1969 $otC question

[kurtinrod62]

Long before Claudia Jordan on TPiR, I seem to recall that there was a black (albeit light-skinned, IIRC) model on the original ''$ale of the Century''. I think her first name was Madeline(Her last name escapes me). Yet she is not mentioned in any of the editions of the EOTVGS. I don't remember if she was on during the Jack Kelly period, but I do know she was on in the Joe Garagiola days, and in the 1973-74 syndie run. Can anyone clarify this?

[Bob Zager]

I don't know what her last name is, but I believe you are absolutely RIGHT!

Matter of fact, she is pictured on the box cover of the first $ale of the Century home game.  The earliest produced copies showed her with a snowmobile, and original host Jack Kelly was pictured from a side view, with glasses and mustache doctored into the picture, to hide his real face.  Later copies replaced that portion of Kelly, and Madeline with pictures of instant bargain items from the home game.

[calliaume]

[quote name=\'kurtinrod62\' date=\'Jan 29 2004, 11:57 AM\'] Long before Claudia Jordan on TPiR, I seem to recall that there was a black (albeit light-skinned, IIRC) model on the original ''$ale of the Century''. I think her first name was Madeline(Her last name escapes me). Yet she is not mentioned in any of the editions of the EOTVGS. I don't remember if she was on during the Jack Kelly period, but I do know she was on in the Joe Garagiola days, and in the 1973-74 syndie run. Can anyone clarify this? [/quote]
 Marlene, I believe.  I've got a picture of her cutting an anniversary cake with Garagiola at home; I'll try to look it up.

Oddly, I don't remember her much from the show -- I'm inclined to think she didn't appear that much.  (It's not as if most of us remember much about the '80s models, either.)

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'calliaume\' date=\'Jan 29 2004, 03:26 PM\'][quote name=\'kurtinrod62\' date=\'Jan 29 2004, 11:57 AM\'] Long before Claudia Jordan on TPiR, I seem to recall that there was a black (albeit light-skinned, IIRC) model on the original ''$ale of the Century''. I think her first name was Madeline(Her last name escapes me). Yet she is not mentioned in any of the editions of the EOTVGS. I don't remember if she was on during the Jack Kelly period, but I do know she was on in the Joe Garagiola days, and in the 1973-74 syndie run. Can anyone clarify this? [/quote]
Marlene, I believe.  I've got a picture of her cutting an anniversary cake with Garagiola at home; I'll try to look it up.

Oddly, I don't remember her much from the show -- I'm inclined to think she didn't appear that much.  (It's not as if most of us remember much about the '80s models, either.)[/quote]
I believe her name was Madelyn Sanders--I recall seeing a cover of Ebony with her on it and identified.

And on the original "$OTC," there was only one model and she appeared only with the Instant Bargains, the Audience Game/Price Tag Special (and occasionally in the Open Sale before that) and at the end, of course.  This was the days when there were five or six Instant Bargains per show (and no Fame Game), so she did get a certain amount of face time, but she wasn't featured the way Sally, Lee or Summer were featured in the 80s version.

Also, although Madelyn seemed to be the most prominent model, they did rotate frequently.

[calliaume]

[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Jan 29 2004, 04:04 PM\'] I believe her name was Madelyn Sanders--I recall seeing a cover of Ebony with her on it and identified.

And on the original "$OTC," there was only one model and she appeared only with the Instant Bargains, the Audience Game/Price Tag Special (and occasionally in the Open Sale before that) and at the end, of course.  This was the days when there were five or six Instant Bargains per show (and no Fame Game), so she did get a certain amount of face time, but she wasn't featured the way Sally, Lee or Summer were featured in the 80s version.

Also, although Madelyn seemed to be the most prominent model, they did rotate frequently. [/quote]
Madeline Sanders.  I was probably confusing her with Marlene Sanders of CBS News.

[davemackey]

I do remember the black woman who was the model from the 80's Sale... her name was Elaine Hobson. She was a very attractive lady and really added to the show, although it was one of the show's other models, Lou Mulford, who got the call to co-host when Summer Bartholomew was not available.

HOWEVER, and this has bothered me for years... I never found out the last name of "Price's" first black model... a lady named Harriet who was part of the show during the 1972-1973 syndicated season... any Price experts (Randy?) have any idea?

