Wheel of Fortune (US daytime game show)
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| Wheel of Fortune | |
|---|---|
 Wheel of Fortune title card, c. 1985 |
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| Format | Game show |
| Created by | Merv Griffin |
| Starring | Chuck Woolery, host (1975–1981) Susan Stafford, hostess (1975–1982) Pat Sajak, host (1981–1989) Vanna White, hostess (1982–1991) Rolf Benirschke, host (1989) Bob Goen, host (1989–1991) Charlie O'Donnell, announcer (1975–1980; 1989–1991) Jack Clark, announcer (1980–1988) MG Kelly, announcer (1988–1989) |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | approx. over 3,000 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC (1975–1989, 1991) CBS (1989–1991) |
| Original run | January 6, 1975 – September 20, 1991 |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
Created by Merv Griffin, the daytime version of the American game show Wheel of Fortune aired on NBC from January 6, 1975 to June 30, 1989. It was seen on CBS from July 17, 1989, to January 11, 1991, returning to NBC from January 14, 1991, until its final cancellation on September 20, 1991. During its run, it had several time slots, airing between 10:00 a.m. and noon Eastern Time; for most of its run, NBC carried it at 11:00 a.m. For seven weeks in 1975-76, it aired in a one-hour format, as NBC tried in vain to copy the success of CBS's recently-expanded The Price Is Right.
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[edit] Game play
See article: Wheel of Fortune (US game show)#Game Play
Each contestant who solved a puzzle would be guaranteed a $200 minimum ($100 during the first few months) for that round.
[edit] Returning champions
The daytime show allowed champions to return up to three times (originally up to five). However, the winner on the last Benirschke episode, even though he had not yet won three games, apparently was not brought back as returning champion on Goen’s first show.
[edit] Wheel dollar amounts and prize values
The top dollar values on the wheel at the outset were $500 in round one, $750 in round two, and $1,000 for each round thereafter, with one space worth as little as $25. In 1976, the top amounts changed to $1,000 in round two and $1,500 for rounds 3 and beyond, and no value less than $100 was present on the wheel. In 1980, the top amounts increased to $750, $1,000 and $2,000, and remained there until the end of the first NBC run.
Through the daytime show's history, the infamous black BANKRUPT and yellow LOSE A TURN spaces went unchanged. The tan FREE SPIN space (or "territory", as Chuck Woolery called it) was replaced for unexplained reasons in the fall of 1989 by a single FREE SPIN marker placed on various dollar amounts. In the very early days of "Wheel", there was also a red BUY A VOWEL space which required the spinner to buy one of the five vowels if he/she had enough money accumulated (if the player did not have at least $250, he or she lost their turn.) This proved to be too complex and penalizing for regular game play and the space was removed after a very short stint, giving the players an opportunity to buy vowels at any time as long as they had enough money.
For the 1987-88 season, a JACKPOT wedge, which began with a value of $1,000 and increased by that amount each day until won, was introduced for the third round of each episode. If a player landed on JACKPOT and correctly guessed a consonant, he/she could pick the wedge up off the wheel; and if the player avoided BANKRUPT for the rest of the round and solved the puzzle, the jackpot value was added to that player's total score at the end of the round and was used to shop for prizes. (This is not to be confused with the current progressive Jackpot feature of the nighttime show).
After the move to CBS and the introduction of the all-cash format, the vast majority of the spaces on the wheel had their values cut in half from the shopping version, making them an even smaller fraction of the analogous values on the nighttime show. The top values on the wheel were $500 for the first two rounds, $1,000 for round 3 and $1,250 for rounds 4 and beyond. Prize wedges similar in appearance to those on the nighttime show but smaller in value were introduced. In the first few weeks of the CBS version, $50 and $75 spaces briefly re-appeared on the wheel. Amounts below $100 were eliminated in 1990, and additional dollar values were also raised, but payouts still paled in comparison to those offered on the nighttime show. To compensate, the price of vowels on this version was decreased from $250 to $200, and later to $100. The bonus prizes offered on the daytime show post-shopping were considerably smaller as well, with a $5,000 cash prize instead of $25,000, and cars in the $10,000-$15,000 range instead of the more expensive prizes frequently offered on the nighttime show. Overall, a player on the revamped daytime "Wheel" could win only 20% to 25% as much as an equally lucky and skillful nighttime contestant.
