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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?
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I doubt it. Doesn't sound too exciting.
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What whoserman (or is it Kevin?) said. Something that basic was cool for the 50s, but it's too simple for 2004.
And besides, the G-T staff prolly thought the same thing back in 1972, otherwise they might have used the 50s format then as well.
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It's Kevin. And it's Foster for you, right?
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Brandon will work. :-)
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Somehow, I knew it wouldn't be that simple...
Well, I won't forget YOUR name again, that's for sure.
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[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Mar 6 2005, 11:31 PM\']What whoserman (or is it Kevin?) said. Something that basic was cool for the 50s, but it's too simple for 2004.
And besides, the G-T staff prolly thought the same thing back in 1972, otherwise they might have used the 50s format then as well.
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One big issue then, though, was they couldn't afford terribly interesting prizes on a daytime budget. I believe Goodson is quoted as mentioning "four rounds of bidding on a dishwasher."
Sometimes there's a healthy bit of conflict down in Contestants' Row, and with the old format we'd see more of it.
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One big issue then, though, was they couldn't afford terribly interesting prizes on a daytime budget. I believe Goodson is quoted as mentioning "four rounds of bidding on a dishwasher."
If TPIR gave away a Rolls Royce in every game, how long do you think it would take for the novelty to wear off? Sooner or later the monotony would put the audience to sleep.
I'll say it again: you can't buy ratings. If all it took were big-money prizes, state lottery games would be the biggest thing on television. How many years have TPIR and LMAD been around giving away Broyhill dinette sets?
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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. Veering, for those of you who thought "Plinko" wouldn't work as a standalone show, think again. "The Tony Danza Show" has been renewed.
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 07:46 AM\']
Veering, for those of you who thought "Plinko" wouldn't work as a standalone show, think again. "The Tony Danza Show" has been renewed.
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I'm not so sure a two or three minute segment of a daily talk show based on Plinko would necessary mean a half an hour show with a Plinko-based format would fly.
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I'm not so sure a two or three minute segment of a daily talk show based on Plinko would necessary mean a half an hour show with a Plinko-based format would fly.
Not a big shocker, but WHOOOOOOSH. I always wanted to do that.
More on-topic, TPiR wouldn't work in its old format not only for the reasons described by the other posters, but because the daytime version set a precedent with viewers. You'd have to have a whole new name, which on top of the dull format, would give the show even less hope of winning in the ratings.
-Jason
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[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 08:58 AM\']I'm not so sure a two or three minute segment of a daily talk show based on Plinko would necessary mean a half an hour show with a Plinko-based format would fly.
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And what would that Plinko-based format be?
Maybe playing some sort of mini-game before hand to determine how much the center slot would be?
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[quote name=\'cmjb13\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 09:11 AM\'][quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 08:58 AM\']I'm not so sure a two or three minute segment of a daily talk show based on Plinko would necessary mean a half an hour show with a Plinko-based format would fly.
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And what would that Plinko-based format be?
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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.
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[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.
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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.
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Maxene Fabe covered this in her book. Bud Grant of CBS called Mark Goodson and told him he was interested in bringing TPIR back as part of a new AM GS block in Fall 1972. But Goodson eventually discovered the original format wouldn't work "these days"--too boring and too slow. He contacted Grant and told him that "unless you want a whole new show, we're going to have to cancel our deal", to which Grant replied "No, go ahead, I trust you. Overhaul it from top to bottom if you have to." And the rest is history.
Lucky thing I was a 17-year-old high school senior at the time and not in Grant's position. If I'd been in the CBS honcho's position then, and Mark G. told me that I'd have had to agree to a whole new SHOW, I might have turned him down, assuming as I likely would have that Goodson might have meant a new, NON-TPIR show instead of a whole new TPIR, and the world would have been deprived of a future classic. There'd have been no Bob Barker Theatre at CBS.
I can't completely agree, though, with Fabe's assumption that I'd be bored to tears if I were to watch the original version today. I'd love to see the old Cullen shows today, and on the off-chance one or two color tapes ever survived to today, that would be anything BUT boring to watch.
As for Plinko as a stand-alone game, four words: big plastic home version.
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[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.
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[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.
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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.
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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.
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[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.
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Did they do this to try to increase ratings? (Tune in tomorrow to see how this contestant does...)
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[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.
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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.
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[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.
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Did they do this to try to increase ratings? (Tune in tomorrow to see how this contestant does...)
