''Jackpot'' (also referred to as ''Jackpot!'') is an American and Canadian television
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 ...
produced by
Bob Stewart which saw contestants attempting to solve riddles in order to win cash and prizes.
''Jackpot'' made its debut on the
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 ...
television network on January 7, 1974 as part of their daytime schedule and ran until September 26, 1975. The show was videotaped in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, where Stewart was based at the time, and was hosted by
Geoff Edwards
Geoffrey Bruce Owen Edwards (February 13, 1931 – March 5, 2014) was an American television actor, game show host, and radio personality. Starting in the early 2000s, he was also a writer and broadcaster on the subject of travel.
Background
P ...
. In 1985, Stewart teamed up with
USA Network
USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...
and
Global Television Network
The Global Television Network (more commonly called Global, or occasionally Global TV) is a Canadian English-language terrestrial television network. It is currently Canada's second most-watched private terrestrial television network after ...
for a revival that aired in both the United States and Canada. This edition of ''Jackpot'' aired on USA and Global from September 30, 1985 until December 30, 1988 and was produced in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, with
Mike Darow
Mike Darow (born Darow Myhowich; January 8, 1933 – December 7, 1996) was a Canadian-born television game show host. Darow is best known for hosting the 1968–1970 ABC run of '' Dream House'' in the United States, the 1985–1988 Canada-produce ...
as host. After the Canadian-produced ''Jackpot'' ended, Stewart developed another series for American
syndication
Syndication may refer to:
* Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system
* Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips
* Web syndication, ...
, this time based in the
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
area of
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...
(Stewart moved there in the early 1980s). That series (the only one to refer to the title with the exclamation point in it) debuted on September 18, 1989 with Edwards once again hosting, coming to an end on March 16, 1990 after its syndicator went out of business.
The first series was announced by
Don Pardo
Dominick George "Don" Pardo (February 22, 1918 – August 18, 2014) was an American radio and television announcer whose career spanned more than seven decades.
A member of the Television Hall of Fame, Pardo was noted for his 70-year tenure with ...
until early 1975, when
Wayne Howell
Wayne Howell Chappelle (February 16, 1921 – July 8, 1993) was a voice-over announcer for the NBC television and radio networks from 1947 through 1986. He was born in Lexington, Kentucky, and became one member of a core group of New York-base ...
replaced him, marking Pardo's last announcing gig for an NBC game show (later in 1975, Pardo would settle in for his last announcing role in his career on the long-running NBC sketch comedy series ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
''). The 1985 series saw announcing duties shared by Global announcers John Harris and Ken Ryan, the latter of whom was also the announcer on the USA/Global collaboration ''
Bumper Stumpers''. The 1989 series saw
Johnny Gilbert
John Lewis Gilbert III (born July 13, 1928) is an American show business personality who has worked mainly on television game shows. Originally a nightclub singer and entertainer, he has hosted and announced a number of game shows from various e ...
and
John Harlan split the announcing duties.
Elements of ''Jackpot''s gameplay were later used in the
GSN original game show ''
Hollywood Showdown
''Hollywood Showdown'' is an American game show that aired on both PAX TV and Game Show Network from January to June 2000, then returned solely to GSN on January 1, 2001 and ran until March 30 of that year. Reruns aired on GSN again from Septemb ...
''. Its producer, Sande Stewart (son of ''Jackpot!'' creator Bob Stewart), became a production partner of his father during the 1980s.
Gameplay
Sixteen contestants competed for an entire week, with one designated ''King/Queen of the Hill'', who stood at a circular podium at stage-left. The other fifteen contestants, numbered 1 through 15, were seated in three-tiered bleachers. Each had a special wallet containing a riddle and a varying cash amount or the Jackpot Riddle. The King/Queen selected a number and the contestant with that number asked a riddle to this contestant. If answered correctly, the King of the Hill continued picking numbers; if answered incorrectly, the two contestants switched places, with the contestant who stumped him/her becoming the new King/Queen.
Most riddles had a dollar value attached, which was added to the Jackpot. One contestant per game held a Jackpot Riddle, which allowed him/her to split the Jackpot with the King/Queen if answered correctly.