[edit] Bonus Round
[edit] 1975-76 version
The show tinkered with a bonus round format for six weeks in December 1975 and January 1976, when it was one hour long in competition with The Price Is Right. The winner of the show was asked to choose one of four different puzzles: easy, medium, hard, and difficult; shown the chosen puzzle; asked to specify four consonants and a vowel; and given 15 seconds to solve the puzzle. If he or she was successful, the contestant won a prize based on the chosen difficulty. (For example, the prize for an easy puzzle might be a $1,000 television-stereo console, while a difficult puzzle would provide the show's grand prize, such as a $13,000 Cadillac Eldorado.) The prizes varied widely between episodes.
[edit] 1978 "Star Bonus" version
The "Star Bonus" round was played for a time in April 1978, and allowed a second- or third-place contestant to become champion by solving a Bonus Round-type puzzle.
A special "Star Bonus" disc was placed on the wheel. The disc allowed anyone who claimed it to play the Bonus Round if he or she was the second- or third-place contestant that day. The contestant had to play for a prize that was worth more than the lead of the first-place contestant; just like the hour-long Bonus Round, the prize's value corresponded with the puzzle's difficulty. The contestant was asked to pick four consonants and one vowel, then was given 15 seconds to attempt to solve the puzzle.
Critics of this format point to several flaws, most notably that merely landing on the space did not guarantee the Star Bonus would be played. It was possible for the day's eventual first-place contestant to land on the Star Bonus. Also, the Star Bonus prizes were available during shopping rounds, meaning a dominant player could buy the proverbial $13,000 Porsche and thus render an opponent's Star Bonus token useless. Then, there was the possibility that the Star Bonus token would not be landed on at all, causing some haphazard editing that irked viewers.
[edit] 1981-1991
The show adopted a permanent bonus round on Sajak's first episode. Originally, no cash prize was offered, but a player could choose one of the more expensive "shopping" prizes as a bonus prize. The move to CBS and adoption of the cash format led to a bonus round similar to that seen on the nighttime version, but with cheaper prizes. The prizes typically included trips, subcompact cars, or rooms of furniture, and a cash prize of $5,000. Prizes were not removed from play when won; while a returning champion could not win the same prize twice, a new champion could win the same prize as a previous champion. This differed from the format then in place on the nighttime show, when a bonus prize could be won only once during each week of shows. Some of the daytime bonus prizes doubled as main-game wheel prizes for the syndicated version. The contestant was always allowed to choose the prize; no "blind draw" was ever used on the daytime version.
Throughout the history of the daytime version, a tie game meant that there would be no Bonus Round played that day, but all three players would return on the next show, even if one finished behind the other two.
[edit] Origin
Chuck Woolery emceed the original "Wheel" pilot episode, "Shopper's Bazaar", in late 1973. After some retooling and a title change to the now famous Wheel of Fortune, Edd Byrnes hosted a second pilot in 1974. Griffin ultimately chose Woolery as the host.
"Wheel" debuted on January 6, 1975, on NBC at 10:30 a.m./9:30 Central. NBC daytime programming chief Lin Bolen purchased the show from Griffin to compensate him for canceling the original version of his Jeopardy!, which had one year remaining on its contract, and which aired its final episode on the Friday before the Wheel premiere.
[edit] Production changes
After seven years at the helm, Chuck Woolery left "Wheel" after a salary dispute with Griffin; his last episode aired on December 25, 1981.[1] Woolery has since regretted his departure, admitting that it was a big mistake, and would often mention Wheel on many of his later programs, including Scrabble. On the following Monday, December 28, KNBC-TV weatherman Pat Sajak replaced him as host.
Sajak left the daytime show on January 9, 1989 to host a late-night talk show for CBS, which failed to make ratings headway against Johnny Carson on NBC. He was replaced by former San Diego Chargers place-kicker Rolf Benirschke. He lasted only six months as host, as the show was canceled by NBC on June 30, 1989. When it moved to CBS on July 17 of that year, future Entertainment Tonight co-host Bob Goen replaced Benirschke for the rest of its run, including the 1991 return to NBC.
According to the E! True Hollywood Story recount of Wheel of Fortune, NBC daytime programming exec Lin Bolen is credited with implementing the shopping concept as well as the idea to have the wheel horizontally mounted. This story sometimes conflicts with other accounts; for example, on an A&E Biography episode, creator Merv Griffin said that his initial idea of the presentation of the show was "a stage full of prizes."
The original show concept was not meant to have a hostess, as a mechanical puzzle board was constructed for the pilot. However, Susan Stafford was brought in because the letter trilons failed to turn automatically on several occasions, and was hired as hostess for the show's premiere. Stafford would remain on the show until 1982, at which time she left to pursue humanitarian work. Substitute letter turners included Summer Bartholomew (who also subbed for Stafford at least once during the Chuck Woolery era), and Playboy playmate Vicki McCarty, until Vanna White was picked as Stafford's permanent replacement in 1982. (Stafford would return to substitute for a week in 1986.) White remained as hostess for the rest of the daytime shows’ run, working with both of its later hosts.