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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".
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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.)
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[quote name=\'DjohnsonCB\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 08:16 AM\']As for Plinko as a stand-alone game, four words: big plastic home version.
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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.)
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[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?
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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.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 04:43 PM\'](And yes, I'm being generous at twelve minutes.)
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[/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?").
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[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.
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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.)
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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.
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[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".
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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. :-(
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[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.)
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[/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. :)
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[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.
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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.
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[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".
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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?
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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. :-(
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Me too ;)
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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")
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[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.
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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.)
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Awwww...come on! First of all, the reason I felt there was a place on GS fans' home game shelves for an actual plastic Plinko game by itself is that no TPIR home game would probably ever spring for that extra expense thereby jacking up the total cost of the entire game. Maybe it would have been feasable had TnPIR with Plinko as one of the minigames debuted on TV in 1966 when the Concentration home game, with that big plastic game board and sturdy plastic slides, could still be had for $5 or less, but remember that back in the mid-'70s, when inflation was taking it's toll on the toy industry and everyone thought plastic would be pricey and in short supply, MB tried to get away with as little plastic as possible in its TPIR games to keep the price under five bucks, which was likely the assumed limit they figured folks would pay for a TV home game. The Shell Game? Flat cardboard for the shells and ball. The Clock Game? Sorry, no Quick Tick Timer included; you'll just have to use the one from your MB Beat The Clock game or use the ol' clock on your wall.
Big plastic, on the other hand, did have its place in *some* games that didn't require new editions to be made yearly or bought to replace the old ones because everyone memorized the answers or whatever. My idea for a stand-alone Plinko game wouldn't involve just dropping chips down a board. The trick would be to build an adaptable game around this action not totally related to TPIR, such as including a flat game board with the Plinko tray standing up in the middle, then have players move pawns along the flat board in an effort to win more chips, or lose a couple, or land on a space that asks them to guess a price correctly to win one or more chips.
Then there would be other spaces in which one player, or maybe everyone on the same turn, gets to drop a number of chips down the board. The first player to reach a target amount of money ($50,000? $100,000?) wins the game.
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[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 07:09 AM\']If TPIR gave away a Rolls Royce in every game, how long do you think it would take for the novelty to wear off? Sooner or later the monotony would put the audience to sleep.
I'll say it again: you can't buy ratings. If all it took were big-money prizes, state lottery games would be the biggest thing on television. How many years have TPIR and LMAD been around giving away Broyhill dinette sets?
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I'm not saying Rolls Royces every game, just prizes that are unique. The elephant Bill Cullen offered, for example. It's not More Money Syndrome. It's that with no mountain climber or Plinko chips, the prize is the game, so the prizes would need to be fresher than the daily Broyhill dinette set.
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What about making each thing up for bids a package of items, not unlike the showcases, but in less grand forms? Blend a little "Say When" with the blank check/multiple item concept -
What's up for bids, Don?
It's off to school time, Bill. To make sure these three kids get up on time, here's a Sony CD Clock Radio, with (blah blah blah details)...one for the boys room, one for the girls' room. To help with the get clean routine, here's a Colgate motorized toothbrush for each of them, with 50 tubes of Colgate toothpaste to keep their smiles bright for a long time. Make sure they get something in them by having everyone sit down to breakfast at this new kitchen table set from (blah blah blah). And to listen to tunes on the way to school, here's their own personal Apple iPod! A good way to start a good day..all from The Price Is Right!
Okay, bidders, we're looking for the total retail price of 2 CD clock radios, three toothbrushes, the 50 tubes of toothpaste, the kitchen table set and a trio of iPods. Bids have to be in at least 40 dollar increments, and we'll start the bidding with Mrs. Cosnofski. What say you?
Tons of mid-range merch with nice promo fees attached, a few themes, and maybe high total at the end of the game can play one high-end current Price is Right stage game for the chance to win a new car. After all, if millions of us sit down night after night and watch people spin a wheel and call out the same letters, this can't be any more monotonous if done right.
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[quote name=\'DjohnsonCB\' date=\'Mar 8 2005, 04:37 PM\']Then there would be other spaces in which one player, or maybe everyone on the same turn, gets to drop a number of chips down the board. The first player to reach a target amount of money ($50,000? $100,000?) wins the game.
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So, in other words, the main function of the game is totally left up to the vagaries of chance.
Sorry. Still sounds like crap to me.