In addition to building the Jackpot, there's a secondary objective for the King/Queen and the other fifteen riddle holders. Before each new game started, a three-digit number, determined at random by the show's computers, was set as the "Target Number". If at any point in the game the last three numbers displayed in the Jackpot matched the Target Number, the King/Queen and the contestant whose riddle enabled the match were given a chance to win the Super Jackpot, which would be worth thousands of dollars.
The Super Jackpot Riddle was always asked by the host from his podium and read twice. If the Super Jackpot Riddle was answered correctly, they split the prize.
Depending on the rules or the situation, the King/Queen could ask the Jackpot Riddle-holder to be seated and continue the game, with the intent of finding a bonus, raising the Jackpot, and/or playing for the Super Jackpot.
Special riddles
A correct answer to any of these riddles affected gameplay as follows.
*Double Dollars (Syndicated) Doubled the entire Jackpot.
*Instant Target Match (Syndicated) Added enough money to the Jackpot to match its last three digits against the target. The King/Queen and the Riddler were then given a chance to win the Super Jackpot.
*Bonus Prize (all) Awarded a prize to the King/Queen.
*Return Trip (USA/Syndicated) Allowed both the Riddler and the King/Queen to return for the following week of episodes.
*Super Jackpot Wildcard (NBC) Gave the Riddler and the King/Queen a chance to win the Super Jackpot but left the Jackpot unchanged.
NBC (1974–1975)
The King/Queen was referred to as the ''Expert''. Riddles on this version ranged in value from $5 to $200 in multiples of $5, and Target Numbers could go no higher than $995. After the selection of a Target Number, a Multiplier ranging from 5 to 50 was chosen at random (although 15 and 20 were twice as likely to appear) and was multiplied with the Target Number to determine the Super Jackpot (e.g., $500×30 = $15,000). If the Target Number was $995 and the Multiplier was 50, the Super Jackpot was automatically set to $50,000.
The Super Jackpot could be played for in one of two ways:
#Initially, if the Expert solved a riddle whose value caused the last three digits of the Jackpot to match the Target Number, he/she and the Riddler split the Super Jackpot. Later, a correct answer in this situation led to a second riddle, asked by the host, with the Super Jackpot at stake.
#By finding a Super Jackpot Wildcard as described above.
Originally, the contestant who answered the most riddles in the week won a car. This was later changed to awarding a car to anyone who answered all fifteen riddles in a single game. After a week-long experiment in February 1974 (when it was called "The Valentine Riddle"), most games had a "Double Bonus" riddle which, if answered correctly, won the two contestants involved a trip, usually to somewhere in
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
or the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
.
Beginning on June 30, 1975, the format was altered for the last 13 weeks of the run:
* The Target Number and Multiplier were dropped. Instead, the Super Jackpot was established at random to a value between $2,000 and $10,000 (in $100 increments).
* Riddles were replaced with straight yes-no, true-false, or multiple-choice general knowledge questions.
* When the Jackpot Question was found, the Expert could either try to answer it or go for the Super Jackpot by answering all remaining questions in the game, including the Jackpot Question. If the contestant missed any of the remaining questions, the Jackpot was reset to $0 and a new Super Jackpot was established.
* In the event that the Jackpot Question was the last one found, the Super Jackpot was discarded.
Canadian/USA Network (1985–1988)
The riddles and Target Number returned, but there was no multiplier; the Super Jackpot was set at random, ranging from $4,000 to $9,900 in $100 increments. There was no separate Super Jackpot Riddle in this series. Instead, if a riddle was worth enough to cause a target match, it won both contestants the Super Jackpot if answered correctly. For each game, the Jackpot started at $100, and riddles were valued anywhere from $50 to $300 (again in $5 increments). Also, if the Jackpot Riddle was not found until the last contestant, an extra $1,000 was added to the Jackpot. Once the Jackpot Riddle was found and attempted, the King/Queen of the Hill and the person with the Jackpot Riddle traded places no matter the outcome of the riddle's answer.
Starting in season two, any contestant who answered all fifteen riddles without a miss won a new car. Also added was a "$10,000 Riddler Contest" in which the contestant who answered the most riddles correctly in a single week over a period of 10 weeks won a bonus of $10,000, with tied contestants splitting the money. A similar contest was held during the final six weeks of the second season, awarding a vacation package and $1,000 cash to the contestant with the most correct answers in a single week.
