Password (game)

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Password was a long-running American game show produced by Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. The show was initially hosted by Allen Ludden and was created by Bob Stewart for Goodson-Todman Productions.

Password originally aired for 1,555 telecasts from October 2, 1961 to September 15, 1967 on CBS and for 1099 additional shows from April 5, 1971 to June 27, 1975 on ABC Daytime. The show's regular announcers were Jack Clark and (later) Lee Vines on CBS and John Harlan on ABC.

Contents

[edit] How to Play

Two teams — each consisting of one celebrity player and one civilian contestant — competed. The password (the word to be conveyed) was given to one player on each team and was shown to the audience. Game play alternated between the two teams. On either team, the player who was given the password gave a one-word clue from which his partner attempted to guess the password. If the partner failed to guess the password in the allotted five-second time limit, or if an illegal clue was given (two or more words, a hyphenated word, or any part or form of the password), play passed to the opposing team.

The game continued until one of the teams guessed the password correctly or until ten clues had been given. Scoring was based on the number of clues given when the password was guessed, i.e. 10 points were awarded for guessing the password on the first clue, nine points on the second clue, eight points on the third clue, etc., down to one point on the tenth and final clue. On the ABC revival, a limit of six clues was attempted, with the last clue worth five points. In addition, teams were given the option of either playing or passing control of the first clue to the opposing team. Specifically, the team that was trailing in score, or who had lost the previous game was offered the option; when the score was tied, the team that failed to get the password was awarded the option.

The first team to reach 25 points won the game and a chance to win an additional $250 by playing the "Lightning Round", in which the civilian contestant on the prevailing team tried to guess five passwords within 60 seconds from clues given by his celebrity partner. $50 were awarded for each correctly-guessed password ($100 from 1973-1974).

The Lightning Round was among the first bonus rounds on TV (along with the phrase game on the original Beat the Clock). On the ABC version from 1971—1974, the player wagered any amount of his or her Lightning Round winnings on trying to get his or her celebrity partner to guess a "Betting Word" within 15 seconds.

On each episode from 1961-1975, Ludden would caution the players about unacceptable clues by stating, "If you hear this sound (a buzzer would sound) it means your clue has not been accepted by our authority, (name of "word authority")." Word authorities on the CBS version included New York University professor David H. Greene and World Book Dictionary editor Dr. Reason A. Goodwin. Robert Stockwell and Carolyn Duncan served as word authorities during the ABC version.

[edit] Contestants

On the CBS daytime version, contestants played two matches, win or lose, with each game awarding $100 to the winner. During the first few weeks of the CBS nighttime version, the same two players stayed for the entire show, playing as many matches as time allowed. This practice was eventually changed to at least three pair of contestants each playing one match with each losing contestant earning $50. Each nighttime game awarded its winner $250. In 1965, the show adopted an annual "Tournament of Champions" where contestants on the daytime version who won both their games were invited back to compete for more money.

On the ABC version, winning contestants could stay until either defeated, or for up to 10 appearances, thus retiring them as undefeated champions (This limit was later removed.). From 1973-1974, the first contestant to win a 2-out-of-3 match played the Lightning Round.

From November 18, 1974 to February 21, 1975, Password became Password All-Stars, where teams of celebrities played for charity in a tournament-style format. The tournament ended with the Grandmaster's Championship, which involved Richard Dawson, Bill Bixby, Hal Linden and Betty White. Dawson won the tournament and was awarded $25,000 for his favorite charity.

Later, Password All-Stars became Password again, but using an elimination round in which four contestants (three new players and the winner from the previous game) competed with the help of the two celebrities in the first round. In the qualifying round, one of the two celebrities used a one-word clue to a password (with both celebrities alternating turns on giving clues), and the four contestants would ring in with the password. A correct response earned that contestant one point, with three points needed to qualify for the regular game. An incorrect response locks that player out of the word in play. The first two contestants to reach three points went on to play the regular Password game.

In the regular game, an addition to the rules was the "double" option, which the first clue giver could call for to increase the word value to 20 points by giving only one clue; if the "double" was used and the word was missed, the other team could score the 20 points with a second clue. The first team to reach 50 points or more could win thousands of dollars in the Big Money Lightning Round, based on a three-part structure in which the winning team attempted to guess three passwords within 30 seconds per structure. The contestant was paid as follows:

  • Part one: Each password paid $25. All three passwords in 30 seconds added $5 for each second left.
  • Part two: The money earned in part one would be multiplied by the number of passwords guessed in part two. Naming all three passwords this time added $10 for each second left. If the receiver failed to identify any of the passwords in part two, the round ended and the contestant still kept all part-one winnings.
  • Part three: Naming all three passwords in 30 seconds multiplied the contestant's part-two winnings tenfold (meaning if a player accumulated $500 after two parts, guessing all three passwords in this part would earn him/her $5000 in cash).

