Lookie, Lookie...

[Strikerz04]

http://www.edhenderson.com/news/wheel_of_fortune.shtml

ENJOY!

[TimK2003]

Wow!  That's one of the best contestant "game day" descriptions I have seen since Randy A's description of his $25K run on Whew!

I know this will never happen, but anybody here agree with me that this particular version of Wheel looks better for the game?

By that, I mean a simple-looking wheel, unobtrusive background, more casual-looking & sounding contestants, simple useful prizes,  and a letter turner who looks 1000 times better than Vanna.  In short, a little more 'realistic' than the US concoction we are stuck with nowadays.

Tim

[Brig Bother]

[quote name=\'TimK2003\' date=\'Oct 14 2004, 09:21 AM\']By that, I mean a simple-looking wheel, unobtrusive background, more casual-looking & sounding contestants, simple useful prizes,  and a letter turner who looks 1000 times better than Vanna.  In short, a little more 'realistic' than the US concoction we are stuck with nowadays.

Tim

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But our version was also far, far duller than yours.

It seemed quite glitzy and glamourous when it was on once a week on Monday nights and there was a big cash prize on offer, but going daily was the beginning of the end for it really. It's been off our screens for coming-up-to two years now.

[adamjk]

One thing I noticed from watching the video was, not once did a contestant actually buy a vowel.

[SamJ93]

[quote name=\'TimK2003\' date=\'Oct 14 2004, 04:21 AM\']I know this will never happen, but anybody here agree with me that this particular version of Wheel looks better for the game?

By that, I mean a simple-looking wheel, unobtrusive background, more casual-looking & sounding contestants, simple useful prizes,  and a letter turner who looks 1000 times better than Vanna.  In short, a little more 'realistic' than the US concoction we are stuck with nowadays.
[/quote]

Not to mention a board that looks modern and "with the times," yet still has the letters printed on trilons to give the hostess an actual reason for being there.

I'm with you...I'd love to see something like this over in the US again to replace the current bloated extravaganza we have today.  Up the prize budget a little (somewhere in between the Scottish version and the current ridiculously high values of the US), add in an actual studio audience, and there you go.

--Sam
(The only thing I'd drop is contestants constantly saying "H for House," "M for Mother," etc. as they pick their letters...maybe I'm just not used to it, but saying it after every selection is strange.)

[Brig Bother]

[quote name=\'adamjk\' date=\'Oct 14 2004, 01:25 PM\']One thing I noticed from watching the video was, not once did a contestant actually buy a vowel.

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And thusly I feel vindicated.

[vtown7]

If you fancy a gander... my experience from 1997 is up at welcome.to/canucksonwheel.

Apologies if you don't get it the first time as it's a redirection from Angelfire.

Ryan

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'SamJ93\' date=\'Oct 14 2004, 09:04 AM\'](The only thing I'd drop is contestants constantly saying "H for House," "M for Mother," etc. as they pick their letters...maybe I'm just not used to it, but saying it after every selection is strange.)

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That was very common back in the Woolery days--supposedly, it ended when Merv got sick of it and ordered the contestant coordinators to ban it immediately.

[aaron sica]

[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Oct 14 2004, 04:59 PM\']
That was very common back in the Woolery days--supposedly, it ended when Merv got sick of it and ordered the contestant coordinators to ban it immediately.

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I could have sworn in the early days of WoF syndicated, that practice was done as well...

[sshuffield70]

It's still used occasionally when the host or producers can understand which letter was called.

But not every damn time.

[zachhoran]

I could have sworn in the early days of WoF syndicated, that practice was done as well...

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It was discontinued c. 1987, as the TV Guide article mentioning Merv disliking the "N as in ......." way to call a latter(to which I believe Mark J was referring to earlier in the post) appeared in a March 1987 issue.

[TimK2003]

[quote name=\'SamJ93\' date=\'Oct 14 2004, 09:04 AM\']I'm with you...I'd love to see something like this over in the US again to replace the current bloated extravaganza we have today.  Up the prize budget a little (somewhere in between the Scottish version and the current ridiculously high values of the US), add in an actual studio audience, and there you go.

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But unfortunately, as long as SONY's rein on the show continues in the U.S. in the SONY Studios, using the latest in SONY audio and SONY video equipment (complete with 1.5M colors of light), it'll never go back to it's infrastructure roots -- rather it will keep drifting farther & farther apart from game show simplicity (sigh).

In about another 10 years, Wheel will morph into a program with 22 minutes of sponsors and a daily "fashion show" of Sony products and only 8 minutes of actual game show.  Hell, just make it one big Sony infomercial -- by then, no one will know the difference!

[parliboy]

I'm as nostalgic for the 70's and the 80's as the next guy.  But here's the thing I don't understand about the attitude by Tim and others: this program was rooted in fashion show.  Heck, "Shopper's Bazaar", anyone?  If we went back and looked at a shopping era show, I'd bet there's less gameplay time than there is today, even with the extra commercials.

[ChuckNet]

It was discontinued c. 1987, as the TV Guide article mentioning Merv disliking the "N as in ......." way to call a latter(to which I believe Mark J was referring to earlier in the post) appeared in a March 1987 issue.

But they kept it overseas...as late as the mid-90s, we still saw contestants on the Aussie version calling "T for Tom", "W for William", etc.

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")