Jackpot (game show)

Jackpot!
Jackpot title logo from the original series.
Format	Game Show
Created by	Bob Stewart
Presented by	Geoff Edwards (1974–1975, 1989-1990) Mike Darrow (1985-1988)
Narrated by	Don Pardo (1974-1975) Wayne Howell (1975) Ken Ryan (1985-1988) John Harris (1985-1988) John Harlan (1989-1990) Johnny Gilbert (1989-1990)
Country of origin	USA (1974-1975, 1989-1990) Canada (1985-1988)
No. of episodes	450 (1974-1975 version) 130 (1989-1990 version)
Broadcast
Original channel	NBC (1974-1975) USA Network (1985-1988) Syndicated (1989-1990)
Original run	January 7, 1974 - September 26, 1975 September 30, 1985 - December 30, 1988 September 18, 1989 – March 16, 1990

Jackpot! is a television game show seen in three different runs between 1974 and 1990. Geoff Edwards hosted the original version of this Bob Stewart production from January 7, 1974 until September 26, 1975 on NBC. A second version, produced in Canada, aired from September 30, 1985 to December 30, 1988 on the USA Network in the U.S. and was hosted by Mike Darrow. A third version, again hosted by Edwards, ran from September 18, 1989 to March 16, 1990 in syndication and was filmed in Glendale, California.

Gameplay

Sixteen contestants competed for an entire week, with one designated King of the Hill (Queen of the Hill for female contestants), 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 of the Hill selected a number and the contestant with that number asked a riddle to this player. If answered correctly, the King/Queen 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 Of The Hill.

The value of the riddle increased the value of the Jackpot. If the King/Queen selected the contestant holding the Jackpot Riddle (one per game) and answered it correctly, those two contestants split the Jackpot. Depending on the rules or the situation, the King/Queen could ask the Jackpot Riddle-holder to be seated and continue the game, perhaps with other bonuses or the Super Jackpot in mind.

If the last three digits of the Jackpot amount matched a preselected target number, the King/Queen may have a chance to win a "Super Jackpot" by correctly solving a Super Jackpot Riddle, asked by the host. Either the King/Queen or the bleacher contestant who asked the question that brought the Jackpot amount to the target number could respond; if either answered correctly, both split the Super Jackpot. Occasionally, the host would notify the King/Queen if there was a riddle which would allow the preselected target number to be matched.

The largest Super Jackpot won in the format's history was $38,750, split between two players on January 3, 1975; a radio interview with Geoff Edwards for Blog Talk Radio claimed that there was an NBC episode with a $50,000 win, though this has never been proven.

Special riddles

• Double Dollars (Syndicated) – As the name implied, a correct answer to one of these riddles doubled the amount in the Jackpot at that time.
• Instant Target Match (Syndicated) – If this riddle was answered correctly, the Jackpot would be automatically increased to match the Target amount, giving the King/Queen a chance to answer the Super Jackpot Riddle.
• Bonus Prize (all) – A correct answer won the King or Queen of the Hill a prize.
• Return Trip (USA/Syndicated) – Correctly answering this riddle resulted in both players (riddler and King/Queen) being allowed to compete in an extra week of shows.

NBC (1974-1975)

• The King/Queen of the Hill was called the "Expert".
• Riddles ranged in value from $5 to $200 in multiples of $5.
• Target numbers could go no higher than $995; a number from 5 to 50 was chosen at random and was multiplied with the target number to make the Super Jackpot ($500 X 30 = $15,000); if the target number hit $995 and the multiplier read "50", the Super Jackpot was automatically set at $50,000 (Bob Stewart Productions simply threw in the extra $250). Edwards would occasionally read a disclaimer (due to long-standing game show Federal laws) which explained that rule.
• The Super Jackpot could be played for in one of three ways:
  • In the earliest episodes, if a player won a Jackpot whose last three digits matched the target number, the players (whoever asked the Jackpot riddle and whoever answered it) split the Super Jackpot; later, if a player answered a riddle correctly when the last three digits matched the target number, the host would ask a riddle, and if it were answered correctly, the two players split the Super Jackpot. Note that on NBC, only the "Expert" could try to answer the Super Jackpot riddle.
  • Choosing the player that has the Super Jackpot Riddle and answering correctly.
  • Choosing the player that has the Super Jackpot Wildcard and correctly answering the Super Jackpot Riddle as posed by Edwards.

