''It's Anybody's Guess'' is 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, ...
broadcast on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...
from June 13 to September 30, 1977.
Monty Hall
Monty Hall (born Monte Halparin; August 25, 1921 – September 30, 2017) was a Canadian radio and television show host who moved to the United States in 1955 to pursue a career in broadcasting. After working as a radio newsreader and sport ...
hosted the show while
Jay Stewart
Jay Stewart Fix (September 6, 1918 – September 17, 1989), known professionally as Jay Stewart, was an American television and radio announcer known primarily for his work on game shows. He was probably best known as the announcer on the long r ...
was the announcer. Produced by
Stefan Hatos-Monty Hall Productions
Stefan Hatos-Monty Hall Productions is a television production company responsible for producing several American game shows in the 1970s and 1980s. The company is best known for its hit series ''Let's Make a Deal'', which aired in several company- ...
, it was Hall's first time hosting a show other than ''Let's Make a Deal'' since 1962, when he hosted ''
Video Village
''Video Village'' is an American television game show produced by Heatter-Quigley Productions, which aired on the CBS network in daytime from July 11, 1960, to June 15, 1962, and in primetime from July 1 to September 16, 1960. It was notable ...
''.
Gameplay
The show featured seven people involved in each episode. Two of the people were players, with one usually a returning champion, and five of the others made up a panel. The second contestant was always a member of the previous show's panel, having qualified to challenge the champion based on their winnings on the previous show. As such, the panel changed on an almost-daily basis. A panelist was limited to two consecutive appearances in the panel without becoming a challenger, and a replacement from a panelist-turned-challenger was chosen from the audience.
Main game
A question with many possible answers would be posed to everyone (for example: "What makes a camel funny looking?") and an answer that was selected by the show's staff was shown to the challenging player in control of the question and the home audience (with the previous example, "his knobby knees" would be the answer shown). The player decided if the answer would be said by any of the five panelists (yes or no). The player then decided to "play it safe" or go for the "longshot".
Hall then asked the panelists for an answer. If the player played it safe, then he asked each of the panelists for one answer. Should the player call for a longshot, if he or she said yes (that the panelists would get the answer), he only asked three panelists for an answer (or, if the contestant said no, that the panelists wouldn't get the answer, all five panelists were asked for an answer, and the first two were asked for a second answer, for a total of seven answers).
If one of the five panelists guessed the selected answer, he or she received a bonus prize. If the contestant predicted correctly, he or she scored one point (two points for a longshot); an incorrect prediction awarded the point(s) to the opposing player. Five points won the championship.
Payoff round
One more question is asked to the winner and the panelists. There are two answers (that are not shown to anyone at first) that are chosen by the staff. Hall asks each panelist for a response to the question. Each incorrect response is worth $300. After five responses, if either of the two chosen answers are not given, the player tries for $5,000 in cash and a new car, but the player must eliminate one of the two chosen answers from play.
At this point, the player can quit after each incorrect response with the accumulated cash. If the panelists still do not say the selected answer still in play, the player wins the $5,000 and the car. If one of the two answers were said prior to the halfway mark of the round, but the second response wasn't said after all ten responses, the player just wins the $5,000. If the panelists say both answers, the player loses any cash accumulated in the Payoff Round. Note that a panelist could win more prizes if he or she gives one of the chosen responses.
The panelist who wins the most prizes in the game becomes the new challenger in the next game. Winning contestants were able to compete up to a maximum of five games or until defeated.
Broadcast history
The series replaced ''
Shoot for the Stars'' at 11:30 AM (''Stars'' moved to Noon) on June 13, 1977. Faced against ''
Love of Life
''Love of Life'' is an American soap opera televised on CBS from September 24, 1951, to February 1, 1980. It was created by Roy Winsor, whose previous creation '' Search for Tomorrow'' premiered three weeks before ''Love of Life''; he created '' ...
'' on
CBS and ''
Family Feud
''Family Feud'' is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson. It features two families who compete to name the most popular answers to survey questions in order to win cash and prizes.
The show has had three separate runs, the ...
'' 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 ...
, the show ended after 16 weeks. Its replacement was the
Arte Johnson
Arthur Stanton Eric Johnson (January 20, 1929 – July 3, 2019) was an American comic actor who was best known for his work as a regular on television's ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In''.
Biography
Early life
Johnson was born January 20, 1929, in ...
game ''
Knockout
A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...
''.
Music
The music used for the prize descriptions were used on both previous and future versions of ''
Let's Make a Deal
''Let's Make a Deal'' (also known as ''LMAD'') is an American television musical comedy variety-game show that originated in the United States in 1963 and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The program was created an ...
'', most of which were written by Stan Worth and
Sheldon Allman
Sheldon Allman (June 8, 1924 – January 22, 2002) was an American-Canadian actor, singer, and songwriter.
Early life and career
Allman was born in Chicago, Illinois. He began his singing career with the Royal National Guard during his World War ...
.
The main theme of the show would later be used on the 1980s versions of ''Deal''.
Episode status
For reasons of economy, the series is believed to have been
wiped as per the network practice of the era. Only the second Pilot (taped February 4, 1977) and the September 23, 1977 episode are known to exist.
External links
* {{IMDb title, 0198154, It's Anybody's Guess
Rules of the game
1977 American television series debuts
1977 American television series endings
1970s American game shows
English-language television shows
NBC original programming
Television series by Stefan Hatos-Monty Hall Productions
Lost television shows