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[quote name=\'The Ol' Guy\' date=\'Mar 8 2005, 08:49 PM\']After all, if millions of us sit down night after night and watch people spin a wheel and call out the same letters, this can't be any more monotonous if done right.
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That's the idea!
Do you remember "Say When!" well? What amount would they typically play to? Was it a reasonably interesting game?
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[quote name=\'Neumms\' date=\'Mar 8 2005, 11:53 PM\']
That's the idea!
Do you remember "Say When!" well? What amount would they typically play to? Was it a reasonably interesting game?
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On the episode(or was it the pilot?) on the trading circuit, they played to $750 in the first two rounds, and $2000 in the championship round. it was essentially a two player version of a modern era TPIR pricing game. It was sort of a cross of Credit Card and Grocery Game and Credit Card in that players would take a prize or a certain quantity of a prize so as to some closer to the target amount without going over.
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I'm pretty sure that's the pilot, as the show (by the time I discovered it right around age 11) had a stylish theme on electric guitar in the Al Caiola-Tony Mottola style. The game moved a little smoother than the pilot, but the game was the same. Two players chose from 4 prizes to get as close as possible to a pre-determined limit without going over - usually a $750-$1200 range opening game and higher totals from there. I don't remember limits higher that $2500, but someone else might. Pick one prize, a new one took it's place on the game board until all selected prizes per round were exhausted. If you thought one more prize might put you over, you'd "say when" and freeze, forcing your opponent to pick more prizes and get closer to the limit to win, or go over and bust. A fun TRIP clone that involved smart choices and a little shopping savvy. The blank check concept that allowed you to purchase as many of a food or personal item was a clever idea. If anyone has other memories, jump in. Mine's a bit foggy, but I do remember loving the show.
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[quote name=\'The Ol' Guy\' date=\'Mar 9 2005, 08:53 AM\']I'm pretty sure that's the pilot, as the show (by the time I discovered it right around age 11) had a stylish theme on electric guitar in the Al Caiola-Tony Mottola style.
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The live guitarist was an instance where in trying to avoid cliche with daytime TV live music (like an organ), Goodson scored (unlike, say, "Number Please"). The live music also, I assume, helped distinguish the show from "TPIR."
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Mar 8 2005, 07:02 PM\'][quote name=\'DjohnsonCB\' date=\'Mar 8 2005, 04:37 PM\']Then there would be other spaces in which one player, or maybe everyone on the same turn, gets to drop a number of chips down the board. The first player to reach a target amount of money ($50,000? $100,000?) wins the game.
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So, in other words, the main function of the game is totally left up to the vagaries of chance.
Sorry. Still sounds like crap to me.
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I agree that Plinko would make a boring stand-alone home game, but if marketed as more of a toy than a game, I think it'd still sell pretty well.
After all, once the kiddies shell out the $20 and tear off the shrink wrap, retailers don't particularly care whether they play with it for twelve minutes, twelve years, or twelve seconds.
Aside from that, it would make a neat conversation piece for one's desk at work.
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Not a bad little idea. I like the desk game type thing. Maybe use ball-bearings, or maybe even small plastic discs (like the ones you'd see in a Bingo game). Hmmm.....
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Though I haven't seen them in some time now; there used to be a little "mini-pinball" game..in which you'd pull a trigger; and a little ball would bounce down a pegboard into slots with points in them.
I think I saw [and bought] them in the now defunct "All For One" chain stores.
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Yeah, what yer thinking of is known as a "bagatelle", and was the forerunner to modern pinball.
I agree, I see it as an interesting executive toy, but as an actual competitive game it falls rather flat.
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[quote name=\'The Ol' Guy\' date=\'Mar 9 2005, 08:53 AM\']A fun TRIP clone that involved smart choices and a little shopping savvy. .
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Thanks for the memory. I'd buy the home game on eBay, but you know how those pricing games sort of go out of date after 40, 50 years.
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[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Mar 9 2005, 05:34 PM\']Not a bad little idea. I like the desk game type thing. Maybe use ball-bearings, or maybe even small plastic discs (like the ones you'd see in a Bingo game). Hmmm.....
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At the Toy Fair last month, the guys from "Cranium" were touting a new game, which is Plinko-ish.... You start with a slanted board with pegs, and add obstacles for the ball to hit while dropping through, different obstacles based on cards from a deck, which also determines when the ball is released and from what chamber up top (7 or 9) it is released from....Name escapes me...
