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Author Topic: If "$ale of the Century" returned...  (Read 6570 times)

Neumms

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If "$ale of the Century" returned...
« Reply #15 on: August 18, 2004, 12:22:37 PM »
[quote name=\'gshowguy\' date=\'Aug 17 2004, 04:49 PM\'] Three players, each starting with $20 (or $200 on on my proposed prime-time version). Players may ring-in during the question, and each right answer is worth $5 ($50 prime-time, note all values are 10x higher on prime-time) [/quote]
 Okay, there's Mo Money Syndrome, then there's the simply ridiculous.

On another note, the Shopping Round on the syndicated version may not have been wildly popular because it tended to be anticlimactic. People didn't seem to have much trouble passing on the pool table or dining room set to keep playing. It does need another element. Could somebody explain the Aussie version? Maybe it could be a chance to gamble some of your shopping money, maybe a rapid-fire round (like "Trump Card" without the board) for +/-$25 a question to build your kitty.

Of course, that would be $250 a question in the super prime-time version.

clemon79

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If "$ale of the Century" returned...
« Reply #16 on: August 18, 2004, 12:24:52 PM »
[quote name=\'gshowguy\' date=\'Aug 18 2004, 06:59 AM\'] but I think I would try a veteran of the game show element, like Peter Tomarken. [/quote]
 Peter reads "just OK". He's not a fast reader, and he trips over his tongue when he tries to be. You HAVE to have a fast question reader on that show, which is why it worked so well with Jim Perry. O'Hurley is both fast and clear. As is our own Matt Ottinger. :)
Quote
(there's a reason why I used "DisMantle" instead of "Fremantle", hmm... I wonder why...?)
'Cuz it's been done to death? It's freakin' annoying? I dunno, you tell us.
Quote
OK. Would F-Mantle work? Or would you prefer DumbMantle?

How about "Fremantle"?
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gshowguy

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If "$ale of the Century" returned...
« Reply #17 on: August 18, 2004, 12:44:10 PM »
[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Aug 18 2004, 11:24 AM\']
Quote
(there's a reason why I used "DisMantle" instead of "Fremantle", hmm... I wonder why...?)
'Cuz it's been done to death? It's freakin' annoying? I dunno, you tell us.
 [/quote]
 I thought you knew it was because they screwed up the formats to the 1998 Match Game revival and the 2001 Card Sharks revival.

And I can't used "F'd up", right?

Ian Wallis

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If "$ale of the Century" returned...
« Reply #18 on: August 18, 2004, 12:48:31 PM »
How do you feel about letting ANY of the three players buy an Instant Bargain?  I believe that's the way it was on the '69-73 version of the show.  I like that format because it gives each player a chance to win *something*.  If you happen to get on a show with a runaway champ, you may never get a chance if you have to be in the lead to be able to buy it.
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Neumms

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If "$ale of the Century" returned...
« Reply #19 on: August 18, 2004, 12:54:26 PM »
[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'Aug 18 2004, 11:48 AM\'] How do you feel about letting ANY of the three players buy an Instant Bargain?  I believe that's the way it was on the '69-73 version of the show.  I like that format because it gives each player a chance to win *something*.  If you happen to get on a show with a runaway champ, you may never get a chance if you have to be in the lead to be able to buy it. [/quote]
 It may not have originated this way, but it seems like the best aspect of Instant Bargains is that they prevent runaways by enticing the leading player to give up all or some of their lead. "$ale" was at its best when it's a horse race at the end. Seeing some sap who can't answer the questions buy a stair-stepper for $7 doesn't add to the game.

tommycharles

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If "$ale of the Century" returned...
« Reply #20 on: August 18, 2004, 01:05:59 PM »
[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Aug 18 2004, 11:24 AM\'] O'Hurley is both fast and clear. As is our own Matt Ottinger. :)
 [/quote]
 I'd let their wives be the judge of that. ;-)

Seriously tho... O'Hurley or Bergeron are the only people I see that would have the reading skills necesssary for the job (Bergeron wasn't great at it when the Big Money Minute was introduced, but boy did he get better quickly).

clemon79

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If "$ale of the Century" returned...
« Reply #21 on: August 18, 2004, 01:33:58 PM »
[quote name=\'gshowguy\' date=\'Aug 18 2004, 09:44 AM\'] I thought you knew it was because they screwed up the formats to the 1998 Match Game revival and the 2001 Card Sharks revival.
 [/quote]
 Yes, we're painfully aware of that, mainly because 472 people have used the same gag and Won't. Let. It. Go.

