Pass The Buck

[JacksonBrowne1980]

anyone remember a pre-80s game show called "Pass The Buck" it was hosted by bill cullen where a contestant might win $5,000 in the bonus game.  does anyone know if there was a pilot episode?

[Jay Temple]

I do, very well.  When school let out for the summer that year (1978, IIRC), it was my instant favorite.  I thought it was especially cool that all one's opponents stick around until someone wins the big money.

[Fedya]

[quote name=\'Jay Temple\' date=\'Apr 19 2004, 10:55 PM\'] I do, very well.  When school let out for the summer that year (1978, IIRC), it was my instant favorite.  I thought it was especially cool that all one's opponents stick around until someone wins the big money. [/quote]
 For your sake, I hope Matt doesn't send you to the isolation booth for liking Pass the Buck.  ;-)

[Jimmy Owen]

Several good elements on that show.  Best set of a Stewart show (looks contemporary even today), good music and SFX, Bill Cullen, NYC origination. Eliminated players rooting for a bonus game loss perhaps a pre-cursor of the "Survivor" style show.  Drawbacks: unlike most Stewart shows (Jackpot, Pyr, SFTS, etc.) no partners to celebrate at the moment of a big win; questions too open-ended and subject to whims of judging.

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'Fedya\' date=\'Apr 20 2004, 10:08 AM\'] For your sake, I hope Matt doesn't send you to the isolation booth for liking Pass the Buck.  ;-) [/quote]
 I considered it...

[tommycharles]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Apr 20 2004, 10:08 AM\'] [quote name=\'Fedya\' date=\'Apr 20 2004, 10:08 AM\'] For your sake, I hope Matt doesn't send you to the isolation booth for liking Pass the Buck.  ;-) [/quote]
I considered it... [/quote]
 Ok that flew way above my head...does Matt specifically not like PtB or is there an inside joke I'm not aware of?

ObGameshow: The UK version of PtB is much better than the U.S. one.

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'tommycharles\' date=\'Apr 20 2004, 12:26 PM\'] Ok that flew way above my head...does Matt specifically not like PtB or is there an inside joke I'm not aware of? [/quote]
 Well, technically both, I guess. Pass the Buck is easily my least favorite Bill Cullen show, and this is from someone who's seen How Do You Like Your Eggs and Professor Yes 'n' No!  Everything about it was just way too arbitrary for my tastes.

[tommycharles]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Apr 20 2004, 11:31 AM\'] [quote name=\'tommycharles\' date=\'Apr 20 2004, 12:26 PM\'] Ok that flew way above my head...does Matt specifically not like PtB or is there an inside joke I'm not aware of? [/quote]
Well, technically both, I guess. Pass the Buck is easily my least favorite Bill Cullen show, and this is from someone who's seen How Do You Like Your Eggs and Professor Yes 'n' No!  Everything about it was just way too arbitrary for my tastes. [/quote]
 Thanks for the explaination. I think that's one thing that's better about the British version - they used more catagories like "Wimbledon Winners since 1990" and less catagories like "a word used to describe a fat person."

A nifty feature of the UK show is the "memory" round - the host would read off a set of words (18, if my memory serves), and each player had to repeat one of them to him. Was that ever part of the US show or not?

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'tommycharles\' date=\'Apr 20 2004, 11:43 AM\']A nifty feature of the UK show is the "memory" round - the host would read off a set of words (18, if my memory serves), and each player had to repeat one of them to him. Was that ever part of the US show or not?[/quote]
Don't think so--just the elimination round and the end game.

[GSWitch]

Pass the Buck marked some milestones.

1).  The last new game show taped in New York City until 21 years later (Millionaire).

2).  Bill Cullen (& Bob Stewart) did their last New York game show.

3).  Taped @ The Ed Sullivan Theater where 15 years later, Letterman moved in.  Letterman was like RAID! back in 1980, "Kills game shows dead"!

Also, it was a hard choice for game show fans when it was opposite NBC's Card Sharks.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'GSWitch\' date=\'Apr 20 2004, 06:10 PM\'] 1). The last new game show taped in New York City until 21 years later (Millionaire).
 [/quote]
 On a network, maybe. Certainly Remote Control on MTV taped out of NY.

Also, it was a hard choice for game show fans when it was opposite NBC's Card Sharks.

Not on the West Coast.

[Fedya]

[quote name=\'tommycharles\' date=\'Apr 20 2004, 11:43 AM\'] A nifty feature of the UK show is the "memory" round - the host would read off a set of words (18, if my memory serves), and each player had to repeat one of them to him. Was that ever part of the US show or not? [/quote]
 I don't think so, although that was the premise for the elimination round of The Diamond Head Game