"Break The Bank" [1976] Episode Guide (So Far)

[rjaguar3]

Week 1
Celebrities: Abe Vigoda, Alice Ghostley, JoAnn Pflug, Dick Gautier, Jan Murray, Lynda Carter, Liz Torres, Robert Heyges, and Marjoe Gortner.

3. 4/14/76: Barbara vs. Ralph
4. 4/15/76: Barbara vs. Ralph (again!)

Not surprising; remember, BtB was one of those shows where the champion went first, and if the champion won before the challenger could select a space on the board, the challenger stayed on for another game. Note that if the challenger's first selection was a blank, and the champion won on the next turn, the challenger did leave.

Correction: the challenger went first, and the champion could stay if the challenger won on their first turn.

[SwohS Emag]

Bumping this in hopes someone in the know might be able to update the guide.  I'm hoping to organize recording copies that were so kindly made available to us.  I'm happy to share copies I have or point those in want in the right direction for copies, too, via PM.

[Blanquepage]

Copying the guide from earlier in the thread and continuing onward from #31.

Week 1
Celebrities: Abe Vigoda, Alice Ghostley, JoAnn Pflug, Dick Gautier, Jan Murray, Lynda Carter, Liz Torres, Robert Hegyes, and Marjoe Gortner
1. 4/12/76: Marly vs. Ralph
2. 4/13/76: Episode appears to be lost
3. 4/14/76: Barbara vs. Ralph
4. 4/15/76: Barbara vs. Ralph (again!)
5. 4/16/76: Ralph vs. Ann

Week 2
Celebrities: Anson Williams, Lee Meriwether, Liz Torres, Alex Karras, Jan Murray, Ja'Net DuBois, Sandy Duncan, Tom Bosley, & Pat McCormick
6. 4/19/76: Ralph vs. Glenda
7. 4/20/76: Glenda vs. Fred
8. 4/21/76: Fred vs. Dixie
9. 4/22/76: Fred vs. Jill
10. 4/23/76: Barry vs Jill

Week 3
Celebrities: Rosie Greer, Beverly Garland, Liz Torres, Bill Dana, Joey Bishop, Fannie Flagg, Mary Ann Mobley, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Arte Johnson
11: 4/26/76: Jill vs Kent
12: 4/27/76: Jill vs Bill
13: 4/28/76: Jill vs Dennis
14: 4/29/76: Hal vs Danielle
15: 4/30/76: Hal vs Pat

Week 4
Celebrities: Lonnie Shorr, Elayne Boosler, Jaye P Morgan, Craig Stevens, Joey Bishop, Meredith MacRae, Liz Torres, Buzz Aldrin, Jimmie Walker
16: Jim vs Maggie
17: Jim vs Leah
18: Leah vs Dan (Avila!)
19: Margaret vs Dan
20: Margaret vs Jim

Week 5
Celebrities: Lonnie Shorr, Shari Lewis, Della Reese, Dick Gautier, Jan Murray, Dody Goodman, Ron Palillo, Liz Torres, Marjoe Gortner
21: Jim vs Karen
22: Jim vs Nancy
23: Lavera vs Russell
24: Ron vs Irene
25: Irene vs Ben

Week 6
Celebrities: Avery Shrieber, Alice Ghostley, Liz Torres, Bob Crane, Jimmy Walker, Ja'Net Dubois, Rue McClanahan, Micky Dolenz
26: Irene vs Barry
27: Episode appears to be lost
28: Connie vs Daun
29: Connie vs Bill
*Only 4 episodes taped this week

Week 7
Celebrities: Rip Taylor, Meredith McRae, Mary Ann Mobley, Soupy Sales, Jan Murray, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Jaye P. Morgan, Anson Williams, Dick Gautier
30: Connie vs Alan
31: Alan vs. Renee
32: Denise vs. Jack
33: Betsy vs. Monique
34: Bob vs. Susan

Week 8
Celebrities: Ave Vigoda, Gunilla Hutton, Liz Torres, Greg Mullavey, Jan Murray, Gail Fisher, Jaye P Morgan, Buzz Aldrin, Foster Brooks
35: Episode appears to be lost
36: Bob vs. Ellen
37: Bill vs Jan
38: Carolyn vs. Jim
39: Jim vs Myrna
Unaired test episode: Karen vs. Ron - testing the rule awarding a box to the opponent after a wrong answer. Ultimately implemented week 10

Week 9
Celebrities: Jack Jones, Judy Carne, Anson Williams, Joan Collins, Abe Vigoda, Liz Torres, Jan Murray, Dody Goodman, Marty Allen
40: Jim vs. Mary
41: Jim vs. Linda
42: Linda vs. Rob
43: Linda vs. Fred
44: Mike vs. Catherine

Week 10
Celebrities: Robert Hegyes, Joan Collins, Lawrence Hilton Jacobs, Alice Ghostley, Avery Schreiber, Liz Torres, Jack Carter, Cathy Rigby, Dick Gautier
45: Episode appears to be lost
46: Episode appears to be lost
47: Corinne vs. Russell (invited back from episode 23)
48: Dorothea vs. Frank
49: Dorothea vs. Michael
*Format update beginning this week: an incorrect answer automatically awards the box to the opponent, except when the box would win the game for the opponent. Each new game now adds $250 to the bank instead of $500

