Author Topic: Password Plus opening (Read 4524 times)

JakeT · « **on:** February 28, 2009, 12:25:44 AM »

With the P+ finale upon us, a little thing that has kinda bugged me crossed my mind again so I thought I'd ask about it. At what point in the run, when and more importantly why did they drop the "It's more than just Password..." part of the opening and just go with the abbreviated "It's Password Plus" instead? It isn't like it would save that much more time. Also, I thought the opening line was a nice clever touch and it sounds weird to me without it.

Any thoughts? Chris?

Jake

SRIV94 · « **Reply #1 on:** February 28, 2009, 12:23:04 PM »

[quote name=\'JakeT\' post=\'209034\' date=\'Feb 27 2009, 11:25 PM\']
With the P+ finale upon us, a little thing that has kinda bugged me crossed my mind again so I thought I'd ask about it. At what point in the run, when and more importantly why did they drop the "It's more than just Password..." part of the opening and just go with the abbreviated "It's Password Plus" instead? It isn't like it would save that much more time. Also, I thought the opening line was a nice clever touch and it sounds weird to me without it.

Any thoughts? Chris?
[/quote]
Chris was gone from the show by then--it was just around the time in November 1981 when they went to the new format (first to $500/crossover after three puzzles solved/progressive jackpot in Alphabetics) that they changed the intro. By then, the show had been on almost three years. Speculation--since it had been on almost three years the "It's more than just PASSWORD. . ." seemed a bit superfluous.

Also at the same time, the billing was changed for Kennedy to be the "star" of P+ instead of the "host."

Jimmy Owen · « **Reply #2 on:** February 28, 2009, 01:11:47 PM »

Maybe they thought it was redundant. If it is Password Plus, it goes without saying that it is more than Password.

Don Howard · « **Reply #3 on:** February 28, 2009, 02:37:37 PM »

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'209085\' date=\'Feb 28 2009, 01:11 PM\']
Maybe they thought it was redundant. If it is Password Plus, it goes without saying that it is more than Password.
[/quote]
And to think it could've been, "It's Password '79!!!!!!" with little 79s all over the set.

Kevin Prather · « **Reply #4 on:** February 28, 2009, 04:09:44 PM »

[quote name=\'Don Howard\' post=\'209092\' date=\'Feb 28 2009, 11:37 AM\']
[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'209085\' date=\'Feb 28 2009, 01:11 PM\']
Maybe they thought it was redundant. If it is Password Plus, it goes without saying that it is more than Password.
[/quote]
And to think it could've been, "It's Password '79!!!!!!" with little 79s all over the set.
[/quote]
Thank you, Carol Burnette.

Don Howard · « **Reply #5 on:** February 28, 2009, 04:11:12 PM »

[quote name=\'Kevin Prather\' post=\'209111\' date=\'Feb 28 2009, 04:09 PM\']
[quote name=\'Don Howard\' post=\'209092\' date=\'Feb 28 2009, 11:37 AM\']
[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'209085\' date=\'Feb 28 2009, 01:11 PM\']
Maybe they thought it was redundant. If it is Password Plus, it goes without saying that it is more than Password.
[/quote]
And to think it could've been, "It's Password '79!!!!!!" with little 79s all over the set.
[/quote]
Thank you, Carol Burnette.
[/quote]
Never forgave her for that.

rugrats1 · « **Reply #6 on:** February 28, 2009, 09:00:32 PM »

[quote name=\'Don Howard\' post=\'209112\' date=\'Feb 28 2009, 04:11 PM\']
[quote name=\'Kevin Prather\' post=\'209111\' date=\'Feb 28 2009, 04:09 PM\']
[quote name=\'Don Howard\' post=\'209092\' date=\'Feb 28 2009, 11:37 AM\']
And to think it could've been, "It's Password '79!!!!!!" with little 79s all over the set.
[/quote]
Thank you, Carol Burnette.
[/quote]
Never forgave her for that.
[/quote]

Of course, it was during the pilot that Carol Burnett quipped, "It's more than Password, it's Password Plus", leading the producers to change the name.

Good idea -- it would've been a headache if New Years came around and they had to change the entire set, not just the sign.

Kevin Prather · « **Reply #7 on:** February 28, 2009, 09:01:20 PM »

[quote name=\'rugrats1\' post=\'209164\' date=\'Feb 28 2009, 06:00 PM\']
Good idea -- it would've been a headache if New Years came around and they had to change the entire set, not just the sign.
[/quote]
I uh...whoosh.

chris319 · « **Reply #8 on:** February 28, 2009, 09:16:28 PM »

Quote

Of course, it was during the pilot that Carol Burnett quipped, "It's more than Password, it's Password Plus", leading the producers to change the name.

