Wheel of Fortune (American game show)

Wheel of Fortune
File:Wheel28.jpg Wheel of Fortune title card from Season 28 (2010–2011)
Created by	Merv Griffin
Directed by	Jeff Goldstein (1975–1978) Dick Carson (1978–2000) Mark Corwin (2000–present)
Presented by	Daytime Host Chuck Woolery (1975–1981) Pat Sajak (1981–1989) Rolf Benirschke (1989) Bob Goen (1989–1991) Hostess Susan Stafford (1975–1982) Vanna White (1982–1991) Nighttime Host Pat Sajak (1983–present) Hostess Vanna White (1983–present)
Narrated by	Charlie O'Donnell (1975–1980, 1989–2010) Jack Clark (1980–1988) M. G. Kelly (1988–1989) Rotating Announcers (2010–present)
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of episodes	Network 4,215 Syndication 5,300
Production
Executive producers	Merv Griffin (1975–2000) Harry Friedman (1999–present)
Producers	John Rhinehart (1975–1980) Nancy Jones (1980–1995) Harry Friedman (1995–1999) Karen Griffith (1997–present) Steve Schwartz (1997–present)
Production locations	NBC Studios Burbank, California (1975–1989) CBS Television City Hollywood, California (1989–1995) Sony Pictures Studios Culver City, California (1995–present)
Running time	approx. 22 minutes
Production companies	Merv Griffin Productions (1975–1984) Merv Griffin Enterprises (1984–1994) Columbia TriStar Television (1994–2002) Sony Pictures Television (2002–present) Califon Productions (1975–1991, 1983–present)
Original release
Network	NBC (1975–1989, 1991) CBS (1989–1991) Syndicated (1983–present)
Release	Daytime January 6, 1975 (1975-01-06) – June 30, 1989 (1989-06-30) (NBC) July 17, 1989 (1989-07-17) – January 11, 1991 (1991-01-11) (CBS) January 14 – September 20, 1991 (1991-09-20) (NBC) Nighttime September 19, 1983 (1983-09-19) – present

Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that contestants spin throughout the course of the game to determine their cash and/or prizes. The current broadcast syndicated version of the program premiered on September 19, 1983 and is hosted by Pat Sajak and Vanna White. In a 2008 article, TV Guide named Wheel of Fortune as the "top-rated syndicated series."

The original network television version aired from 1975–1991 on NBC and CBS, and was hosted at different times by Chuck Woolery, Rolf Benirschke, Bob Goen, and Susan Stafford, in addition to Sajak and White. While retaining most of the elements from the daytime version, the syndicated version has added many new gameplay elements and is the longest-running syndicated game show in United States television history, with over 5,000 episodes aired.

Broadcast history

Network

Wheel of Fortune premiered on January 6, 1975 at 10:30 AM (9:30 Central) on NBC. Lin Bolen, then the head of Daytime Programming, purchased the show from Griffin to compensate him for canceling another creation of his, Jeopardy!, which had one year remaining on its contract and aired its final episode on the Friday before Wheel of Fortune's premiere. This version aired on NBC, in varying time slots between 10:30 a.m. and noon, until June 30, 1989. NBC announced the cancellation of the show in August 1980, to make room for the 90-minute The David Letterman Show, but network head Fred Silverman reversed the decision to cancel the show because he thought that The David Letterman Show was better suited for a 60-minute time slot.

From December 1, 1975 to January 16, 1976, the program expanded each episode to 60 minutes. Two three-round games were played on each episode, with two different sets of three contestants in each game. The winners of each game played a head-to-head speed-up round, with the winner of that round playing the bonus round.

The program aired on CBS from July 17, 1989 until January 11, 1991, returned to NBC on January 14 of that year, and aired until September 20, 1991.

Syndication

The current syndicated version, airing during prime time access, premiered on September 19, 1983. The version's 28th season premiere was recorded at The Venetian and The Palazzo in Las Vegas and premiered on September 13, 2010. The syndicated version, which is currently produced by Sony Pictures Television and distributed by CBS Television Distribution, is the longest-running syndicated game show in American television history and the second-longest in either network or syndication (behind the current version of The Price Is Right, which began airing in 1972). It is also the third longest-running first-run syndicated program in the United States, behind Entertainment Tonight (which began in 1981) and Soul Train (which aired new episodes from 1971–2006).

