Blank Check (game show)
| Blank Check | |
|---|---|
| Created by | William T. Naud, Rich Jeffries[1][2] |
| Directed by | Richard S. Kline[1] |
| Presented by | Art James |
| Starring | Judy Rich[1] |
| Narrated by | Johnny Jacobs |
| Theme music composer | Alan Thicke |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | ~130 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Mike Metzger |
| Production locations | NBC Studios Burbank, California |
| Running time | approx. 26 minutes |
| Production company | Jack Barry Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | January 6 – July 4, 1975 |
Blank Check is an American game show that aired on NBC from January 6 to July 4, 1975. It was promoted as "television's first ESP game". Art James was the host, with Johnny Jacobs as the announcer (Johnny Gilbert filled occasionally).
Packaged by Jack Barry, this short-lived game was the first produced by Barry on NBC following the quiz show scandals of the 1950s, and the first of three games Barry produced at NBC in Burbank, California (the other two were Bullseye and Hot Potato, both produced by Barry & Enright).
In 1986, Barry & Enright threatened to sue Mark Goodson Productions for copyright infringement regarding the name of a game on The Price is Right at the time also titled "Blank Check". The game was renamed "Check Game".
Format
Six contestants competed for an entire week of shows, attempting to complete a four-digit check.[1]
One contestant played as the check writer and stood behind a lectern positioned stage left, and hit a plunger stopping five random numbers which could be used to write the check. If the contestant spun a straight (e.g., 1-2-3-4-5) they won a bonus prize. James asked the other five contestants, seated in a gallery at stage right, a question requiring a response containing a common relation between two things. The contestant who rang in with the correct answer attempted to guess what number (from the five spun at the start of the game) the check writer chose as the ones digit in their check. Guessing correctly meant they switched places with the check writer and started a new check for themselves, and the check writer won the amount for which the check had been completed up to that point. If the contestant answering the question was unable to guess which number the check writer had selected, the selected number became the ones digit in the check and play continued for the tens and hundreds digits.
If the check writer completed three digits in the check, the check writer played a game against a studio audience member. The audience member was shown four prizes, their values, and asked to pick one. The check writer had to guess the prize the audience member selected. If incorrect, the audience member won that prize, and the process repeated with the remaining prizes. If the check writer incorrectly guessed three times, the check writer lost their position and the audience member won all four prizes.
If the check writer guessed correctly at any point, the game ended with the audience member winning all prizes accumulated to that point and the check writer earned the chance to place a fourth digit in their check. James then asked one last question to the gallery contestants. The correct respondent tried to guess the final digit selected by the check writer for the thousands digit in their check. If successful, the respondent became the new check writer. If the correct digit was not guessed, the number was placed in the check and the check writer won that amount in cash.
Once a check writer completed a four-digit check or they lost the audience game, another question was asked to the remaining five contestants. The person with the correct answer then exchanged places with the former check writer.
The contestant who wrote the biggest check during the week also won a car.
Broadcast history
Blank Check debuted at 12:30 p.m. Easterm replacing a daytime version of Name That Tune hosted by Dennis James. At this point, the program had to end five minutes before the half-hour in order to accommodate an NBC News bulletin anchored by Edwin Newman. Blank Check was the eleventh program to air in the 12:30 p.m. slot since the newscast began in October 1960. The Who, What, or Where Game ran the longest, from 1969 to 1974. NBC discontinued the five-minute newscast—its last daytime newscast—on December 31, 1976. The series was replaced on July 7 by The Magnificent Marble Machine at 12:00 p.m. Eastern.
James and staff members disliked the format and sometimes referred to it as "Blank Mind" because they thought that it "was dumb luck, a guessing game".[3]
References
- ^ a b c d Schwartz, David; Ryan, Steve; Wostbrock, Fred (1999). The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows (3 ed.). Facts on File, Inc. p. 22. ISBN 0-8160-3846-5.
- ^ "William T. Naud, the game show guy".
- ^ Hyatt, Wesley (2003). Short-lived television series, 1948-1978: thirty years of more than 1,000 flops. p. 232. ISBN 0-7864-1420-0.