We're just trying to encourage you not to be the 473rd.
[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\' Aug 18 2004, 09:48 AM\']How do you feel about letting ANY of the three players buy an Instant Bargain? I believe that's the way it was on the '69-73 version of the show.[/quote]
Horrifyingly bad idea. Neumms hit the nail on the head, if the scores are 65-60-15 going into the second Instant Bargain, who do you think is gonna make a beeline for the buzzer the second the price is announced?
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gshowguy

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If "$ale of the Century" returned...
« Reply #22 on: August 18, 2004, 01:38:06 PM »
[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Aug 18 2004, 12:33 PM\'] [quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\' Aug 18 2004, 09:48 AM\']How do you feel about letting ANY of the three players buy an Instant Bargain? I believe that's the way it was on the '69-73 version of the show.[/quote]
Horrifyingly bad idea. Neumms hit the nail on the head, if the scores are 65-60-15 going into the second Instant Bargain, who do you think is gonna make a beeline for the buzzer the second the price is announced? [/quote]
 It was also that way in Great Britain's version.

WorldClassRob

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If "$ale of the Century" returned...
« Reply #23 on: August 18, 2004, 01:40:51 PM »
[quote name=\'gshowguy\' date=\'Aug 17 2004, 04:49 PM\'] Here's how I think I could use for a new version of "$ale of the Century" (hopefully, StinkMantle is reading this and ISN'T screwing this up!):

Three players, each starting with $20 (or $200 on on my proposed prime-time version). Players may ring-in during the question, and each right answer is worth $5 ($50 prime-time, note all values are 10x higher on prime-time), while a wrong answer loses that amount. After five, six, or seven questions, the player with the most cash is offered an "In$tant Bargain", like a 13" television worth $145 for $8. There is also a "Fame Game" round, where a really long question is asked about a famous (or infamous) someone, and the player who gets it right chooses one of nine numbers on the "Fame Game" board, which could be from $5-$15, or a cash jackpot starting at $1,000 and rising up by $500 each day until won. After three "In$tant Bargains" and two "Fame Games", we culminate with a 60-second lightning round (which I call the "Fast 60 Seconds of TV"), this time, with each right answer worth $10, and a wrong answer losing $10. The highest score after this round goes to play a two-part bonus round. If there's a tie, a sudden-death tie-breaker question is asked, or, if time is allowed, one final "Fame Game" question to determine the winner.

In the first part of the bonus round, I use the same word puzzle game we know and hate, but this time, the clues are to answers that are actually related to the prizes on the stage. It's only 15 seconds long, and each right answer adds $15 to your final score. When time runs out...

"Let's go shopping!" Now, comes the shopping part that builds up the suspense, whether or not you want to take this prize, or discard it in an attempt to build up more money to win the lot (you need at least $1,000 total in score money to win the lot). If you lose the game on your second day (and subsequent days) everything goes bye-bye, but if you score $1,000 total (again, in score money), you win everything plus a jackpot that starts at $100,000 and goes up by $25,000 each time it isn't won (on prime-time, it's $1,000,000 and goes up by a quarter-million each time it isn't won, and you need $10,000 in score money to claim it).

That's the game.

Here's what I'd use:

Set: Same as the one on the more recent Australian version (only difference is that the podiums' score displays are in EggCrate font, and they use red buttons on yellow stands like on most US game show podiums)

Host: I'd get Jim Perry back, but if he can't make it, I could use Peter Tomarken, or I could use some Aussie flair from Tony Barber or Glenn Ridge.

Hostess: Definitely Summer Bartholomew.

Announcer: Burton Richardson or Charlie O'Donnell comes to mind, maybe even Pete Smith from the Aussie version (I could picture Charlie-O giving a long emphasis on 100 THOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSAND DOLLARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRSSSSS!!! on this show).

Where to put it: Syndication for daytime, NBC for prime-time

What do you think? [/quote]
 Sounds like a good proposal to me.  I don't think inflating to ten times the normal amount on the prime-time version would work; perhaps double the value (start with $40 and each question is worth $10).

There are other ideas.  Start with $20 and the value of the questions increase like it did during the original version (hosted by the late Jack Kelly and Joe Garagiola).

The fame game idea I like.  The way it should always be actually by having the player pick a number instead of stopping a flashing light like it did before.

The speedround of course has to be in there.  

And of course the grandaddy of them all... the shopping part.  Its been a part of this game show for years; and yeah the winner's board was fun to watch during the Jim Perry days.

Egg-crate displays? Absolutely.  Its the best known game show display around.

