Most Impressive Set Piece Created

[gsfreak82]

The Joker's Wild neon set from 1981 to 1985 because that was the first colorful and technical set I remember as a kid and a very close second would be the entire Press Your Luck set not just the board but also contestant island.

[Phil V]

I'd have to go with my favorite Nickelodeon show and say the Hidden Temple.  Twelve rooms each with lighting, set pieces, etc., plus twenty some odd doors that liked to malfunction every once in a while.  It was so cool at the age of seven, and, I'm sure, a tough set piece to keep working.

[pacdude]

As much as I love the PYL board and its intricate electronics, I think that the 1 vs. 100 Mob Wall thing is truly awe-inspiring. That thing's effing huge.

[tpirfan28]

Fun topic.  Lots of good responses throughout.

Tough to pick just one single set piece since there are so many that fit the category.  I've got it down to three: the first two Jeopardy sets (with the television monitors), the 80s Pyramid winner's circle board, and MG/HS wall.

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'pacdude\' post=\'243795\' date=\'Jul 7 2010, 09:27 AM\']As much as I love the PYL board and its intricate electronics, I think that the 1 vs. 100 Mob Wall thing is truly awe-inspiring. That thing's effing huge.[/quote]
If I had to make a second pick, I would go with the Winning Lines wall of 49. When I first saw the wall alone, my jaw dropped.

The more I think about it, the more I might have to reconsider my choice...

[tvrandywest]

[quote name=\'tpirfan28\' post=\'243796\' date=\'Jul 7 2010, 07:10 AM\']Fun topic.  Lots of good responses throughout.[/quote]

Agree! Random thoughts:

The NBC Hollywood Squares set looked magnificent when dressed and lit, with the circular staircases in place. But it spent more time in the hallway, usually about halfway between studios 1/3 and 2/4 where it was instantly identifiable but seemed smaller and far less magnificent. I remember being suprised to see so many built in lighting fixtures - three per square. At first sight it didn't seem as though the squares were big enough to hold people... indeed they weren't unless they were seated quite low.

The most memorable thing about the PYL board was its incredible noise level when standing near it. With a few dozen slide projectors and an equal number of moving mechanical shutters clicking and cycling, I was amazed that all that noise never made it more prominently into the audio mix.

I loved the Supermarket Sweep markets at KTLA, then Santa Clarita Studios and finally at NBC. In order to shoot the 360 degree angles, it was a total immersion experience. The work on some of the food props that weren't real food was quite some handiwork. Talking with Ed Flesh on that set was memorable, and at the end of the seasons the giant wedges of cheese were damned delicious - my neighbors still remember the wine and cheese party I threw after I realized my refrigerator couldn't easily accommodate more than a couple of those cheese hunks.

I was amazed by the engineering of the "Price" set pieces with the giant electrical capacitor-rheostat-motor thingies, extensive hand wiring, and the endless grafitti on the operator side of things.

The memory of all-time is the giant mechanical Concentration board at NBC-NY... click, clunk, blip, ka-cham... and watching the stage hand dial, click and flip the knobs on that home-brew controller.

Just random thoughts...

Randy
tvrandywest.com

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' post=\'243802\' date=\'Jul 7 2010, 12:38 PM\']I loved the Supermarket Sweep markets at KTLA, then Santa Clarita Studios and finally at NBC. In order to shoot the 360 degree angles, it was a total immersion experience. The work on some of the food props that weren't real food was quite some handiwork.[/quote]
Randy was kind enough to arrange a visit to the Supermarket Sweep set at NBC during one of my visits, and while it may not be as flashy or awe-inspiring as a giant pinball machine or a human-sized tic-tac-toe board, I have to say it was probably the most impressive game show set I've seen in person, for the reasons he mentioned. From almost any angle, you felt like you were inside a real supermarket.  Even up close, a lot of the props looked real, and it wasn't until you picked one up that you realized it was hollow.

[Ian Wallis]

The most memorable thing about the PYL board was its incredible noise level when standing near it. With a few dozen slide projectors and an equal number of moving mechanical shutters clicking and cycling, I was amazed that all that noise never made it more prominently into the audio mix.

I'm not sure if this was ever mentioned anywhere but how tall was the Big Board?  Just from seeing it on TV I'd guess about 15 feet?  How far were the contestants from the Big Board? (again, just seeing it on TV it's hard to figure out).  

I'm sure the sound effects they used for the spinning probably drowned out a lot of the sound coming from the board.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' post=\'243809\' date=\'Jul 7 2010, 11:21 AM\']I'm not sure if this was ever mentioned anywhere but how tall was the Big Board?  Just from seeing it on TV I'd guess about 15 feet?  How far were the contestants from the Big Board? (again, just seeing it on TV it's hard to figure out).[/quote]
Damn sight taller than that, isn't it? I remember a couple of occasions where Peter approached the board for some schtick or another, and I remember it dwarfing him.

