KILL A PERSON.

Host: SAY, ARE MOST STOLEN CARS RECOVERED?

I HAD ONE RECOVERED IN ZEBRA ONCE.

Henderson: WE HAD REDD FOXX.

HE LOVED TO BE VERY BAWDY WITH YOU.

AND DURING THE COMMERCIALS, HE WOULD SAY

SOME PRETTY WILD THINGS.

AND SOME PEOPLE, SOME YOUNG GIRLS,

DIDN'T REALLY WANT TO BE NEXT TO HIM.

I WOULD ALWAYS JUST SAY SOMETHING BACK TO HIM.

Narrator: "HOLLYWOOD SQUARES" BECAME SO POPULAR

THAT CELEBRITIES OFTEN LOBBIED

BUT SOME HAD A HARD TIME GRASPING THE GAME.

HENNY YOUNGMAN, FOR EXAMPLE,

WAS AN ACCOMPLISHED COMEDIAN.

BUT HIS APPEARANCE ON "HOLLYWOOD SQUARES"

DID NOT GO WELL.

I SAID, "HENNY, I'M SO EXCITED YOU'RE ON THE SHOW.

"NOW, HERE'S THE WAY THE SHOW WORKS.

"I'LL ASK YOU A QUESTION, AND IF YOU HAVE A JOKE, DO IT.

"AND THEN GET TO THE ANSWER, OKAY?

"20 SECONDS, 25 SECONDS.

ANY LONGER IS NO GOOD, OKAY?"

HE SAID, "YOU GOT IT."

FIRST QUESTION WAS, "DO BIRDS FLY?"

HE SAID, "THESE TWO GUYS, THEY GO BEAR HUNTING,

"THEY COME TO A SIGN THAT SAYS, 'BEAR LEFT, '

AND SO THEY WENT HOME."

AND I SAID, "HENNY, DO BIRDS FLY?"

HE SAID, "THERE WAS THIS GIRL IN CLEVELAND, AND..."

AND GOBEL FELL OFF HIS CHAIR.

AND I SAID, "WE GOT TO STOP TAPE, GUYS."

BECAUSE HE DIDN'T GET IT.

AND GROUCHO DIDN'T GET IT.

A LOT OF PEOPLE DIDN'T WORK ON THE SHOW.

Narrator: THE CELEBRITIES WHO COULD WORK

WITHIN THE SHOW'S FORMAT

OFTEN STAYED ON FOR YEARS

AND BECAME HOUSEHOLD NAMES.

CHARLEY WEAVER,

WALLY COX,

PAUL LYNDE.

Host: ACCORDING TO THE RED CROSS,

WHEN WILL THEY STOP ACCEPTING BLOOD DONATIONS FROM A PERSON?

OH, WHEN HE DRIES UP.

"HEY, PAUL, HOW MANY MEN ON A HOCKEY TEAM?"

"ABOUT HALF."

BANG, THAT'S IT, THERE YOU GO.

YOU CAN'T DO A LONG MONOLOGUE.

Host: WILL HUMMING, HUMMING

HELP YOUR TENNIS GAME?

THIS STRUCK ME FUNNY!

UM, WILL HUMMING HELP MY TENNIS GAME?

SURE, WHY NOT? IT TAKES YOUR MIND

OFF YOUR BALLS OR SOMETHING.

AND I SAID, "YES, IT WOULD PROBABLY

TAKE YOUR MIND OFF YOUR BALLS."

S... AND THEN I WENT...

WELL, THE AUDIENCE BECAME HYSTERICAL.

CHARLEY WEAVER GOT UP AND WALKED OFF,

EVEN THOUGH HE COULDN'T WALK VERY WELL.

AND IT WAS ONE OF THOSE THINGS

WHERE THE LAUGHTER WENT ON FOR,

FOREVER, AND I JUST HAD MY HEAD DOWN ON THE DESK.

OH, NO!

Narrator: HAVING FUN WITH CELEBRITIES

BECAME A STAPLE OF THE GAME SHOW UNIVERSE.

BUT COULD A GAME SUCCEED BY EXTRACTING HUMOR

FROM THE CONTESTANTS?