There were two other changes made when the Super Jackpot rule changed. Originally, the player who answered the most riddles in the week won a car; this was dropped, and instead a car was given to anyone who answered all 15 riddles in the same game. Also, 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 players involved a trip, usually to somewhere in Mexico or the Caribbean. Also, the randomness of the target number changed; each number from 5 to 50 had an equal chance, except that 15 and 20 were twice as likely as the others.

Changes

Beginning on June 30, 1975 the format was altered for the last 13 weeks of the run.

• The Target Number was dropped, and the Super Jackpot was established at random; it could be worth anywhere from $2,000 - $10,000.
• Riddles were dropped in favor of straight 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 player missed any of the remaining questions, the Jackpot was reset to $0 and a new Super Jackpot value was set. In the event that the Jackpot question was the last one found, the Super Jackpot was discarded.

Geoff Edwards, who worked closely with Stewart, once said that the two sat outside the NBC Rockefeller Studios dismayed following the format change, both believing that the series was at this point on its final legs. The changes were insisted upon by NBC head Lin Bolen,^{[citation needed]} who Edwards said made the change based on what several focus groups had said (mainly, that they did not like riddles).

For some episodes around this point, NBC staff announcer Wayne Howell took over as announcer; Pardo returned for at least the finale.

Canadian/USA Network (1985-1988)

• The riddles and Target Number returned, but there was no multiplier; the Super Jackpot was created at random. The Target Number (as on NBC) was notified by the last three digits of the current Jackpot total. The contestant whose riddle caused the target number to be hit asked his/her own riddle instead of the host. Super Jackpots ranged from $4,000 to $9,950.
• The Jackpot started at $100.
• Riddles were valued anywhere from $50 to $300.
• If the Jackpot Riddle was found and attempted, the King/Queen and the person with the Jackpot Riddle had to trade places regardless if the riddle was answered correctly or incorrectly.
• If the Jackpot Riddle was not found until the last player, an extra $1,000 was added to the Jackpot.
• In the second and third seasons, there was a "$10,000 Riddler Contest" in which the player who answered the most riddles correctly over a period of ten weeks won a bonus of $10,000, with tied players splitting the money. There were two 10-week contests each season. For the final six weeks of the second season, the player answering the most riddles in a single week won a vacation package and $1,000 in cash.
• In the final season, there was "The $50,000 Riddle". These riddles were considerably harder than the ones usually asked, and all players who correctly answered them split $50,000. At the end of that season, three people successfully solved the riddle, and each won $16,666.66.
• Starting in season two (as in the NBC version), any player who answered all fifteen riddles without a miss won a new car.

Syndicated (1989-1990)

• The value of the riddle could only be added to the Jackpot if the riddle was answered correctly.
• If the King/Queen answered all fifteen riddles without a miss, $1,000 was added to the Jackpot.
• Super Jackpots ranged on this version from $10,000 to $25,000.
• Riddles ranged from $50 to $200.
• Instant Target Match riddles would allow a player answering that riddle the right to go for the Super Jackpot, as the value of the Jackpot would be increased to have the last three digits match the target number.
• Double Dollars riddles doubled the value of the Jackpot if answered correctly.

Broadcast history

NBC (1974-1975)

Probably more than any other show, Jackpot! marked a shift in style among daytime network games from hard quizzes hosted by middle-aged men in business suits to a youth orientation and specialty themes. The contestants were dressed casually, as was host Edwards (who frequently wore leisure suits, turtleneck sweaters, and open-collared shirts).

Jackpot broke several stylistic conventions that had marked the genre since its inception in the early 1950s. Contestants were more likely than not to embrace each other (in the center of the stage, regardless of gender) after winning, instead of the customary handshake on other shows. NBC and executive producer Stewart apparently also encouraged studio audience members to scream and applaud in a louder-than-normal fashion. Touches like these helped market the program to a demographic of younger women and teenagers.