Password won the first-ever Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show in 1974.

The ABC Password was the first of the Goodson shows to be taped regularly on the West Coast. The original CBS version made annual trips to CBS Television City during the 1960s, including once when the CBS New York studios were fitted for color TV. Otherwise, it was most often taped in New York at CBS-TV Studio 52 (now Studio 54) and CBS-TV Studio 50 (the Ed Sullivan Theater). Password moved permanently to Hollywood, California at ABC Studio TV-10 "The Vine Street Theater" (on Vine Street in Hollywood) and the ABC Television Center on Prospect Avenue when ABC brought it back in 1971.

[edit] Revivals

[edit] Password Plus

NBC brought Password back as Password Plus on January 8, 1979 with Allen Ludden returning as host. It was originally announced in Variety magazine as Password '79, in the manner that Match Game named its 1973 version with the year, but the name was changed when, during a run-through, Carol Burnett commented "this is more than Password, it's Password Plus." [citation needed] Burnett's phrase would eventually open each episode (as announced by Gene Wood). This version was produced at the NBC Studios in Burbank.

The new format involved two teams, each consisting of a celebrity and a contestant, solving puzzles which consisted of five passwords. Each team was given two chances (reduced from three chances after the first five months) to solve the password. The original clue-giving rules from the original Password were in place, but after a few months direct opposites became illegal (some clues that could be considered opposites were allowed if the judges determined there was no direct link). Each time a password was guessed correctly, the guessing player would have one chance to solve the "Password Puzzle".

The Password Puzzle was a hidden person, place or thing; each of the passwords used during the game were also a clue to the Puzzle. For example, if the five passwords were "scaly", "giant", "Japanese", "lizard", and "movie", then the Password Puzzle would be Godzilla. Solving the Password Puzzle immediately ended the round (any unused passwords would be revealed).

The first two puzzles in each game were worth $100; each puzzle thereafter was worth $200 until one team raised $300 or $400 (as possible) wins.

On November 3, 1981, coinciding with the show's move to a new time slot to replace Card Sharks, changes were made to the game. The first three puzzles were worth $100 each, with those remaining worth $200, until one team reached $500 or more. After the $100 rounds ended, players switched celebrity partners.

The first team to reach $300 or more (later $500 or more) played a bonus round known as "Alphabetics", a modified version of the Lightning Round, where the team attempted to solve ten passwords beginning with consecutive letters of the alphabet (A-Z) within 60 seconds. The player who received the clues would be given the first letter of each password. If they were successful, the contestant won $5000; otherwise, the contestant won $100 for each correct answer. Each illegal clue called for a penalty of $1000 off the jackpot.

The modified endgame, used on both NBC versions of Password, became one of TV's most dramatic bonus rounds, with much of the drama of the Winner's Circle round from the show considered Password's descendent — Pyramid, another Bob Stewart creation.

Later on, when the maingame rules were changed, the bonus round featured a jackpot that started at $5000 and went up that much for each time it was not won, up to an imposed maximum of $50,000. In both versions, any illegal clues reduced the jackpot by 20% (for example, if the jackpot at stake was $15,000, illegal clues incurred a $3000 penalty). From November to December 1981, each illegal clue deducted $2,500 from the jackpot. The highest Alphabetics Jackpot won on Password Plus was $35,000.

On the first episode of Password Plus, Ludden walked on stage, clenching his fist back and forth, shouting "Password’s back! Password’s back!" A year later, Ludden began experiencing stomach pains that would eventually lead to stomach cancer. After his diagnosis in the spring of 1980, Bill Cullen substituted for 4 weeks. Ludden returned to the show (with Cullen as a celebrity guest the week he came back), but suffered a stroke in October 1980 which would eventually force him off for good. Ludden did make progress in recovering from the stroke, and there was speculation that he may return, but he died from stomach cancer on June 9, 1981.

Tom Kennedy emceed the show from October 27, 1980 to the series' cancellation on March 26, 1982 after 800 shows. Cullen was originally considered to become permanent host at that time, but he had already began hosting Blockbusters, and Kennedy (whose brother, Jack Narz, was once Cullen's brother in law) got the nod. Betty White, who also wanted Kennedy to host, would later state that Kennedy took good care of Password in her late husband's absence.