The final season featured a "$50,000 Riddle" contest. Any contestant who found and answered one of these designated riddles, which were considerably more difficult than the others used on the show, won an equal share of a $50,000 cash prize at the end of the season.
Syndicated (1989–1990)
In this version, the value of the riddle was only added to the Jackpot if the riddle was answered correctly. In addition, the Super Jackpot Riddle returned but now either the King/Queen or the bleacher contestant who asked the riddle that brought the Jackpot amount to the target number could respond. The bleacher contestant would make a guess first, and if he/she was wrong, the King/Queen would make a guess him/herself; this was later changed to having only one answer accepted from the first contestant to speak up. If either contestant was correct, they both split the Super Jackpot.
Also, if the King/Queen answered all fifteen riddles without a miss, $1,000 was added to the Jackpot. Finally, Super Jackpots on this version ranged from $10,000 to $25,000 (in $500 increments), and riddles ranged from $50 to $200 (in $5 increments once again).
Broadcast History
NBC (1974–1975)
The network's head of daytime programming, Lin Bolen, placed ''Jackpot'' at Noon eastern (11:00 AM Central), where the venerable ''
Jeopardy!
''Jeopardy!'' is an American game show created by Merv Griffin. The show is a quiz competition that reverses the traditional question-and-answer format of many quiz shows. Rather than being given questions, contestants are instead given genera ...
'' had run for nearly eight years. ''Jeopardy!'' brought in audiences who did not ordinarily watch daytime television, such as businessmen and college students, primarily due to its intellectually challenging game play; these people often watched the show during their lunch hour on TV sets at restaurants, college student centers, or bars rather than at home. The move of ''Jeopardy!'' to 10:30/9:30 would cause an audience loss that ''Jackpot!'', aimed at a more traditional female audience, was unable to replace.
''Jackpot'' replaced ''
The Who, What, or Where Game
''The Who, What, or Where Game'' is an American television game show that was broadcast weekdays on NBC from December 29, 1969, to January 4, 1974. The host was Art James, and the announcer was Mike Darow; Ron Greenberg packaged the show, which w ...
'' via a scheduling shuffle with the aforementioned ''Jeopardy!'' and ''Baffle''. The breakout popularity of CBS' youth-oriented serial ''
The Young and the Restless
''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, Wi ...
'' led to an erosion of ''Jeopardy!''s audience, and the new show inherited the ratings problems. Still, ''Jackpot!'' managed to earn respectable ratings throughout 1974; it looked at one point to be more promising than its sister show, ''The $10,000 Pyramid'', during the latter's final month on CBS (but before its move to ABC in May, where it became a hit). Nonetheless, ''Y&R'' would break into the daytime Nielsen top ten by early 1975.
Edwards hosted ''Jackpot'' at the same time he was hosting the
Chuck Barris
Charles Hirsch Barris (June 3, 1929 – March 21, 2017) was an American game show creator, producer, and host. Barris was known for hosting ''The Gong Show'' and creating ''The Dating Game'' and ''The Newlywed Game''. He was also a songwrite ...
-produced game show ''
Treasure Hunt''. ''Jackpot'' taped in New York City while ''Treasure Hunt'' was taped in Los Angeles. Not only was Edwards one of the first hosts to host more than one game show simultaneously, he also was one of the first to work bi-coastally, a practice that became much more common for celebrities in the future.
Cancellation
In reaction to the show's slumping ratings, Bolen decided to revamp ''Jackpot'' by making use of a "focus group", a then-new audience analysis technique. Edwards stated that Bolen's group participants expressed a strong dislike for the show's foundational riddle format. Bolen accepted this judgment and gave Stewart an ultimatum – replace the riddles with a straightforward question-answer format or be canceled. In addition, Edwards was told to not question this decision or he would be replaced.
This was one of several changes instituted beginning on June 30, 1975. On July 7, the show moved back one half-hour, but the new time slot brought much stronger competition in the form of ''
Search for Tomorrow
''Search for Tomorrow'' is an American television soap opera. It began its run on CBS on September 3, 1951, and concluded on NBC, 35 years later, on December 26, 1986.
