The Old Price Is Right

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 08:46 AM\']Some shows have progressed by going backwards, though.  Look at J!.  They discarded the innovations made on the Burbank Fleming version (two player double J!, solo bonus round) for a return to "classic" J! in 84.  [/quote]
Although they came to it late in the run, Bergeron's Hollywood Squares finally got around to straddling games, which the original daytime version did all along.  And those of you who thought the Osmond Pyramid was a travesty should have seen the radical changes that the same producer wanted to do originally, before coming back to something that at least resembled the classic.  Even Family Feud made the minor change of going back to playing to a set number of points, rather than that weird "whoever's ahead" business they started with.

It's one thing to recognize that a slow-moving format (such as the original TPIR) wouldn't work today.  It's also understandable to give new versions of old shows a visual face-lift.  But when you make arbitrary tweaks to a time-tested and play-tested format, you're usually doing more harm than good.

[sshuffield70]

[quote name=\'cmjb13\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 09:11 AM\'][quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 09:49 AM\']IIRC(I've only seen this once) the Plinko-esque segment of the Danza show has a contestant answering a question for cash or a prize determined by placing a chip or ball down a mini-Plinko board.

[snapback]77283[/snapback]

[/quote]
I actually meant the CBS 30 minute Plinko show that the Professor mentioned some time ago.

I've seen Danza's Plinko-like device. It looks smaller in person. It was sitting out in the hall when I went to Millionaire last year.  Danza tapes next door.

[snapback]77285[/snapback]

[/quote]

itiparanoid (Alex) tried to put a 30-minute style format for Palace a couple of years ago, but I don't think it ever took off.  I remember he was inspired by Perfesser's bit.

[cmjb13]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 11:29 AM\']Although they came to it late in the run, Bergeron's Hollywood Squares finally got around to straddling games, which the original daytime version did all along.
[/quote]
Did they do this to try to increase ratings? (Tune in tomorrow to see how this contestant does...)

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'cmjb13\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 01:24 PM\'][quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 11:29 AM\']Although they came to it late in the run, Bergeron's Hollywood Squares finally got around to straddling games, which the original daytime version did all along.
[/quote]
Did they do this to try to increase ratings? (Tune in tomorrow to see how this contestant does...)[/quote]
I can't read minds, though pretty much ANY change is an effort to increase ratings.  A couple of our members worked on the show, maybe they can shed more light on why the change was made.

[bricon]

[quote name=\'cmjb13\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 12:24 PM\'][quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 11:29 AM\']Although they came to it late in the run, Bergeron's Hollywood Squares finally got around to straddling games, which the original daytime version did all along.
[/quote]
Did they do this to try to increase ratings? (Tune in tomorrow to see how this contestant does...)

[snapback]77306[/snapback]

[/quote]
It was primarily done to have more flexibility in the timing of the shows...if a game/match went long with a lot of chatter or jokes, you could let it go longer without the concerns of "hurry - we gotta finish this game before time's up".

[TLEberle]

Just to keep a link to the beginning of the thread, I'm probably the sponsors' worst nightmare, as far as TPIR goes: I'm in one of their key demos, and I actually prefer the slowed down game of the fifties and sixties than the loud carnival of today (Too bad I never got to see any of the early shows; it looks like TNPIR was less...frenetic in the beginning.)

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'DjohnsonCB\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 08:16 AM\']As for Plinko as a stand-alone game, four words:  big plastic home version.

[snapback]77286[/snapback]

[/quote]
Why do you people CONTINUE to suffer the delusion that a home version of Plinko would have any replayability whatsoever? Yeah, it would be amusing for about twelve minutes, and then you would come to the realization that all you are doing is droping chips down a spiked ramp, and that the rest of it is subject to the whims of fate.

(And yes, I'm being generous at twelve minutes.)

[starcade]

[quote name=\'Neumms\' date=\'Mar 6 2005, 11:22 PM\']The other TPIR discussion makes me wonder. . . is there a way Bill Cullen's bread-and-butter version would work today?

Granted, the New Price Is Right seems to have worked. But what if there was a prime time show, four contestants for half an hour, doing rounds of bidding on splashy prime-time level prizes, perhaps with the addition of a bonus game? The pace and tone would be less Plinko, more Wheel of Fortune. Maybe it's what Doug Davidson's version should have been--if they're going to depart from Barker's version, make it a bigger departure.

