The Joker's Wild and Joe Dunn

[PYLdude]

I request assistance regarding this topic (the search function proved particularly unhelpful).

Joe Dunn's to my knowledge the only Joker's Wild contestant to be retired as champion on the syndicated series. All the info I found says the samething-$66,200, of which an overage of $16,200 was donated to UCP, for sixteen victories.

What I'm not clear on are these:

-did anybody else fall under this rule between then and 1986
-is there an episode guide for TJW like there is for other shows
-if not, does anybody know exactly when his last episode (where Jack brought him out for one last hurrah) aired

[Ian Wallis]

I remember when Joker's Wild was first syndicated in 1977, Jack Barry said on an early episode something like "...we're no longer bound by a network's limits...if you can win $100,000, go ahead and win it..."

In the early '80s the CBS O&Os bought the show, and all of a sudden the show was bound by CBS's winning limit, which at that time was $50,000.  I remember seeing this episode when it first aired and being surprised, because I thought the "$100,000" statement still prevailed.  Joe Dunn's last episode aired around March 1983.

Good thing Tic Tac Dough wasn't on the CBS O&Os when Thom McKee was on!

[TLEberle]

I remember when Joker's Wild was first syndicated in 1977, Jack Barry said on an early episode something like "...we're no longer bound by a network's limits...if you can win $100,000, go ahead and win it..."

In the early '80s the CBS O&Os bought the show, and all of a sudden the show was bound by CBS's winning limit, which at that time was $50,000.  I remember seeing this episode when it first aired and being surprised, because I thought the "$100,000" statement still prevailed.  Joe Dunn's last episode aired around March 1983.

Good thing Tic Tac Dough wasn't on the CBS O&Os when Thom McKee was on!

Interestingly that seemed to not apply to the Tournament of Champions prizes, I wonder if the swap to O&O meant the kibosh on huge jackpot tournaments. In 1979 Eileen Jason rolled up $55,080 in cash-unt-stuff, she won at least thirteen times but fewer than sixteen.

[PYLdude]

The limit IIRC was still 25...it took some cajoling by Barry to let Joe keep fifty.

[PYLdude]

I remember when Joker's Wild was first syndicated in 1977, Jack Barry said on an early episode something like "...we're no longer bound by a network's limits...if you can win $100,000, go ahead and win it..."

In the early '80s the CBS O&Os bought the show, and all of a sudden the show was bound by CBS's winning limit, which at that time was $50,000.  I remember seeing this episode when it first aired and being surprised, because I thought the "$100,000" statement still prevailed.  Joe Dunn's last episode aired around March 1983.

Good thing Tic Tac Dough wasn't on the CBS O&Os when Thom McKee was on!

Interestingly that seemed to not apply to the Tournament of Champions prizes, I wonder if the swap to O&O meant the kibosh on huge jackpot tournaments. In 1979 Eileen Jason rolled up $55,080 in cash-unt-stuff, she won at least thirteen times but fewer than sixteen.

Wasn't Hal Shear the record holder for consecutive wins prior to Joe?

[TLEberle]

Wasn't Hal Shear the record holder for consecutive wins prior to Joe?

I don't think so; I recall Jack making mention of Eileen being solidly second ahead of Hal's total but behind Mark Gluckman's win total. Some of her wins are up on the YT.

Thing I noticed: it certainly was harder to roll up a long streak on Joker than Tic Tac but the long running champions did themselves favors by sniping their opponent's wrong answers and not giving up any of their own.

[BillCullen1]

Frank Dillon was also a big winner on TJW. He was in the TOC. I don't remember what year, but it was during the syndie years. IIRC, I think Jack Barry even offered him a job with B&E when his reign ended.

[BrandonFG]

Frank Dillon was also a big winner on TJW. He was in the TOC. I don't remember what year, but it was during the syndie years. IIRC, I think Jack Barry even offered him a job with B&E when his reign ended.

Season 2 (1978-79), I believe.

[PYLdude]

Did anybody catch where Joe was from? I thought I heard Pennsylvania but apparently not.

[TimK2003]

Frank Dillon was also a big winner on TJW. He was in the TOC. I don't remember what year, but it was during the syndie years. IIRC, I think Jack Barry even offered him a job with B&E when his reign ended.

Season 2 (1978-79), I believe.

Clevelander Frank Dillon, IIRC appeared on two ToCs.  After winning the second one he publicly stated that he would not participate in any future tourneys.  In the years following, he had a weekly trivia/quiz column in The Plain Dealer's TV Guide which lasted for many years.

[TLEberle]

Clevelander Frank Dillon, IIRC appeared on two ToCs.  After winning the second one he publicly stated that he would not participate in any future tourneys. 

He won the first for $50k, the second for $100k, and was defeated by Eileen for $250k.

[Ian Wallis]

Thinking about this some more, I'm surprised that Barry-Enright let it go so long before enforcing the rule.  Joe still played several additional games once he passed $50,000 to get to the $66,000 total.  You'd think if B-E were concerned about any winning limits they would have checked earlier.  It just seemed like an odd time to do it, when he's so far passed the supposed limit.

[parliboy]

Worst case scenario, Joe would have rejected enough prizes to get him down to the $50,000 level of winnings.  Getting up to $66,000 include a third car as well as several additional thousand dollars in cash, which I bet he got more value out of than "yet another billiard table".