The $128,000 Question
| The $128,000 Question | |
|---|---|
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| Format | Game show |
| Presented by | Mike Darow (1976–1977) Alex Trebek (1977–1978) |
| Narrated by | Alan Kalter (1976–1977) Sandy Hoyt (1977–1978) |
| Country of origin | United States, Canada |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | Global Television Network Don Mills, Canada (1977–1978) |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Syndicated (weekly) |
| Original run | September 18, 1976 – September 1978 |
The $128,000 Question is an American game show which aired from 1976–1978 in weekly syndication. This revival of The $64,000 Question was produced by Cinelar and distributed by Viacom Enterprises.
Originally, Viacom had intended to revive the series with the same title (and top payoff), but when rival series Name That Tune announced plans to add a "$100,000 Mystery Tune" for the 1976–77 season, Viacom did not wish for their series to only have the second-biggest payoff and added an end-of-season $64,000 tournament to the format.[1]
Further hindering the show was that a planned deal with CBS owned-and-operated stations to carry it in major markets had to be scrapped because of the network-imposed $25,000 winnings limit for game shows (which, at the time, was also extended to syndicated games airing on the O&Os). While the producers were able to get the Metromedia-owned stations to fill these gaps, ratings proved low and the show was canceled after a two-season run.[2]
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[edit] Hosts and announcers
Mike Darow hosted the first season with Alan Kalter as announcer, and the series was taped at the Ed Sullivan Theater (the longtime home of David Letterman's late night talk show on CBS) in New York City.
For the second season, Alex Trebek took over as host and Canadian voice-over artist Sandy Hoyt replaced Kalter. The series moved taping to Global Television Network in Don Mills near Toronto, Ontario.
[edit] Gameplay
As on The $64,000 Question, each contestant was quizzed in a category which was their own area of expertise. In the first season, contestants selected categories from a board with several options. Once the contestant chose a category, a cassette tape containing four questions was given to host Darow, who then fed it into an electric typewriter onstage. For each question, Darow read it as the typewriter printed it onto a sheet of paper. After the contestant gave a response, the typewriter printed the correct answer. The first question was worth $64 for a correct answer, and the next three subsequent answers doubled that amount, up to $512. The contestant was given a chance to stop after every question.
If a contestant continued on from $512, the next question was worth $1,000 and play moved across the stage to a podium positioned in front of a television monitor. Game play remained the same as before, with each question displayed on the screen. Once the contestant gave a response, the correct answer was displayed on the screen. Three questions were asked, the final two with multiple parts, and the contestant won $4,000 if all three were answered correctly.
Beginning with the $8,000 question, play moved to an isolation booth upstage. Each question was now in an envelope that was handed to the host, with each question consisting of four or more parts. After responding to each part correctly, the contestant chose to stop the game and retire with their winnings, or return the following week attempting to double what had been won so far.
In the second season, the category board was removed and contestants pre-selected a category before the show. The first five questions were asked by Trebek from a booklet rather than printed onstage. Also, contestants entered the isolation booth after the $1,000 question instead of the $4,000 question. For the show's second season, the $32,000 level was changed to $24,000 in cash and an automobile instead of an all-cash prize.
[edit] Consolation prizes
If a contestant missed on any question up to and including the $4,000 question, he/she received $1 as a consolation prize. If the miss came on the $8,000 or $16,000 question, the contestant left with a new automobile. If a contestant answered the $16,000 question correctly but failed to answer either the $32,000 or $64,000 questions correctly, he/she was guaranteed to leave with no less than that amount in cash in season one, and with a car and $8,000 cash in season 2.
[edit] Tournament play
Four contestants won $64,000 during the first season. The semifinals consisted of three rounds of questions for each contestant, and contestants were asked four questions in each round. If the contestant answered all four questions correctly, an additional question was asked. Each correct answer scored one point in round one, two points in round two and three points in round three. After three rounds of questions, the two contestants with the highest scores advanced to the finals, in which the finalists alternated answering questions. The first contestant to answer six questions correctly won $64,000. However, each contender would be given an equal number of questions. If both contestants were tied at six points each, the contestants continued answering questions until the tie was broken.
Season two featured two $64,000 winners. The playoff game consisted of four rounds of gameplay. In each of the first four rounds, each contestant was given four questions. Each correct answer scored one point in round one, two points in round two, four points in round three and eight points in round four. After the fourth round, both contestants took turns answering 16-point questions until one contestant achieved a total score of at least 128 points, thereby winning an additional $64,000.
[edit] Home game
A home version of The $128,000 Question was released by Ideal Toy Company in 1977 and followed the first season format, complete with a "category tree". It was given to all contestants who appeared on the show during that first season.
