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Author Topic: Nighttime Fleming Jeopardy!  (Read 1824 times)

J.R.

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Nighttime Fleming Jeopardy!
« on: April 12, 2004, 11:47:48 PM »
According to the final episode in January 1975, Art Fleming mentiones a "Nighttime Version" of Jeopardy!

I know no episodes exist of this, but does anybody know if the show used a diffrent format/score structure ? And how long did it last after the cancellation of it's Daytime counterpart ?

Thanks
-Joe R.
-Joe Raygor

That Don Guy

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Nighttime Fleming Jeopardy!
« Reply #1 on: April 12, 2004, 11:57:52 PM »
[quote name=\'JRaygor\' date=\'Apr 12 2004, 10:47 PM\'] According to the final episode in January 1975, Art Fleming mentiones a "Nighttime Version" of Jeopardy!

I know no episodes exist of this, but does anybody know if the show used a diffrent format/score structure ? [/quote]
The only two differences from the Fleming daytime version I can think of (other than the fact that there were no returning champions) are:

1.  There was a bonus prize (at first a car; later, a trip to London with vacation package that include theatre tickets) for the first person to sweep a column;

2.  At first, the winner played "the Jeopardy Jackpot Board" - there were 30 spaces on a board, each containing a prize (the only prizes I remember being won were a car - at least one contestant won two cars on the same show - and a trip to Rome); two contained half of $25,000, and if you found one half, you got another selection.  Eventually, somebody must have realized the chance of winning $25,000 this way was 1 in 435, so they switched to the "Championship Stakes board", where the player's prize was based on how well they did.  At first, anything less than $1000 won a compact car (Chevrolet Vega); $1000-$1499 won a larger car (Chevrolet Caprice); $1500-$1999 won $10,000; $2000 or more won $25,000.  In the second season, you needed $2000 for the $10,000 and $2500 for the $25,000.

I remember Art mentioning in the first season that the players were winners from the daytime version, but I can't remember if this applied in the second season or not.  Also, the podiums were slightly different; instead of the names being on the buzz-in lights the entire time, they were in front of the players where the Final Jeopardy bets would be, and during Final Jeopardy, the "asterisk" boards covering the bets were replaced with something else (three dollar signs on each, I think), with the names back over the buzz-in lights.

One other thing: unlike the daytime version, nobody won the amounts actually won during the game (the winner got the appropriate prize; the other two players received consolation prizes, sort of like what is done in the Trebek version, except I think both losers got the same prize).

-- Don

zachhoran

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Nighttime Fleming Jeopardy!
« Reply #2 on: April 13, 2004, 08:14:48 AM »
[quote name=\'That Don Guy\' date=\'Apr 12 2004, 10:57 PM\']

  At first, anything less than $1000 won a compact car (Chevrolet Vega); $1000-$1499 won a larger car (Chevrolet Caprice); $1500-$1999 won $10,000; $2000 or more won $25,000.  In the second season, you needed $2000 for the $10,000 and $2500 for the $25,000.

I remember Art mentioning in the first season that the players were winners from the daytime version, but I can't remember if this applied in the second season or not. [/quote]
 DId Fleming nighttime J! last two seasons? I thought it only lasted one season(September 1974-September 1975), or is EOTVGS wrong on this.

Jamey Greek

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Nighttime Fleming Jeopardy!
« Reply #3 on: April 13, 2004, 08:49:20 AM »
Who distributed this Syndicated nightime version?

Jamey Greek

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Nighttime Fleming Jeopardy!
« Reply #4 on: April 13, 2004, 08:57:00 AM »
Also, My dad grew up watching Fleming J! and he remembers watching it at night with his family so it is apparently the version.  I think my interest in Game Shows runs in the family because my grandmother (my mom's mother) is a fan of WOF and my dad is a big J! fan and my dad's mother and father were big J! fans as well.

Matt Ottinger

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Nighttime Fleming Jeopardy!
« Reply #5 on: April 13, 2004, 11:46:19 AM »
[quote name=\'That Don Guy\' date=\'Apr 12 2004, 11:57 PM\'] 1.  There was a bonus prize (at first a car; later, a trip to London with vacation package that include theatre tickets) for the first person to sweep a column [/quote]
 I never got to see a nighttime episode, so I can say with some confidence that, for a little while at least, there was a cash jackpot on the daytime show for anyone who ran a category.  I want to say it was $500 for the J round and $1000 for DJ (a lot of money at the time).  It may even have been progressive, increasing every day it wasn't hit.  Also, it was bonus money that was not part of a player's score.
This has been another installment of Matt Ottinger's Masters of the Obvious.
Stay tuned for all the obsessive-compulsive fun of Words Have Meanings.

ChuckNet

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Nighttime Fleming Jeopardy!
« Reply #6 on: April 13, 2004, 01:56:58 PM »
Quote
DId Fleming nighttime J! last two seasons? I thought it only lasted one season(September 1974-September 1975), or is EOTVGS wrong on this.

Don't know, but I also thought it was one season.

Besides the bonus board, the other changes to the show were purely cosmetic: they put Art in some really loud tuxes and added a bunch of light bulbs to the set (a pic from this version can be seen w/Art's entry in Jeff Graham's book).

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")

Jimmy Owen

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Nighttime Fleming Jeopardy!
« Reply #7 on: April 13, 2004, 02:25:04 PM »
[quote name=\'Jamey Greek\' date=\'Apr 13 2004, 07:49 AM\'] Who distributed this Syndicated nightime version? [/quote]
 Metromedia Producers Corporation, same company that distributed "The Merv Griffin Show" in the '70s.
Let's Make a Deal was the first show to air on Buzzr. 6/1/15 8PM.

aaron sica

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Nighttime Fleming Jeopardy!
« Reply #8 on: April 13, 2004, 02:49:50 PM »
[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Apr 13 2004, 02:25 PM\'] [quote name=\'Jamey Greek\' date=\'Apr 13 2004, 07:49 AM\'] Who distributed this Syndicated nightime version? [/quote]
Metromedia Producers Corporation, same company that distributed "The Merv Griffin Show" in the '70s. [/quote]
 And with that statement you instantly answered a question for me...

I'd always wondered why instead of being on the network channels in New York and Washington, Merv Griffin's talk show aired in prime-time on Channel 5 (then-WNEW) in NY and Channel 5 (WTTG) in DC. Now I know.

ObGameShow: You know.