"Concentration" question

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'The Ol' Guy\' date=\'May 17 2004, 10:17 AM\']someone correct me if necessary, but I thought NBC purchased the rights to B&E's game shows previous to the scandals, due to their success, for right around two million. Just like CBS purchased WML? and possibly IGAS from G-T for, among other reasons, tax breaks. In the radio days, CBS lured many top NBC stars to the struggling web with the promises of setting up financial plans that helped protect the stars and/or their production companies from paying too much in taxes.[/quote]
That is correct--in fact, they bought the whole company, making it easy for them to ease Barry and Enright out after the scandals broke.

[J.R.]

According to Steve Ryan's "CC" book. The reason why the WILD! cards also showed the natural match was to speed the game up (Same reason why it was only 25 squares)

Small q: How many eps of the 58-73 version exist ? (Not neccesarly on the circuit)
-Joe R.

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'JRaygor\' date=\'May 17 2004, 04:18 PM\'] Small q: How many eps of the 58-73 version exist ? (Not neccesarly on the circuit)
 [/quote]
 I'm told there are dozens and dozens of them in the Library of Congress.  Apparently NBC donated a ton of early radio and TV to the LoC which, not surprisingly, has done very little with it.

UCLA has twelve, including several regular shows from March, 1971 and several other Challenge of Champions episodes that have made their way into the circuit.

Speaking of the circuit, if there are any more than eight available to collectors, I'd sure like to know about them!

[chris319]

[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'May 17 2004, 01:02 PM\'] [quote name=\'The Ol' Guy\' date=\'May 17 2004, 10:17 AM\']someone correct me if necessary, but I thought NBC purchased the rights to B&E's game shows previous to the scandals, due to their success, for right around two million. Just like CBS purchased WML? and possibly IGAS from G-T for, among other reasons, tax breaks. In the radio days, CBS lured many top NBC stars to the struggling web with the promises of setting up financial plans that helped protect the stars and/or their production companies from paying too much in taxes.[/quote]
That is correct--in fact, they bought the whole company, making it easy for them to ease Barry and Enright out after the scandals broke. [/quote]
That's not my recollection. Everything I've read has said NBC bought the four B&E shows in the midst of quiz-rigging allegations for the purported reason of allowing B&E to have more time to defend themselves against the charges against them (or words to that effect).

Twenty One and Tic Tac Dough were the two rigged B&E shows. Concentration was supposedly not rigged. I've never heard one way or the other whether Dough Re Mi was rigged (as if anyone cares about Dough Re Mi).

[davemackey]

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'May 17 2004, 01:52 AM\'] Ira Skutch, who directed the Narz version, told me that version of Concentration was done on the sparest of budgets. That's why they were giving away bottom-end Chevys and taped at Metromedia. They did spend money having a new controller for the board built, but with the old game board and slips arriving lock, stock and barrel from New York, what else would you have done differently with 1973 technology? [/quote]
 Ah yes! I think Johnny Olson described it thusly, right before the first commercial break: "Right you are, Jack! It's the Vega Hatchback! The little car that does everything well! Rides comfortably, corners flat. Comes equipped with radio and heater. The Vega, from Chevrolet!"

I think the radio ANTENNA was an option. Never mind 8-track players.

That was a big deal to have a HEATER in a car. Of course, when that 140cc aluminum engine burned up - which a lot of Vegas apparently did - there was plenty of heat to be had.

[calliaume]

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'May 17 2004, 12:52 AM\'] Ira Skutch, who directed the Narz version, told me that version of Concentration was done on the sparest of budgets. That's why they were giving away bottom-end Chevys and taped at Metromedia. They did spend money having a new controller for the board built, but with the old game board and slips arriving lock, stock and barrel from New York, what else would you have done differently with 1973 technology? [/quote]
 Concentration may have been a low-budget show relative to network games, but it was pretty high-budget for a syndie strip from that era.  Compared to the other five-a-week syndicated games from that fall:

What's My Line?
To Tell the Truth
Truth or Consequences
Beat the Clock

The Narz version looked pretty good.  (Dealer's Choice set the bar a little higher a few months later, albeit with an endgame prize that very few people could actually use).  I'll admit some of the prizes on the board were pretty chintzy, however.