Week 11
Celebrities: Rip Taylor, Dody Goodman, Dick Gautier, Lonnie Shorr, Beverly Garland, Jaye P. Morgan, Robert Reed, Judy Carne, Bobby Riggs
50: Dorothea vs. Ken
51: Mary vs. Gene
52: Gene vs. Diane
53: Episode appears to be lost
54: Diane vs. Bruce

Week 12
Celebrities: Avery Schreiber, Jo Anne Worley, Marilyn Michaels, Ken Berry, Dody Goodman, Rip Taylor, Pat Carroll, Bill Macy, Rick Hurst
55: Bruce vs. Pam
56: Mike vs. Debbie
57: Joey vs. Michael
58: Michael vs. Nancy
59: Episode appears to be lost

Week 13
Celebrities: Lonnie Shorr, Jaye P. Morgan, Rip Taylor, Kent McCord, Dody Goodman, Dick Gautier, Robert Hegyes, Rip Taylor, Fannie Flagg, Marilyn Michaels
60: Michael vs. Ann
61: Bianca vs. Barry (invited back from #26)
62: Episode appears to be lost
63: Ken vs. Susan
64: Roxie vs. Jim

Week 14
Celebrities: Jimmie Walker, Wolfman Jack, Jaye P. Morgan, Lonnie Shorr, Jan Murray, Robert Hegyes, Liz Torres, Elayne Boosler, Barbara Sharma
65: Dick vs. Jean
66: Jean vs. Robert
67: Jean vs. Michael
68: Peter vs. Virginia
69: Peter vs. Virginia (continued)

Week 15
Lonnie Shorr, Joyce Bulifant, Soupy Sales, Donny Most, Bill Cullen, Jan Murray, Jo Anne Worley, Jaye P. Morgan, and Elke Sommer
70: Virginia vs. John (Hatton!)
71: John vs. Lynn
72: Eileen vs. Jonathan
73: Episode appears to be lost
74: Episode appears to be lost

Well, those 64 are indeed it. Still a nice haul, thankful for the treat we did get.

[SwohS Emag]

Thank you so much for compiling this!

[Ian Wallis]

Also of note, starting with week 11, Tom stops showing "what a typical board may look like" and goes right into the game.  It does make for some interesting changes in the commercial break pattern for the show.

[MikeK]

Shows with the new rules make the game much faster and much more exciting.  Episode 47 contains such a game.

[Ian Wallis]

Shows with the new rules make the game much faster and much more exciting.  Episode 47 contains such a game.

I like the games where lots of boxes were revealed.  There seemed to be more of those types of games once the rules changed.

[TimK2003]

Also of note, starting with week 11, Tom stops showing "what a typical board may look like" and goes right into the game.  It does make for some interesting changes in the commercial break pattern for the show.

I recently watched an episode where they showed "a typical board", and it looked to me they would "rerun" the same clip showing all of the boxes slowly being reveale
d as there was just enough of the celebrity names along the top that did not match with the celebrities on the show I watched.  I guess this would count in a previous thread for shows that used "recycled" video clips in multiple episodes.

When the show went into syndication with Jack Barry, they simplified it with the handheld board facsimile.

[Blanquepage]

For any that've been following along, a correction was made; we're back to 6 skips instead of 7.
Episode 55 is not a skip after all, I was probably looking at the end of the wrong prior episode.

[Ian Wallis]

For any that've been following along, a correction was made; we're back to 6 skips instead of 7.
Episode 55 is not a skip after all, I was probably looking at the end of the wrong prior episode.

With the number of available episodes yet to be aired, we should get at least one episode from the final week - hopefully more.

[Matt Ottinger]

I can't see that it's been mentioned yet in this thread, but the contestant "Dan" from week 4 is Dan Avila, the fellow who came so close to winning a great big pile of money on Greed.

[Blanquepage]

Just two skips remaining!

[Ian Wallis]

In re-watching these shows now, I'm surprised at how many of the celebrities' jokes were bleeped out - it must have happened at least a dozen times by now.  I'm pretty sure those bleeps are on the master tape - in the episodes that GSN aired in the '90s those same bleeps are there.

Pretty raunchy at times for daytime TV!

[Blanquepage]

In re-watching these shows now, I'm surprised at how many of the celebrities' jokes were bleeped out - it must have happened at least a dozen times by now.  I'm pretty sure those bleeps are on the master tape - in the episodes that GSN aired in the '90s those same bleeps are there.

Pretty raunchy at times for daytime TV!

For me, the bleeps have been a fun exercise in practicing lip-reading. Maybe one day I'll put together a documented translation of what it appears to me they're saying. One example that immediately stands out involves Dick Gautier and the phrase "riding each other's asses."
Even stuff that wasn't bleeped has been a riot, like Jaye P's joke bluff the other day about the woman learning to sit on her own tongue. Yowza 

[Mr. Matté]

Just curious to those who've been watching the eps,

Regarding what written material is given to the celebs, ep. 6 has the disclaimer "Celebrities have been furnished with the questions and answers. Comedic material has been made available to some of the celebrities." I remember seeing an ep a long time ago where neither celeb gave a correct answer, Tom stammered briefly before a buzzer sounded and he said that neither celeb gave the correct answer. How often has that occurred? And if they are given questions and answers, did they just forget their line at that moment?