Davidson Pyramid Set Question

[ITSBRY]

I’ve been watching some of Davidson Pyramid on YouTube of late. I think I remember reading here that the set had been completely rebuilt for this revival but I could be making that up.

It does seem odd that they would have rebuilt that huge set rather than do something new to distinguish this version from the previous one that had just gone off the air a few years prior. It’s obvious that the big pyramid is different (larger trilons, etc), but the rest looks almost identical. I’d think maybe it was cost effective if other pieces of the 80s set were still sitting around somewhere and all they had to rebuild were the portions that weren’t saved. Otherwise, it seems strange that they’d so painstakingly recreate it exactly as it was if there was a budget to build all those big set pieces. I was just curious whether anyone here had any first hand info.

Thanks!

[Brian44]

What always baffled me is that they went through the trouble of adding monitors to the main game board but not the Winners Circle board.

[steveleb]

Pure and simple—the distributor had sold the national time for the previous Clark version and believed it had been prematurely canceled.  He wanted exactly the same shoe he used to sell and orchestrated the “hand-off” that justified John.  He also was close with the executives at the company that sold Squares’ ad time ( I briefly worked for them) who knew John had a positive brand.  Bob did what he was told to get a show on and keep his staff employed.  No questions asked.

[ITSBRY]

Bob did what he was told to get a show on and keep his staff employed.  No questions asked.

Interesting. Thx for sharing. Do you know if the set was rebuilt entirely or had some of it been salvaged from the 80s?

[BillCullen1]

In the Sande Stewart interview posted on these boards, he said that Willard Scott was who they wanted to be the host. But he made too many demands like first class tix to and from L.A., comped meals and five-star hotels. So they went with John.

[Jeremy Nelson]

I’ve been watching some of Davidson Pyramid on YouTube of late. I think I remember reading here that the set had been completely rebuilt for this revival but I could be making that up.

It does seem odd that they would have rebuilt that huge set rather than do something new to distinguish this version from the previous one that had just gone off the air a few years prior. It’s obvious that the big pyramid is different (larger trilons, etc), but the rest looks almost identical. I’d think maybe it was cost effective if other pieces of the 80s set were still sitting around somewhere and all they had to rebuild were the portions that weren’t saved. Otherwise, it seems strange that they’d so painstakingly recreate it exactly as it was if there was a budget to build all those big set pieces. I was just curious whether anyone here had any first hand info.

Thanks!

They did- the telltale sign is the Winner's Circle trilons. For the entire Clark run,the board was built and rebuilt as if it could still house a fourth row of trilons. On the Davidson version, that space isn't there anymore.

I would have to think that they built it the same partly for viewer familiarity and partly because the schematics were readily available.

[BrandonFG]

IIRC, the contestant desks were much wider than the 80s versions too.

The thicker borders on the WC trilons def. stand out in my mind.

[Kevin Prather]

I would have to think that they built it the same partly for viewer familiarity and partly because the schematics were readily available.

I figured they would want to keep that space to ensure that the bottom row was never blocked by a taller player. I wonder if that was ever an issue on the Davidson version.

[steveleb]

The distributor had a history with nbc and they were the anchor group such as they were. At one point New York was committed to replacing ruckus with it in access and the license fee would have been much higher—making Scott a possibility.  But as Sande said he was quite demanding.  And WNBC basically got cold feet.  So they asked the stations who were going to support it for feedback and with Squares still fresh in their memories they underscored the advertiser sentiment and hence John got his only gig with the Stewart regime

[PYLdude]

So wait a second. WNBC was considering moving Pyramid to access? I was under the impression that the show didn’t make it to 1992 and left the air before Ruckus did; I also seem to remember the show moving to WWOR for its much abbreviated second campaign.

[splinkynip]

Davidson Pyramid had no station in NYC for its first season. It was picked up by WNBC for its second season starting in September 1991 and was paired with Family Feud in the middle of the night.  I believe new eps of Pyramid ended in December. In February or March of 1992, WWOR picked up both Pyramid and Feud and aired them in the 5PM hour.  Pyramid was gone three weeks later.

[Scrabbleship]

Davidson Pyramid had no station in NYC for its first season.

Granted it wasn't in NYC but didn't WLIG on Long Island pick up the first season and hadn't they gotten a Syndex-proof cable feed on most NYC cable systems by that point?

I know WTZA up in Kingston had both seasons of Davidson Pyramid but their cable carriage ended by White Plains and their OTA signal petered out by the Westchester/Bronx line.

[BrandonFG]

Davidson Pyramid had no station in NYC for its first season. It was picked up by WNBC for its second season starting in September 1991 and was paired with Family Feud in the middle of the night.  I believe new eps of Pyramid ended in December.

Wiki say the final ep. aired 12/6/91, but I could've sworn I saw it air in 1992. We only got the second season at noon on WTVZ (checks) and newspapers.com says it aired till at least March '92, obviously in reruns.

EDIT: apparently part of the first season aired on WAVY at 11 am, but I have no memory of this.