Jay Wolpert
Encyclopedia
Jay Wolpert is an American television producer
and screenwriter
.
His first television appearance came as a contestant on the original version of Jeopardy!
in 1969. He competed in the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions
that year and won.
Wolpert began his game show producing career working for Dan Enright
in Canada. He later worked as a producer and creator of game show
s for Chuck Barris Productions
and Goodson-Todman Productions. While at Goodson-Todman, he served as producer of The Price is Right
from 1972 until 1978 and also created the game show Double Dare
for CBS.
Wolpert left Goodson-Todman to form his own production company, and his first game show was the 1979 series Whew!
for CBS. Wolpert produced the series with Burt Sugarman
for most of its run. Whew! was canceled in 1980 and Wolpert did not return to television with a series until January 1983, despite shooting several pilots in the interim. On January 3, 1983, Wolpert's Hit Man
debuted on NBC with Peter Tomarken
as its host. Hit Man lasted thirteen weeks on the air.
Five years later, Wolpert returned to daytime television with the series Blackout
for CBS. Debuting on January 4, 1988 in place of The $25,000 Pyramid
, the Bob Goen
-hosted Blackout ended after thirteen weeks of episodes and was replaced by The $25,000 Pyramid.
In 1990 Wolpert launched a new series on the Lifetime network based on a pilot he had shot in 1981 with Tomarken as host. On February 5, 1990, Rodeo Drive
debuted with comedienne Louise DuArt
hosting. Rodeo Drive ended its run on August 31 of that year; the show had aired twelve weeks of new episodes prior to that and had been in reruns until the program was removed from Lifetime's lineup.
After a hiatus, Wolpert returned to the Goodson Productions team and produced a new Price is Right series for Goodson and Paramount Television
. The New Price is Right
debuted in syndication in September 1994, with Wolpert producing. Ratings for The New Price is Right were lacking and it resulted in a cancellation after sixteen weeks in January 1995.
In 1996 Wolpert and The Family Channel
teamed up for two series. One was Wait 'til You Have Kids
, a series based on The Parent Game
. The other was Shopping Spree, which ran for nearly two years and was Wolpert's longest-running game show in his company's history. After Shopping Spree went off the air in August 1998, Wolpert's company stopped producing programming. He was executive producer of the 1998 version of Match Game
.
Wolpert has turned to screenwriting, writing the script for The Count of Monte Cristo
(2002) and receiving a story credit for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
(2003).
Wolpert has also made some acting appearances. He played the OB-GYN who tells Diane Keaton
she is pregnant in Father of the Bride 2.
In the 2010-11 season, Wolpert is listed as a consultant during the credits of Who Wants to be a Millionaire and had some input in that season's format changes.
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
.
His first television appearance came as a contestant on the original version of Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
in 1969. He competed in the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions
Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions
The Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions is an annual tournament featuring the longest-running champions from the past season or seasons of the TV quiz show Jeopardy! The tournament began in the show's first season in 1964 during Art Fleming's tenure as host, and continued into the Alex Trebek era of...
that year and won.
Wolpert began his game show producing career working for Dan Enright
Dan Enright
Daniel "Dan" Enright was one of the most successful game show producers in American television. Enright worked with Jack Barry from the 1940s until Barry's death in 1984. They were partners in creating programs for radio and television...
in Canada. He later worked as a producer and creator of game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
s for Chuck Barris Productions
Chuck Barris Productions
Barris Industries, Inc. was an American television production company that was started in 1965 by Chuck Barris as Chuck Barris Productions...
and Goodson-Todman Productions. While at Goodson-Todman, he served as producer of The Price is Right
The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right is a television game show franchise originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, and created by Bob Stewart, and is currently produced and owned by FremantleMedia. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also includes merchandise such as video games, printed...
from 1972 until 1978 and also created the game show Double Dare
Double Dare (1976 game show)
Double Dare is an American television game show, produced by Mark Goodson—Bill Todman Productions, that ran from 1976 to 1977 on CBS. Alex Trebek was the host, with Johnny Olson and later Gene Wood announcing...
for CBS.
Wolpert left Goodson-Todman to form his own production company, and his first game show was the 1979 series Whew!
Whew!