Daytime programming head Lin Bolen decided to place the game at 12:00 Noon (11:00 AM, Central) where the venerable Jeopardy! had run for nearly eight years. Jeopardy! brought in audiences who did not ordinarily watch daytime television, such as businessmen and college students, due to its intellectually-challenging gameplay; 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 via a scheduling shuffle with Jeopardy! and Baffle. The breakout popularity of CBS' youth-oriented serial The Young and the Restless led to an erosion of Jeopardy!'s audience, and the new show inherited the ratings problems. Still, Jackpot! earned 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.

Cancellation

In reaction, Bolen decided to revamp Jackpot! by making use of a focus group, a then-new audience analysis technique. Geoff 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 on CBS and ABC's All My Children, the latter already a big hit with younger audiences.

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. Jackpot!'s cancellation also marked the first time in NBC daytime history that no games originated from Rockefeller Center (with all taping at NBC's West Coast studios in Burbank, California instead). Only one other network 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 game hosted by Bill Cullen and the first TV series by Goodson-Todman). On October 11, 1975 – fifteen days after Jackpot!'s demise – Pardo emerged on NBC's new weekly comedy-variety series Saturday Night Live.

Pardo would not appear on another game show until November 1988, when he announced on Wheel of Fortune for two weeks of episodes at New York's Radio City Music Hall.

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 Darrow, 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 currency, 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 voiceover artists, served as announcers on this version.

Syndicated (1989-1990)

This version was mainly seen on low-rated independent stations instead of network affiliates. Jackpot! was usually sent to non-peak times, such as late nights.

However, the show met its demise before the end of a full season not because of low ratings, but because the distributor, Palladium Entertainment, had 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. Normally, half-hour weekday "strip" shows like these taped only three to five episodes per day, depending on the studio's schedule. By spring 1990, the company shut down its operations after declaring bankruptcy, and the remaining stations pulled Jackpot! from their schedules immediately.

Despite this, Geoff Edwards became the third game show host in the industry to simultaneously emcee a game show on both sides of the U.S./Canadian border, joining Jim Perry and Alex Trebek on this prestigious list. Edwards also hosted The Big Spin, the weekly California Lottery program, at that time as well.

Two veteran Hollywood announcers, John Harlan and Johnny Gilbert (of Jeopardy! fame), provided the voiceover for this version. Jim Perry's daughter, Erin, served as the series' associate producer.

Hollywood Showdown

Elements of Jackpot! would resurface on January 23, 2000 in the GSN game show Hollywood Showdown. Its producer, Sande Stewart (son of Jackpot! creator Bob Stewart), became a production partner of his father during the 1980s.

The similar elements include the escalating jackpot with each question, and the larger-than-usual number of contestants (though not as many as the 16 on Jackpot!).

Other information

Home version

Milton Bradley made only one edition in 1974, however with two different covers – one with just the logo, and one with a drawing of a female contestant on the cover. Other than the cosmetic difference, the game is the same in both boxes; the gameplay more closely resembles the 1980s Darrow format^{[citation needed]}.

Theme

Jackpot! used several different themes during its runs; the Edwards-hosted versions used the instrumental theme music "Jet Set", composed by former Manfred Mann member Mike Vickers. The piece was later used as the opening theme for This Week in Baseball.

The Russell pilot used "Spring Rain" by Bebu Silvetti. Like many themes Stewart used on his shows, "Spring Rain" was first used in an earlier Stewart production – the one-season syndicated series The Love Experts.

The USA and syndicated runs used the Shoot for the Stars theme composed by Bob Cobert.

Episode status

• NBC: All but two episodes were destroyed, according to host Geoff Edwards. A $38,750 Super Jackpot is won on one of them (aired January 3, 1975).
• The Riddlers: Both pilots exist; GSN aired Pilot #1 on November 26, 1998 and October 28, 2000. Pilot #2 is held at the UCLA Film & Television Archive.
• 1984 Pilot: This episode also exists, and circulates among collectors.
• USA/Syndicated: Both runs are intact, and have been seen on GSN.

References

Preceded by Jeopardy!	12:00 PM (EST), NBC 1/7/74 – 7/4/75	Succeeded by The Magnificent Marble Machine
Preceded by Blank Check	12:30 PM (EST), NBC 7/7 – 9/26/75	Succeeded by Three for the Money

External links

• Game Show Utopia: Jackpot! '74
• Game Show Utopia: Jackpot! '89