Pity no one thought of the Trebek endgame for the Narz version -- would have saved a lot of expense on puzzle creation, and they could have loaded up the board with cheaper prizes.

[JasonA1]

Concentration may have been a low-budget show relative to network games, but it was pretty high-budget for a syndie strip from that era. Compared to the other five-a-week syndicated games from that fall:

What's My Line?
To Tell the Truth
Truth or Consequences
Beat the Clock

I dunno, I thought at least two of the shows on your list (TTTT and ToC) had a bit higher production values, but for the most part, the show came when game shows were still relatively low budget and reeling from the 60s (see: ABC PW, etc)

-Jason

[Ian Wallis]

UCLA has twelve, including several regular shows from March, 1971 and several other Challenge of Champions episodes that have made their way into the circuit.

Speaking of the circuit, if there are any more than eight available to collectors, I'd sure like to know about them!

I guess another question would be:  do any of these exist in color?

[chris319]

Concentration may have been a low-budget show relative to network games, but it was pretty high-budget for a syndie strip from that era.

Vintage Concentration was more labor-intensive than it may have seemed. Aside from prize acquisition there were those full-time puzzle artists and the creation of board cards and slips for every prize, in addition to the labor involved in keeping the board loaded in the studio. Shooting at unionized Metromedia added to the cost as well.

[Mike Tennant]

[quote name=\'calliaume\' date=\'May 17 2004, 09:05 PM\']Pity no one thought of the Trebek endgame for the Narz version -- would have saved a lot of expense on puzzle creation, and they could have loaded up the board with cheaper prizes.[/quote]
Of course, with the mechanical board the Trebek endgame wouldn't really have been possible.  They had enough trouble keeping the board running as it was; imagine trying to keep it running at the lightning speed that endgame required.

On the other hand, one wonders if the idea for the Trebek endgame had, perhaps, originated in the Narz years but was abandoned for this very reason, only to be resurrected years later.

[J.R.]

Might as well ask this too: How eps of Narz "Concentraiton" exist ? I know full one and a 1/4th of another ep exist in the circuit (Where Narz wears a VERY loud jacket)

I noticed Narz's version had more special bonuses than the other versions with features like "Bonus Pick" and "Free Look". Were other bonuses tried on the show ?

Didn't Trebek J! in the early years tape at Metromedia ?
-Joe R.

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'JRaygor\' date=\'May 18 2004, 11:23 AM\']Didn't Trebek J! in the early years tape at Metromedia ?[/quote]
The first year--they then moved across the street to KTLA (the part of the lot then controlled by Hollywood Center), then over to the main Hollywood Center lot when the second set was introduced, and then Sony in the mid-90s.

[ChuckNet]

That was a big deal to have a HEATER in a car.

Elaine Stewart thought it was a big deal to have a Heatter in her car, too. :-D

Chuck Donegan (The Comedic "Chuckie Baby")

[chris319]

Of course, with the mechanical board the Trebek endgame wouldn't really have been possible. They had enough trouble keeping the board running as it was; imagine trying to keep it running at the lightning speed that endgame required.

They could have rigged something up with slide projectors a la the Blockbusters I board, but it would have been a kluge and I don't think they wanted to go to such elaborate lengths when Double Play sufficed.

Elaine Stewart thought it was a big deal to have a Heatter in her car, too.

Go to your room.

[gameshowguy2000]

[quote name=\'Craig Karlberg\' date=\'May 16 2004, 03:24 AM\'] Not sure about the original Concentration, but I DO remember in later versions when a prize is matched up with a wild card, the original matching prize is ALSO revealed, thus avoiding the so-called "leftover" pieces on the board.

Speaking of wild cards, I also remember that if a player matched 2 Wild Cards, s/he wins a cash bonus.  I think it was a $500 bonus on Classic Concentration.  Not sure about the earlier versions. [/quote]
 On CC, if 2 wild cards were matched, that was worth a $500 cash bonus, but if the 3rd was picked on that same turn, that was worth another $500 cash bonus, bringing the total cash bonus to $1,000.

In addition, that meant you could remove FIVE pieces to the puzzle, instead of just three.

And, that was done on the premiere of CC, BTW. Go to this site and see how it was done:

http://www.geocities.com/classicconcentration