Allen's Podium on Password Plus

[TheLastResort]

A couple of days ago, GSN just started rerunning the first week of P+, and it reminded me of a question I've always had.  I think this has come up before, but I couldn't find the answer.  During the first week, there was a small rectangular hole cut out in the front of Allen's podium.  For the first couple of shows, it was reflective, like a mirror.  Now it's brown to match the rest of the podium.  By week two, it will be gone entirely.  

So what the $%#! was it for?  It looks too small to be a scoreboard.  Was it some sort of password envelope dispenser?  An opening for a stick mic?  An extra swastika they decided to cover up??

[JasonA1]

Chris Clementson, ATGS, 1998:

The passwords were grouped by puzzle and sat on a carousel on a shelf inside Allen's podium.  The original idea was to install colored flags on this carousel so that they would peek through the aperture in such a way as to be visible to an observer on the audience side of the set.  This way the producer could tell which set of passwords was facing Allen and whether they matched the next puzzle scheduled to be played.  A clever NBC stage electronics guy replaced this whole system with a set of microswitches attached to the carousel which would activate a light at the producer's table, giving the producer the same information.  The aperture in the podium thus became obsolete and was covered up with carpeting.

-Jason

[TheLastResort]

Interesting - thanks.  Actually, I thought that's why the password envelopes themselves were color coded - so the producer could verify which puzzles the words belonged to.  But I guess having the carousel wired to the production table gave them more time to check before Allen gave out the envelopes.

[rjaguar3]

[quote name=\'TheLastResort\' post=\'209619\' date=\'Mar 5 2009, 07:15 PM\']
Interesting - thanks.  Actually, I thought that's why the password envelopes themselves were color coded - so the producer could verify which puzzles the words belonged to.  But I guess having the carousel wired to the production table gave them more time to check before Allen gave out the envelopes.
[/quote]

No, the envelopes were color coded to make sure the passwords in each puzzle were given in the right order.  If you notice, the pattern of colors is always the same.

[TheLastResort]

[quote name=\'rjaguar3\' post=\'209623\' date=\'Mar 5 2009, 08:57 PM\']No, the envelopes were color coded to make sure the passwords in each puzzle were given in the right order.  If you notice, the pattern of colors is always the same. [/quote]

Never noticed that.  It sure was a colorful show, even if the set designer was a Nazi.  

[chris319]

Do you recall the order of the colors? I don't, but I recall there were red, green, yellow, salmon and some other color.

[tvwxman]

I have said it before and i'll say it again : Had PPlus had Wheel's Million colors that they debuted a few years ago, PPlus would never have been cancelled, and would still be on the air today.

[rjaguar3]

[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'209632\' date=\'Mar 5 2009, 09:17 PM\']
Do you recall the order of the colors? I don't, but I recall there were red, green, yellow, salmon and some other color.
[/quote]

From looking at Youtube, the order is red, yellow, orange, green, peach, but I'm not sure on the 2nd and 3rd ones.

[Clay Zambo]

[quote name=\'tvwxman\' post=\'209641\' date=\'Mar 5 2009, 11:34 PM\']
I have said it before and i'll say it again : Had PPlus had Wheel's Million colors that they debuted a few years ago, PPlus would never have been cancelled, and would still be on the air today.
[/quote]

I dunno, Matt.  Seems like having passwords in a million color-coded envelopes would slow down the game.  And, damn, would that need to be a big puzzle board.

[calliaume]

[quote name=\'Clay Zambo\' post=\'209674\' date=\'Mar 6 2009, 04:36 PM\']
[quote name=\'tvwxman\' post=\'209641\' date=\'Mar 5 2009, 11:34 PM\']
I have said it before and i'll say it again : Had PPlus had Wheel's Million colors that they debuted a few years ago, PPlus would never have been cancelled, and would still be on the air today.
[/quote]

I dunno, Matt.  Seems like having passwords in a million color-coded envelopes would slow down the game.  And, damn, would that need to be a big puzzle board.
[/quote]
On the positive side, they wouldn't have to book as many contestants, and the budget would have been significantly lower.

[Don Howard]

[quote name=\'Clay Zambo\' post=\'209674\' date=\'Mar 6 2009, 03:36 PM\']
I dunno, Matt.  Seems like having passwords in a million color-coded envelopes would slow down the game.  And, damn, would that need to be a big puzzle board.
[/quote]
And can you imagine how dumb those contestants would have to be if the puzzle went unsolved and they had to turn to the all-knowing audience?

[Mr. Matté]

Another little quirk I've noticed from the early weeks of the show: Between each celebrity and Allen, there is a small microphone highlighted here.  What was the point of these?

[Kevin Prather]

[quote name=\'Mr. Matté\' post=\'209916\' date=\'Mar 9 2009, 12:05 PM\']
Another little quirk I've noticed from the early weeks of the show: Between each celebrity and Allen, there is a small microphone highlighted here.  What was the point of these?
[/quote]
Notice that the other microphone is pointed in the other direction, so if the celeb turns to talk to Allen, he's out of the mic's range.

[chris319]

There is another mic on the opposite side of the frame, poking the contestant in the ribs.

[TheLastResort]

[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'209985\' date=\'Mar 10 2009, 02:29 AM\'] There is another mic on the opposite side of the frame, poking the contestant in the ribs. [/quote]

There is also a GSN logo sitting on top of his head.