Author Topic: Interesting bit of trivia (Read 3500 times)

Twentington · « **on:** August 13, 2011, 12:51:58 AM »

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=i-dIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=rYIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2732,3013046&dq=cynthia-washington+wheel-of-fortune&hl=en

Susan Stafford missed two-and-a-half weeks of Wheel back in 1979 because she was injured in a car accident. Her substitutes were Summer Bartholomew and Cynthia Washington (who was married to 49ers wide receiver Gene Washington).

I knew about Summer filling in because there were once some clips of her episodes on YouTube, but this is the first time I'd ever heard of Cynthia filling in. Apparently she was also part of the rotation of guest hostesses in 1982 after Susan left.

Twentington · « **Reply #1 on:** August 13, 2011, 05:09:13 PM »

And more trivia:

* According to this, the hour-long Wheel actually began 11/3/75.

* Susan also missed four weeks in Fall 1977, but the article doesn't say who filled in. Anyone know?

BrandonFG · « **Reply #2 on:** August 13, 2011, 06:44:38 PM »

I remember reading about an accident either here or on ATGS, but never knew the severity of the injuries.

I had no idea Summer filled in for her at that point, only when Susan left a few years later.

davidhammett · « **Reply #3 on:** August 13, 2011, 07:42:48 PM »

Quote from: Twentington on August 13, 2011, 05:09:13 PM

* According to this, the hour-long Wheel actually began 11/3/75.

As the article states, both WoF and HS expanded to an hour for that special week. However, the following week things were back to normal, with both as 30-minute shows again. WoF then expanded to an hour "permanently" (as permanent as a seven-week run can be) on December 1, 1975.

aaron sica · « **Reply #4 on:** August 14, 2011, 04:55:59 AM »

Quote from: Twentington on August 13, 2011, 05:09:13 PM

And more trivia:

* According to this, the hour-long Wheel actually began 11/3/75.

I find it funny that the word "colorcast" was still being used as late as 1975.

snowpeck · « **Reply #5 on:** August 14, 2011, 07:48:59 AM »

Summer Bartholomew appeared on Wheel as early as January 1977, modeling bridal gowns during a special brides-to-be week. (Grooms-to-be were the contestants on the Friday of that week.)

And according to Variety it was Bartholomew who subbed for Susan in the fall of that year when she had her accident.

Was she actually in the running for Susan's replacement in 1982? If so, having filled in for Susan so many times, she must have felt snubbed when Vanna was chosen over her.

Twentington · « **Reply #6 on:** August 14, 2011, 01:55:16 PM »

Quote from: snowpeck on August 14, 2011, 07:48:59 AM

Was she actually in the running for Susan's replacement in 1982? If so, having filled in for Susan so many times, she must have felt snubbed when Vanna was chosen over her.

Everything I've found says that Summer, Vicki McCarty and Vanna rotated. I count six weeks of episodes between Susan's last and Vanna's first official, so I would bet anything they did two weeks each. It's also been said (but I don't know where) that Arte Johnson showed up at the puzzle board at least once.

Snowpeck — any way you can get the exact date and page # for the Variety article? I'd like to use it as a reference.

WhirlieBird74 · « **Reply #7 on:** August 15, 2011, 10:19:11 PM »

Quote from: Twentington on August 14, 2011, 01:55:16 PM

Everything I've found says that Summer, Vicki McCarty and Vanna rotated. I count six weeks of episodes between Susan's last and Vanna's first official, so I would bet anything they did two weeks each. It's also been said (but I don't know where) that Arte Johnson showed up at the puzzle board at least once.

Snowpeck — any way you can get the exact date and page # for the Variety article? I'd like to use it as a reference.

According to everybody's favorite game show tome, 'The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows - 3rd Edition': Arte Johnson appeared as a 'letter turner' for one game in September 1977 (mainly to plug his then-new game show 'Knockout', which premiered on 10/3/77).

Twentington · « **Reply #8 on:** August 15, 2011, 11:50:31 PM »

Quote from: WhirlieBird74 on August 15, 2011, 10:19:11 PM

According to everybody's favorite game show tome, 'The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows - 3rd Edition': Arte Johnson appeared as a 'letter turner' for one game in September 1977 (mainly to plug his then-new game show 'Knockout', which premiered on 10/3/77).

Which would probably put him somewhere in the middle of the four weeks that Susan missed because of her back injury.

snowpeck · « **Reply #9 on:** August 16, 2011, 09:10:39 PM »

Quote from: Twentington on August 14, 2011, 01:55:16 PM

Quote from: snowpeck on August 14, 2011, 07:48:59 AM
Was she actually in the running for Susan's replacement in 1982? If so, having filled in for Susan so many times, she must have felt snubbed when Vanna was chosen over her.

Everything I've found says that Summer, Vicki McCarty and Vanna rotated. I count six weeks of episodes between Susan's last and Vanna's first official, so I would bet anything they did two weeks each. It's also been said (but I don't know where) that Arte Johnson showed up at the puzzle board at least once.

Snowpeck — any way you can get the exact date and page # for the Variety article? I'd like to use it as a reference.

If you had gone to the link I included, you would have seen that the date was 9/7/77, page 80. (Weekly Variety, as opposed to the daily version.)

Twentington · « **Reply #10 on:** August 17, 2011, 06:48:09 PM »

Quote from: snowpeck on August 16, 2011, 09:10:39 PM

If you had gone to the link I included, you would have seen that the date was 9/7/77, page 80. (Weekly Variety, as opposed to the daily version.)

My bad. The "please register" screen was coming up right away, and I couldn't see that the date was still there under the big honking blue thing blocking out the article. (Now can someone get the article title and author, if there is one? Or tell me where it's hiding in plain sight again?

)