| Revision as of 05:02, 17 January 2012 edit64.136.26.24 (talk) →Consolation prizes← Previous edit | Revision as of 15:04, 17 January 2012 edit undoDawgDeputy (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users12,937 edits YouTube is not a reliable source if not uploaded by the copyright holders. And those were only two episodes. Different cars could have been offered in other episodes.Next edit → | ||
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| In the second season, the presentation was changed. Players were introduced with their categories pre-selected before the show and the category board was removed. Instead, the first five questions were asked by Trebek from a booklet while the players stood at a podium with a score display. The isolation booth came into play after the $1,000 question instead of the $4,000 question, and all of those questions were in larger envelopes. | In the second season, the presentation was changed. Players were introduced with their categories pre-selected before the show and the category board was removed. Instead, the first five questions were asked by Trebek from a booklet while the players stood at a podium with a score display. The isolation booth came into play after the $1,000 question instead of the $4,000 question, and all of those questions were in larger envelopes. | ||
| For the show's second season, the $32,000 level was changed. Instead of an all-cash prize, if a player answered correctly he/she won $24,000 in cash and |
For the show's second season, the $32,000 level was changed. Instead of an all-cash prize, if a player answered correctly he/she won $24,000 in cash and an automobile. | ||
| ==Consolation prizes== | ==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 |
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 player 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. | ||
| ==Tournament play== | ==Tournament play== | ||
Revision as of 15:04, 17 January 2012
1976 multi-national TV series or program| The $128,000 Question | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 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 | |
| Production locations | Global Television Network Don Mills, Canada (1977–1978) |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | Syndicated (weekly) |
| Release | 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.
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&O's). 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.
Hosts and announcers
Mike Darow hosted the first season with Alan Kalter as announcer, and the series was taped at the Ed Sullivan Theater (currently, 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 while Canadian voice-over artist Sandy Hoyt replaced Kalter. The series moved taping to Global Television Network in Don Mills near Toronto, Ontario.
Gameplay
As on The $64,000 Question, each player was quizzed in a category he/she considered himself/herself to be an expert in. In the first season, a board with several categories on it was used. Once the player revealed his/her respective category choice, a cassette tape would be given to host Darow, who then fed it into an electric typewriter onstage. The cassette contained four questions. For each question, Darow would read it as the typewriter printed it onto a sheet of paper. After the contestant gave his/her/their (a couple competed on a December 1977 episode) answer, the typewriter printed the correct answer. The first question was worth $64 for a right answer, and the next three subsequent answers doubled that amount up to $512. After every question, the player was given a chance to stop.
If a player 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 was the same as before--each question was displayed on the screen, and once the answer was given the correct answer would be displayed on screen. Three questions were asked, the final two with multiple parts, and if the contestant answered all three correctly he/she would earn $4,000.
Beginning with the $8,000 question, play moved to an isolation booth at rear center stage. Each question was now in an envelope that was handed to the host. Four or more parts were required to be answered. At this point, if the player answered correctly the decision was changed. This time, each time the player decided to return it was for one question a week, again with multiple answers. Again, correctly answering the question doubled the money up to $64,000.
In the second season, the presentation was changed. Players were introduced with their categories pre-selected before the show and the category board was removed. Instead, the first five questions were asked by Trebek from a booklet while the players stood at a podium with a score display. The isolation booth came into play after the $1,000 question instead of the $4,000 question, and all of those questions were in larger envelopes.
For the show's second season, the $32,000 level was changed. Instead of an all-cash prize, if a player answered correctly he/she won $24,000 in cash and an automobile.
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 player 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.
Tournament play
Four contestants won $64,000 during the first season. The semifinals consisted of three rounds of questions for each player. Players were asked four questions in each round. If the player 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 players with the highest scores advanced to the finals, in which the finalists would alternate answering questions. The first player to answer six questions correctly won $64,000. However, each contender would be given an equal number of questions. If both players were tied at six points each, the players 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 player 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 players took turns answering 16-point questions until one player achieved a total score of at least 128 points, thereby winning an additional $64,000.
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.
Episode status
It is unclear whether or not the series is intact but it is assumed all episodes exist and are in the hands of CBS Television Distribution, Viacom's successor company.