Jim Perry as host -- not sure if he would do it... he is retired now.  Peter Tomarken, sure; I like him.  Todd Newton, absolutely.  Bob Goen, yes.

Summer Bartholomew as hosted, you betcha.  Of course there are others like Stacey from Lingo, any of the Price Is Right models would work out too.

Burton Richardson and Charlie O'Donnell are good choices.  Charlie I think should've been the voice of $OTC instead of Don Morrow after Jay Stewart left.  You certainly can't rule out Randy West or even Rich Fields.

NBC, yes.  Syndication, if there's room for it to compete with Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!, yes.

clemon79

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If "$ale of the Century" returned...
« Reply #24 on: August 18, 2004, 01:40:56 PM »
[quote name=\'gshowguy\' date=\'Aug 18 2004, 10:38 AM\'] [quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Aug 18 2004, 12:33 PM\'] [quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\' Aug 18 2004, 09:48 AM\']How do you feel about letting ANY of the three players buy an Instant Bargain? I believe that's the way it was on the '69-73 version of the show.[/quote]
Horrifyingly bad idea. Neumms hit the nail on the head, if the scores are 65-60-15 going into the second Instant Bargain, who do you think is gonna make a beeline for the buzzer the second the price is announced? [/quote]
It was also that way in Great Britain's version. [/quote]
 Doesn't make it a good idea. Perhaps there is a REASON that wasn't adapted for the US show.
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gshowguy

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If "$ale of the Century" returned...
« Reply #25 on: August 18, 2004, 01:47:14 PM »
[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Aug 18 2004, 12:40 PM\'] [quote name=\'gshowguy\' date=\'Aug 18 2004, 10:38 AM\'] [quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Aug 18 2004, 12:33 PM\'] [quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\' Aug 18 2004, 09:48 AM\']How do you feel about letting ANY of the three players buy an Instant Bargain? I believe that's the way it was on the '69-73 version of the show.[/quote]
Horrifyingly bad idea. Neumms hit the nail on the head, if the scores are 65-60-15 going into the second Instant Bargain, who do you think is gonna make a beeline for the buzzer the second the price is announced? [/quote]
It was also that way in Great Britain's version. [/quote]
Doesn't make it a good idea. Perhaps there is a REASON that wasn't adapted for the US show. [/quote]
 Don't forget about the Aussie version. Even they didn't use the idea of all three contestants buying the IBs. I don't think the concept of all three players buying an IB was also used on the German and New Zealand $otCs. I'm not sure about very rare versions from Greece, Hong Kong, and Paraguay, however.

uncamark

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If "$ale of the Century" returned...
« Reply #26 on: August 18, 2004, 04:50:08 PM »
I've pointed this out before, since I was around back then, but I can point it out again:  In the original Kelly/Joe G. version, all three contestants could buy any Instant Bargain at any time if they could afford it--they didn't have to be in the lead.  The rule that you had to be in the lead to buy an Instant Bargain was part of the changes that Grundy made for his 70s unauthorized version of "$OTC" called "Temptation" and stayed in after he bought the show and revamped it in the 80s.

And all three players could buy an Instant Bargain any time it was offered back in the original UK version.

gshowguy

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If "$ale of the Century" returned...
« Reply #27 on: August 20, 2004, 10:44:07 AM »
[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Aug 18 2004, 03:50 PM\'] And all three players could buy an Instant Bargain any time it was offered back in the original UK version. [/quote]
 Yup. We all know that they could do that, even if they did have the 2nd-greatest open to any version of $OTC from around the globe:

(cue drumroll, and John Benson): "And now, from Norwich... it's the Quiz of the Week!"

The greatest open? "Today, on the world's richest quiz...", from the Australian version, as spoken by Pete Smith (and Ron Neate in the first ten episodes).

I would actually use "The world's richest quiz!" in the open to my revival of $OTC for US television.

adamjk

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If "$ale of the Century" returned...
« Reply #28 on: August 20, 2004, 12:15:07 PM »
Maybe I am wrong, but wasn't the US version from the 80's, the only one to have the echo in the open? If so, that's my favorite.

Ian Wallis

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If "$ale of the Century" returned...
« Reply #29 on: August 20, 2004, 12:57:54 PM »
Quote
Don't forget about the Aussie version. Even they didn't use the idea of all three contestants buying the IBs.


I've got the 15th-anniversary show of the Aussie "Sale" on tape, and I'm sure there's another rule they had/have:  if the two players in the lead are TIED at the end of the game, then the third place player wins.

For those of you who also have that on tape, am I seeing things - or were those the actual rules?
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