Charlie O'Donnell was the show's original announcer, replaced by Cross-Wits host Jack Clark in 1980 due to O'Donnell's obligations to other shows. After Clark's death in 1988, LA-area disc jockey M.G. Kelly briefly announced until O'Donnell returned permanently in 1989.
Alex Trebek, who had recently hosted High Rollers on NBC, filled in for Chuck Woolery on one week of episodes in 1980. There was also at least one week of shows in 1980 featuring other game show emcees as contestants, where a featured emcee played for a member of the studio audience. The emcee played against two regular studio contestants. At least one episode from that week — one featuring Tom Kennedy — survives on the game show tape trading circuit. Bill Cullen, Jim Perry and Wink Martindale also participated.
The show underwent a number of format changes when it moved to CBS, which remained after the 1991 return to NBC. The concept of shopping for prizes was eliminated in favor of an all-cash format that the nighttime version had been using since 1987. This allowed the show a faster pace, since time was no longer needed between rounds for contestants to "spend" the money they earned. However, to avoid budget difficulties, the dollar amounts on the Wheel were reduced (see below). The Bonus Round also changed at that time; once shopping was eliminated, contestants no longer chose any one of the higher-priced "shopping" prizes from the main game as their bonus prize. Instead, they chose from four or five special bonus prizes, which always included a cash prize of $5,000 (analogous to the $25,000 on the nighttime show).
The daytime show had four permanent hosts and two permanent hostesses in 16 1/2 years, while the nighttime show, in contrast, has had the same host and hostess since its premiere in 1983.
Production of the show moved from NBC Studios in Burbank to CBS Television City in Hollywood when the daytime Wheel first changed networks and remained there for the remainder of the daytime show's run on TV, including its short-lived 1991 return to NBC. (The nightly show, which moved at the same time to Television City, remained there until 1995 when the show moved to the Sony Pictures Studios lot in Culver City.)
For seven weeks in December 1975 and January 1976, the program aired in an hour-long format. Two three-round games were played with two sets of three different contestants. The winners of each game played a head-to-head speed-up round. The winner of that round went on to play the Bonus Round. The rules of this Bonus Round are shown below.
[edit] Ratings and cancellation
The daytime Wheel of Fortune had respectably strong ratings for most of its run. From 1978 until 1990, it was the second- or third-most-watched network game show, trailing only The Price is Right and sometimes Family Feud. However, the daytime show never reached its nighttime counterpart's stratospheric level of popularity, as evidenced by the fact that it was canceled three times in two and one-half years (NBC, summer 1989; CBS, winter 1991; NBC, summer 1991). This was, of course, because the daytime audience, composed mainly of housewives, college students, retired senior citizens, and children too young for school, amounted to only a fraction of the viewers tuned in during the "access hour" (usually 7-8 p.m. Eastern and 6:30-7 Central) in the early evening, when local stations usually broadcast the syndicated version. In its final months, it was the last NBC network show to air in the 10:00 a.m. Eastern time slot for 16 years; following the show's cancellation in 1991, the network gave that hour back to the affiliates for local or syndicated programming. (The Today Show expanded back into the time slot in 2007.)
[edit] Studio layout
[edit] Puzzle boards
The show was originally supposed to have the trilons on the puzzle board turn by themselves, but the board was malfunctioning and a hostess was brought in to turn the trilons instead. The first puzzle board had three rows of trilons and a total of 39 spaces (13 spaces on each row). A larger board with an additional row of trilons (48 total spaces; 11 on the top and bottom rows, and 13 on the middle two rows) and decorative arched light border was adopted in December 1981, shortly before Woolery left the show. This became the board popularly associated with the show, as it was kept through the remainder of the daytime run and for the syndicated run (until 1997). Today, the board resides in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. a tribute to the mark the show has made on American history.
[edit] Score Displays
The tote boards that showed the totals for each player were originally eggcrate light displays, with room for four digits and a "$" sign. Space for the fifth digit had been added by 1978; space for a sixth digit was added in the summer of 1990.
[edit] Contestant Backdrops
When the show debuted, the backdrops were the same shade of green as was used on the puzzle board. These backdrops contained eggcrate light displays to display money that was "On Account" or total winnings for a champion. In 1981, new backdrops were installed, with sunbursts of red, yellow, and blue. The sunbursts went through three different versions until the move to CBS. They also had eggcrate lights for money that had put "On Account" and total winnings for a champion. When the show moved to CBS Television City, the sunbursts were replaced by red, yellow, and blue chevron shaped backdrops, again with eggcrate displays, which remained until the show's cancellation in 1991. The nighttime show's diamond backdrops, originally designed for road shows, never appeared on the daytime version-they became part of the standard nighttime set at Television City by the time the daytime version was canceled.