No it wasn't. The pilot was taped the Thursday or Friday before the Monday we debuted. By then Bente's set festooned with "+" signs (and swastikas if you look at them the wrong way) had been built and the title had been printed all over tickets, press releases and TV Guide. The neon sign on the set had been built. By the pilot taping it was too late to change the name of the show.

I can't vouch for the Carol Burnett story. The only run-thru I'm aware of, which was taped before I went to work there, was with Linda Kaye Henning and (IIRC) Richard Paul. I'm not aware of any office run-thrus with Carol Burnett. I can say that the P+ office on the 4th floor at 6430 Sunset faced east and overlooked Vine Street where there was a chain record store called "Music Plus" at 1440 Vine street. That is more likely the inspiration for the "Password Plus" title.

calliaume · « **Reply #9 on:** February 28, 2009, 11:17:02 PM »

[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'209166\' date=\'Feb 28 2009, 10:16 PM\']
I can't vouch for the Carol Burnett story. The only run-thru I'm aware of, which was taped before I went to work there, was with Linda Kaye Henning and (IIRC) Richard Paul. I'm not aware of any office run-thrus with Carol Burnett. I can say that the P+ office on the 4th floor at 6430 Sunset faced east and overlooked Vine Street where there was a chain record store called "Music Plus" at 1440 Vine street. That is more likely the inspiration for the "Password Plus" title.
[/quote]
This might have been something we got from Steve Beverly.

I like the story, but I always questioned, "Isn't Carol Burnett a little too high on the food chain for a run-through of the show?"

SRIV94 · « **Reply #10 on:** February 28, 2009, 11:25:08 PM »

[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'209166\' date=\'Feb 28 2009, 08:16 PM\']

Quote

Of course, it was during the pilot that Carol Burnett quipped, "It's more than Password, it's Password Plus", leading the producers to change the name.

No it wasn't. The pilot was taped the Thursday or Friday before the Monday we debuted. By then Bente's set festooned with "+" signs (and swastikas if you look at them the wrong way) had been built and the title had been printed all over tickets, press releases and TV Guide. The neon sign on the set had been built. By the pilot taping it was too late to change the name of the show.
[/quote]
And to add further fuel to the fire, when Eubanks did the walk-on on the 1/5/79 CS ep to promote ALL-STAR SECRETS, Perry mentioned that "also, PASSWORD PLUS will debut this coming Monday." And the CS episode was taped in late 1978 (probably early December), before the P+ pilot had even been taped.

chris319 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 01, 2009, 03:28:02 AM »

Quote

This might have been something we got from Steve Beverly.

Another instance of "it's on the Internet so it must be true".

Quote

I like the story, but I always questioned, "Isn't Carol Burnett a little too high on the food chain for a run-through of the show?"

Carol is a VERY nice lady and she was pals with Howard Felsher from previous appearances on Password in NY and LA. She would have done it.

whewfan · « **Reply #12 on:** March 01, 2009, 06:53:14 AM »

The intro change could've been an attempt to save a little more time, although granted it wasn't a LOT. Family Feud truncated their intros late in the run, no longer calling out each family member in the intro. Taking that out probably saved... 20 seconds at the most?

As for "Password 79", they probably realized that they'd have to keep changing the title if it lasted more than a year, and that gimmick was done many times with Match Game. I'm not so sure Allen Ludden would've gone along with a "party" to celebrate the year change. During the Stumpers finale, they threw a LOT of confetti, because they were ending in New Years. Ludden quips "I feel like I'm on The Gong Show!"

You could also tell he wasn't keen on some of the leniencies with the clues. Early in the run, "firewoman" was acceptable for "fireman", but thankfully they tightened that up later. Also, the contestant no longer had to give the proper form of a word.

Dbacksfan12 · « **Reply #13 on:** March 01, 2009, 07:18:16 AM »

[quote name=\'calliaume\' post=\'209180\' date=\'Feb 28 2009, 11:17 PM\']This might have been something we got from Steve Beverly.[/quote]Didn't this same anecdote appear in the 3rd volume of the GSE?

chris319 · « **Reply #14 on:** March 01, 2009, 07:33:27 AM »

[quote name=\'Modor\' post=\'209209\' date=\'Mar 1 2009, 04:18 AM\']
[quote name=\'calliaume\' post=\'209180\' date=\'Feb 28 2009, 11:17 PM\']This might have been something we got from Steve Beverly.[/quote]Didn't this same anecdote appear in the 3rd volume of the GSE?[/quote]
If the source is Steve Ryan I would believe it. Remember, I didn't say the incident never happened, I said I can't vouch for it.