Wheel's first days

[wheelloon]

Does anybody here have any information on Wheel's pilot and premiere?  For example, what were the first puzzles, what did the dollar values look like, who were the contestants, what did they win, what were the prizes available, and what were the prices of the prizes...  How did Chuck and Susan do the first time around?

[JasonA1]

Well, the January '75 premiere of "Wheel" hasn't been seen yet (doesn't mean it doesn't exist somewhere). What I can provide info on is the pilots, both the "Shopper's Bazaar" pilots with Chuck Woolery and the Edd Byrnes hosted "Wheel of Fortune" ones. As you'll find with my links, "Bazaar" was about '73 and "Wheel" was piloted in 1974.

The discussion on "Bazaar" was part of this thread discussing a promo which used clips of it.

And "Wheel" is covered in detail at Mike Burger's Game Show Pilot Light.

-Jason

[The Pyramids]

I do not know how, but now there are pictues the show from 1976 at GS Central.

http://www.gscentral.net/

[wheelloon]

Thanks for those links!

Yeah, I've been keeping up with Gscentral and their timeline. It should be really neat when he gets the whole thing done. I do wonder as well where he got those 1976 pictures of Wheel with that horrible yellow curtain! Yuck!

[GS Warehouse]

[quote name=\'wheelloon\' date=\'Dec 12 2004, 08:23 PM\']... I do wonder as well where he got those 1976 pictures of Wheel with that horrible yellow curtain! Yuck!

[snapback]67003[/snapback]

[/quote]
How about those two shades of blue right next to each other on the round 1 wheel?  Of course, this was the 1970s.  The tackier, the better.

[ChuckNet]

Minute details, but to a huge WoF fan, maybe you can get some value out of it:

- The opening spiel originally ended "Prizes totalling $_____...and are yours to buy today on WoF!"
- The premiere and other early eps featured some luxury-type prizes, such as an airplane
- The first 2 eps or so had the short-lived "Buy a Vowel" space before it was wisely scrapped

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")

[AH3RD]

[quote name=\'ChuckNet\' date=\'Dec 13 2004, 06:18 PM\']Minute details, but to a huge WoF fan, maybe you can get some value out of it:

- The opening spiel originally ended "Prizes totalling $_____...and are yours to buy today on WoF!"
- The premiere and other early eps featured some luxury-type prizes, such as an airplane
- The first 2 eps or so had the short-lived "Buy a Vowel" space before it was wisely scrapped

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")

[snapback]67140[/snapback]

[/quote]

Also, WOF's very first champion was Ginny Hubert.

[Robair]

And the very first puzzle was BURT REYNOLDS.

Next month the show will celebrate its 30th anniversary and guess what? Burt Reynolds is still around. Fancy that.

[zachhoran]

[quote name=\'Robair\' date=\'Dec 13 2004, 06:51 PM\']And the very first puzzle was BURT REYNOLDS.

Next month the show will celebrate its 30th anniversary and guess what? Burt Reynolds is still around. Fancy that.

[snapback]67149[/snapback]

[/quote]

Guess what else? The show will more than likely make mention of its 30th anniversary.................. in 2013, but not in 2005.

[BrandonFG]

Zach, did TPiR mention a 45th anniversary in 2001? Did Jeopardy mention it's 40th anniversary this year? (don't answer either, I'm sure you get my point)

So why should Wheel mention their 30th anniversary in 2005 when the current version has only been on since 1983?

[parliboy]

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Dec 13 2004, 07:35 PM\']So why should Wheel mention their 30th anniversary in 2005 when the current version has only been on since 1983?

[snapback]67153[/snapback]

[/quote]

For the same reason they didn't call it their 5th anniversary in the late 80's.

[drmusic_99]

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Dec 13 2004, 07:35 PM\']Zach, did TPiR mention a 45th anniversary in 2001? Did Jeopardy mention it's 40th anniversary this year? (don't answer either, I'm sure you get my point)

So why should Wheel mention their 30th anniversary in 2005 when the current version has only been on since 1983?

[snapback]67153[/snapback]

[/quote]

I think there's a difference here. In the case of Price and Jeopardy, they were brand new versions of defunct shows, with substantial differences (especially in TPIR's case) from their predecessors. In Wheel's case, the current version began as a companion to the daytime version, and they co-existed for several years. It feels more like a single continuum.

[zachhoran]

[quote name=\'drmusic_99\' date=\'Dec 13 2004, 08:15 PM\']
I think there's a difference here. In the case of Price and Jeopardy, they were brand new versions of defunct shows, with substantial differences (especially in TPIR's case) from their predecessors. In Wheel's case, the current version began as a companion to the daytime version, and they co-existed for several years. It feels more like a single continuum.

[snapback]67156[/snapback]

[/quote]

Pat and Vanna actually did make a brief mention in 2000(don't recall if it was on January 6th or not) of the show's 25th anniversary of its original premiere.

[Argo]

I know this subject about Wheel's past is indeed a strange one. I mean the anniversary part where they only take consideration of the 1983-present stuff. But i mean, even when Pat talks about years past he does sometime make note that Chuck was there first, and Charlie has been there since 1975 and stuff like, that would confuse the infrequent viewer. However there would be less questions asked if they took account the start of wof in 1975 rather than the relaunch in 1983. Even in the opening for the 3000th and the 4000th episode, they use an opening from a show that from a avid viewer is definately not 1983, since there is no turntable (which they added in 81 or 82), and they use a section of the 'old' network theme, that was never used in syndication,  probably because it had Charlie's voice over it rather than Jack's.

Just me rambling
~~~
Mark

[wheelloon]

Is it just me, or does it seem that the Wheel people just try to forget the period while it was on NBC? Maybe because a lot of the tapes are "missing"... I hope they acknowledge WOF's 30th anniversary in 05, hopefully near its premiere date... January 6!

- The opening spiel originally ended "Prizes totalling $_____...and are yours to buy today on WoF!"
- The premiere and other early eps featured some luxury-type prizes, such as an airplane
- The first 2 eps or so had the short-lived "Buy a Vowel" space before it was wisely scrapped

I never really liked that Buy a Vowel space... It always seemed stupid to me. I always thought that if you wanted a vowel, you gotta pay for it!

Wouldn't it be cool if WOF, or any other current game show, would offer a plane, or a lamborghini, or maybe a new house as a prize! I'm sorry, the $50,000 log cabins in Maine that WOF offered in the late 80's didn't cut it for me!