I had the pleasure of reuniting a California couple with their winning appearance on the original "Newlywed" from 1968. (Well, you see, I found this 16mm b&w kinescope on the film collectors' circuit, and I tracked down the couple online, just like a stalker.)
In my correspondence with the Mrs. (who was very grateful for the copy I'd provided), I found out a couple of things about the show I hadn't known. I remember how, at program's end, the announcer would excitedly tell the winning couple about the special prize that was picked especially just for them - that actually led me to believe that there would be a different prize depending on which couple won, and that in turn conjured up images of stagehands frantically wheeling out the big prize to the middle of the backstage area before the curtains opened.
In fact, it was going to be the same special prize no matter who won. Mrs. Contestant told me that before the taping, the couples were given lists of potential prizes, and asked to check off which ones they would like to win. And one thing that everyone agreed on was a pleasure boat, so that's what the prize was. (Mrs. Contestant told me that she and her husband never actually used the boat - they ended up selling it and using the proceeds to put a down payment on their house.)
Another interesting (to me) detail: As the couples were reunited onstage after husband or wife had been asked questions for that round, show staffers would be hovering around them to make sure nobody was trying to whisper answers to each other. Made perfect sense to me.
The episode existed on 16mm because, up until about 1970, ABC would routinely kinescope its electronic programming: newscasts, soap operas - and game shows. (That's why "Dark Shadows" is virtually complete, although some episodes originally in color exist today only in black and white.) Since the kinescope of "Newlywed" was made as the show was being broadcast, it had the dubious fringe benefit of including the original commercials.
Too bad that ABC ended up tossing most of its kinescopes. Then again, I wouldn't have come across that copy if they hadn't. (I assume the original videotape master is sitting in the Sony vaults?)