[Jeremy Nelson]

The most memorable thing about the PYL board was its incredible noise level when standing near it. With a few dozen slide projectors and an equal number of moving mechanical shutters clicking and cycling, I was amazed that all that noise never made it more prominently into the audio mix.

Wow....I never really thought about that. Well, you learn something new everyday!

[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' post=\'243809\' date=\'Jul 7 2010, 01:21 PM\']I'm not sure if this was ever mentioned anywhere but how tall was the Big Board?  Just from seeing it on TV I'd guess about 15 feet?  How far were the contestants from the Big Board? (again, just seeing it on TV it's hard to figure out).[/quote]
Well, I remember one gag where Peter went up to the gameboard and a whammy "spat out" a piece of clothing that belonged to the Sound effects guy through the lower black piece between the  "your" and "luck" in the logo (clip?). IIRC, the top of Peter's head didn't even reach the "YOUR" in the logo, so I imagine it's gotta be around 20 feet. I'm thinking it's about 20 feet between the contestants and the board when the island is in "big board" mode, too.

[tvmitch]

One thing that I always thought was an impressive set piece was only used for about a week - that massive Alphabetics board on P+ that was lowered from the ceiling in the first few episodes. I'm sure it was the best in the business who worked that show, but you would have never found me within 20 feet of that thing.

Not to sound like an international elitist here, but the entire set from Een Tegen 100 in the Netherlands wins top spot for me. The rising chair, the massive tiered area where the 100 sit, it's all great stuff.

The large single-number display that was on the 1981 "21" pilot, then found new life on BtB85, was also neat set piece.

[TheInquisitiveOne]

Hello strangers!

I have to go off the board and pick one of my faves...$ale of the Century with Jim Perry.

While it holds a candle to the other entries in this thread, I liked how they used a turntable for sideshows (i.e. the Instant Bargains) and then devoted another entire studio for whatever bonus round was around at the time. The "rainbow buzzer" era was cheesy, but when the set designers went all gold, I was mesmerized by what I saw. I kinda still am.

Not the best set EVAR, but it was definitely one of my favorite sights to behold - especially when the camera zoomed out to a wide shot of the darkened main stage and the lighted bonus round area in the show's early years.

The Inquisitive One

[Chief-O]

[quote name=\'TheInquisitiveOne\' post=\'243826\' date=\'Jul 7 2010, 07:47 PM\']I have to go off the board and pick one of my faves...$ale of the Century with Jim Perry.

While it holds a candle to the other entries in this thread, I liked how they used a turntable for sideshows (i.e. the Instant Bargains) and then devoted another entire studio for whatever bonus round was around at the time.[/quote]

..........Am I missing something here? I'd think the studio would be large enough to accomodate the bonus round set as well. Perhaps they taped without an audience, thus allowing them to fit everything in one studio rather easily.....

Herr Ottinger, you were there once upon a time----could you please confirm/deny this?

[Jeremy Nelson]

[quote name=\'Chief-O\' post=\'243829\' date=\'Jul 7 2010, 08:17 PM\'][quote name=\'TheInquisitiveOne\' post=\'243826\' date=\'Jul 7 2010, 07:47 PM\']I have to go off the board and pick one of my faves...$ale of the Century with Jim Perry.

While it holds a candle to the other entries in this thread, I liked how they used a turntable for sideshows (i.e. the Instant Bargains) and then devoted another entire studio for whatever bonus round was around at the time.[/quote]

..........Am I missing something here? I'd think the studio would be large enough to accomodate the bonus round set as well. Perhaps they taped without an audience, thus allowing them to fit everything in one studio rather easily.....

Herr Ottinger, you were there once upon a time----could you please confirm/deny this?
[/quote]
I'm not Matt, but I can say this: the main game stage looks small enough where they could very easily fit a whole "Shopping Center/Bonus Round" behind it, and not have space problems. I'll wait for the star of Words Have Meanings give the final verdict.

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'TheInquisitiveOne\' post=\'243826\' date=\'Jul 7 2010, 08:47 PM\']While it holds a candle to the other entries in this thread, I liked how they used a turntable for sideshows (i.e. the Instant Bargains) and then devoted another entire studio for whatever bonus round was around at the time.[/quote]
I'm not following you. Anytime they went to the bonus game, the doors at center stage simply opened all the way. Even during the Big Money Board, you could see the setups for some of the smaller prizes.