Gene Wood was the show's regular announcer, with Johnny Olson, Bob Hilton, Rich Jeffries, and John Harlan substituting on occasion.

Password Plus won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Game Show in 1982, shortly after the show was cancelled.

[edit] Super Password

On September 24, 1984 NBC brought the format back as Super Password with Bert Convy hosting and Gene Wood announcing. Rich Jeffries was the announcer for the first ten weeks and filled in for Wood sporadically thereafter. Bob Hilton also filled in for one week in 1985 or 1986. Beginning halfway through the show's run, the password would be revealed by Wood in a whisper voice for the home audience, as in the original Password many years before (additionally, Wood's voice was accompanied by a single ring of the NBC bell, replacing the chirping "password" sound effect). Super Password originated from NBC Studios in Burbank, California (on the same stage used for Password Plus--Stage 3).

Gameplay was similar to Password Plus, except that the first puzzle was worth $100 and each puzzle was worth $100 more than the previous one; the first team to reach $500 won. The team that successfully solved the second puzzle played a "Ca$hword" game, where the celebrity player was given a relatively difficult password and the contestant was given three chances to guess that word. The celebrity and the contestant each had five seconds to give a clue or respond, respectively. Any illegal clue ended the round immediately. If the word was guessed correctly, the contestant won a cash jackpot that started at $1000 and increased by that amount until somebody won; the highest amount reached was $12,000. Contestants switched celebrity partners after the Ca$hword. The "Ca$hword" was separate from the gameplay and did not affect the scores of the game. Opposites were reinstated as legal clues.

The bonus round featured the Alphabetics game, now simply referred to as "Super Password". It was played the same way, except that any illegal clues put the word out of play and forfeited the contestant's chance at the jackpot, a la Pyramid. The jackpot started at $5000 and increased by that amount until somebody won it; there was no limit as to how high it could grow. The largest jackpot was $55,000, which was won once in 1986 and again in 1988. However, in 1988, the winner was an insurance fraud fugitive named Kerry Ketchum (aka Patrick Quinn), who was arrested while trying to claim his prize money from Mark Goodson Productions and was not awarded any money. [1]

Super Password ran until March 24, 1989 and was cancelled on the same day as another NBC game show, Sale of the Century.

[edit] Celebrities

Among the more famous Password celebrity players over the years include Lucille Ball, Elizabeth Montgomery, Joan Crawford, Bill Bixby, Richard Dawson, Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence, Betty White and Nipsey Russell. Burnett played every Password version except for Super Password and was one of the first celebrity players on the nighttime premiere in 1962; the other was her mentor, Garry Moore on whose primetime-TV show she was also a regular. Also appearing at one time or another, were Arthur Godfrey, Jim Backus, Dick Van Dyke, the comedy team of Marty Allen and Steve Rossi, Betsy Palmer, Sammy Davis, Jr., Jerry Lewis, and on one memorable nighttime episode, Mr. & Mrs. James Stewart delighted viewers with their gameplay. Many stars of the New York theater scene also made appearances (usually on the daytime version), and included Darren McGavin, Carol Channing, Barry Nelson, and Dorothy Loudon.

Game show hosts Monty Hall, Tom Kennedy (who would eventually host Password Plus), Bill Cullen (who would sub for Allen Ludden on Password Plus) and Bert Convy (later the host of Super Password) were also invited to play as celebrities. Tom Kennedy's brother, Jack Narz, Gene Rayburn, Wink Martindale and Jim Perry were also Password Plus panelists. Pat Sajak played on both Password Plus and Super Password, although he was still a weatherman until late 1981 when he began hosting Wheel of Fortune. The NBC crew played a prank on Sajak during the Super version; instead of the usual word-display sound effect during one main game, the viewers heard the four-note signal that is used to introduced Wheel of Fortune main-game puzzles.

Password fixtures White, Cullen, Lawrence, Markie Post (a former Goodson-Todman staffer) Shelly Smith and Russell were also frequent panelists on Pyramid. Peter Lawford also did both shows, although he was considered much better at Password. Lawford set a long-standing record for playing the Lightning Round in the shortest time — 12 seconds on the CBS version. It would take nearly a decade and a switch to ABC before Elizabeth Montgomery finally broke the record with a 10-second Lightning Round.

