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Author Topic: We're off to see the Wizard....  (Read 4602 times)

Steve_Bier

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We're off to see the Wizard....
« on: July 01, 2004, 07:05:17 AM »
Ok....I've certainly heard OF this show...but I've never seen it, nor have I been able to find a ton of information on it. All I know, is that it was hosted by Alex Trebek sometime before High Rollers, and that it was aired on NBC. What was the main gameplay of this show? What did the set look like? Any other interesting tidbits about this show? Thanks in advance.....

DjohnsonCB

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We're off to see the Wizard....
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2004, 10:58:10 AM »
For one thing, this GS had lyrics to its theme song:

"Who's the man with the money
Makes a dark day sunny
????...every day
Gives a bundle away?

It's The Wizard of Odds
(The Wizard Of Odds)
The odds are that you'll be a winner today
It's the Wizard Of Odds
(The Wizard Of Odds)
The Wizard is here to make you feel okay
Hey hey hey!"

Alex looked NOTHING on this show like he does on J!  It was his first U.S. show.

The structure of this show was something like TPIR, in that contestants played several mini-games within the show, all dealing with odds and averages.  One was called Wizard's Keno, another had a multiple choice answer format simliar to that of the proposed "Gotcha!" game I shared with you here (or at ATGS before we all defected) some time ago:

Which of these doesn't belong--Sleepy, Sneezy or Groucho?

The end game involved a spinning wheel, but I recall nothing more about this one.
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sshuffield70

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We're off to see the Wizard....
« Reply #2 on: July 01, 2004, 12:24:25 PM »
???? = Who's the fellow

uncamark

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We're off to see the Wizard....
« Reply #3 on: July 01, 2004, 12:39:03 PM »
[quote name=\'DjohnsonCB\' date=\'Jul 1 2004, 09:58 AM\']The end game involved a spinning wheel, but I recall nothing more about this one.[/quote]
All of the contestants' names who played during the show (which let on that they were picked directly from the audience, but I suspect were auditioned and interviewed, since the audience was small and surrounded by reflective Mylar panels to make it look bigger, while Mother MacKenzie made it sound bigger) were placed on the wheel--whoever the wheel landed on played the end game, which involved (IIRC) picking a group of facts with numerical answers from a list so that the total stayed below a target number without going over (hmm, what show would that be like?).  The show's premise, as stated by Trebek, was that it all dealt with "ooods and averages."

As time went on, that end game became the main part of the show, with three contestants picked in most rounds to answer a "Who Am I?" riddle like "SOTC"'s Fame Game, with the winner going on to play the target number game.  There were other games in the mix, and earlier on Trebek did a lot of pointing to people in the audience and asking them questions for small prizes.  (He continued to do that during the credits, although we never heard him, similar to Jack Clark playing Acey-Deucey with audience members during the "Dealer's Choice" credits).

I vaguely remember Wizard's Keno, which involved a selection of a random letter by the show's rear projection screen, but a game that popped up frequently that I do remember was one where there were five prizes, each one behind a clear door.  Four of the doors opened, one was locked.  Pick the unlocked doors, you won all of the prizes.  Pick the locked door, you lost them all.  Of course, you had the option to quit with what you had after every choice.

rmfromfla

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We're off to see the Wizard....
« Reply #4 on: July 01, 2004, 01:59:26 PM »
Fellow Canadian Alan Thicke was able to get Alex to host the show.....

Jimmy Owen

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We're off to see the Wizard....
« Reply #5 on: July 01, 2004, 02:13:58 PM »
[quote name=\'rmfromfla\' date=\'Jul 1 2004, 12:59 PM\'] Fellow Canadian Alan Thicke was able to get Alex to host the show..... [/quote]
 This may be stuff of legend, but I thought I heard that because of the complex nature of the show, a host  with good math skills was needed, so there was no grousing about a Canadian getting the job over a U.S. host.  Alex also had to utilize quick figuring on HR.
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DrBear

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We're off to see the Wizard....
« Reply #6 on: July 01, 2004, 07:39:05 PM »
[quote name=\'rmfromfla\' date=\'Jul 1 2004, 11:59 AM\'] Fellow Canadian Alan Thicke was able to get Alex to host the show..... [/quote]
 ...and also wrote and sang the theme song.