The syndicated version of Wheel of Fortune was offered to many of the stations that were already airing the network version, nearly all of whom passed on it due to commitments to other shows (including the NBC owned-and-operated stations, which all were running the hit Family Feud in the Prime Time Access slots). Although Wheel of Fortune did not debut on many stations upon its entrance into syndication, the series was offered to and picked up by most of the owned-and-operated stations held by CBS.

When it debuted, the syndicated version offered a larger prize budget than its daytime counterpart, such as a $5,000 wedge on the Wheel. By 1986, the show had the highest ratings of any syndicated television series in history.

Episode status

A color promotional picture from the pilot, showing Chuck Woolery standing in front of the wheel, was used in the A&E Biography "TV Game Shows". A Woolery episode from June 7, 1976 exists in the Library of Congress and in the GSN library. This was one of three daytime episodes shown on GSN as part of a memorial tribute to Merv Griffin in August 2007, the only time a Woolery episode has re-aired since his departure. Some 1976-81 episodes exist at the Paley Center for Media.

Clips of early daytime episodes hosted by Sajak, plus portions of White's audition tape, have been seen on the syndicated version's retrospective episodes.

The E! True Hollywood Story episode chronicling the show's history showed pictures of the 1973 pilot plus footage of a 1974 pilot, 1975 premiere, Stafford's last episode, McCarty making entrances as substitute hostess and White's audition tape.

The syndicated version exists in its entirety and has rerun on GSN at various times.

Personnel

Hosts and hostesses

A pilot was taped in late 1973, hosted by Chuck Woolery, followed by two additional pilots hosted by Edd Byrnes in late 1974. Each pilot contained game elements which were either retooled or dropped before the time production began in 1975. Woolery was eventually selected to host, the choice being made by Griffin after he reportedly heard Byrnes reciting "A-E-I-O-U" to himself in an effort to remember the vowels.

After seven years as host, Woolery left Wheel of Fortune following a salary dispute with Griffin; his last episode aired on December 25, 1981. Pat Sajak, a former weatherman, became host on December 28. Sajak left the daytime version on January 9, 1989, to host a late-night talk show for CBS, which failed to make ratings headway against Johnny Carson on NBC. He was replaced on that version by Rolf Benirschke, who had an eight-year career as a placekicker of the San Diego Chargers. Benirschke hosted the program for only six months, until NBC cancelled it on June 30. Bob Goen became the daytime version's host when it moved to CBS in July 1989, and remained host for the remainder of its run, including the short-lived return to NBC in 1991. The original pilot did not include a hostess, but featured a mechanical puzzle board.

When the program premiered in 1975, Susan Stafford was hired as the hostess because changes to the puzzle board could not be completed before production began. Stafford left the program on October 22, 1982 to pursue humanitarian work. Substitute hostesses after Stafford's departure were Summer Bartholomew, Vicki McCarty and Vanna White, who became the program's permanent hostess on December 13, 1982. Sajak and White have hosted the current syndicated version of the program, except for two weeks in early 1991 when Tricia Gist (then the girlfriend of Griffin's son Tony) substituted for White. Also, in January and February 2011, the show held a "Vanna for a Day" contest. In this contest, home viewers submitted video auditions for the role, and the five finalists will be voted on by home viewers to determine which one will substitute for White in one episode.

Announcers

There have been three permanent announcers throughout the show's run. Charlie O'Donnell was the program's first announcer until his departure in 1980, when he left to work on The Toni Tennille Show in wake of the announced cancellation of Wheel. O'Donnell was replaced by Jack Clark, who was on the show until his death in mid-1988. M. G. Kelly, a local Los Angeles radio personality, announced from then until March 1989, when O'Donnell returned, and O'Donnell continued to announce until shortly before his death in November 2010.

Don Pardo, Don Morrow and Johnny Gilbert have occasionally served as substitute announcers. Substitutes after O'Donnell's death have included Gilbert, former The Price Is Right announcer Rich Fields, Los Angeles radio news anchor Jim Thornton, Lora Cain and Fox Broadcasting Company announcer Joe Cipriano.

Production staff

Merv Griffin was responsible for creating the original version of Wheel of Fortune and also served as executive producer until his retirement in 2000.

John Rhinehart was the program's original producer from 1975 until his departure in 1980, when he became a producer on The People's Court. He was replaced by Nancy Jones, who served as producer of the network version until its cancellation, and of the syndicated version from 1983-1995. Harry Friedman became executive producer in 1999, having worked as producer since 1995. The current format uses multiple producers. Amanda Stern is the current producer of the show. Karen Griffith and Steve Schwartz, both longtime staffers, are the supervising producers.

