GSN has added more episodes of "Sale Of The Century" and is running "Blockbusters"

[bpatrick]

GSN has added more episodes of "Sale Of The Century" and is running "Blockbusters"

Friday, November 29, GSN aired a marathon of eight episodes of the 1985-86 access-time syndicated version of "Sale Of The Century" and is airing more episodes of that version at 10 AM (ET) starting today. These will replace the 65 episodes from the 1988-89 (final) season of the Jim Perry version that have been running since April.

Viewers will notice several differences: these shows go back to the original idea that a winning contestant can buy a prize with what he or she has and retire, or risk it all and try to win more money in hopes of getting something even bigger. If a contestant can accumulate $830 in the game, he or she gets every prize plus a cash jackpot that starts at $50,000 and increases by $1000 each day it isn't won. Also, there is a third instant bargain rather than the instant cash of the later years; in the Fame Game, the money cards are not revealed ahead of time. And longtime game-show fans will recognize Jay Stewart as the announcer (Don Morrow replaced him in 1988), and as on "Let's Make A Deal," which "Sale" sometimes resembles (does Jim Perry sometimes sound like Monty Hall during the instant bargains?), Stewart will occasionally appear in some costume in the instant bargain segments.

Also now on GSN's morning lineup is the Bill Cullen version of "Blockbusters" (1980-82), replacing the 9 AM (ET) episode of "Super Password." Most of you probably don't see Cullen on GSN unless he's a celebrity guest on "Pyramid" or "Password," but here's a chance to see why so many of his peers considered him the best of all the emcees (some might argue for Bob Barker or Gene Rayburn or even someone else; I take no sides).

And I want to lay an opinion question on you: which host of "Press Your Luck" do you prefer: Peter Tomarken or Todd Newton? Here I will make a pick: Tomarken hands down; he could be a little sarcastic at times, but he could get as excited as the contestants when they hit Big Bucks. And, IIRC, on the Michael Larson episode(s) he came short of begging Larson to pass his remaining spins lest the Whammy take about $70-80,000.

 

[bpatrick]

Just to add a note about the differences on "SOTC," those who have been watching since April will notice that the Winner's Big Money Game (solving four six-word puzzles in 20 seconds for ascending prizes of $5000, $6000, $7000, $8000, $9000, $10,000, a car, and $50,000) is not part of the format GSN is showing now (it came around 1987); as I noted, these older shows adhere to the original concept of building up a bankroll to purchase a prize and retire or win enough to win everything on the stage plus at least $50,000.

 

[Wright County Guy]

What are your thoughts, BPatrick, on the end games on Sale? I don't care for the original format since it's so much of Jay Stewart reading ad copy. (Thanks to the DVR, I can easily skip it, of course). The other end games were better but didn't really mesh with the front game (which, IMHO, is fun and fast-paced).

Love seeing Blockbusters again. Bill Cullen was really fantastic.

 

[EJM]

What are your thoughts, BPatrick, on the end games on Sale?

I actually preferred the Winner's Board (which started on the NBC version just before the syndicated version began, and ended up also being used on the latter). In addition to too much time being taken up with the prize descriptions each day, the shopping format needed an increasing value of prizes for each level--which the Winner's Board was able to largely avoid, by having most prizes (other than the $10,000 and the car) in roughly the same range.

However, one argument that I've run into is that the Winner's Board was implemented better in Australia--because, there, a winner would still risk all accumulated prizes from the board by returning as champion; in the U.S., the only risk involved returning for the $50,000 after clearing the board.

The Winner's Big Money Game would've worked better on a different show--especially since it was used in addition to the winner automatically receiving a merchandise prize.

 

[bpatrick]

I'm inclined to agree with EJM; the original end game, with Jay Stewart spending so much time describing the prizes, seems endless, not to mention the fact that there's a commercial break before the contestant decides whether to stop and keep the prize or play on. The Winner's Big Money Game does not fit the format although it is a bit faster. And while I've seen the Winner's Board only a few times, it might have been better if, as EJM said about the Australian version, the contestant continued risking what he or she had won by playing on. (The shopping format, IIRC, was a carryover from the original 1969-74 show.)

One thing I do like better on the later episodes is the Fame Game board with the lights moving at random until the player stops the board, a la "Press Your Luck" and the fact, too, that the player knows where the money cards are and aims to land on one of them (like landing on Big Bucks on "PYL").