I'll just add that Wizard is an OK theme, but his Diamond Head Game and original Wheel themes are much better - they're among my faves.
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Ian Wallis

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We're off to see the Wizard....
« Reply #7 on: July 02, 2004, 09:13:47 AM »
Quote
I'll just add that Wizard is an OK theme, but his Diamond Head Game and original Wheel themes are much better - they're among my faves.


Let's not forget the "Whew" theme, which most of us are hoping turns up in the trade curcuit one day.  That's my all-time fave!
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ChuckNet

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We're off to see the Wizard....
« Reply #8 on: July 02, 2004, 01:28:25 PM »
Quote
This may be stuff of legend, but I thought I heard that because of the complex nature of the show, a host with good math skills was needed

...which left Dick Clark out of the running. :-)

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")

AH3RD

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We're off to see the Wizard....
« Reply #9 on: July 02, 2004, 04:55:38 PM »
[quote name=\'DjohnsonCB\' date=\'Jul 1 2004, 09:58 AM\'] For one thing, this GS had lyrics to its theme song:

"Who's the man with the money
Makes a dark day sunny
????...every day
Gives a bundle away?

It's The Wizard of Odds
(The Wizard Of Odds)
The odds are that you'll be a winner today
It's the Wizard Of Odds
(The Wizard Of Odds)
The Wizard is here to make you feel okay
Hey hey hey!" [/quote]
 The rest of the theme went:

"Who's the guy with the prizes
That'll light up your eyes?
It's never endin', get a friend and
Get ready to play-hey-hey-hey-hey! (Hey-hey-hey!)"
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alfonzos

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We're off to see the Wizard....
« Reply #10 on: July 03, 2004, 04:11:37 PM »
The Wizard of Odds reminds me of the pitch Seinfeld and Costanza gave NBC: it's the show about nothing.
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ChuckNet

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We're off to see the Wizard....
« Reply #11 on: July 04, 2004, 12:43:32 AM »
Quote
(He continued to do that during the credits, although we never heard him, similar to Jack Clark playing Acey-Deucey with audience members during the "Dealer's Choice" credits).

...which could confuse certain viewers watching for the first time, as happened to me the 1st time I saw that sole Clark ep that's been floating around...spent the next 2 yrs wondering "Why are the audience members screaming Jack's name during the credits?" every time I saw it, before getting it cleared up at a GSC.

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")

gshowguy

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We're off to see the Wizard....
« Reply #12 on: August 18, 2004, 11:43:36 AM »
[quote name=\'DrBear\' date=\'Jul 1 2004, 06:39 PM\'] [quote name=\'rmfromfla\' date=\'Jul 1 2004, 11:59 AM\'] Fellow Canadian Alan Thicke was able to get Alex to host the show..... [/quote]
...and also wrote and sang the theme song. [/quote]
 You don't suppose that if this show were on today, Frank Gari (who wrote the "Hello News" and "Turn To News" themes and also sang them) could actually compose this theme song, and get Florence Warner to sing it, maybe alongside himself and Randy Newman?

OK, that was a weird suggestion, but hey, I live with it.

tvwxman

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We're off to see the Wizard....
« Reply #13 on: August 18, 2004, 01:28:10 PM »
[quote name=\'gshowguy\' date=\'Aug 18 2004, 10:43 AM\']
OK, that was a weird suggestion, but hey, I live with it. [/quote]
 Yeah, now we're livin with it too.
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ChuckNet

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We're off to see the Wizard....
« Reply #14 on: August 18, 2004, 07:23:22 PM »
Quote
I'll just add that Wizard is an OK theme, but his Diamond Head Game and original Wheel themes are much better - they're among my faves.

Yeah, they're 2 of my faves as well...the others he composed (Blank Check, Celebrity Sweepstakes, etc.) didn't seem like anything to write home about, IMO.

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")