Would it float?

[snapback]77247[/snapback]

[/quote]

Not in my opinion -- at least not with a great number of those prizes.  I could see it, more, talking about magnificent prizes with an auction-style format to get close to the bid without going over, but not with more than a couple of those.

[whammy5000]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 04:43 PM\'](And yes, I'm being generous at twelve minutes.)

[snapback]77346[/snapback]

[/quote]Call me easily amused, but I'd be occupied with a little Plinko board for endless hours.  I'm a freakin' TPiR trekkie (hmm, that'd make me a "pricie?").

[starcade]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 04:43 PM\'][quote name=\'DjohnsonCB\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 08:16 AM\']As for Plinko as a stand-alone game, four words:  big plastic home version.

[snapback]77286[/snapback]

[/quote]
Why do you people CONTINUE to suffer the delusion that a home version of Plinko would have any replayability whatsoever? Yeah, it would be amusing for about twelve minutes, and then you would come to the realization that all you are doing is droping chips down a spiked ramp, and that the rest of it is subject to the whims of fate.

(And yes, I'm being generous at twelve minutes.)

[snapback]77346[/snapback]

[/quote]

Lottery shows do this kind of stuff as a mini-game ("Fantasy 5 Dream Machine" in California, as one example), but not for the full show.  I could see, maybe, somehow integrating Plinko with a quiz motif for huge money, but not as a stand-alone for more than just a mini-game.

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'bricon\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 12:50 PM\']It was primarily done to have more flexibility in the timing of the shows...if a game/match went long with a lot of chatter or jokes, you could let it go longer without the concerns of "hurry - we gotta finish this game before time's up".

[snapback]77309[/snapback]

[/quote]

i.e. the "You Fool!" incident?

Also, did the 2002-04 bonus game (the two-parter) take any more time than any of the previous games? I'm sure it was obviously longer than "pick-a-star-win-the-prize-in-the-envolope," but was it a significant time eater?

Damn, I miss H2. :-(

[CarShark]

[quote name=\'TLEberle\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 02:00 PM\']Just to keep a link to the beginning of the thread, I'm probably the sponsors' worst nightmare, as far as TPIR goes: I'm in one of their key demos, and I actually prefer the slowed down game of the fifties and sixties than the loud carnival of today (Too bad I never got to see any of the early shows; it looks like TNPIR was less...frenetic in the beginning.)

[snapback]77317[/snapback]

[/quote]I like the old format better, too. The fact that Contestant's Row mutated from it really surprises me, especially since every time Cullen said it was time for the one-bid item of the day, the audience and three of the contestants groaned.

[Don Howard]

[quote name=\'starcade\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 04:52 PM\']I could see, maybe, somehow integrating Plinko with a quiz motif for huge money, but not as a stand-alone for more than just a mini-game.

[snapback]77349[/snapback]

[/quote]
I believe such a game was pitched at Game Show Mecca 3 last summer. Randy West can tell you more if it doesn't break confidentiality rules.

[bricon]

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 04:54 PM\'][quote name=\'bricon\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 12:50 PM\']It was primarily done to have more flexibility in the timing of the shows...if a game/match went long with a lot of chatter or jokes, you could let it go longer without the concerns of "hurry - we gotta finish this game before time's up".

[snapback]77309[/snapback]

[/quote]
Also, did the 2002-04 bonus game (the two-parter) take any more time than any of the previous games? I'm sure it was obviously longer than "pick-a-star-win-the-prize-in-the-envolope," but was it a significant time eater?

[snapback]77350[/snapback]

[/quote]
You mean the key game?  We tried to keep it to 3:00 or less, just like the double or nothing game,  but that was less of a concern show-wise with the continued game format.  It was only an issue if we didn't have time to fit it into the same act as the match win, and had to go to commercial.

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 04:54 PM\']Damn, I miss H2. :-(

[snapback]77350[/snapback]

[/quote]
Me too  

[ChuckNet]

Interestingly, before the CBS deal came along, G-T actually considered reviving TPiR w/its original format around 1969 or so (possibly as a syndicated entry, given the success they were having in said dept. at that time).

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")