Neat for kids, but dunno about adults....Maybe add a trivia aspect and you've got something?
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True dat, Neumms..and on top of that, the home version is somewhat bastardized - the rules were changed to accomodate 2 to 5 players and has several features the tv show never had - for example, 144 prize cards are shuffled and divided into a four-part lazy susan tray. The tops of the cards list the category of prize (fashion, cars, appliances, etc.), and there are at least 4 cards in each category, each with a different type of prize (LIVING ROOM FURNITURE: card 1, cocktail table, $90, card 2, sofa $280, card 4, complete living room set, $1,950). All you see before you pick is the category, not the specific prize. All rounds are played to reach a $10,000 limit. Players start the game with $50,000 in play money, and always start each round with $10,000 in "buying chips". Pick a card, pay with chips. Same "Say When" and bust rules apply.When a player wins the round, there are payoffs in paper money for having 3 and 4 of a kind category cards, and a Twenty-One type payoff where the losers have to pay the winner a percentage based on how much of their initial $10,000 buying chip stake is left. Kinda complicated, but the cover really says what you get if you read it the way they meant it: A Parker Brothers Game..based on the NBC television program, Say When! I usually just said screw it and played the game like the tv version.
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Parker Brothers????, well if Milton Bradley wasn't interested, that says something.
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Yeah, right about that time, Parker pulled a Cardinal and put out home versions of 2 G-T "B" games. They also issued their version of Number Please that also was altered for home use. For those who have wondered about getting one - two players come up with their own phrase, maximum 24 letters/spaces. The phrases don't need a connection, unlike the game show. You could write Vacation Bible School, your opponent could write Marilyn Manson rocks! The phrase is written on a wipe-off strip inserted into a plastic frame, each letter hiding behind a plastic sliding cover like a Jeopardy home game value slide. On the back of each slide was a money amount. On your turn, you'd pick a number on your opponent's frame from 1 to 24. He'd take away the slide, read you the value behind it, and you paid that much to see the letter. You'd be swapping cash back and forth until one person can guess the other's phrase. There could have been other payoffs, but it's been a while since I've had it out.
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[quote name=\'DjohnsonCB\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 10:16 AM\']Maxene Fabe covered this in her book. Bud Grant of CBS called Mark Goodson and told him he was interested in bringing TPIR back as part of a new AM GS block in Fall 1972. But Goodson eventually discovered the original format wouldn't work "these days"--too boring and too slow. He contacted Grant and told him that "unless you want a whole new show, we're going to have to cancel our deal", to which Grant replied "No, go ahead, I trust you. Overhaul it from top to bottom if you have to." And the rest is history.
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I know I'm pulling something up from four pages ago...but I'd always heard that the show was only shopped to CBS at all because NBC turned it down. I know that's not really the topic of the thread...but which story is right?
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Mar 10 2005, 08:34 AM\']Parker Brothers????, well if Milton Bradley wasn't interested, that says something.
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Parker Brothers *did* get first crack at a home version of at least one "A"-list GS: Concentration. They let MB take over because they couldn't come up with one that was satisfactory. I also heard that the original MB prototype for Concentration wasn't like the ones that were in production all those years. I'd give anything to see it if it still exists, especially the game board.
The inventor's superior nixed his first attempt because the price would have been $4 in 1959 bucks (makes one wonder what it would have gone for 20 years later), and he asked another employee to try and revamp it so they wouldn't have to use so much plastic and cardboard. The price of the Rolomatic version was still a bit more than they'd preferred, but they took a chance on it and it was a million seller that first year. Too bad the refill rolls weren't easy for me to come by.
BTW if anyone's interested in the Say When! home game, I have one for sale...
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That is intriguing, from the standpoint of "1959 dollars". I chuckle when I read the old Lowell games brochures, with many of the games released in the 1955-1958 years in the $2.98 range, with Beat The Clock at $3.98, which was probably considered pretty pricey for the mid 50s...or was it? Jeopardy, Eye Guess and several other MB games in the mid-60s retailed at right around $2.98 early on, if I remember correctly. Password, with a $2 tag, went for as little as $1.39-$1.59 at deep discount stores. Anyone have some comparative prices for, say, Monopoly, Clue and Candy Land in those years? Granted, licensing was probably part of the higher price, but it seems putting out a game at $3.98 back then seemed pretty bold.