Three On A Match - Impossible Question I realize...Part II

[wdm1219inpenna]

Next Friday, June 28th 1974 will mark 50 years to the day since Bill Cullen's "Three on a Match" aired its final episode on NBC Daytime.

On billcullen.net there is available audio only from that final episode.

I know from research I have done about the show that one of the spaces on the game board had a STOP sign.

If a contestant hit that, their turn immediately ended and the game resumed with another question round.

On the half dozen or so Three on a Match episodes that do exist on youtube, most from 1974, one of the spaces on the board was a NO MATCH card, but that did not necessarily end a player's turn.

My question is, during those final few episodes, did the board have both the NO MATCH card and the STOP card or was it just the STOP card that was in play?

Again I realize this is 50 years ago and I was all of 7 years old when this final episode aired, but it was one of my childhood favorites and still is in fact.  Was just curious if anybody knew for sure about my inquiry.

[That Don Guy]

I can almost guarantee that the Stop sign card replaced the No Match card. IIRC, three of the symbols in a game were in all three columns, and a fourth was in two (it couldn't be in all three as well, as otherwise anyone with $270, or $150 and a Three Free Boxes bonus, could guarantee a match).

[Jimmy Owen]

The one thing I remember is Bill telling us about Winning Streak and "no you don't have to streak to win...."

[whewfan]

Next Friday, June 28th 1974 will mark 50 years to the day since Bill Cullen's "Three on a Match" aired its final episode on NBC Daytime.

On billcullen.net there is available audio only from that final episode.

I know from research I have done about the show that one of the spaces on the game board had a STOP sign.

If a contestant hit that, their turn immediately ended and the game resumed with another question round.

On the half dozen or so Three on a Match episodes that do exist on youtube, most from 1974, one of the spaces on the board was a NO MATCH card, but that did not necessarily end a player's turn.

My question is, during those final few episodes, did the board have both the NO MATCH card and the STOP card or was it just the STOP card that was in play?

Again I realize this is 50 years ago and I was all of 7 years old when this final episode aired, but it was one of my childhood favorites and still is in fact.  Was just curious if anybody knew for sure about my inquiry.

Are you sure you're not confusing this with Eye Guess' bonus game? On that show, the bonus game involved picking a number from a 9 square board, and you win whatever prize you uncover, and there was one square that said STOP. Picking that ended the bonus game but you still won whatever you picked.

[Adam Nedeff]

Next Friday, June 28th 1974 will mark 50 years to the day since Bill Cullen's "Three on a Match" aired its final episode on NBC Daytime.

On billcullen.net there is available audio only from that final episode.

I know from research I have done about the show that one of the spaces on the game board had a STOP sign.

If a contestant hit that, their turn immediately ended and the game resumed with another question round.

On the half dozen or so Three on a Match episodes that do exist on youtube, most from 1974, one of the spaces on the board was a NO MATCH card, but that did not necessarily end a player's turn.

My question is, during those final few episodes, did the board have both the NO MATCH card and the STOP card or was it just the STOP card that was in play?

Again I realize this is 50 years ago and I was all of 7 years old when this final episode aired, but it was one of my childhood favorites and still is in fact.  Was just curious if anybody knew for sure about my inquiry.

Are you sure you're not confusing this with Eye Guess' bonus game? On that show, the bonus game involved picking a number from a 9 square board, and you win whatever prize you uncover, and there was one square that said STOP. Picking that ended the bonus game but you still won whatever you picked.

He’s not confusing it. Bill refers to the Stop Sign several times in the audio of the finale that he’s referring to.

[TLEberle]

I relistened to a portion of the show to get a feel for the beats, and I thought it was very interesting that the last correct answerer was allowed to bail out of the quiz and go to the board, though it was a little tough to keep track of things when it's basically listening to a radio show. Was the rule still in place that you were allowed to pass the first time you surpassed $90 but after that had to try?

[Matt Ottinger]

Was the rule still in place that you were allowed to pass the first time you surpassed $90 but after that had to try?

I personally do not remember that ever being a rule. My understanding was that it was always optional to go to the board.  Of course, since you couldn't win unless you played, most anybody with even a remotely decent bank would want to play.

[TLEberle]

Of course.I can see thinking that 100 is an awkward amount to go shopping unless you’ve seen all three of a flavor already or have some free ones waiting.

[Matt Ottinger]

Of course.I can see thinking that 100 is an awkward amount to go shopping unless you’ve seen all three of a flavor already or have some free ones waiting.

Not sure if I'm reading you right nor not, but the board would be reshuffled after every unsuccessful play, so it wouldn't help to remember where the stuff had been earlier.  Therefore you typically wouldn't go to the board with $100.  As a general rule of thumb, it seemed $150 was the lowest amount where you'd see people take their shots.  That would get you one $40, and then two each in the other columns.

[TLEberle]

No, you weren't reading me wrong, I had the rules messed up. I assumed that there would be a memory element instead of having everything shuffle around after an unsuccessful try.

Even fifty some years later it's a great example of how a game show can be more than the sum of its parts, and complexity, well aimed, isn't the worst thing in the world.

[BrandonFG]

Even fifty some years later it's a great example of how a game show can be more than the sum of its parts, and complexity, well aimed, isn't the worst thing in the world.

3oaM is one of those shows where I have to be reminded of the rules every time I watch, because it sounds so complicated on paper. But it's such a fun show that I don't mind being slightly confused.

[Matt Ottinger]

Even fifty some years later it's a great example of how a game show can be more than the sum of its parts, and complexity, well aimed, isn't the worst thing in the world.

3oaM is one of those shows where I have to be reminded of the rules every time I watch, because it sounds so complicated on paper. But it's such a fun show that I don't mind being slightly confused.

I know I've said this many times, but one of my favorite games with my high school students is to show them a 3oaM episode from the middle of the run, when Bill is just plowing through the game as fast as he can, and see how much of the rulebook they can figure out.

[wdm1219inpenna]

I greatly appreciate all of the replies.  As I perhaps mentioned before, Three on a Match debuted in August 1971 when I was 4 years old and went off 3 years later in June 1974 when I was 7 and a half.  Even though we had a black and white TV set I remember watching this show being very intrigued by it, and bored with the Q&A portion back then.  As a child I just wanted them to play the matching board all the time.

I even once owned (and covet again to this day) the Three on a Match home game.  I have fond memories of owning and playing that game.  I had a plethora of game show home games as a child and mercy how I wish I had taken better care of them.

Ditto with my Star Wars action figures from 1977.  Had I ANY idea what they would be worth in 2024 in mint condition and still in the original packaging, I would have purchased oodles of them and kept them pristine in their packaging.  Hindsight is indeed 20/20, but the less said about 2020 the better I suppose

Thank you again for all of your replies and sharing memories.  Interesting Matt about how you will show an episode to your students. 

[Nick]

I know I've said this many times, but one of my favorite games with my high school students is to show them a 3oaM episode from the middle of the run, when Bill is just plowing through the game as fast as he can, and see how much of the rulebook they can figure out.

So... how did they do?

[steveleb]

Had this very discussion recently with someone who worked on 3OAM.  It was more of an unwritten rule that after the second win a contestant would typically have been encouraged to make a go at it, short of a couple of $70 wins without some sort of bonus box bank in play.  Edythe Chan reportedly drove that very point home to contestants, and most were usually mindful of whatever she said.