THE ONE MAN WHO KNEW THE ANSWER

WAS GAME SHOW PRODUCER CHUCK BARRIS,

ONE OF THE MOST UNUSUAL PEOPLE IN AMERICAN TELEVISION.

AND WHEN YOU WALK INTO CHUCK'S OFFICE,

YOU KNOW, THERE'S A URINAL ON THE WALL.

YOU KNOW, AND HE WAS JUST ONE...

YOU KNOW, HE WAS... HE WAS

JUST AN ECCENTRIC GUY.

BUT I HAVE NOTHING BUT NICE THINGS

HE KNEW EXACTLY TO SWHAT HE WAS DOING.RIS.

HE FIGURED OUT VERY EARLY THAT JOHN AND MARY JONES

ARE THE FUNNIEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD.

THIS DAZZLING BACHELORETTE IS A CHRONIC DISCO DANCER.

SHE'S HERE TONIGHT TO ANSWER THE MUSICAL QUESTION,

"CAN THE HUSTLE REALLY CLEAR UP

DISTRESS IN THE LOWER TRACT?"

Narrator: BARRIS MADE HIS FIRST BIG SPLASH

IN LATE 1965 WITH "THE DATING GAME."

THE SHOW DIDN'T HAVE A QUIZ OR BIG MONEY PRIZES.

INSTEAD, IT FEATURED ORDINARY PEOPLE, HAVING FUN.

BACHELOR NUMBER ONE.

I REALLY LIKE ICE CREAM.

IF YOU WERE ICE CREAM, WHAT FLAVOR WOULD YOU BE?

Narrator: BARRIS SOON FOLLOWED UP

WITH "THE NEWLYWED GAME," WHICH ALSO GLEANED HUMOR

FROM REGULAR FOLKS.

Host: WHAT ANIMAL, LISA,

DID YOU INHERIT YOUR RUMP FROM?

I SAID, "HER MOTHER."

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT MY MOTHER'S RUMP FOR?

IT'S NOT EVEN BIG!

YOU CAN'T MISS IT.

THE THING'S THE SIZE OF A BUICK.

YOU CAN'T EVEN GET IT THROUGH THE DOOR.

NO, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT.

IT'S BIG... IT'S THE SIZE...

SHE'S JUST BIG-BONED.

Narrator: BARRIS TOOK PRIDE

IN AVOIDING THE USUAL GAME SHOW HOSTS.

WHEN BOB EUBANKS WAS TAPPED FOR "THE NEWLYWED GAME,"

HE WAS THE YOUNGEST PERSON EVER TO EMCEE A GAME SHOW.

AFTER THE FIRST SHOW, CHUCK BARRIS CAME TO ME,

AND HE SAYS, "I NEED TO TALK TO YOU."

I SAID, "WHAT'S THE MATTER?"

HE SAYS, "YOU'VE JUST DONE SOMETHING

I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYBODY DO BEFORE."

HE SAID, "YOU WENT A HALF-HOUR WITHOUT BLINKING."

SO I HAD TO WRITE MYSELF A NOTE.

"WE'LL BE BACK WITH MORE OF 'THE NEWLYWED GAME, '"

AND IT SAYS, "BLINK," AND I GO, BLINK, BLINK.

THAT'S HOW FRIGHTENED I WAS. I WAS SCARED TO DEATH.

Man: HEAVY DRAIN UPON THE FILLER RESOURCES...

Narrator: "THE NEWLYWED GAME" HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE

TO PREMIERE AT THE EXACT MOMENT

DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT McNAMARA

NBC AND CBS WCARRIED THE SPEECH LIVE..

Announcer: FROM HOLLYWOOD, HERE COME THE NEWLYWEDS!

Narrator: BUT ABC WENT WITH THE NEWLYWEDS.

THAT FIRST EPISODE HAD RATINGS TO RIVAL A SUPER BOWL.

BOTH "THE DATING" AND "NEWLYWED" GAMES

REFLECTING THE VERY YOUNG WEAND FREE-WHEELING STAFF,

HE WAS AMONG THE FIRST THAT BATV PRODUCERSEMBLED.

TO TAP INTO THE CHANGING NATIONAL CULTURE

OF THE 1960s.