Jeff Goldstein and Dick Carson each served long stints previously as director. Mark Corwin became the director of the current version in 2000.

Gameplay

Main article: Wheel of Fortune gameplay

The core game combines the game of hangman with a carnival wheel which gives away cash and/or prizes. Word puzzles, with blank spaces representing the letters in the puzzle, are presented with an appropriate category. On their turn, a contestant can spin a giant wheel to determine a dollar value and guess a letter that they believe is in the puzzle, earning the value multiplied by how many times the guessed letter appears in the puzzle (if any). Before spinning, players can also buy a vowel for $250. The Wheel also contains special spaces which affect the course of gameplay, as well as special prizes. While other non-cash wedges have varied in the show's history, the Wheel has always featured Bankrupt and Lose a Turn, both of which forfeit the contestant's turn, with the former also eliminating any cash and/or prizes earned within that round.

Originally, after winning a round, players spent the money earned during the game while "shopping" for prizes. The prize showcases changed each round and only one player could buy a particular prize on each given episode. According to the E! True Hollywood Story episode on Wheel of Fortune, Lin Bolen is credited with implementing the shopping concept as well as the idea to have the wheel horizontally mounted. This story sometimes conflicts with other accounts; for example, on an A&E Biography episode, Merv Griffin said that his initial idea of the presentation of the show was "a stage full of prizes". The shopping element was eliminated from the syndicated version in 1987 and from the network version in 1989. Since that time, players receive their game winnings in cash.

At the end of the game, the highest-scoring contestant plays a bonus round. The contestant is given a smaller, partially filled-in puzzle and asked for additional letters to assist in solving it within a ten-second time limit. A correct solve earns a bonus prize which is determined by spinning a smaller wheel prior to the beginning of the bonus round. Prizes in the bonus round include amounts of cash ranging from $30,000 to $50,000 in increments of $5,000, as well as an automobile and a top prize of $100,000. Starting in Season 26, a $1,000,000 prize in the bonus round was made available.

Returning champions

The network version allowed champions to appear for up to three days (originally five). However, the winner on Rolf Benirschke's last episode, even though he had not yet won three games, was not brought back as returning champion on Bob Goen's first show when the program changed networks and formats.

On the daytime version, a tie game meant that no bonus round was played that day and all three players returned on the next show, even if one finished behind the other two. The cumulative scores from both days were used to determine which player became the champion.

On the syndicated version from 1983–1989 and again since 1998, contestants have been limited to one appearance, though some have been allowed to return under special circumstances. From 1996–1998, the top three winners (including contestants that had not played the bonus round from the week's first four shows) returned to compete in the "Friday Finals", with a Jackpot beginning at $10,000 instead of $5,000. From 1996–1997, the winner of the Friday episode received an additional prize package.

Winnings records

The current record for winnings on a Wheel of Fortune episode is held by Michelle Loewenstein. On October 14, 2008, she won the Million Dollar Wedge, and received an envelope containing $1,000,000 in the Bonus Round. Loewenstein's grand total was $1,026,080.

The wheel

The Wheel mechanism weighs 2 short tons (1.8 t) and is surrounded by light extensions. From 1975 until 1997, the Wheel spun automatically during the show's opening and closing and featured alternating gold lights and panels. These were replaced by a metallic blue circle surrounded by gold panels, with several similar paneled spikes going around the Wheel and the Wheel no longer spun automatically during these segments. The current LED and glass light extension debuted in 2003.

Dollar amounts and prize values

Season 26 (2008-2009) Wheel configuration (round 4 and beyond).

When the program premiered, the minimum value on the wheel was $25, and the top dollar value was $500 in round one, $750 in round two and $1,000 for each round thereafter. In 1976, the minimum was raised to $100 and the top amounts were changed to $1,000 in round two and $1,500 for later rounds. In 1979, the top amounts were increased to $750 in round one, $1,000 in round two and $2,000 for the rest of the game, remaining at those values until the end of the first NBC run.

When the syndicated version of the program premiered in 1983, the top dollar value on the wheel was $750 in round one, $1,000 in round two, and $5,000 in round three, and a bonus prize was added to the wheel in round two. By Thursday of the syndicated premiere week, a $1,000 space was added to round one as well. There have never been amounts under $100 on the syndicated version. For the first two syndicated seasons, the values on the wheel were the same as the daytime wheel with the exception of the top dollar values. At the beginning of the third syndicated season, most of the lower dollar amounts on the wheel ($100, $150, $175, $200, $300) were raised to higher amounts ($500, $600, $700, $800, $900). Prior to September 1996, three different dollar value configurations were used during each show. The current configuration is based on the one formerly used in round three (round two before 1987). In 2008, the configurations were revamped slightly, with the addition of a few new colors and dollar values.