[edit] Episode status

Many, but not all, of the CBS primetime episodes were preserved on videotape. The final year of the CBS daytime version was preserved on color videotape, as the producers chose to syndicate those reruns following the program's first cancellation. Most of the earlier daytime episodes are presumed lost; at least two daytime episodes are available on home video, each one as part of a general game show compliation package.

The ABC version is considered to be almost completely gone. Clips from an ABC episode featuring Brett Somers and Jack Klugman was featured on VH1's I Love the '70s: Volume 2 in 2006. GSN aired the complete Somers/Klugman episode on the morning of September 11, 2006, in the early morning hours as part of its weekly overnight classic game show programming. A second studio master, from 1972 and featuring Shiela MacRae and Martin Milner, is also known to have survived. Three more episodes survive on the videotape trading circuit, as recorded by home viewers: the Password All-Stars finale; a 1975 episode with Betty White and Vicki Lawrence; and the 1975 finale with Kate Jackson and Sam Melville. A few more episodes from the ABC version also exist at UCLA's film and television archive. It is believed that the videotapes that were used for the ABC version of Password were recycled and reused for the Dawson version of Family Feud a few years later.

Both NBC revivals of Password exist in their entirety.

[edit] Theme Songs

The theme song used on Password from 1961 to 1963 is called "Holiday Jaunt" by Kurt Rehfeld. That was followed the same year by a catchy swing theme titled "You Know The Password", composed by Bob Cobert, from 1963 to 1967, which was used until the CBS version's cancellation. (Viewers would often see emcee Ludden snapping his fingers to the Cobert swing tune as the closing credits flashed.) When Password returned on ABC in 1971, Score Productions provided a theme with a synth-heavy arrangement, similar to the cues heard on The Price Is Right. The theme used later in that version's run (beginning with Password All-Stars in 1974) was titled "Bicentennial Funk", and was used until the finale in 1975. A vamp version of "Bicentennial Funk" was once considered for use as a "think cue" on the game show Match Game, but it never made it. That theme, as well as the themes for Password Plus and Super Password, were also composed by Score Productions.

[edit] Versions outside the USA

[edit] Home versions

Although Password can be played without any equipment, commercial versions of the game have also been successful.
Although Password can be played without any equipment, commercial versions of the game have also been successful.

The Milton Bradley Company introduced the first home version of Password in 1962 and subsequently released 24 editions of the game until 1986. (Owing to common superstition, these releases were numbered 1-12 and 14-25, skipping 13.) It was tied with Concentration as the most prolific of Milton Bradley's home versions of popular game shows, and was produced well into the Super Password era of the television show. Milton Bradley also published three editions of a Password Plus home game between 1979 and 1981. More recently, Endless Games has released four versions of Password since 1997.

A computer version of Super Password was released by GameTek for MS-DOS systems, as well as the Apple II and Commodore 64, shortly before the show was canceled; a Nintendo Entertainment System version was also planned but never released. Tiger Electronics also released an electronic handheld "Super Password" game in the late 90's--oddly, many years after the show had been cancelled.

[edit] Trivia

  • The practice of the announcer whispering the Password to the home audience--as well as displaying it on screen--was devised by creator Bob Stewart for the benefit of his mother, who could speak but not read English.
  • It is believed that CBS's decision to pre-empt Password on July 11, 1966 in favor of a press conference held by Robert McNamara contributed to its cancellation approximately a year later. That same day in the same timeslot, ABC (which did not cover the press conference) premiered The Newlywed Game, the show that Password lost a significant chunk of its audience to.
  • ABC's revival of Password in 1971 marked the first appearance of a Goodson-Todman-produced game show on daytime network television since the cancellation of the original Match Game on NBC in 1969.
  • In Super Password, Bert affectionately called the prop used in the Ca$hword rounds the 'Magic Toaster'. The original 'Magic Toaster' was accidentally destroyed by Bert on one infamous episode, causing the producers to create a new one, which Betty White destroyed in the final episode.
  • The correct answer/win bell heard on Super Password was a G-natural bell NBC used on many of its game shows, including Blockbusters (Bill Cullen and Bill Rafferty versions), Card Sharks (with Jim Perry), Classic Concentration (early episodes), and even gameshow parodies featured on Saturday Night Live; the bell heard on Password Plus rang in the key of C-natural.
  • The sound effect heard when a player gave an illegal clue on Password Plus was reused on Super Password.
  • Bert Convy gave away the answers to many puzzles on Super Password. Usually when this happened, Bert placed a piece of white tape with the word "BERT" written on it over his mouth.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Super Password: Years and History (1984-1989). Retrieved on 2006-07-17.
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