Syndicated era What's My Line question

[Vahan_Nisanian]

Here is the production slate for an episode from the 7th week; recorded on August 20, 1968. Anyone here know what #0076-0073 means?

[Matt Ottinger]

Let's make some guesses.

It doesn't take a very close look at the slate to see that the 0076 number is unaltered, and the "7" and "3" seem to be the ones that change.  If you say this is from the seventh week, then a logical idea would be that the "7" represents the tape week and the "3" would mean the Wednesday show.

Of course that doesn't explain why the 0076 number is there at all.

[snowpeck]

Of course that doesn't explain why the 0076 number is there at all.

Some sort of in-house number at CBS to identify the series is the only thing I can think of.

[Vahan_Nisanian]

What's a network in-house number?

[thomas_meighan]

We'd probably need to see other WML? slates to be able to deduce the significance of 0076. The only other G-T slate I've seen from 1968 is for an episode of To Tell the Truth, #1545 with no further digits (starts at 2:12).


Production on the syndicated series began July 9, 1968 and August 20 does indeed look to be the 7th taping session:
http://markgoodson.wikia.com/wiki/What's_My_Line%3F_(1968)/Episode_Guide

Not related to the episode numbering scheme, but looking closely at the blue area behind the panel and host/contestant desk, I see that it's "textured" and doesn't *seem* to be just backlighting. Makes me wonder if they reused it from the CBS series.

[BrandonFG]

What's a network in-house number?

Sounds like CBS (or the other networks) may have had their own system for numbering episodes.

[snowpeck]

We'd probably need to see other WML? slates to be able to deduce the significance of 0076.

I have another episode on tape somewhere with a slate that's numbered 0076-1025. I don't know how much help that is though.

[NickintheATL]

We'd probably need to see other WML? slates to be able to deduce the significance of 0076.

I have another episode on tape somewhere with a slate that's numbered 0076-1025. I don't know how much help that is though.

The 0076 is probably a production number that is used to keep track of stuff on the entire, overall production. The episode numbers are just like the numbering system they would use on daytime Price is Right, with the three digit week counter and the 1-5 number on the end.

[Vahan_Nisanian]

On the subject of the original WML:

Given that the 1959-1967 episodes were recorded on Two Inch Videotape (Color Two Inch Videotape was what the show used from 1966-1967), it would be interesting if any production slates exist on the surviving kinescopes of those particular episodes.

[Steve Gavazzi]

I'm probably going to regret asking this, but how does the recording medium make the slates for the 1959-1967 episodes any more or less interesting than the ones for the 1950-1958 episodes?

[snowpeck]

On the subject of the original WML:

Given that the 1959-1967 episodes were recorded on Two Inch Videotape (Color Two Inch Videotape was what the show used from 1966-1967), it would be interesting if any production slates exist on the surviving kinescopes of those particular episodes.

Slates in the traditional sense would not exist on kinescopes as they were typically recordings of the live network feed. And I don't know that the live shows were recorded on tape in the first place, let alone that the ones that were, were later wiped. West coast operations may have recorded the live feed to replay later that night, but like the kinescopes, that would have been a recording of the live network feed and probably wouldn't include a slate.

[JasonA1]

And any time I've seen a Daly What's My Line "master" (i.e. the unedited kinescope) it was always labeled/slated by its date of live transmission. Same for any of those shows of the era. (What's Going On, IGAS, etc.)

-Jason

[jjman920]

I'm probably going to regret asking this, but how does the recording medium make the slates for the 1959-1967 episodes any more or less interesting than the ones for the 1950-1958 episodes?

My guess is that there were no slates on episodes from 1950-58 and if there were we would never ever see them as the episodes from 1950-58 were all broadcast live and only recorded on kinescope from broadcast.

[Vahan_Nisanian]

1959 was when the show began doing pre-taped episodes, while continuing to do live episodes.

After doing two pre-taped episodes in July of that year, host John Daly returned from vacation, and brought up something about how the invention of videotape has helped him never miss hosting an episode of the show again.

[jimmo]

And any time I've seen a Daly What's My Line "master" (i.e. the unedited kinescope) it was always labeled/slated by its date of live transmission. Same for any of those shows of the era. (What's Going On, IGAS, etc.)

-Jason

How would one even see a game show episode with a production slate, except perhaps at an academic institution such as the Paley Center or UCLA Radio & TV Library?

I thought all episodes of game shows in circulation are simply ones recoded off-air from GSN. Where may one obtain game show episodes with production slates included?

Thank you.

Jim