Sale of the Century (1983-1989 version)

[Vahan_Nisanian]

I came across a few statements made by former Reg Grundy Productions Inc. staff member Mitt Dawson about the episode status of the 1983-1989 version, and I was wondering what are your thoughts on them.

When I asked him about the quality of the clips, and if they came from the original master tapes, this was what he said:

Thanks! No, this did not come from the masters. There are rumors that Freemantle still has the syndicated series sub-masters. We, as in Reg Grundy Productions, did not save the NBC series masters until the last 6 months of taping, when the WBMG was in place. With that said, there was, at the time of my departure in 1997, an archive of Beta viewing/reference tapes in the office of EVERY episode, both network and syndicated, that may have survived, but I seriously doubt it.

Also this quote from a Golden-Road user:

Another reason for just using those episodes: I asked Mitt Dawson (member of the production staff) via a YouTube PM what episodes exist, and he says that they kept only the syndicated series and the last season ("the last six months" in his words).

My thoughts: This doesn't make any sense at all. Why would Reg Grundy Productions Inc. keep every single episode of its sister show Scrabble (based on the fact that USA aired almost every single year of the show, except for 1990 and 1993), but not every single episode (daytime and syndicated) of the 1983-1989 version of Sale of the Century? And both shows just so happen to have aired on NBC at the same time!

[Ian Wallis]

I have a hard time believing that the '80s Sale doesn't exist.  By the early '80s the networks had stopped their practice of reusing tapes, and USA reran several years worth of it in the '90s.

[rebelwrest]

I have a hard time believing that the '80s Sale doesn't exist.  By the early '80s the networks had stopped their practice of reusing tapes, and USA reran several years worth of it in the '90s.

I thought USA showed only the syndicated episodes and the last six months of the Daytime series.

[PYLdude]

I have a hard time believing that the '80s Sale doesn't exist.  By the early '80s the networks had stopped their practice of reusing tapes, and USA reran several years worth of it in the '90s.

I thought USA showed only the syndicated episodes and the last six months of the Daytime series.

They showed quite a bit of Winners' Board episodes from the daytime series so I don't buy that one bit.

[DJDustman]

I have a hard time believing that the '80s Sale doesn't exist.  By the early '80s the networks had stopped their practice of reusing tapes, and USA reran several years worth of it in the '90s.

I thought USA showed only the syndicated episodes and the last six months of the Daytime series.

They showed quite a bit of Winners' Board episodes from the daytime series so I don't buy that one bit.

Yeah it was the whole syndicated run and the last six months of daytime. The syndicated run did incorporate the Winner's Board halfway into the show's run.

[PYLdude]

I have a hard time believing that the '80s Sale doesn't exist.  By the early '80s the networks had stopped their practice of reusing tapes, and USA reran several years worth of it in the '90s.

I thought USA showed only the syndicated episodes and the last six months of the Daytime series.

They showed quite a bit of Winners' Board episodes from the daytime series so I don't buy that one bit.

Yeah it was the whole syndicated run and the last six months of daytime. The syndicated run did incorporate the Winner's Board halfway into the show's run.

That can't be right, because I know I've seen at least a few daytime Winners' board episodes.

[DJDustman]

I have a hard time believing that the '80s Sale doesn't exist.  By the early '80s the networks had stopped their practice of reusing tapes, and USA reran several years worth of it in the '90s.

I thought USA showed only the syndicated episodes and the last six months of the Daytime series.

They showed quite a bit of Winners' Board episodes from the daytime series so I don't buy that one bit.

Yeah it was the whole syndicated run and the last six months of daytime. The syndicated run did incorporate the Winner's Board halfway into the show's run.

That can't be right, because I know I've seen at least a few daytime Winners' board episodes.

To each his own. But one thing you can tell from a Daytime to a Syndicated episode is that the questions are very general. Rather than on the Daytime show where the question tend to tie in to the current events, the syndicated show asked a lot of general knowledge question. Also the models are different from the Daytime to Syndicated shows. You did see the Daytime show, but only the last six months of the Winner's Big Money Game.

[PYLdude]

I gotta call the proof or not real card.

[aaron sica]

I heard from my bowling buddy that all but the late 1988/early 1989 episodes exist - those shows were *marked* $OTC, but instead it was episodes of "The Morton Downey Jr. Show" because no one realized how bad of an influence he was.

[Jimmy Owen]

I heard from my bowling buddy that all but the late 1988/early 1989 episodes exist - those shows were *marked* $OTC, but instead it was episodes of "The Morton Downey Jr. Show" because no one realized how bad of an influence he was.

When I first heard about the Morton Downey Jr. show, I originally thought it might be a Mike Douglas-type of show, knowing Morton Downey Sr.'s reputation as a mild-mannered Irish song-singer.  Jr. didn't follow in dad's footsteps much.

[chrisholland03]

I prefer Downy fabric softener.  Much less static and smells better.

[Don Howard]

I gotta call the proof or not real card.

Since you're the one insisting those shows ran, Peewee, the burden of proof falls upon you.

I prefer Downy fabric softener.  Much less static and smells better.

As usual, off-topic and irrelevant.

[BrandonFG]

I do remember hearing that as well and from what I remember, that certainly lines up. I only recall two or three seasons: 1985 (with a few bank eps.), 1985-86 with the Winner's Board, and 1988-89 with the Winner's Big Money Game.

[SRIV94]

As usual, off-topic and irrelevant.

But funny.

[TLEberle]

As usual, off-topic and irrelevant.

Interesting words coming from you, there.