Long credits vs Short credits

[Ian Wallis]

I don't recall this being discussed before...but I'm wondering about decisions over when shows used long credits (full credit roll), vs. short credits (usually just the production company, taping location and show title).

The original Hollywood Squares usually ran full credits after the Thursday show (Peter even mentioned on a couple of shows something like "...it's Thursday...be sure to watch the "crawl" (as he called it) to see all the great people that work in this show..."

A few weeks before its first birthday, Match Game 7x settled into almost always having its full roll on the fifth and last show with a particular panel (which didn't always air on a Friday).

There are other shows where I recall seeing full credits two or three times a week, and some others where sometimes you'd go a couple of weeks before you'd see it.

One that comes to mind:  maybe I'm mis-remembering, but I seem to recall a stretch on The Price is Right in the summer of 1973 where they want almost three full weeks before the full roll was shown.

Was it just the case of a show running a minute short, so the director will say "let's run the full credit roll today"?

Any thoughts?

[trustno1]

Well I know that the version of $otC here alternated between short credits, long credits and no credits.

[TimK2003]

I want to say that that some shows had 3 lengths of credit rolls:  The "short" with just the Production Company, taping location and logo;  the "long", with a listing of all the production company staffers involved with the show.

For some reason, I seem to recall some shows -- especially over on NBC -- that had an "extra long" credit rolls, in which after the production company staff was listed, additional names and positions were listed (NBC Studio-employed crew???).  Perhaps those in the know could confirm/deny that.

[Bryce L.]

For some reason, I seem to recall some shows -- especially over on NBC -- that had an "extra long" credit rolls, in which after the production company staff was listed, additional names and positions were listed (NBC Studio-employed crew???).  Perhaps those in the know could confirm/deny that.

Only time I recall seeing that kind of credit roll was on a series finale (Benirschke Wheel, Sale and the 80s run of Scrabble all had these IIRC).

[Chief-O]

For some reason, I seem to recall some shows -- especially over on NBC -- that had an "extra long" credit rolls, in which after the production company staff was listed, additional names and positions were listed (NBC Studio-employed crew???).  Perhaps those in the know could confirm/deny that.

Only time I recall seeing that kind of credit roll was on a series finale (Benirschke Wheel, Sale and the 80s run of Scrabble all had these IIRC).

As did "Super Password".

(I almost wrote a similar reply...)

[ET206]

I like the long credit rolls, mainly because you hear more of the theme (whenever there wasn't an annoying news/promo voiceover).  My favorite was when PYL would end short and a long credit roll was used but the theme kept playing a good 20+ seconds after Rod's tag. 

[narzo]

I know I remember reading, mind you this was late 1970s,  that the "long crawl" had to be done at least once a week.  I feel like it was a union rule.  I also feel like there were times it was just done to save the host from ad-libbing with the contestants, because the show was short. 

Soap operas used to use it often because the show was short.  "Dark Shadows" had a few episodes where the long crawl, crawled, to the point the full theme got played twice. 

[chris319]

We had two credit crawls on P+: long and short. Both started with the G-T credit and both had the copyright notice. One or the other had to run on every show. The long crawl had the above- and below-the-line personnel. We had to run the long crawl at least once per week. Not sure what rule required it. Maybe it was a DGA thing?

There was yet another crawl for the prize suppliers as required by section 317 of the FCC rules. Allen Ludden did not have a wardrobe deal with Botany 500 or anyone else so we didn't have to disclose that.