game show
A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or Let's Play, demonstrative and are typically directed b ...
that aired on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
from 1958 to 1959.
Jack Linkletter
Jack Linkletter (November 20, 1937 – December 18, 2007) was an American game show and television host and entertainer. He was the son of Art Linkletter.
Early life
Linkletter was born Arthur Jack Linkletter in San Francisco. He was the oldest ...
hosted the primetime version while
Fred Robbins
Fred Robbins (born March 25, 1977) is a former American football defensive tackle. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Wake Forest.
Robbins also played for the New Y ...
and Dennis James did the daytime show. The announcer was
Bill Wendell
William Joseph Wenzel Jr. (March 22, 1924 – April 14, 1999), known as Bill Wendell, was an NBC television staff announcer for almost his entire professional career.
Life and career
Born in New York City, Wendell served in the United States ...
, with some editions announced by
Jerry Damon
Horace Jerome D'Amato (August 24, 1927 – January 24, 1979), known professionally as Jerry Damon, was an American radio and television announcer and actor.
Biography
Damon was a staff announcer for NBC in New York from 1954William T. Naud.
Game play
Two players, usually women, competed. The object was to identify an image of a celebrity's face, which was concealed behind a 5×5 grid, with the horizontal dimension showing letters and the vertical dimension showing categories. The host announced a category and one of the letters. Then the player in control had to come up with a word or phrase that fit the category. For each acceptable answer given, a piece of the picture connected to the category and letter was revealed. When a signal sounded after four combinations were played (two per player), the game continued with the player choosing a category, then a letter, and finally an answer which fit both criteria. The first player to solve the picture won the game and became champion. In the event that either contestant would make a mistake on the picture, the game automatically went to the opponent. The winner of the game would get the better role in the bonus round and earn the right to play the next game.
In the bonus game the winner would secretly choose one of two prizes titled "Haggis (luxury items)" or "Baggis (utilitarian items)". If the opponent picked the other package, each contestant won the prizes they chose; if not, then only the champion won whatever she selected.
Champions could stay on the program until defeated.
Broadcast history
The series debuted on June 30, 1958 in both daytime and nighttime. The daytime series was hosted by
Fred Robbins
Fred Robbins (born March 25, 1977) is a former American football defensive tackle. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Wake Forest.
Robbins also played for the New Y ...
from the June 30 debut until he resigned February 6, 1959. The following Monday, Dennis James took over and hosted through the end of the daytime run; James noted on his first episode that he was given no warning that he was taking over the show, forcing him to learn the rules of the game on the fly.
The nighttime series ran from June 30 to September 29, 1958 with Linkletter as host. Linkletter refused to do the daytime version so as to not compete with his father
Art Linkletter
Arthur Gordon Linkletter (born Gordon Arthur Kelly or Arthur Gordon Kelly; sources differ; July 17, 1912 – May 26, 2010) was a Canadian-born American radio and television personality. He was the host of ''House Party'', which ran on CBS radio a ...
.
Episode status
The series has not been rerun and is most likely
wiped
Lost television broadcasts are mostly those early television programs which cannot be accounted for in studio archives (or in personal archives) usually because of deliberate destruction or neglect.
Common reasons for loss
A significant prop ...
due to network policies at the time. For NBC in particular, this was quite common through 1980.
Two episodes are known to exist, both hosted by Jack Linkletter, which are held by the
UCLA Film and Television Archive
The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Also a nonprofit exhibition venue, the archiv ...
. James's first episode, likely from the personal library he maintained during his lifetimeDennis James /ref> (now managed by his son Brad), also exists.
Notes
References
* ''The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows'', 2nd ed.; 1995 Schwartz, Ryan, and Wostbrock