[edit] Prize podiums
Throughout the 1970s, the studio had individual podiums for each of the three main game prize showcases, placed behind the host. In December 1981, a single large turntable was adopted which displayed the prizes for each round as it was played. When the bonus round was instituted at the end of 1981, gold stars indicated the larger prizes that were also available in that round. With the move to CBS and the play-for-cash format, the turntable was retired. New podiums, showing mock wheel templates with bizarre values and arrangements never used for the main game (such as $950 or $100-$800-$100), were used to display the prizes (mostly cars) available in the bonus round. A circular green $5,000 sign was also employed, in a fashion similar to the syndicated show's $25,000 sign.
[edit] The wheel
Throughout the network run, a different wheel template was used for each of three main game segments. Until summer 1989, each segment had a single round; after the move to CBS Television City and elimination of shopping, the first segment always included two rounds and it was common to see two rounds in each of the other segments as well.
Until 1986, the templates used in the syndicated show were identical to those used for the network show except for the top dollar values, and the color scheme featured different shades of red, yellow, and blue, After the templates were refurbished in 1986 with brighter "pastel" colors, the templates used for the daytime show were similar to the nighttime ones but with some smaller dollar values reflecting the network version's smaller budget.
When the cash format was adopted for the CBS daytime show in 1989, most dollar amounts on the wheel were halved from the values on the NBC shopping version. Also, special prize wedges (lime green with black text) were placed on the wheel. During the CBS run, the first prize was introduced at the beginning of Round Two; in Round Three, two new prizes were placed on the wheel; and in Round Four, yet another prize was added. When the show returned to NBC, a prize was introduced at the beginning of Round One as well. Prizes that went unclaimed before a template change were removed.
The center of the wheel was (and still is on the nighttime show) green, so that when the host and hostess said goodbye at the end of the show, the image of them could be superimposed on the center of the wheel using a greenscreen effect. This technique was used during the shows' year at NBC Studios but was discontinued with the move to CBS Television City.
[edit] Episode status
The original September 1974 pilot, with Edd Byrnes as host, still exists; a clip from it was shown during the nighttime show's 3,000th episode in 1998. A Chuck Woolery - Susan Stafford episode from June 3, 1976 exists in the Library of Congress and the GSN library. Most other daytime episodes through 1981 are believed to have been erased by NBC, though some circulate among game show tape traders. Daytime episodes since 1981 are believed to be intact; clips from early episodes have been seen on the nighttime version's 3,000th and 4,000th episodes, and on the E! True Hollywood Story episode chronicling the show's history. GSN showed three daytime episodes as part of a ten-episode memorial tribute to show creator Merv Griffin in August 2007, including the aforementioned 1976 episode.
[edit] Themes
[edit] 1974 Pilot
The 1974 pilot's theme was called "Give it One", by Maynard Ferguson. It is probably most known for its jazzy theme. The song was released on the Columbia LP "M.F. Horn Two", which was re-released onto CD by Wounded Bird (WOU-3170) in 2006.
[edit] 1975-1983
This version's theme was called "Big Wheels", written by Alan Thicke but credited to Stan Worth. It was used until September 1983, when the daytime show adopted the same theme music as the syndicated version. "Big Wheels" is available on the Varese Sarabande CD "Best of TV Quiz & Game Show Themes" (B00004WJJ9) released in 2000.
[edit] 1983-1989
This theme, the original version of "Changing Keys" by Merv Griffin, was the most well-known. The show adopted this theme when the syndicated version debuted, and kept it until production left NBC Studios in 1989. This theme is commercially available on the Varese Sarabande CD "Classic TV Game Show Themes" (B0000060E4) released in 1998.
[edit] 1989-1991
This was a jazzed-up variation on "Changing Keys" used on both versions after production moved to CBS, and was retained on the daytime show until its final cancellation. It was also used on the 1995 Sega CD video game version, which includes clean copies of both the theme and several prize cues on the disc's audio settings.
[edit] References
- ^ The E! True Hollywood Story: "Wheel of Fortune." Premiered in 2004. Referenced on tvgameshows.net, Aug. 14, 2007
[edit] Sources
- The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows, 3rd Ed. (includes information on A.C. Nielsen Company ratings)
- The Wheel of Fortune timeline page at gscentral.net
- "Wheel of Fortune" at curtalliaume.com
- The Classic Wheel of Fortune Page