AND IT MADE BARRIS EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL.

"THE NEWLYWED GAME" WAS A COMEDY SHOW

THAT HAPPENED TO HAVE A GAME THERE.

AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT IT IS, YOU KNOW.

"WOW, DID YOU SEE THAT GREAT PRIZE THEY WON,"

OR, "WOW, THEY SURE KNEW EACH OTHER."

NO, THEY ONLY TALK ABOUT THE FUNNY STUFF.

Host: IN COINS, HOW MUCH MONEY

COULD YOUR BELLY BUTTON HOLD?

CARRIE?

I GUESS... I WOULD SAY A DIME. A DIME.

HE SAID YOUR BELLY BUTTON

COULD HOLD ONE DOLLAR!

YOU JERK! A DOLLAR?

WELL, IT'S BIG AND ROUND, BUT SHALLOW.

HE SAID, "A BIG OLD SILVER DOLLAR," IS WHAT HE SAID.

YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GIVE HIM A RIDE HOME, TOO!

A SILVER DOLLAR?

Eubanks: HE FIGURED IT OUT,

AND HE WAS DOING REALITY TELEVISION BACK THEN,

BEFORE WE KNEW WHAT THE WORD "REALITY" MEANT.

HE HAD GREAT INSTINCTS. GREAT INSTINCTS.

Narrator: BARRIS'S UNIQUE INSTINCTS CAME

AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME FOR ABC.

A PERENNIAL THIRD-PLACE ALSO-RAN,

THE NETWORK WAS IN FINANCIAL TROUBLE.

"THE NEWLYWED GAME" AND "DATING GAME"

AND "LET'S MAKE A DEAL," I BELIEVE LITERALLY SAVED ABC.

WE TOOK THAT NETWORK FROM HERE TO HERE.

BECAUSE EVERY SHOW... NOT ONLY DID WE GET THAT TIME PERIOD,

BUT EVERY SHOW FOLLOWING US ZOOMED UP.

I REMEMBER, MICHAEL EISNER WAS THE HEAD

OF WEST COAST DAYTIME TELEVISION,

AND HE CAME UP TO ME ONE TIME AT A PARTY,

HE SAYS, "YOU'RE VERY IMPORTANT TO ME."

HE SAYS, "YOU'RE VERY IMPORTANT TO ME."

BECAUSE HE REALIZED THAT THESE THREE SHOWS...

"DATING GAME," "NEWLYWED GAME,"

LITERALLY SAVED THE NETWORK AND "LEAT THE TIME.EAL"...

I REMEMBER, IT WAS SO MUCH FUN GOING INTO HIS OFFICES,

BECAUSE EVERYBODY WAS YOUNG AROUND HIM,

THEY WERE EXCITED, THEY WERE EXUBERANT.

THEY LOVED WHAT CHUCK WAS DOING.

HE HAD STARTED WITH PRACTICALLY NOTHING.

AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, HE WAS

THE KING, QUOTE-UNQUOTE, OF ABC!

Man: WHAT'S YOUR IDEA

OF A DREAM GIRL?

JOIN OUR NEW WEEKDAY GAME,

Narrator: BARRIS'S GOLDEN TOUCH.

HAD ITS LIMITS.

MANY OF HIS CREATIONS DID NOT CATCH ON.

SHOWS LIKE "DREAM GIRL '67,"

"THE PARENT GAME,"

AND "HOW'S YOUR MOTHER-IN-LAW?"

AND IT WAS CALLED, "HOW'S YOUR MOTHER-IN-LAW?"

"WHAT WAS THE FORMAT I'VE HAOF THAT SHOW? TO ME,

WHAT WAS THE CONCEPT?"

AND I'VE LAUGHINGLY SAID...

AND THIS MAY NOT BE TOTALLY TRUE...

BUT I SAID, "THERE WAS NO CONCEPT!

THAT WAS THE PROBLEM!"

IT WASN'T ALL THAT GREAT AN IDEA.

Narrator: WHILE A GREAT IDEA IS THE KEY

TO A GAME SHOW'S SUCCESS,

ANOTHER ELEMENT IS EQUALLY CRITICAL...

