When Password was cancelled on ABC, did G-T immediately try to rework or retool Password and shop it to over NBC or CBS? I know it debuted a few years later on NBC but was CBS ever considered as a possible network to show it on.
Also how did the "Password Puzzle" and "Alphabetics" format come about? Did G-T have another format in place before the finished product that we saw on television?
Finally, what was the cause of the cancellation of Password Plus back in 1982, all for it to come back just two years later with a new name, host, music, etc. and then placed at a death slot of 12 noon and last for 5 years???
Goodson must have really loved this show and wanted it to work. Was this a personal favorite of his?
Very good questions. Unfortunately I do not know the answers, but I can attempt to provide some educational speculation to answer them.
My guess about G&T immediately trying to rework or retool Password is "no". It seems they monkeyed around with the format quite a bit, between having an elimination game, and a somewhat complex bonus game. Not sure, but I would well imagine since NBC & CBS were the only other 2 major networks at the time, that G&T definitely considered trying to "shop around" to find a new network.
My guess is the Password Puzzle came about so that the audience at home could play along more. One of the "flaws" of Password was you always saw and/or heard what the password was, and while it made for some very amusing television watching, for me the viewer, something is always taken away for me at least when I watch a show like this or Pyramid, where I already know the answer ahead of time. And while one could cover up the bottom of the screen with cardboard or something, it somehow takes away from being able to watch the show without having to do anything extra. Alphabetics was simply an extension of the old "Lightning Round" utilized on the original "Password", played for much bigger stakes, and the added benefit of knowing the first letter of each word.
The cancellation of "Plus" back in 1982 was most likely due to low ratings, coupled with the fact that Allen Ludden had died. Both Bill Cullen and Tom Kennedy were sensational substitute hosts. I know Bill pinch hit for Allen when he was ill, and Tom took over when Allen became ill again and then died. Much as I loved this game, I always felt a sadness when Kennedy was hosting, because I knew this meant Allen was ill, dying and/or already deceased. Whether Allen's death contributed in any way, shape or form to low ratings is anybody's guess.
Super Password debuted in 1984, and as far as I can recall, was always on at noon Eastern Standard Time. It seems the mid 80s was the beginning of the end of the daytime game show genre, and it more or less died out around 1990 or so. I would assume back in 1984, there were still a decent number of people (e.g. housewives) that were home to watch game shows and soaps, since daytime lineups contained many more gameshows and soap operas in 1984 vs. today. Also, noon wasn't always a "death slot" for game shows. Jeopardy! thrived for a very long time when it was on at noon. Only when its time slot was changed did it begin to mess things up. Convy was an amusing host and the show had a decent run, from Sept. 1984 - March 1989, but it was never quite the same as Password Plus when Allen was on. The Super Password set always seemed so "empty" and had a temporary feel to it, much like Donny Osmond's "Pyramid" did to me, though the Super Password set was much warmer and brighter than Donnymid's.
I imagine too part of the reason Password fizzled out is after almost 30 years being on the air (1961 - 1989), just about every feasible word was played several times. I was, and still am, very surprised that it did not have any kind of re-incarnation during the 1990s. The Million Dollar Password game was very bland to watch, and not enjoyable. It was far too fast-paced the entire time. All other versions of Password had a combination of slow and fast. M.D.P. reminded me too much of Pyramid.
I believe a 1990s version of Password could have worked, and I always fancied Bob Goen to be an excellent choice to emcee this game.
As a side note, and you may already know this, the original name for "Password Plus" was to be "Password '79", similar to how Match Game tacked on the last 2 digits of the year. Supposedly Carol Burnett inspired the name of the show, with the addition of the puzzle and she said "This is Password, plus!" I'm not sure if that was the case, and if so how it was the case. I wonder if she was part of a pilot episode or something and that's how this came about, because when the first episodes aired in January 1979, it was already called "Password Plus".
