[quote name=\'joker316\' post=\'256630\' date=\'Feb 7 2011, 08:54 PM\']Mr Blumenthal, please allow me to add my thanks for the many wonderful hours of entertainment and memories from Concentration, both playing along and watching. My mom credits Concentration (and Password) for helping teach me reading skills at a very early age. In fact my parents gave me a Concentration home game for Christmas in 1967 (it was the New Ninth Edition) Since then I have aquired all but two editions in my collection, along with the first two puzzle books and your 1975 book on game shows.
Many of my fellow board members have asked most of the good questions, and I do appreciate the answers. I do have a couple more:
1. Did NBC sort of "force" you to have Ed McMahon host the show for the few months in '69, or was he really considered for a long term run as Hugh Downs' replacement?
2. Was there ever a consideration from NBC to move Concentration to a different time slot, after CBS's game show juggernaut trio debuted in '72? Or was it "Sink or swim gang, you're on your own"?
3. Once a year there was a "Concentration Contest" where the number of matches in regular play were tallied on a scoreboard over the big board. I was wondering if you could elaborate, was it part of the Tournament of Champions or another event altogether?
4. Lastly, when you devised the puzzles, did you use a grid similar to the puzzle board so certain "puzzle parts" appeared on the board in specific spots; or was it just "luck of the draw" (no pun intended) Also did prize placement on the board play a part in layout of the puzzle?
Once again sir, thank you for all your contributions to game shows, and welcome to the board![/quote]
Hi Joker -- As I promised, hrere are my responses to your questions:
1. When Hugh Downs left the show, I chose Bob Clayton to take over. As in the past, the ratings remained strong whenever he did the show. As good as they were, network brass insisted I put Ed McMahon in the starring role . As they put it, "For MARQUEE value! We argued, but they won. --- (All this is explained in greater detail my new book)--- After a while, as I expected, when the ratings sunk, I was called on the carpet. I was too respectful, to say, "I told you so.." We were taped far ahead, so I stopped additional taping and took an extended vacation -- you could say, I actually quit. About a week later, I received a long distance call from NBC, saying, "All is forgiven, come back home, reinstate Clayton and remove Ed.
2. Throughout our time on NBC, we appeared in every half hour morning slot, and prime time spots as well. This too is explained in the book. We persistently beat anything CBS put against us -- even "The Price is Right," and even reruns of "I Love Lucy." No one had done that before. But, the time you mention was different, we were beaten out by a low-rated sitcom from the previous season, Switching time periods wasn't working any more -- but new network programmers were, and they tried to beat the oposition with programming they could brag about as being their shows -- we left and after a while, so did "their" shows. CBS shows were just better.
3. Sorry, we never had a contest like that, We did similar things. Example, for our 5th birthday show, we tried to find all the kids in America who shared that brithday. Census Bureau give us a rough estimate. We were as shocked as they were, we heard from about 74% -- almost an impossible audience response. From a gigantic metal-bound box (almost the size of a small freight train car-- we selected 30 winners and presented those youngsters with the prize hidden in one of the game board squares. By, the way, as strong as we built that giant container, the floor of that box caved in, and cars and letters flew all over the studio floor.
4. I printed up a grid lined "plot sheet" for each puzzle. When I drew in the puzzle, I was very carefull with the placement of each element. Best example would be the number 16. In box 1, at the very bottom and right edge I put the numeral 1. With out next numbers revealed, it could be an L, a D, etc. in box 2, the top half of the 6, could be the top of a C. etc, Same thing with parts of picures. By revealing parts of them they could look like other things. This was all carefully planned. Same thing with the placement of prizes. Expensive prizes, forfeits and wild cards, that came up early in each game, revealed very little in the way of clues, etc. I had to do things like that to sustain a longer contest and more playing time to rack up prizes. Whew! That was a lot of explanation. I'm exhausted, and I refrained from going further with the answers to your questions. That's why I wrote the book.