THE EMCEE.

A LITTLE OLD PAUSE FOR STATION IDENTIFICATION.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO MAKE OF THIS!

OPEN IT.

Announcer: BOB BARKER!

Narrator: THE JOB OF A GAME SHOW EMCEE

MAY BE ONE OF THE MOST COMPLICATED IN SHOW BUSINESS.

PLUS THE PRICE OF THE TRIP

TOTALS $5,000 TO $6,000.

YOU'LL WIN MONEY IN THE AMOUNT OF THE CHECK,

AND YOU WILL WIN THE TRIP TO ATLANTA.

DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION?

Narrator: A GOOD EMCEE HAS TO KNOW THE GAME COLD,

MONITOR THE CLOCK CONSTANTLY,

INTERACT EFFORTLESSLY

WITH CELEBRITIES AND CONTESTANTS,

AND CONSTANTLY MAKE ADJUSTMENTS

TO ENSURE THE PROGRAM IS ENTERTAINING.

IN ESSENCE, THE HOST MUST MANUFACTURE

A HALF-HOUR SHOW EVERY DAY,

OFTEN WITH NOTHING MORE THAN A BASIC OUTLINE

AND A FEW NOTE CARDS.

MARK GOODSON ONCE DESCRIBED THE GAME SHOW HOSTING JOB

AS "DRIVING A CAR BACKWARDS DOWN A MOUNTAIN ROAD,

AND BEING WITTY AND FUNNY AT THE SAME TIME."

THE SKILL SET IS BASIC IN TELEVISION,

IN TIME AND UNDERSTANDING TIME,

AND IN BEING ABLE TO PUT THAT BEHIND YOU

AND GO ON WITH THE SHOW AND BE SUBCONSCIOUSLY AWARE

THAT YOU HAVE SO MUCH TIME TO PERFORM THIS

AND TRY TO PULL IT OFF AS BEST YOU CAN.

AND OVER TIME, YOU ACQUIRE THAT SKILL

OR YOU DON'T ACQUIRE THAT SKILL.

AND THE REST OF IT IS JUST KIND OF

BEING FUNNY AND INTERESTING AND...

OH, I DON'T KNOW!

TRYING NOT TO FALL DOWN TOO MANY TIMES.

A GOOD EMCEE FLOWS WITH THE SHOW.

HE IS... COMPATIBLE WITH THE CONTESTANTS,

HE'S ON THEIR SIDE, HE LIKES TO SEE PEOPLE WIN,

AND WITHOUT THINKING, WITHOUT TRYING,

WITHOUT BEING AT ALL MECHANICAL,

HE'S JUST BECOME A PART OF THE SHOW.

AND LET IT FLOW.

Narrator: IN THE EARLY YEARS, COMEDIANS WERE OFTEN TAPPED

GROUCHO MARX, PEAND EVEN DICK VAN DYKE, ,

WHO AUDITIONED TO BE THE FIRST HOST

Van Dyke: YES, THEY WERE PUTTING TOGETHER "THE PRICE IS RIGHT"

BACK IN THE... THIS IS IN THE LATE '50s.

THEY ASKED ME TO BE THE HOST.

AND I KEPT TELLING MY WIFE, "THIS IS A SHOW

"ABOUT GUESSING HOW MUCH SOMETHING COSTS!

THAT'S A GAME SHOW?"

SAID, "IT'LL NEVER GO!"

Narrator: OVER TIME, PRODUCERS LEARNED

THAT MANY TRADITIONAL COMEDIANS

WEREN'T QUITE RIGHT FOR THE EMCEE JOB.

INSTEAD, HOSTING A GAME SHOW WOULD REQUIRE

A VERY DIFFERENT SET OF SKILLS.

THE WHOLE SECRET IS TO LISTEN.

IF YOU LISTEN TO WHAT THE CONTESTANT IS SAYING,

THEN GO AND MAKE SOMETHING FROM IT.

CREATING SPONTANEOUS ENTERTAINMENT,

YOU FIND THIS WONDERFUL IT'S LITTLE CONTESTANTOLD.