When the network version moved to CBS and adopted the nighttime show's all-cash format in 1989, most spaces on the wheel had their values cut in half, making them an even smaller fraction of the analogous values on the syndicated version. The top values on the wheel were $500 for the first two rounds, $1,000 for round three and $1,250 for round four and beyond. $50 and $75 spaces appeared on the wheel for the first time since 1976, but those and some other spaces were eventually raised in value. To compensate for lower payouts, the price of vowels on this version was initially decreased to $200 and again to $100 in 1990.

Prizes placed on the wheel, similar to those on the syndicated version but smaller in value, were introduced at this time, beginning with a trip to Lake Tahoe valued at $916. The first prize was introduced at the beginning of round two, and additional prizes were placed on the wheel in rounds three and four, with new prizes added if previous ones had been claimed. By the time of the last CBS episode in 1991, the prizes were usually worth around $2,000-$4,000. However, payouts still paled in comparison to those offered on the syndicated version. When the show returned to NBC in 1991, a prize was introduced at the beginning of round one as well.

Bonus round prizes offered on the all-cash network version were considerably smaller as well, with a $5,000 cash prize instead of $25,000 and cars in the $10,000-$15,000 range instead of the more expensive prizes frequently offered on the syndicated version.

Sets and production information

The Wheel of Fortune set, as seen in 2006.

Various changes have been made to the basic set since the syndicated version's premiere in 1983, including changes to the color of the floor and various additions of lights/strobes to the puzzle board and contestant backdrops.

In 1996, a large video display was added center stage, which was then upgraded in 2003 as the show began the transition into high-definition broadcasting. The set decorations change with each weekly set of themed programs. The production is currently designed by Renee Hoss-Johnson, with previous set designers including Ed Flesh and Dick Stiles.

The network and syndicated versions of Wheel of Fortune were originally taped at Studio 4 in NBC Studios in Burbank. Following NBC's cancellation of the daytime series in 1989, production of both the network and syndicated series moved to Studio 33 (known as the Bob Barker Studio since 1998) at CBS Television City in Los Angeles. Production of the daytime series at Television City continued even after the series moved back to NBC and ended in 1991, while the syndicated Wheel continued to tape in Studio 33 until the end of the 1994-95 season. Since then, Wheel has occupied Stage 11 at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City.

Puzzle boards

File:WOF Puzzle Board 2007-08.jpg

The current Puzzle Board.

In the show's early days, the first puzzle board had three rows of 13 manually-operated trilons, for a total of 39 spaces. On December 21, 1981, a larger board with 48 trilons in four rows (11, 13, 13 and 11 trilons) was adopted. This board was surrounded by a double-arched border of lights which flashed at the beginning and end of the round. When a letter was placed in the puzzle, its space lit up and the hostess turned the trilon to reveal it. It was this second board, which remained in place through February 21, 1997, that became popularly associated with the show.

On February 24, 1997, the show introduced a computerized board composed of 52 monitors in four rows (adding one space to each row). To illuminate a letter during regular gameplay, the hostess simply touches the right edge of the monitor, although the board may be controlled remotely to reveal letters or solutions. The new puzzle board made Toss-Up puzzles possible and also facilitated an evolution of the hostess' role, which was originally justified by the need to turn letters. The manually-operated puzzle board was offered to the Smithsonian Institution, but was rejected as they did not have enough space.

The digital board also no longer requires taping to stop in segments that feature more than one puzzle. While the viewers at home saw a seamless transition to the next puzzle, what actually happened was a show stop down, during which the board was wheeled off stage while the new puzzle was loaded in by hand out of sight of the contestants, who typically stood in some place on the sound stage where they could not see the board. With the new board, no stop downs were necessary, meaning tapings could finish quicker at a lower cost to the production company. In 2003, the gold panels were replaced with the current LED and glass light extension. In 2007, the current puzzle board was revamped with new flat screens.

