Author Topic: Game shows that have never done pilots (Read 4801 times)

johnnya2k3 · « **on:** June 21, 2006, 01:58:52 AM »

As you know, a "pilot" episode of a TV show is far different from when the series goes on the air regularly.

For example, the Hollywood Squares and Joker's Wild pilots were done at Television City but produced in black-and-white. Bert Parks and Allen Ludden hosted them respectively of course. Mike Wallace hosted a pilot for "Nothing But The Truth"; it would later be renamed "To Tell The Truth" with Bud Collyer as host. And on the Press Your Luck pilot, the logo was different and only one Whammy animation was made for it. The rest would be history when CBS greenlit the show.

Before Gene Wood was tapped as "Family Feud" announcer, his colleague Johnny Olson did its pilot show. And we all know about the TTTT '90 pilot being shown by accident, while Gameshow Marathon during the Card Sharks episode showed a clip from the 1978 pilot.

I also seem to remember a promo for "Wipeout"...only that the clips were from the pilot!

But what about game shows that DIDN'T do a pilot episode? One example is The Price is Right when Mark Goodson decided to bring it back but with a completely different format. Instead of a pilot, a sales film for the syndicated version featuring Goodson and Dennis James was made. We don't know if Jeopardy! did a pilot for the 1984 revival, or if there were for Match Game, $10,000 Pyramid, or Lingo.

Jonathan Allen, who'd love to see the rest of the "Mad Money" pilot they showed last night

Blanquepage · « **Reply #1 on:** June 21, 2006, 02:02:42 AM »

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We don't know if Jeopardy! did a pilot for the 1984 revival,

Yeah, we do. Two pilots have been in the possession of collectors for years...

Quote

or if there were for Match Game, $10,000 Pyramid, or Lingo.

Match Game '73 did a pilot as did Match Game '90, the latter of which was with Bert Convy.
As for Lingo, I really don't see a reason why they wouldn't have done a pilot...

--Jamie

BrandonFG · « **Reply #2 on:** June 21, 2006, 02:46:23 AM »

[quote name=\'johnnya2k3\' post=\'121980\' date=\'Jun 21 2006, 01:58 AM\']

r if there were for Match Game, $10,000 Pyramid, or Lingo.
[/quote]
Pyramid's pilot I believe was known as "Cash on the Line", with an extra bottom row of four trilons on the Winner's Circle. So instead of getting six subjects, you had to get 10.

According to "Come on Down", the bottom row was covered with plywood, which you can see on some episodes.

curtking · « **Reply #3 on:** June 21, 2006, 06:15:53 AM »

[quote name=\'johnnya2k3\' post=\'121980\' date=\'Jun 21 2006, 12:58 AM\']
We don't know if Jeopardy! did a pilot for the 1984 revival, or if there were for Match Game, $10,000 Pyramid, or Lingo.
[/quote]
Seems like a good time to mention Mike Burger's Game Show Pilot Light site, which could have answered at least one of these. Great, great site.

Curt

Ian Wallis · « **Reply #4 on:** June 21, 2006, 08:58:32 AM »

Quote

Pyramid's pilot I believe was known as "Cash on the Line", with an extra bottom row of four trilons on the Winner's Circle. So instead of getting six subjects, you had to get 10.

It was supposed to go to series that way too, until Bob Stewart got cold feet a few days before the first taping, thinking that nobody could get 10 in 60 seconds. They put a piece of plywood over the bottom four categories, which if you look closely can be seen on the 1973 episodes GSN ran a while back. When the show moved to ABC, a new set was reportedly built that just had the six trilons.

TLEberle · « **Reply #5 on:** June 21, 2006, 09:11:13 AM »

I thought the original game was ten items in 60 seconds, all being from the same subject, as ten traffic signs, or ten things that expand, as opposed to ten subjects.

tyshaun1 · « **Reply #6 on:** June 21, 2006, 09:26:23 AM »

[quote name=\'Jimmy Fiono Coyne\' post=\'121981\' date=\'Jun 21 2006, 02:02 AM\']
As for Lingo, I really don't see a reason why they wouldn't have done a pilot...

[/quote]

I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) the 20 episodes shot in Amsterdam were actually considered the "pilot".

Tyshaun

DoorNumberFour · « **Reply #7 on:** June 21, 2006, 11:12:36 AM »

[quote name='Jimmy Fiono Coyne' date='Jun 21 2006, 02:02 AM' post='121981']

Quote

We don't know if Jeopardy! did a pilot for the 1984 revival,

There sure was.

