''The Reel Game'' was an American

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 demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, ...

that aired on Monday nights on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

from January 18 to May 3, 1971. The series was hosted by Jack Barry and announced by Jack Clark. This show marked Barry's return to producing shows for national television after his 13-year

hiatus Hiatus may refer to: *Hiatus (anatomy), a natural fissure in a structure * Hiatus (stratigraphy), a discontinuity in the age of strata in stratigraphy *''Hiatus'', a genus of picture-winged flies with sole member species '' Hiatus fulvipes'' * Gl ...

from television after the

quiz show scandals The 1950s quiz show scandals were a series of scandals involving the producers and contestants of several popular American television quiz shows. These shows' producers secretly gave assistance to certain contestants in order to prearrange the s ...

of the 1950s.

Gameplay

Three contestants competed in a quiz game in which the answers come from film clips. The contestants were given $250 to start, then they were given a subject after which they wagered any part of their current score (all wagers had to made in $25 increments). Once the bets were placed, host Barry posed a question, after which the contestants wrote down their answers. When the answers were written down, a film clip was shown to reveal the correct answer. When the clip was finished, the contestants then showed their answers. A correct answer won the contestant the amount wagered whereas an incorrect answer deducted the wager.

$25 Toss-up round

Four film clips were played and after each one, host Barry read three toss-up questions in which players buzz-in to answer. A correct answer added $25 to the player's score, while an incorrect incurred no penalty, but gave the other players a chance to answer.

Celebrity toss-up

After the fourth clip was played, a celebrity from that clip came in to ask the three toss-up questions. Correct answers were still worth $25.

Grand finale

In the Grand Finale one last film clip was played but without toss-ups. For this round, the bets were written in secret by the players before writing down their answers, after the final question was asked. Then the film clip was shown with the correct answer to the question. When the clip was finished, the players showed their bets & answers. All players kept their cash, but the player with the most money won the game and returned the following week to play again. Players who went broke at the end of the game were always guaranteed $25.

Episode status

Copies of three episodes are known to exist: the 1970 pilot, the March 8 episode, and the Finale. All three are held by the

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

Film and Television Archive; however, the Finale has also been found among private collectors.

References

David Schwartz, Steve Ryan, and Fred Wostbrock, ''The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows'', 3rd edition, 1999.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reel Game, The American Broadcasting Company original programming 1970s American game shows 1971 American television series debuts 1971 American television series endings Television series by Barry & Enright Productions Television series by Four Star Television Television series by 20th Century Fox Television Television series by Sony Pictures Television