Set in the fictional town of Henderson in an unspecified state, the show focu ...
'' on CBS and ABC's ''
All My Children
''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 20 ...
'', the latter already a big hit with younger audiences. The show was further hampered by a five-minute news program airing at 12:55, forcing it to also shrink to 25 minutes.
The combination of strong competition and the forced change in format led to the end of ''Jackpot'' after a 21-month run on September 26, 1975. NBC's replacement, ''Three for the Money'', did even worse, running only nine weeks. ''Jackpots cancellation also marked the first time in NBC daytime history that no games originated from Rockefeller Center (with all other game shows taping at NBC's West Coast studios in Burbank, California instead). Only one other NBC game show afterward, the Stewart-packaged ''Shoot for the Stars'' (which was also hosted by Edwards), was taped in New York. In fact, the only other NBC daytime show to tape at Rockefeller Center for the remainder of the 1970s was the serial ''The Doctors''. (''
Another World'' and ''Somerset'' recorded at off-site studios in Brooklyn.)
The series marked Don Pardo's final appearance as a regular game show announcer, having done games since the pioneering ''
Winner Take All'' in 1952 (also the first network TV game hosted by
Bill Cullen
William Lawrence Francis Cullen (February 18, 1920 – July 7, 1990) was an American radio and television personality whose career spanned five decades. His biggest claim to fame was as a game show host; over the course of his career, he host ...
and the first TV series by
Goodson-Todman
Fremantle (; formerly FremantleMedia) is a British multinational television production and distribution company based in London. Fremantle takes its name from Fremantle International, acquired by predecessor company All American Television in ...
). On October 11, 1975 – fifteen days after ''Jackpot!s demise – Pardo emerged on NBC's new weekly comedy-variety series ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
''. With the exception of one season for the latter show, he would be the announcer for the series until his passing in 2014. Pardo would also not appear on another game show until November 1988, when he was the announcer of the nighttime syndicated version of ''
Wheel of Fortune The Wheel of Fortune or ''Rota Fortunae'' has been a concept and metaphor since ancient times referring to the capricious nature of Fate. Wheel of Fortune may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Art
* ''The Wheel of Fortune'' (Burne-Jo ...
'' for two weeks of episodes at New York's
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...
.
CBS Pilot (1984)
In 1984, Stewart produced a new version for CBS with
Nipsey Russell
Julius "Nipsey" Russell (September 15, 1918 – October 2, 2005)Nipsey J. Russell, born September 15, 1918, died October 2, 2005. Social Security Administration. ''Social Security Death Index'' (Death Master File).U.S. Census, January 1, 1920, s ...
hosting and
Johnny Gilbert
John Lewis Gilbert III (born July 13, 1928) is an American show business personality who has worked mainly on television game shows. Originally a nightclub singer and entertainer, he has hosted and announced a number of game shows from various e ...
announcing, which did not sell. Unlike the earlier or subsequent versions, there was no Target Number or Super Jackpot. The Jackpot started at $150, with that amount going into it for each riddle solved. If the Jackpot riddle was found but was not attempted immediately, the value for each correct answer doubled to $300. If the Jackpot riddle was not found until the last contestant, $5,000 would be automatically added to the Jackpot.
When the Jackpot riddle was solved, the winning King/Queen and Riddler would play a bonus round called "Riddle-grams," which was played similar to another Stewart-produced show, ''
Shoot for the Stars
''Shoot for the Stars'' is a game show created and produced by Bob Stewart, and aired on the NBC television network. The show aired from January 3 to September 30, 1977, and was produced in New York City. During most of its run, it videotaped at ...
''. Two clues would be shown. The clues, when answered in the order they were read, would make a two-word phrase. One contestant would guess the first half of the phrase, and the other contestant would guess the second half. If either contestant made a mistake at any time, they would lose their chance at the big money, but could still go for all the other phrases, because at the end of the round, the contestants split $100 for each phrase solved. If the contestants could solve all seven phrases without making a mistake, they split $5,000. This was the only version of the show to have a bonus round.
Although this format did not sell in the United States, it was used (albeit with slight changes) on the Welsh version in the 1990s (see below).
