Rarest episodes from non-erased series

[Ian Wallis]

I am under the impression that the only tapes of Spin-Off that exist are in a format that cannot be broadcast by modern technologies, and have to be converted at considerable cost, the same way that the first two seasons of CBS The Joker's Wild had to be.

Speaking of which, how far did GSN get through the first two seasons of TJW? Did they even convert all of the tapes?

GSN aired most of Sept 1972 - April 1973.  Not sure about how much was converted.  From what I understand, they always had the last season (1974-75), but since they never aired any of it we don't know if it was converted or not.  When the rest was discovered at WCBS in 2000, they started airing it from the 1972 premiere.

[snowpeck]

I am under the impression that the only tapes of Spin-Off that exist are in a format that cannot be broadcast by modern technologies, and have to be converted at considerable cost, the same way that the first two seasons of CBS The Joker's Wild had to be.

Speaking of which, how far did GSN get through the first two seasons of TJW? Did they even convert all of the tapes?

GSN aired most of Sept 1972 - April 1973.  Not sure about how much was converted.  From what I understand, they always had the last season (1974-75), but since they never aired any of it we don't know if it was converted or not.  When the rest was discovered at WCBS in 2000, they started airing it from the 1972 premiere.

Was it ever even established how much of the run was discovered?

[Blanquepage]

Was it ever even established how much of the run was discovered?

According to David Schwartz way back when, all of it.
Episodes from 469 from '74 and 600 from 2/13/75 are around in collections in master quality. In fact I even showed #600 once on Game Show Vault but hardly anyone viewed it. Oh well 

[CarpetCrawler]

(the first season of syndie TTTT is also lost)

As a giant fan of Garry Moore as well as this version of the show, this one always bums me out. All I know of that exists from this season is a b&w copy of a very early taped episode (I think the third one) which features a game involving dating profiles and Peggy Cass!!

[trainman]

(the first season of syndie TTTT is also lost)

As a giant fan of Garry Moore as well as this version of the show, this one always bums me out. All I know of that exists from this season is a b&w copy of a very early taped episode (I think the third one) which features a game involving dating profiles and Peggy Cass!!

I believe this is a still photo from that season of the show -- my aunt is in position #1 as an impostor, and this photo is from the collection of #3, who was the central character (Baltimore Orioles bat girl/base sweeper Linda Warehime).

[CarpetCrawler]

THAT'S SO COOL!!  Thank for sharing that!!

[tvwxman]

High Rollers[/b]
--it was recently pointed out that the whole 1974-76 run exists, yet there's only one episode out there

WHO pointed this out?

[snowpeck]

High Rollers[/b]
--it was recently pointed out that the whole 1974-76 run exists, yet there's only one episode out there

WHO pointed this out?

Adam Nedeff in the Buzzr Lost & Found thread.

[Marshall Akers]

(the first season of syndie TTTT is also lost)

As a giant fan of Garry Moore as well as this version of the show, this one always bums me out. All I know of that exists from this season is a b&w copy of a very early taped episode (I think the third one) which features a game involving dating profiles and Peggy Cass!!

A smattering of first year TTTTs are around and about: a couple of shows from the first week (the already-mentioned second show with Peggy Cass meeting her computer dating match is at UCLA, while the premiere is in the hands of a private collector.)  There’s another midseason show featuring Cathy Rigby as central character at UCLA.  And then a few half-episodes in various library collections.

Ran across a 1974 article recently that indicated the first year was being removed from circulation so viewers would be able to watch more timely stories.  Job mite too effectively done…


Marshall

[Eric Paddon]

I read once that in the first year, syndie TTTT was carrying over some of the last year Collyer gimmicks of celebrity spouses etc.  (and interviewing the celeb first).

The first one would be interesting to see just to hear what kind of acknowledgments were being made.   The first syndie WML made note of the occasion so I doubt the first syndie TTTT was silent about the matter.

[Marshall Akers]

I read once that in the first year, syndie TTTT was carrying over some of the last year Collyer gimmicks of celebrity spouses etc.  (and interviewing the celeb first).

The first one would be interesting to see just to hear what kind of acknowledgments were being made.   The first syndie WML made note of the occasion so I doubt the first syndie TTTT was silent about the matter.

Sure enough, the first handful of weeks featured the spouse-of-a-celebrity segment once a week or so.  There was Joe Frazier's wife, Meredith MacRae's husband, Doc Severinsen's wife...and best of all, in the show's first week, future emcee Joe Garagiola's wife. 

Not much in the way of first show references...unless Garry's sly comment that the audience response was tumultuous counts.


Marshall

[CarpetCrawler]

(the first season of syndie TTTT is also lost)

As a giant fan of Garry Moore as well as this version of the show, this one always bums me out. All I know of that exists from this season is a b&w copy of a very early taped episode (I think the third one) which features a game involving dating profiles and Peggy Cass!!

A smattering of first year TTTTs are around and about: a couple of shows from the first week (the already-mentioned second show with Peggy Cass meeting her computer dating match is at UCLA, while the premiere is in the hands of a private collector.)  There’s another midseason show featuring Cathy Rigby as central character at UCLA.  And then a few half-episodes in various library collections.

Ran across a 1974 article recently that indicated the first year was being removed from circulation so viewers would be able to watch more timely stories.  Job mite too effectively done…


Marshall

Didn't know about the premiere... woohoo!!  Happy to hear that we've now got a little bit more out there in a galaxy far far away...

[Otm Shank]

I have to throw the Tom Kennedy round of Name That Tune in here, although I have my doubts that it actually is still being archived at the expense of the Ralph Edwards estate. Further, if they even did exist, the music rights would make any rebroadcast prohibitively expensive until 2071.

[Jamey Greek]

Over on Facebook on one of the GS groups, there was a thread about the banned/lost Match Game episodes.  It got me to thinking...what are the rarest episodes/series from shows that : 1) have not been wiped, and 2) have had some kind of rerun package over the decades? 

Ones that come to mind for me, for example, would be...

- The 3rd anniversary week of TPIR, aka the test for the 60 min. format.  First day got out there via trading, another from the Best of DVD set.  But the rest has not seen the light of day since 1975.  Weren't part of GSN's reruns...I am guessing because most of the eps. that week gave away furs, perhaps?  I do know the traded episode had a fur prize. 
- Bill Cullen's first Joker's Wild season.  Although USA DID rerun that season, it was skipped over by GSN and there aren't many eps. online from 1984-85. 
- For that matter, did GSN ever air TJW from between 1979-1982?  Only now, for instance, have I discovered an episode from the first season they had the neon set. 
- Family Feud '94: Richard reads a letter from someone who dislikes him AND Ray Combs. (latter mentioned by name by Richard, when he also plugs GSN)   Here's one I have yet to see at all, and being that GSN went through the episodes between late '97-early '98, I'm surprised it hasn't surfaced that I know of.

Adam Nedeff mentioned in both Game Shows FAQ and This Day in Game Show History that stars of CBS shows at the time made appearances to pronote the hour-long Price is Right.  Those are awfully rare.  Also,  GSN did rerun Full ends TJW.

[Jamey Greek]

WOF episodes with Summer Bartholomew, Vicki McCarty, etc. Filling in between Susan's departure and Vanna's joining the show.  Alex Trebek subbing for Chuck in 1980 and for Pat in 1985. Episodes with Johnny Gilbert and Don Morrow announcing in the 80s.

The Couch Potatoes game show week.  The on!y episodes circulating are those with Peter Marshall and Janice Pennington.