There were actually two pilots done in the 80s; one in 1983 (with the original pull-card board mechanics, 1978 dollar amounts+theme song) and one in 1984 (with just about the same set we saw in the premiere, $50-$250 in round 1+$100-500 in round 2).

Alex Trebek hosted both, and Jack Campion was a contestant on both (he was the returning champion in the 1984 pilot).

Interesting part about both pilots: the both used Don Pardo's original opening spiel: "...These three players will compete today on...'Jeopardy!'".

TwoInchQuad · « **Reply #8 on:** June 21, 2006, 12:14:45 PM »

And just for the record, the Ludden "Joker's Wild" pilots were produced in color, but the first one has only surfaced as a B&W kinescope.

-Kevin

Blanquepage · « **Reply #9 on:** June 21, 2006, 12:36:47 PM »

Did the U.S. 'Millionaire' do a pilot?

--Jamie

bricon · « **Reply #10 on:** June 21, 2006, 01:34:14 PM »

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' post=\'121985\' date=\'Jun 21 2006, 01:46 AM\']
Pyramid's pilot I believe was known as "Cash on the Line", with an extra bottom row of four trilons on the Winner's Circle. So instead of getting six subjects, you had to get 10.

According to "Come on Down", the bottom row was covered with plywood, which you can see on some episodes.
[/quote]

Per a photo of the set I have seen:

The "Cash On The Line" pyramid board actually had *15* squares, in rows of 1-2-3-4 and 5 boxes.
The top box is labeled "Jackpot". The two on the next row labeled $1000 each, the row of 3 labeled
$750 per box, the row of 4 labeled $500 each, and the bottom row of 5 labeled $250 each.

How it played exactly I am not sure, but if speculating, given Bob Stewart's propensity for recycling
game elements, that whatever was done, was similar to the Pass The Buck bonus, where you
started at the bottom, and if you cleared a row, you won. Or made it all the way to the top and
cleared the "Jackpot" box.

Next to Dick's podium are two black lines on a wall (think of the category displays on Three On A Match).

And above each of the team's podiums were 15 second clocks built into the set wall.

The set is very pastel colored, looking only in layout like the classic Pyramid set.

chris319 · « **Reply #11 on:** June 21, 2006, 02:53:56 PM »

Quote

There were actually two pilots done in the 80s; one in 1983 (with the original pull-card board mechanics, 1978 dollar amounts+theme song) and one in 1984 (with just about the same set we saw in the premiere, $50-$250 in round 1+$100-500 in round 2).

Alex Trebek hosted both, and Jack Campion was a contestant on both (he was the returning champion in the 1984 pilot).

Both were done at the TAV Celebrity Theater, were they not? And on weekends, when ET wasn't using the stage (which would have made for a flurry of activity on Sunday night while J! was loaded out and ET loaded in and lit)?

bricon · « **Reply #12 on:** June 21, 2006, 05:37:05 PM »

[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'122011\' date=\'Jun 21 2006, 01:53 PM\']
Both were done at the TAV Celebrity Theater, were they not? And on weekends, when ET wasn't using the stage (which would have made for a flurry of activity on Sunday night while J! was loaded out and ET loaded in and lit)?
[/quote]

The first one was taped Sunday 9/18/83 at TAV. I'd be surprised if the second was done there- if it had the same set as the premiere. The stage height at TAV I remember being way lower than KTTV or KTLA, which eventually housed the show. Smaller floor space, too (45 x 50).

I knew the old studio literature would come in handy someday

Blanquepage · « **Reply #13 on:** June 21, 2006, 05:52:48 PM »

Quote

The first one was taped Sunday 9/18/83 at TAV.

Who designed the set of the first pilot? I've seen a lot of people give it a bad rap, but that computer motif was kinda cute. Pales in comparison to the eventual series' set, but cute.

--Jamie

DoorNumberFour · « **Reply #14 on:** June 22, 2006, 03:42:02 PM »

[quote name=\'Jimmy Fiono Coyne\' post=\'122003\' date=\'Jun 21 2006, 12:36 PM\']
Did the U.S. 'Millionaire' do a pilot?

--Jamie
[/quote]

Nope.

The initial two-week trial run was essentially the "pilot" for WWTBAM.

According to Michael Davies in a book about Millionaire, a pilot for the show would never work because the drama associated with the game would never come across; no one would really be playing for a million dollars, since they wouldn't use real contestants and real money for a pilot.

So he convinced ABC to give him a 2-week run in primetime, and the rest is history.