Canadian/USA Network (1985–1988)
The program was recorded in Toronto for the Global Television Network and aired in America on USA Network. The 1980s ''Jackpot'' was able to avoid the nation's "CanCon" quota system of requirements as host Mike Darow, whose previous hosting positions (''
The $128,000 Question'' and the original ''
Dream House'') were on American productions, was born in Canada and had worked on Toronto radio in the 1960s.
All cash awards to contestants were paid in Canadian dollars, which at the time was considerably weaker than the U.S. dollar. The resulting financial advantage lured packagers such as Stewart to produce games in Canada. Ken Ryan and John Harris, Global staff voice-over artists, served as announcers on this version.
Syndicated (1989–1990)
''Jackpot!'' (with an exclamation point in the title) returned in American syndication in the fall of 1989. The program was a production of Bob Stewart Productions and
Reeves Entertainment Group
Alan Landsburg Productions (ALP) was an independent television production company founded by Alan Landsburg in 1971. The company had produced '' In Search of...'' and ''That's Incredible!'', two early examples of reality television decades befor ...
with Palladium Entertainment distributing.
However, the show met its demise before the end of a full season, not because of low ratings, but because of its distributor having serious financial problems. As a ploy to try to generate sponsorship cash as quickly as possible, the company forced the staff to record over 10 episodes per day for a period of over two weeks. Under normal circumstances, half-hour weekday "strip" shows taped only three to five episodes per day, depending on the studio's schedule. By spring 1990, Palladium Entertainment shuttered its operations after declaring bankruptcy, and the remaining stations pulled ''Jackpot!'' from their schedules immediately.
Despite this, much like he did almost 15 years earlier by hosting bi-coastal game shows, Edwards became the third game show host in the industry to simultaneously emcee a game show on both sides of the Canada–US border, joining
Jim Perry James Perry may refer to:
* James Perry (journalist) (1756–1821), journalist
* James Franklin Perry (1790–1853), early Texas settler (with wife Emily Austin Perry)
* Jimmy Perry (1923–2016), English actor and scriptwriter
* James E. C. Perry ...
and
Alex Trebek
George Alexander Trebek (; July 22, 1940 – November 8, 2020) was a Canadian-American game show host and television personality. He is best known for hosting the syndicated general knowledge quiz game show ''Jeopardy!'' for 37 season ...
. Edwards also hosted the Canadian-produced ''
Chain Reaction
A chain reaction is a sequence of reactions where a reactive product or by-product causes additional reactions to take place. In a chain reaction, positive feedback leads to a self-amplifying chain of events.
Chain reactions are one way that syst ...
'' and the Sacramento-produced ''The Big Spin'', the weekly
California Lottery
The California State Lottery began in October 1985 after voters authorized it in Proposition 37, the California State Lottery Act of 1984. It offers a range of games including number draws, scratchcards and a mock horse race. The earnings provi ...
program, at that time.
Two veteran announcers,
John Harlan and
Johnny Gilbert
John Lewis Gilbert III (born July 13, 1928) is an American show business personality who has worked mainly on television game shows. Originally a nightclub singer and entertainer, he has hosted and announced a number of game shows from various e ...
(both of whom have also assumed announcing duties for the subsequent NBC/syndicated revivals of ''Jeopardy!''), provided the voice-over for this version. Jim Perry's daughter, Erin, served as the series' associate producer.
International versions
A
Brazilian version called ''Clube dos Quinze'', hosted by
Silvio Santos
Senor Abravanel, known professionally as Silvio Santos (Portuguese: /ˈsiwvju ˈsɐ̃tus/) (born December 12, 1930), is a Brazilian entrepreneur, media tycoon and television host. He is the owner of holdings that include SBT, the second largest ...
, aired on
TV Globo
TV Globo (, "Globe TV", or simply Globo), formerly known as Rede Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-air Television broadcasting, television network, launched by media proprietor Roberto Marinho on 26 April 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Gr ...
in 1975 before moving to
Tupi Tupi may refer to:
* Tupi people of Brazil
* Tupi or Tupian languages, spoken in South America
** Tupi language, an extinct Tupian language spoken by the Tupi people
* Tupi oil field off the coast of Brazil
* Tupi Paulista, a Brazilian municipalit ...
in 1976.
