Wheel Of Fortune question

[bulldog_06]

My question about the 1974 pilot is: Why was it called Shopper's Bazaar and not just simply what it was, Wheel Of Fortune? I mean I have heard it through audio clips and the announcer (which I think was Charlie O' Donnell) saying the name of the game was Wheel. I somehow didn't understand that.

I think I just found out when E! THS of Wheel came on!

[SplitSecond]

Two separate sets of pilots.  First was Shopper's Bazaar, with Chuck Woolery hosting and Michael somethingorother announcing.  Next (about a year later) came the Wheel of Fortune pilots, with Edd Byrnes hosting, Charlie O'Donnell announcing, and the genesis of the set and wheel we all know and love, to varying degrees.

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'bulldog_06\' date=\'Apr 28 2004, 01:09 PM\'] My question about the 1974 pilot is: Why was it called Shopper's Bazaar and not just simply what it was, Wheel Of Fortune? I mean I have heard it through audio clips and the announcer (which I think was Charlie O' Donnell) saying the name of the game was Wheel. I somehow didn't understand that. [/quote]
 If you really heard the announcer say the name of the show was Wheel of Fortune, then you were listening to one of the Wheel of Fortune pilots.

The Shopper's Bazaar pilot came first, and it wasn't called Wheel of Fortune for the same reason it wasn't called Pick A Letter, Spin For Prizes or George of the Jungle.  They just hadn't come up with that particular title yet.  Seems obvious only in retrospect.  The best ideas usually do.

[The Ol' Guy]

The odds are slim, but there had already been a tv game called Wheel Of Fortune back in the 50s, rewarding solid citizens for good deeds. Maybe the producers at Griffin were using preliminary titles while they were researching the availability of WOF? Interesting, though - within the space of just a few years, three different tv shows - one a drama - all used the title Double Dare. I know there are ways around it, but does anyone know how Nickelodeon managed to use the name Double Dare only ten years after G-T used it? You can't call a new game Password or Play Your Hunch without trouble from Fremantle, right? Who determines and maintains rights to titles? Can you use a similar title if the game idea is radically different, such as the two Dares?

[rugrats1]

In addition, there were also three Break The Bank's (1948-57, 1976, 1985) and two Strike It Rich's (1951-58, 1986), each one completely different from each other. Also, this is especially since the last 2 BTBs were only 9 years apart.

In my opinion, since the titles are not trademarked and the previous show is out of production with no plans of revival or broadcast, the next producer would be free to use the title, provided that the new show is not a blatant ripoff of the previous show.

In addition, the upcoming "50 Grand Slam" will be different from the 1976 version (according to previous posts here).

[The Ol' Guy]

I'll have to pull out my videotapes, but I was under the impression that there had to be either some royalties or acknowledgement that the original BtB and SiR formats had been created by Ed Wolf and Walt Framer, respectively. According to a 1977 letter, Dan Enright stated he and Jack leased the rights to the title Break The Bank from Ed Wolf's son Herb and another woman. How Rich Kline wound up with it later, I'm not sure. Perhaps he had been involved with the negotiations when Rich was with B&E and did his own "in" with the rightsholders? Somehow I thought I saw a Framer family member name in the credits for Kline's SiR. Perhaps it all depends on how aggressively a company or individuals pursue and renew copyright protection on certain titles and service marks.

[zachhoran]

[quote name=\'SplitSecond\' date=\'Apr 28 2004, 12:15 PM\'] Two separate sets of pilots.  First was Shopper's Bazaar, with Chuck Woolery hosting and Michael somethingorother announcing. [/quote]
 Of all things, a $32K question on today's Millionaire was to name the game show for which SHopper's Bazaar was the title of the original pilot for.

[JMFabiano]

[quote name=\'SplitSecond\' date=\'Apr 28 2004, 12:15 PM\'] Two separate sets of pilots.  First was Shopper's Bazaar, with Chuck Woolery hosting and Michael somethingorother announcing.  Next (about a year later) came the Wheel of Fortune pilots, with Edd Byrnes hosting, Charlie O'Donnell announcing, and the genesis of the set and wheel we all know and love, to varying degrees. [/quote]

So what you're saying is.....Woolery left Shopper's Bazaar?  

