The most 60s/70s/80s etc. game show themes

[chris319]

A quintessentially game-show theme was used for the short-lived summer summer replacement series The Face is Familiar.

[chrisholland03]

I still maintain that the intro to Quiz Kids Challenge is the most early-'90s thing that's ever early-'90sed (as well as a relic of an era when TV producers were utterly unconcerned with inducing seizures in viewers):

Not specifically the theme, but was showing a younger colleague an episode of '93 Scrabble and he immediately said at the intro - "this is so 1990s".  I couldn't argue.  We did love throwing words on the screen back in the early 90s. 

[clemon79]

Not specifically the theme, but was showing a younger colleague an episode of '93 Scrabble and he immediately said at the intro - "this is so 1990s".  I couldn't argue.  We did love throwing words on the screen back in the early 90s.

God, that chintzy-assed set tho.

[Jeremy Nelson]

Many game show themes, especially from the latter half of the 60s and on, were very similar in nature to some of the top tunes of the time. 

For example, Bullseye's theme had a "Copacabana" vibe to it; Body Language had a Michael Jackson "Wanna Be Startin Somethin" vibe, and so on.  There was even a thread devoted to these similarities with multiple examples several years back.   

This got me thinking a couple years back after seeing the Elvis biopic- the brassy Dah-Dah DAAAAAAH horns in the Family Feud theme seemed like a nod to Elvis’ Vegas show intros.

https://youtu.be/17KcZMVVjbA?si=vKQgtThQqjGeB44T

[chrisholland03]

Not specifically the theme, but was showing a younger colleague an episode of '93 Scrabble and he immediately said at the intro - "this is so 1990s".  I couldn't argue.  We did love throwing words on the screen back in the early 90s.

God, that chintzy-assed set tho.

I get the style they were going for (also very early 90s), but it felt like they really scaled the size of the set pieces down as compared to the original run.  That could have been resolved visually with tighter camera shots.  It felt like they tried to use the same camera blocking as the 80s version and it...emphasized the empty space and lack of visual interest. 

[TimK2003]

I get the style they were going for (also very early 90s), but it felt like they really scaled the size of the set pieces down as compared to the original run.  That could have been resolved visually with tighter camera shots.  It felt like they tried to use the same camera blocking as the 80s version and it...emphasized the empty space and lack of visual interest.

Like going from an NBC set to a GSN set?

[Clay Zambo]

God, that chintzy-assed set tho.

If we'd never seen the original, tho...

[clemon79]

I get the style they were going for (also very early 90s), but it felt like they really scaled the size of the set pieces down as compared to the original run.  That could have been resolved visually with tighter camera shots.  It felt like they tried to use the same camera blocking as the 80s version and it...emphasized the empty space and lack of visual interest.

It was pretty obvious that Grundy's was producing that and Scattergories on an absolute shoestring. The Scattergories set looked like it was crammed in a broom closet what with all of those people and monitors and so forth on set. (Really the very concept of "We've got celebrities!....on tape." kinda set that mood.) The game is of course the thing, but the massively slashed jackpots were very noticeable. (Scrabble of course had only been gone for three years so those alterations were pretty fresh, but a jackpot starting at $3,000 divided between four people was just bad.)

[clemon79]

If we'd never seen the original, tho...

True, but the problem is, a lot of us had only three years before.

[chrisholland03]

I was never a big fan of the acres of blue bathroom tile personally.  The rest of the set compensated with its cool moving parts. 

[clemon79]

I was never a big fan of the acres or blue bathroom tile personally.

Dat flashing grout tho!

[BrandonFG]

Not specifically the theme, but was showing a younger colleague an episode of '93 Scrabble and he immediately said at the intro - "this is so 1990s".  I couldn't argue.  We did love throwing words on the screen back in the early 90s.

God, that chintzy-assed set tho.

I get the style they were going for (also very early 90s), but it felt like they really scaled the size of the set pieces down as compared to the original run.  That could have been resolved visually with tighter camera shots.  It felt like they tried to use the same camera blocking as the 80s version and it...emphasized the empty space and lack of visual interest. 

I think you summed up what bugged me about the set. When I was younger I thought it was too Art Deco. Watching the episode posted, I realize the set is way too barren for that studio.

But when you’re 10 years old in 1993, you’re just happy to have more daytime game shows.

/At least the two shows’ themes slapped

[aaron sica]

I know it’s just supposed to be one decade, but I think Whew! straddles the 1979/1980 line perfectly.

[tyshaun1]

/At least the two shows’ themes slapped

Meh.... I always found it funny that both shows themes sounded virtually identical, like they were both written and composed the same day (and probably were).

[BrandonFG]

/At least the two shows’ themes slapped

Meh.... I always found it funny that both shows themes sounded virtually identical, like they were both written and composed the same day (and probably were).

I’ll give you that. For years my brain did intertwine the breakdown of both themes. Would be nice to have them both in the clear for reference.