A
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
version on
S4C (under the title ''Jacpot'') was originally produced from 1993 to approximately 1999 with Kevin Davies as host. It was eventually revived in 2012 as a segment on Friday night magazine show ''Pen8Nos'' with Rhodri Ogwen as host. As mentioned above, this version's rules were based on the 1984 pilot, with some slight changes.
Other information
Home version
Milton Bradley
Milton Bradley (November 8, 1836 – May 30, 1911) was an American business magnate, game pioneer and publisher, credited by many with launching the board game industry, with his eponymous enterprise, which was purchased by Hasbro in 1984, and ...
made only one edition in 1974, but with two different covers – one with just the logo, and one with a drawing of a female contestant. Other than the cosmetic difference, the game is the same in both boxes; the gameplay more closely resembles the 1980s Darow format, with the Target Number randomly established and Super Jackpots of only four-figure amounts.
Theme
''Jackpot!'' used several different themes during its runs; the NBC version used the instrumental
theme music
Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...
"Jet Set", composed by former
Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann were an English rock band, formed in London and active between 1962 and 1969. The group were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The band had two differen ...
member
Mike Vickers
Michael Graham Vickers (born 18 April 1940) is an English musician who came to prominence as the guitarist, flautist, and saxophonist with the 1960s band Manfred Mann. He was born in Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey. At the age of seven, his famil ...
. The piece was later used as the opening theme for ''
This Week in Baseball
''This Week in Baseball'' (abbreviated as ''TWiB'', pronounced phonetically) is an American television series which focused on Major League Baseball highlights. Broadcast weekly during baseball season (and in its second incarnation, prior to marq ...
''. The USA and syndicated runs used the ''
Shoot for the Stars
''Shoot for the Stars'' is a game show created and produced by Bob Stewart, and aired on the NBC television network. The show aired from January 3 to September 30, 1977, and was produced in New York City. During most of its run, it videotaped at ...
'' theme composed by
Bob Cobert
Robert Cobert (October 26, 1924 – February 19, 2020) was an American composer who worked in television and films. He is best known for his work with producer/director Dan Curtis, notably the scores for the massively popular, now-cult 1966–7 ...
. The
Bebu Silvetti
Juan Fernando Silvetti Adorno (27 March 1944 – 5 July 2003), professionally known as Bebu Silvetti or simply Silvetti, was an Argentine- born Mexican pianist, composer, conductor, arranger, and record producer. In the 1970s he moved to M ...
song "
Spring Rain", itself previously used as the theme for Stewart's ''
The Love Experts
''The Love Experts'' is an American television show that was part talk show and part game show that ran from September 18, 1978, to September 7, 1979. It was hosted by Bill Cullen and Jack Clark was the announcer. The show was created by Bob St ...
'', was used for the unsold 1984 pilot.
Episode status
* NBC: According to host Geoff Edwards, nearly all episodes were
destroyed
Destroyed may refer to:
* ''Destroyed'' (Sloppy Seconds album), a 1989 album by Sloppy Seconds
* ''Destroyed'' (Moby album), a 2011 album by Moby
See also
* Destruction (disambiguation)
Destruction may refer to:
Concepts
* Destruktion, a ...
as per network practices of the era. Three episodes are known to exist: the fourth episode on January 10, 1974, the episode from January 3, 1975 (which featured a $38,750 Super Jackpot win), and the September 26, 1975 finale. The January 10, 1974 episode and the finale exist in audio format.
* USA/syndicated: Both runs are intact and have been seen on GSN.
References
External links
''Jackpot (1974)'' on IMDb''Jackpot (1985)'' on IMDb''Jackpot (1989)'' on IMDb
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackpot (Game Show)
1970s American game shows
1980s Canadian game shows
1980s American game shows
1990s American game shows
Global Television Network original programming
NBC original programming
USA Network original programming
First-run syndicated television programs in the United States
1974 American television series debuts
1975 American television series endings
1985 Canadian television series debuts
1988 Canadian television series endings
1989 American television series debuts
1990 American television series endings
Television series by Bob Stewart Productions
Television series by Sony Pictures Television
Television shows filmed in Toronto
1990s British game shows