[Steve_Bier]

Y'know, I've been wondering if anyone could tell me what the 70's $OTC set looked like, or, had a picture of it. Also, is the theme music available anywhere? Was it any good of a theme?

[Winkfan]

I do remember the black woman who was the model from the 80's Sale... her name was Elaine Hobson. She was a very attractive lady and really added to the show, although it was one of the show's other models, Lou Mulford, who got the call to co-host when Summer Bartholomew was not available.

Another thing: both Lou and Elaine became mothers during their run on the 1980s SotC. In fact, they both brought their children on during the final week.

BTW, was Don Morrow EVER shown on camera on SotC? I don't recall his being shown during the final moments of the last SotC episode.

Cordially,
Tammy Warner--the 'Sherrye Henry of the Big Board!'

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'Steve_Bier\' date=\'Jan 30 2004, 05:14 PM\']Y'know, I've been wondering if anyone could tell me what the 70's $OTC set looked like, or, had a picture of it. Also, is the theme music available anywhere? Was it any good of a theme?[/quote]
The original theme music was OK--it's hard to tell, due to the combination of either talk or applause over it *and* the fact that NBC back then was still putting music cues on tape onto inferior "electrical transcription" discs instead of tape cartridges because they still had to use the musicians' union turntable operators.  (Not to mention that I haven't heard the music in over 30 years.)

Al Howard liked it, though, because he co-wrote it, thereby giving him some extra royalty money (I would venture that he wrote the 90s-present "SS" theme, as well).

The set was a big mutha (supposedly, the only NBC studio in Rockefeller Center that could fit it was 8H, the Toscanini/"SNL" studio).  Two levels, with the front game played on the top level.  Blue with elongated tringles in white frames.  Host's podium stage left, Instant Bargain presentation center (with an "Instant Bargain" sign over the curtain), contestant podiums stage right, with a logo sign over the contestants' heads.  (There was a second Instant Bargain presentation area added to the left of the host podium after Joe Garagiola took over.)  Red podiums with the lock-in lights on top--contestants' names in black plastic magnetic letters, with the totes in that vane-looking (but lights) design.  The champion's carryover bank amount was on a card on his/her podium--before the game started, they would it pivot it out of sight and bring it back up if they won the game.

For the sale, there was a staircase leading down from the front game platform.  When they got there, there was a platform for the champ to stand on and a chandelier lowered from the ceiling.  Next to the staircase was a trilon board like those billboards with more than one message on them--the default was the "$OTC" logo and it turned over to reveal pictures of prizes they couldn't fit in the studio or trips (one of the sides was Chroma-Key blue, IIRC).  Two curtains at stage left and stage right to reveal prizes behind--they tended to use the same backdrops frequently, like all game shows with on-stage prize presentation.  The Audience Game was played in front of the stage right curtain, with the audience contestants sitting behind a table with an "Audience Game" sign on it.  (Quickly, in Audience Game, the audience contestants tried to guess what a sale price was for a prize,  the closest to the ASP without going over won the prize, and the regular contestants guessed who they thought was right for a cash prize, I believe).

When they went to the couples format, the second set was not as big as the original (I guess, since it was never shown in its entirety on camera).  Everybody in the same positions, except the couples were seated similar to "Gambit," with a lockout/tote box in front of them with their last name on it).  Straight blue, with the new "$OTC" logo behind them.  The sale set just seemed to be curtains to reveal the prizes, with no trilon board.

The new theme for the couples format was a rather jagged orchestral piece--the closest piece of music that it was similar to is the Lalo Schifrin "Cool Hand Luke" music that's the famous "Eyewitness News" theme--they both had a similar feel to them.

[ChrisLambert!]

[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Feb 3 2004, 07:52 PM\'] [quote name=\'Steve_Bier\' date=\'Jan 30 2004, 05:14 PM\']Was it any good of a theme?[/quote]
The original theme music was OK--it's hard to tell, due to the combination of either talk or applause over it *and* the fact that NBC back then was still putting music cues on tape onto inferior "electrical transcription" discs instead of tape cartridges because they still had to use the musicians' union turntable operators.  (Not to mention that I haven't heard the music in over 30 years.)
 [/quote]

I've posted a clip of an original $otC opening on my site; it gives an all-too-brief listen to the Kelly-era theme, albeit the theme recorded through a hand-mike onto a reel tape years before I was born. But it's a cool listen nonetheless.