Keynotes (Australian game show)

Keynotes
Genre	Music Game Show
Presented by	Alistair McHarg (1964) Richard Wilkins (1992-1993)
Narrated by	Craig Huggins (1992-1993)
Theme music composer	Rick Turk (1992-1993)
Country of origin	Australia
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
Production
Production locations	Sydney, New South Wales
Running time	22 minutes
Production company	Grundy Television (1992-1993)
Original release
Network	Nine Network
Release	1992 – 1993

Keynotes is an Australian musical television game show which aired in 1964 & 1992-1993 on the Nine Network. It was produced in Sydney.

1964 Version

Described as a "musical quiz", it was hosted by Scottish singer Alistair McHarg, who had moved to Australia. Not much is known about the series, and it is not known if any of the episodes still exist, given the wiping of the era.

1992-1993 version

The show was revived in 1992 as Sale of the Century's summer replacement series on the Nine Network, hosted by Richard Wilkins.

According to the host, the aim of the game was for "two teams of players (one colored pink and are the champions, the other colored blue and are the challengers), to try to put the right words in the right songs and see how well they can follow the bouncing ball to solve our puzzle song."

First three rounds

A series of nine squares are presented - with each square hiding a note in a "familiar" tune. The host gives the contestants notes 1, 5, and 9 in all 3 rounds; note 7 was usually added as well in round 3.

A member of each team (which consists of three players each) joins the host at the central podium, where they have three coloured buttons (red, blue & yellow) each. A card is randomly selected from the host, which represents the note which is set to be revealed. Three words attached to that number are provided which could represent the next word in a given tune. The contestant who is the quickest to select the correct word after hearing the start of this tune is given the note represented by that selected card. If neither contestant is able to select the correct word, the note goes in as a blank and two new players are brought up to play for two keynotes (and so on).

The team that the winning representative came from then has the opportunity to guess the main tune by listening to the already-revealed notes and following the rhythm of the bouncing ball. If the team can correctly name that tune, they win the round and receive a cash prize which doubles for each round. If not, the round continues, rotating through the various members of both teams. If neither of the teams can work out the song before all nine notes are revealed - then the prize for that round is lost and the players go on to the next round.

The cash values for correctly identifying the song in the first three rounds are $300 in round 1, $600 in round 2, and $1,200 in round 3, with a maximum possible total of $2,100. The team with the most money at the end of the game wins the game and goes on to play for double their main game cash winnings.

Bonus round

The winning team attempts to win double their cash winnings in prizes from the first three rounds. The team must attempt to uncover the nine notes of the final tune over the course of 30 seconds, by using a buzzer to stop a random flashing light in order to choose a note, and then picking the correct next word, as in the first three rounds. However, the final tune is only played once, at the end of the 30 seconds. If any of the questions representing the notes are not answered correctly within the time limit, they will not be revealed in the playing of the final tune. If the team can correctly identify the final tune, they win double the money in prizes.

Champions can stay on the program for up to five shows, and if they succeed in surviving those five shows, they also win a holiday. The maximum possible winnings in total is therefore $4,200 per show, and a team retires after 5 shows with a maximum amount of $21,000 plus the holiday.

The series was repeated in 2000-2008, showing on the Nine Network in celebration of 40 years of Grundy Television.

International versions

The format initially began as a pilot produced by Grundy's American wing, for CBS in 1986; that pilot was hosted by Kevin O'Connell. Another pilot was produced in 1989 with Clint Holmes as host; neither attempt got off the ground.

A more successful version of the format aired in Great Britain from 1989 to 1992, with Alistair Divall as emcee.

See also

• Binnie Time - A musical quiz which aired 1958-1959 on the Nine station in Melbourne.

External links

• Keynotes at IMDb