Whew! is an American game show that aired on CBS from April 23, 1979, until May 30, 1980. It was hosted by Tom Kennedy and announced by Rod Roddy.The game was created by Jay Wolpert...
for CBS. Wolpert produced the series with Burt Sugarman
Burt Sugarman
Burt Sugarman is an American television producer best known for producing the 1970s game show Celebrity Sweepstakes, and The Richard Pryor Show.He also produced The Midnight Special and The Wizard of Odds in the 1970s....
for most of its run. Whew! was canceled in 1980 and Wolpert did not return to television with a series until January 1983, despite shooting several pilots in the interim. On January 3, 1983, Wolpert's Hit Man
Hit Man (game show)
Hit Man is an American television game show that ran from January 3 to April 1, 1983 on NBC. Peter Tomarken hosted this Jay Wolpert production in association with Metromedia Video Productions, while Rod Roddy was the announcer.-Round 1:...
debuted on NBC with Peter Tomarken
Peter Tomarken
Peter David Tomarken was an American television personality primarily known as the host of Press Your Luck.-Early life:...
as its host. Hit Man lasted thirteen weeks on the air.
Five years later, Wolpert returned to daytime television with the series Blackout
Blackout (game show)
Blackout is an American game show that aired on CBS from January 4 to April 1, 1988. The pilot was hosted by former Entertainment Tonight anchor Robb Weller, but he was replaced for the series by Bob Goen...
for CBS. Debuting on January 4, 1988 in place of The $25,000 Pyramid
Pyramid (game show)
Pyramid is an American television game show which has aired several versions. The original series, The $10,000 Pyramid, debuted March 26, 1973 and spawned seven subsequent Pyramid series...
, the Bob Goen
Bob Goen
Robert Kuehl "Bob" Goen is an American game show emcee and television personality, best known for his work on Entertainment Tonight between 1993 and 2004...
-hosted Blackout ended after thirteen weeks of episodes and was replaced by The $25,000 Pyramid.
In 1990 Wolpert launched a new series on the Lifetime network based on a pilot he had shot in 1981 with Tomarken as host. On February 5, 1990, Rodeo Drive
Rodeo Drive (game show)
Rodeo Drive was a cable game show that pitted three contestants against each other in a game based on the world famous street of the same name. It was recorded in CBS Television City's Stage 43 in Los Angeles....
debuted with comedienne Louise DuArt
Louise DuArt
Louise DuArt , is an American comedian and impersonator.She began her career on the children's show, The Krofft Supershow, playing Nashville, a member of the fictional band, Kaptain Kool and the Kongs; she later worked on Krofft's last kid's show, The Krofft Superstar Hour, in which Kaptain Kool...
hosting. Rodeo Drive ended its run on August 31 of that year; the show had aired twelve weeks of new episodes prior to that and had been in reruns until the program was removed from Lifetime's lineup.
After a hiatus, Wolpert returned to the Goodson Productions team and produced a new Price is Right series for Goodson and Paramount Television
Paramount Television
Paramount Television was an American television production/distribution company that was active from January 1, 1968 to August 27, 2006.Its successor is CBS Television Studios, formerly CBS Paramount Television...
. The New Price is Right
The New Price Is Right (1994 game show)
The New Price Is Right was a short-lived syndicated version of the American game show The Price Is Right, which aired from September 12, 1994 to January 27, 1995. This version of the show did not use the same on-air personnel as the daytime version which ran concurrently on CBS...
debuted in syndication in September 1994, with Wolpert producing. Ratings for The New Price is Right were lacking and it resulted in a cancellation after sixteen weeks in January 1995.
In 1996 Wolpert and The Family Channel
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
teamed up for two series. One was Wait 'til You Have Kids
Wait 'Til You Have Kids
Wait 'til You Have Kids!! was a game show on the Family Channel. It was hosted by Tom Parks and announced by Burton Richardson. The show, produced by Jay Wolpert, premiered on September 30, 1996 and lasted until January 31, 1997 with two cycles of shows airing.Three male/female couples matched...
, a series based on The Parent Game
The Parent Game
The Parent Game is an American game show that ran in syndication from 1972–1973. The show was hosted by Clark Race, a Los Angeles radio personality, with Johnny Jacobs was the announcer...
. The other was Shopping Spree, which ran for nearly two years and was Wolpert's longest-running game show in his company's history. After Shopping Spree went off the air in August 1998, Wolpert's company stopped producing programming. He was executive producer of the 1998 version of Match Game
Match Game
Match Game is an American television game show in which contestants attempted to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions...
.
Wolpert has turned to screenwriting, writing the script for The Count of Monte Cristo
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Count of Monte Cristo is an adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas. It is often considered to be, along with The Three Musketeers, Dumas's most popular work. He completed the work in 1844...
(2002) and receiving a story credit for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a 2003 adventure fantasy film based on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney theme parks. It was directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
(2003).
Wolpert has also made some acting appearances. He played the OB-GYN who tells Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton is an American film actress, director, producer, and screenwriter. Keaton began her career on stage, and made her screen debut in 1970...
she is pregnant in Father of the Bride 2.
In the 2010-11 season, Wolpert is listed as a consultant during the credits of Who Wants to be a Millionaire and had some input in that season's format changes.