OR BIG CONTESTANT OR WHATEVER,

AND YOU GO WITH THAT PERSON AND GET THAT AUDIENCE LAUGHING.

I WOULD HAVE TO WATCH MYSELF,

BECAUSE THERE WERE SO MANY OPENINGS FOR JOKES AND THINGS,

AND I SAID, "NO, NO, NO, PETE.

"YOU'RE THE STRAIGHT MAN.

JUST STAY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE."

Narrator: AS WITH MANY PROFESSIONS OF THE ERA,

WOMEN WERE OFTEN OVERLOOKED AS POTENTIAL GAME SHOW EMCEES.

IN 1949, ARLENE FRANCIS BRIEFLY HOSTED

A PROGRAM CALLED "BLIND DATE."

BUT FOR NEARLY 40 YEARS, WOMEN WERE SHUT OUT.

TV PRODUCERS RECOGNIZED

BETTY WHITE'S POTENTIAL AS AN EMCEE,

BUT THE NETWORKS REFUSED, OVER AND OVER.

THE NETWORK SAID, "NO, A WOMAN JUST CAN'T,

"SHE CAN'T HOLD A SHOW TOGETHER,

"AND SHE JUST DOESN'T HAVE...

IT JUST DOESN'T WORK WITH A WOMAN," YOU KNOW.

Narrator: WHITE FINALLY GOT HER CHANCE TO EMCEE

ON A GAME CALLED "JUST MEN."

SHE WON AN EMMY, BUT THE SHOW WAS QUICKLY CANCELLED.

Woman: THEN THEY STARTED DOING RESEARCH.

THEY SAID, "WE HAVE RESEARCH."

YOU KNOW, THEY LOVE TO DO RESEARCH.

"WE HAVE RESEARCH THAT SAYS

"THAT WOMEN ARE BASICALLY IN LOVE

"WITH THE GUYS THAT HOST GAME SHOWS,

"THAT IT'S LIKE A ROMANTIC KIND OF,

A FANTASY ROMANCE CONNECTION."

Narrator: DESPITE THE RESEARCH, VICKI LAWRENCE WAS HIRED

TO HOST "WIN, LOSE, OR DRAW."

SHE FACED UNIQUE CHALLENGES, BECAUSE THE PRODUCERS

WOULDN'T LET HER WEAR SKIRTS.

THEY THOUGHT SUITS WOULD GIVE HER MORE AUTHORITY.

AND, YOU KNOW, I DO NOT HAVE VANNA WHITE'S BODY,

SO SOME DAYS THE STUFF WOULD NOT WORK.

AND MY WARDROBE GAL AND I WOULD BE PEEING IN OUR PANTS,

BECAUSE IT WOULD LOOK SO HORRIBLE ON ME.

SO WE'D HAVE TO GO ON TO THE NEXT SUIT,

SEE IF WE COULD MAKE THAT WORK, YOU KNOW,

AND THEN THE BOOTH WOULD BE CALLING,

GOING, "WHERE'S THAT RED SUIT?

SHE'S SUPPOSED TO BE IN THAT RED SUIT."

WELL, THE RED SUIT DIDN'T FIT OVER HER LEFT THIGH,

SO WE HAD TO MOVE ON TO THE BLUE SUIT, YOU KNOW.

Narrator: WHO WAS THE BEST EMCEE OF THE PIONEERING ERA?

BOB BARKER HAS THE MOST AWARDS

AND GREATEST LONGEVITY.

BUT FOR SHEER VERSATILITY, ONE OTHER NAME APPEARS

ON EVERY INSIDER'S LIST.

BUT THERE WAS ONE GUY WHO WAS GOOD

AT EVAND YOU KNOW WHY? DID.

BECAUSE HE WAS VERY NATURAL,

HE WAS VERY POLITE,

HE LOVED HIS CONTESTANTS AND THE OTHER PEOPLE,

AND HIS NAME WAS BILL CULLEN.

Bill Cullen: ACTUAL RETAIL VALUE

$332.94.

MR. McTAGUE, IT IS YOURS!

YOU'VE JUST SEEN THE MOST TORRID LOVE SCENE ON TELEVISION.

AND WE'RE GOING TO LOSE THAT TELEVISION LICENSE, TOO.

