The Wizard of Odds
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| The Wizard of Odds | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Game show |
| Presented by | Alex Trebek |
| Narrated by | Sam Riddle Charlie O'Donnell |
| Theme music composer | Stan Worth Alan Thicke |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Production | |
| Producers | Burt Sugarman Alan Thicke |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | July 16, 1973 – June 28, 1974 |
The Wizard of Odds is an American game show hosted by Alex Trebek that aired on NBC from July 16, 1973 to June 28, 1974 in which people from the studio audience vied in a number of rounds, primarily games revolving around statistical questions. Sam Riddle was the show's first announcer; toward the end of the run, Charlie O'Donnell replaced him.
Broadcast history
Relatively short-lived, The Wizard of Odds replaced Sale of the Century at 11:00 AM Eastern (10:00 Central). The show did not perform well against CBS' Gambit (later replaced by Now You See It) and NBC dropped it after less than a year.
Wizard was Trebek's first American game show, after starting his broadcast career in his native Canada. He later hosted another NBC game, High Rollers (which replaced Wizard), from 1974–1976 and again from 1978-1980. Since 1984, he has hosted the syndicated TV hit game Jeopardy!
Episode status
It is believed that the series was wiped as per network policy of the era, with NBC continuing this process until 1979. The May 20, 1974 episode with special guest Don DeFore exists in the UCLA Film & Television Archive.
Theme
The theme song was composed and sung by Alan Thicke, who at the time was one of the show's producers.
Lawsuit
Nearly a week after the show debuted, Leo Guild (who has created numerous radio and television shows, books, and newspaper columns) filed a $2 million lawsuit against NBC for stealing his Wizard title, which had been used as a newspaper column during the late 1940s.[1]
References
- ^ "Quiz Show Sued". The Dispatch. Vol. 92, no. 68. Lexington, NC: New Media Investment Group. United Press International. July 23, 1973. p. 1. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