Contestant area

The contestants stand behind a large, padded railing that provides leverage when spinning the wheel. The area behind the contestants originally contained an additional scoreboard for displaying the amount a contestant had placed "on account" (see Shopping). The colors of the backdrop were initially all green, but changed in 1981 to reflect the contestant podiums (red shape for Player 1, yellow shape for Player 2, and blue shape for Player 3.) In early 1997, the backdrops were removed in favor of a display that fit the theme for that week's set of tapings. In 1998, a video wall replaced the themed backdrops displayed behind the contestant. This video wall was upgraded in 2003.

Until 2002, the show used eggcrate displays to display scores. The eggcrate displays were replaced by LCD monitors in 2002 and again were replaced by flat-screen plasma displays in 2007. Also beginning in 2002, special animations play on these monitors if a contestant lands on "Bankrupt" or "Lose a Turn".

Prize podiums

On the 1974 pilots, the prizes were placed behind the puzzle board. After a puzzle was solved, the board was wheeled off stage to reveal the prizes. When the series began, the studio had individual podiums for each of the three main-game prize showcases which were placed center stage and in the area behind where the host stood. On December 21, 1981, a single large turntable was adopted, which displayed the prizes for each round as it was played. When the bonus round was instituted the following Monday, gold stars indicated the larger prizes that were also available in that round.

With the move to CBS and the adoption of the cash format in July 1989, the turntable was retired. Smaller turntables and rugs featuring replica wheel templates were used to display the prizes (mostly cars) available in the bonus round.

Theme music

The theme heard on the 1974 pilot was "Give It One", composed by Maynard Ferguson. The song was released on the Columbia LP "M.F. Horn Two", which was re-released on CD by Wounded Bird in 2006.

"Big Wheels", the theme used from 1975–1983, was written by Alan Thicke. Thicke also contributed all the prize cues including "Glorious Sax", "Hip Check", and "Lusherous". "Big Wheels" was replaced by the Merv Griffin-composed "Changing Keys" on August 8, 1983 (beginning an "Armed Forces Week") in anticipation of the syndicated version's launch, so that Griffin could derive royalties from its use on both versions. Griffin also wrote an entirely new set of prize cues for the show at that time. A remix of "Changing Keys" debuted in Summer 1984 during a week featuring Olympic athletes.

"Changing Keys" was rearranged when the show moved to CBS Television City in July 1989. This included a smooth jazz arrangement of the original melody, featuring saxophones and updated percussion backings. This theme was used on both the daytime and syndicated versions after production moved to the aforementioned studio, and was retained for the remainder of the daytime show. A remix of the 1989 arrangement of "Changing Keys" debuted in August 1989 with a longer introduction than the July 1989 version. Also, when the show moved to CBS in 1989, the current sound effects debuted.

"Changing Keys" was updated in 1992 for the show's tenth season with an arrangement similar to the 1989 version. At the start of the 1994-95 season, Changing Keys was rearranged again. The arrangement was jazzier than the 1989 and 1992 arrangements, featuring a big band. At the start of the 1997-98 season, Changing Keys was slightly updated again, featuring a soft big band sound, and arranged by Steve Kaplan.

The theme was updated again in 2000 and 2002, entitled "Happy Wheels", which was also composed by Steve Kaplan. "Happy Wheels" was updated again in 2006 (which is currently still in use), and was composed by Frankie Blue and John Hoke.

Audition process

With few exceptions, anyone at least 18 years old has the potential to become a contestant through Wheel of Fortune's audition process. Those ineligible include employees of CBS Television Distribution, Sony Pictures Television, or any firm involved in offering prizes for the show. Contestants who have appeared on a different game show within the previous year, three other game shows within the past ten years or on any version of Wheel of Fortune itself are also ineligible. Potential contestants are given a 16-puzzle test with some letters revealed (similar to the program's bonus round). The contestants have five minutes to solve as many puzzles as they can by writing in the correct letters. The passing score has never been publicly disclosed. The people who pass continue the audition, competing in a mock version of the game using a miniature wheel and a puzzle board.

Merchandise

Numerous board game versions of the game show have been released by different toy companies. The games are all similar, incorporating a wheel, puzzle display board, play money and various accessories like Free Spin tokens. Milton Bradley released the first board game in 1975. In addition to all the supplies mentioned above, the game included 20 prize cards (to simulate the "shopping" prizes of the show; the prizes ranged in value from $100 to $3,000). Two editions were released. Other home versions were released by Pressman Toy Corporation, Tyco/Mattel, Parker Brothers, Endless Games and Irwin Toys, each including and updating gameplay elements seen on the show at the time.

Additionally, several video game versions have also been released for computers, the internet, and various gaming consoles.

External links

• Official website
• Play Wheel of Fortune online