BILL CULLEN WAS SO GOOD

THAT IT'S HARD TO DESCRIBE.

HE WAS VERY SELF-DEPRECATING.

BILL ALSO WAS VERY, VERY BRIGHT

AND LAUGHED EASILY.

AND ISN'T IT PLEASANT

TO BE AROUND PEOPLE WHO LAUGH EASILY?

THIS ALSO HAS

A PRESCRIPTION TABLETOP.

YOU KNEW IT WAS BILL CULLEN.

THIS WASN'T A PASTEBOARD CUTOUT.

BILL WAS THE BEST.

HE HAD A GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR.

HE HAD STYLE.

HE HAD PANACHE, HE HAD EVERYTHING.

THIS IS BILL CULLEN, SAYING, THANKS FOR WATCHING,

AND KEEP YOUR MINDS WORKING QUICK AS A FLASH.

AND THANKS, PANEL, FOR BEING WITH US.

GOOD NIGHT!

COME ON DOWN!

Narrator: GAME SHOWS CAN EARN A LOT OF MONEY

AND MAKE THEIR PARTICIPANTS FAMOUS.

BUT THAT'S NOT WHY MOST GAME SHOW PIONEERS

GOT INVOLVED IN THE FORM.

INSTEAD, AT THE MOST

BASIC LEVEL, THEY LIKE PLAYING GAMES...

THE CHALLENGE, THE COMPETITION, THE FUN.

OUR NEXT CONTESTANT IS NONE OTHER THAN

DAVID JENSEN!

I BEGAN TO REALIZE THAT GAMES HAD BEEN AROUND FOREVER.

AND I HAVE LOVED THEM FOREVER.

AND I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE GAME.

I LOVE THE GAME OF "PASSWORD."

LET'S FACE IT, PEOPLE LOVE TO PLAY GAMES.

PEOPLE LOVE TO SEE PEOPLE WIN.

I LOVE THE PEOPLE.

AND SO I DON'T CARE IF THEY JUMP ON ME,

AND I DON'T CARE IF THEY YELL AND THEY FAINT.

YOU'RE NOT DOING SOMETHING LIKE CURING CANCER OR ANYTHING.

YOU'RE JUST HAVING FUN AND MAKING,

GIVING PEOPLE 30 MINUTES OF ENTERTAINMENT.

GAME SHOWS GIVE THE PUBLIC A CHANCE TO GET TO KNOW YOU

AS YOU, AS A PERSON.

BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT PLAYING A ROLE.

OR NOT SINGING A SONG.

YOU'RE SPEAKING FOR YOURSELF, IN YOUR OWN VOICE,

SO THEY, THEY FEEL THAT THEY KNOW YOU

A LOT BETTER THAN IF YOU'RE IN A MOVIE

OR IN A TELEVISION SHOW.

NOW, EDDIE, I THINK I'M A PRETTY GOOD

JUDGE OF CHARACTER, SO WHAT KIND

OF ILLEGITIMATE BUSINESS ARE YOU IN?

THE AUDIENCE LAUGHED, AND IT STARTLED ME.

I THOUGHT, "OH, THAT'S A BEAUTIFUL SOUND!

I'M GOING TO SEE IF I CAN GET THEM TO DO THAT AGAIN!"

AND I'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR 50 YEARS.

WE'RE GOING TO STOP THIS FILM COLD.

IS THAT RIGHT?

Narrator: FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS,

WE'VE BEEN WATCHING GAME SHOWS.

PLAYING ALONG, JOINING THE PARTY.

KEEP YOUR MINDS WORKING QUICK AS A FLASH.

GOOD NIGHT, EVERYBODY, AND THANKS, PANEL,

FOR BEING WITH US. GOOD NIGHT.

Narrator: THANKS TO THE PIONEERS OF TELEVISION.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON "PIONEERS OF TELEVISION"

AND OTHER PBS PROGRAMS,

GO TO PBS.ORG.

WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS, HUH?

YES, SIR.

IT'S PRETTY GOOD.

OPEN IT.

Announcer: BOB BARKER!

THIS PROGRAM

BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION

FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU.