How did the 70's $OTC differ frm the 80's?

[opimus]

How did the two differ?

[Ian Wallis]

One that I can think of off the top of my head is that, in the '70s version, any of the three players could buy instant bargains; on the '80s version only the player in the lead had that option.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' post=\'138056\' date=\'Nov 16 2006, 01:08 PM\']
One that I can think of off the top of my head is that, in the '70s version, any of the three players could buy instant bargains; on the '80s version only the player in the lead had that option.
[/quote]
Players? Weren't the contestants on the 70's show always couples? And weren't there only two of them?

[DrBear]

Not that I remember from the Jack Kelly version; it was three individuals.

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'138057\' date=\'Nov 16 2006, 04:17 PM\']
Players? Weren't the contestants on the 70's show always couples? And weren't there only two of them?[/quote]
You're remembering the final incarnation of the original version.  Garagiola hosted two teams of married couples in the final season.  Before that, the game was fought between three individuals, just as on the eighties version.

One cool thing (at least to my young mind) about the original version was that the winning player was ushered downstairs to the prize room.  I don't believe there was a Fame Game element in the original version (there certainly isn't on the home games) and over the course of the game, the value of the questions would increase from $5 to $10 to $15.  In Garagiola's version there was a final round of five $20 questions to decide the winner.

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'138059\' date=\'Nov 16 2006, 03:21 PM\']
[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'138057\' date=\'Nov 16 2006, 04:17 PM\']
Players? Weren't the contestants on the 70's show always couples? And weren't there only two of them?[/quote]
You're remembering the final incarnation of the original version.  Garagiola hosted two teams of married couples in the final season.  Before that, the game was fought between three individuals, just as on the eighties version.

One cool thing (at least to my young mind) about the original version was that the winning player was ushered downstairs to the prize room.  I don't believe there was a Fame Game element in the original version (there certainly isn't on the home games) and over the course of the game, the value of the questions would increase from $5 to $10 to $15.  In Garagiola's version there was a final round of five $20 questions to decide the winner.
[/quote]

Fame Game didn't come until the 80s version.

There wasn't a line of prizes to go for throughout the week or The Lot--your first day, you called out what prize or prizes you wanted to go for (you could buy more than one if you had the money) and those prizes stayed the next day while a new group came in.

The other difference was the mid-show round--originally, it was the Open Sale.  Several smaller prizes were brought out and each player could buy as many of them as your bankroll allowed--"I'll take the toaster for $2.95 and the Crockpot for $1.95--that's it, Jack."

By 1971, this was replaced by the Audience Game--three audience members were shown a prize and they took a guess of what the sale price would be.  Whoever was closest to the ASP without going over won the prize.  It seems to me that the players on the platform picked who they thought was correct for cash added to their score.  (Remember, this was a year before the return of "TPIR.")

When they went to the couples format, the Audience Game was replaced by the Price Tag Special, which was the Audience Game with the couples guessing the ASP.

[Neumms]

[quote name=\'uncamark\' post=\'138061\' date=\'Nov 16 2006, 04:39 PM\']
There wasn't a line of prizes to go for throughout the week or The Lot--your first day, you called out what prize or prizes you wanted to go for (you could buy more than one if you had the money) and those prizes stayed the next day while a new group came in.
[/quote]

All I remember is the downstairs part, with that cool display made up of very thin trilons--was that how trips were displayed?

Anyway, let me get the game straight--you could save your money and come back the next day? (I thought you bought what you bought and left.) Were there cars to try for? Nice ones?

[Bob Zager]

[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'138109\' date=\'Nov 17 2006, 11:24 AM\']
[quote name=\'uncamark\' post=\'138061\' date=\'Nov 16 2006, 04:39 PM\']
There wasn't a line of prizes to go for throughout the week or The Lot--your first day, you called out what prize or prizes you wanted to go for (you could buy more than one if you had the money) and those prizes stayed the next day while a new group came in.
[/quote]

All I remember is the downstairs part, with that cool display made up of very thin trilons--was that how trips were displayed?

Anyway, let me get the game straight--you could save your money and come back the next day? (I thought you bought what you bought and left.) Were there cars to try for? Nice ones?
[/quote]

Unlike the 80's version, contestants could option to come back to try to buy a prize (or combination of prizes), of which he/she may not have earned enough total maingame money to buy immediately.  But, yes, once he/she bought a prize (or combo), he/she retired from game.

[uncamark]

Another important difference:  Neither Kelly or Joe played the mind games with the contestants on Instant Bargains.  Most of the time, a player buzzed in as soon as Bill Wendell said what the prize was.  If they didn't, the audience started screaming "BUY IT!" and Kelly or Joe would do a little filling until saying "Once..twice...gone!"  (No "No sale!")  Occasionally, Joe would cut the price, but no offers of cash.  (And the plug was only heard if the contestant bought it.)

[rebelwrest]

Another question.

How did the 70s BRITISH $OTC differ from the 70s American $OTC?

[davidhammett]

[quote name=\'uncamark\' post=\'138474\' date=\'Nov 21 2006, 05:04 PM\']
Another important difference:  Neither Kelly or Joe played the mind games with the contestants on Instant Bargains.  Most of the time, a player buzzed in as soon as Bill Wendell said what the prize was.  If they didn't, the audience started screaming "BUY IT!" and Kelly or Joe would do a little filling until saying "Once..twice...gone!"  (No "No sale!")  Occasionally, Joe would cut the price, but no offers of cash.  (And the plug was only heard if the contestant bought it.)
[/quote]
And a couple of memories which for some reason stuck with me... as I recall, the Instant Bargains were revealed with a bit of a flourish, as this small curtain opened quickly to reveal them, at which point players could buzz in for them.  I also have this memory of the IB's being worth $4.95, or $10.95... always something and 95 (maybe 99?) cents... but that those prices were rounded to the next highest dollar... to account for "sales tax."  Riiiiight...

[Don Howard]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'138059\' date=\'Nov 16 2006, 04:21 PM\']
In Garagiola's version there was a final round of five $20 questions to decide the winner.
[/quote]
Which was called........The Century Round!!!!!!!!

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'davidhammett\' post=\'138498\' date=\'Nov 21 2006, 08:10 PM\']
[quote name=\'uncamark\' post=\'138474\' date=\'Nov 21 2006, 05:04 PM\']
Another important difference:  Neither Kelly or Joe played the mind games with the contestants on Instant Bargains.  Most of the time, a player buzzed in as soon as Bill Wendell said what the prize was.  If they didn't, the audience started screaming "BUY IT!" and Kelly or Joe would do a little filling until saying "Once..twice...gone!"  (No "No sale!")  Occasionally, Joe would cut the price, but no offers of cash.  (And the plug was only heard if the contestant bought it.)
[/quote]
And a couple of memories which for some reason stuck with me... as I recall, the Instant Bargains were revealed with a bit of a flourish, as this small curtain opened quickly to reveal them, at which point players could buzz in for them.  I also have this memory of the IB's being worth $4.95, or $10.95... always something and 95 (maybe 99?) cents... but that those prices were rounded to the next highest dollar... to account for "sales tax."  Riiiiight...
[/quote]

Pretty sure it was ".95."  Never heard the "sales tax" line, unless Joe said it once as a gag--I don't think Kelly could ever do a proper ad lib.

And all prices in the Sale ended with "9," as in "$89," "$199," etc.

[Jimmy Owen]

Another difference is that people back then actually wanted to win washing machines, color TV's and the like.

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'rebelwrest\' post=\'138495\' date=\'Nov 21 2006, 07:26 PM\']
Another question.

How did the 70s BRITISH $OTC differ from the 70s American $OTC?
[/quote]

No continuing champions--you bought what you could at the end of the show.  (UK regulations on prize winnings were responsible for this.)

Open Sale stayed until the end--they never went to the Audience Game/Price Tag Special.

A helluva lot more questions--Nicholas Parsons liked to boast that he was able to cram in at least 125 questions in a typical show (with the help of several less commercial minutes than U.S. daytime television).

More models--there was just one on the U.S. version, it looks like there were two or three on the UK version.

Seemingly, no two-level set (the U.S. set was built for Burbank, Howard decided to do it in New York and 8H and Brooklyn were the only NBC NY studios it could fit in, so the show originated from 8H for all of the run).

Outside of the theme, organ music cues.  Anglia wanted to use their musical director on the show and didn't have the budget for using a band.

And the only reason that "SOTC" went off in the UK is because of Grundy buying the format from Al Howard--they told Anglia that they had to switch to the revamped format they'd introduced in Australia (and would bring to America).  Since they'd had a hit show for twelve years with the original format, Anglia said no, Grundy didn't renew the license and the show went off the air in the UK.