Seriously, I recall somewhere having details of what the first pilot was like (think it mentioned having a sideways wheel, among other things), dunno if it was in this forum or not.  Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

[rugrats1]

Yes; you can find the answers right here in this thread:

http://gameshow.ipbhost.com/index.php?show...c=322&hl=bazaar

[Clay Zambo]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Apr 28 2004, 12:18 PM\'] If you really heard the announcer say the name of the show was Wheel of Fortune, then you were listening to one of the Wheel of Fortune pilots. [/quote]
 Welcome to Matt Ottinger's "Masters of the Obvious"!  

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Apr 28 2004, 12:18 PM\'] The Shopper's Bazaar pilot came first, and it wasn't called Wheel of Fortune for the same reason it wasn't called Pick A Letter, Spin For Prizes or George of the Jungle.  They just hadn't come up with that particular title yet.  Seems obvious only in retrospect.  The best ideas usually do. [/quote]
 It's a well-known fact that the producers were going to use my title idea, Circle of Cash, before deciding on WoF at the eleventh hour. They added prizes to the wheel to prevent me from suing...how this all happened 7 1/2 years before my birth is a mystery. :-)

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Clay Zambo\' date=\'Apr 29 2004, 09:55 AM\'] [quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Apr 28 2004, 12:18 PM\'] If you really heard the announcer say the name of the show was Wheel of Fortune, then you were listening to one of the Wheel of Fortune pilots. [/quote]
Welcome to Matt Ottinger's "Masters of the Obvious"!   [/quote]
 now THAT would be a good panel show, and one I would gladly serve on.

[GS Warehouse]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Apr 28 2004, 01:18 PM\'] The Shopper's Bazaar pilot ... wasn't called Wheel of Fortune for the same reason it wasn't called ... George of the Jungle. [/quote]
 They're turning Gilligan's Island into a reality show.  You don't suppose they'll ever make George of the Jungle into a game show, will they?  I can just imagine: the object is to swing into as few trees as possible.

AAAAAAHHHHHHH...[crash]

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'The Ol' Guy\' date=\'Apr 28 2004, 08:39 PM\']I'll have to pull out my videotapes, but I was under the impression that there had to be either some royalties or acknowledgement that the original BtB and SiR formats had been created by Ed Wolf and Walt Framer, respectively. According to a 1977 letter, Dan Enright stated he and Jack leased the rights to the title Break The Bank from Ed Wolf's son Herb and another woman. How Rich Kline wound up with it later, I'm not sure. Perhaps he had been involved with the negotiations when Rich was with B&E and did his own "in" with the rightsholders? Somehow I thought I saw a Framer family member name in the credits for Kline's SiR. Perhaps it all depends on how aggressively a company or individuals pursue and renew copyright protection on certain titles and service marks.[/quote]
"Strike It Rich" listed Framer-Hall Productions as a co-producer (with Framer's son listed underneath as an EP) and gave a credit to Walt Framer as "Original 1946 'Strike It Rich' Format Created by...").

If any Brits remember:  Who/what was listed on the "by special arrangement with/devised by" credits for "Strike It Lucky/Rich?"  It does seem to me that Fremantle currently holds the rights to the format.)

[Steve Gavazzi]

[quote name=\'GS Warehouse\' date=\'Apr 29 2004, 01:45 PM\'] [quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Apr 28 2004, 01:18 PM\'] The Shopper's Bazaar pilot ... wasn't called Wheel of Fortune for the same reason it wasn't called ... George of the Jungle. [/quote]
They're turning Gilligan's Island into a reality show.  You don't suppose they'll ever make George of the Jungle into a game show, will they?  I can just imagine: the object is to swing into as few trees as possible.

AAAAAAHHHHHHH...[crash] [/quote]
 Seems to me that many game show contestants lately may have already played and lost that game.  It would certainly explain a lot...