| To Say the Least | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Heatter-Quigley Productions |
| Presented by | Tom Kennedy |
| Narrated by | Kenny Williams |
| Theme music composer | Stan Worth |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | NBC Studios Burbank, California |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Original run | October 3, 1977 – April 21, 1978 |
To Say the Least is an American game show that aired on NBC from October 3, 1977 to April 21, 1978. The show was produced by Heatter-Quigley Productions, hosted by Tom Kennedy and announced by Kenny Williams. This was Kennedy's third NBC show to debut in the span of one year; his first, 50 Grand Slam, was canceled after a 13-week run in December 1976 and was replaced by a daytime version of his hit Name That Tune, which was canceled in June 1977 after 26 weeks.
Contents |
The object of the game was to guess the subject of a puzzle using as few clue words as possible. Men vs. women competed on two teams, each consisting of two celebrities and one contestant. To begin, two players from each team were placed into isolation. The remaining players from each team were shown a sentence with six to ten words. The two opponents alternated eliminating words, one at a time, until either a player challenged his opponent to answer or only one word remained, at which point the team who deleted the previous word was forced to guess.
Once the challenge was made, the isolated players returned to the game and the challenged team guessed. If they guessed the subject of the puzzle correctly, they won the game, otherwise the game went to the opponents. The first team to win two out of three games won the match, $100 & a prize package.
The champion and all four celebrities participated in the bonus game. Each celebrity stood behind one of four numbered doors on stage. The champion was given another sentence and eliminated all but three of the words for the first celebrity. A correct guess earned the player $100. After the first part, another word was eliminated. If the celebrity behind door number two guessed correctly, the contestant won another $200. Regardless of how the player did in the first two stages of the endgame, the player was given two chances at the jackpot. One last word was deleted, and celebrity number three guessed. If they did not give the correct answer, celebrity number four guessed. If either of those last two celebrities guessed correctly, the champion won a cash jackpot which started at $2,000 and increased by $1,000 per All-Star Game until claimed.
A contestant could stay on until they lost twice or played seven matches, whichever came first. If a contestant won four matches in a row without being defeated they also won a new car.
The premiere and the February 23 episode (the latter featuring a $5,000 win in the All-Star Game) exist among private collectors; one episode is held at The Paley Center for Media.
The UCLA Film and Television Archive lists among its holdings a 1977 episode with a summary of "$100,000 golden play-off. 1st round."