Mindreaders
Encyclopedia
Mindreaders is a game show produced by Goodson-Todman Productions which aired on NBC
from August 13, 1979 through January 11, 1980. Although NBC originally agreed to a 26-week run, the network canceled Mindreaders after 22 weeks. The host was Dick Martin
and the announcer was Johnny Olson
.
. Each civilian member of the winning team had to predict how the jury answered three questions (one player per question). After each question was read, the jury locked in their answers, and the player guessed how many of them answered yes or no. Guessing the exact number won $500 for the team, missing the number by one or two higher or lower was worth $200, and any guess that was off by three or more awarded no money. After the three questions, the winning team played a round called "Celebrity Turnabout". The civilian players predicted how the celebrity captain answered one last question. Each player made a guess and if the team majority matched the celebrity captain's answer, the civilians' winnings earned in the first half of the bonus game were multiplied by ten for a maximum total of $15,000.
Unlike most game shows, Mindreaders did not use the typical "returning champions" carry-over; instead, the same two teams competed against each other for three consecutive games, after which they both retired.
's The $20,000 Pyramid
and CBS
' Young and the Restless as well as low clearances by NBC affiliates for local news. Despite NBC's hopes that Dick Martin's legacy from Laugh-In and Match Game
would translate into instant audience appeal, the ratings were flat, as had those of the shows preceding it in that time slot for the past five years.
NBC replaced Mindreaders with Chain Reaction
, another short-lived game which later became successful in reruns and produced a five-year revival from 1986-1991.
in 1975, also called Mindreaders, was hosted by Jack Clark and featured a different format: contestants predicted the majority response to a hypothetical question asked of the entire audience (a similar format was used as the main game of the 1981-1982 series Pitfall
).
Details on the second pilot attempt, produced in August 1979, can be found below (see "External links").
. The sound signifying that the jury locked in their answers was later used as the solo player buzz-in sound on the Bill Cullen
version of Blockbusters
.
due to network practices of the era. The pilot (taped August 3, 1979 with Charles Nelson Reilly
and Sarah Purcell
), the third episode, and the December 13 episode (with Joyce Bulifant
and Jack Jones
) are the only three known to exist in full, along with the first two minutes of the December 31 episode (with Bill Daily
and Brett Somers
). In contrast, most of the other Goodson-Todman game shows are well-preserved and (mostly) intact.
A birthday tape produced for Mark Goodson
in 1992 featured clips from shows he produced over his career; notable among them is a Mindreaders opening featuring Patty Duke-Astin
and Nipsey Russell
, who were on during the first week.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
from August 13, 1979 through January 11, 1980. Although NBC originally agreed to a 26-week run, the network canceled Mindreaders after 22 weeks. The host was Dick Martin
Dick Martin (comedian)
Thomas Richard "Dick" Martin was an American comedian and director, best known for his role as the cohost of the sketch comedy program Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In from 1968 to 1973.-Early life and career:...
and the announcer was Johnny Olson
Johnny Olson
John Leonard "Johnny" Olson was an American radio personality and television announcer. His work spanned 32 game shows produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman from the late 1950s through the mid 1980s...
.
Game play
A team of four men played against a team of four women, each consisting of three civilian contestants and a celebrity captain. Host Dick Martin read a question to the three civilian contestants on one team. Each player locked in an answer. One by one, the celebrity captain predicted how each of his/her teammates answered. A correct prediction kept that team in control and play moved to the next player in line. If the celebrity was incorrect, the celebrity captain of the opposing team predicted the controlling teammates' responses. Each correct answer was worth $50, with the money going to the other team if incorrect, and the first team to reach $300 won the game and went on to play the end game. Both teams kept their money.Judge the Jury
In the bonus game, the winning team faced 10 randomly selected members of the studio audience who comprised a juryJury
A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...
. Each civilian member of the winning team had to predict how the jury answered three questions (one player per question). After each question was read, the jury locked in their answers, and the player guessed how many of them answered yes or no. Guessing the exact number won $500 for the team, missing the number by one or two higher or lower was worth $200, and any guess that was off by three or more awarded no money. After the three questions, the winning team played a round called "Celebrity Turnabout". The civilian players predicted how the celebrity captain answered one last question. Each player made a guess and if the team majority matched the celebrity captain's answer, the civilians' winnings earned in the first half of the bonus game were multiplied by ten for a maximum total of $15,000.
Unlike most game shows, Mindreaders did not use the typical "returning champions" carry-over; instead, the same two teams competed against each other for three consecutive games, after which they both retired.
Broadcast history
NBC placed Mindreaders in a problematic timeslot, 12:00 Noon (11:00 AM Central), where it faced ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's The $20,000 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...
and CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
' Young and the Restless as well as low clearances by NBC affiliates for local news. Despite NBC's hopes that Dick Martin's legacy from Laugh-In and 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...
would translate into instant audience appeal, the ratings were flat, as had those of the shows preceding it in that time slot for the past five years.
NBC replaced Mindreaders with Chain Reaction
Chain Reaction (game show)
Chain Reaction is an American game show created by Bob Stewart, in which players compete to form chains composed of two-word phrases.The show aired three separate runs: Bill Cullen hosted the original series on NBC from January 14 to June 20, 1980...
, another short-lived game which later became successful in reruns and produced a five-year revival from 1986-1991.
Pilot
A pilot produced for CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
in 1975, also called Mindreaders, was hosted by Jack Clark and featured a different format: contestants predicted the majority response to a hypothetical question asked of the entire audience (a similar format was used as the main game of the 1981-1982 series Pitfall
Pitfall (game show)
Pitfall was a Canadian game show that aired in American and Canadian syndication from September 14, 1981 to September 1982. The host was Alex Trebek and the announcer was John Barton...
).
Details on the second pilot attempt, produced in August 1979, can be found below (see "External links").
Theme and sounds
The show's theme music is a slightly re-arranged version of a commercial cue from the short-lived 1979 game show Celebrity CharadesCelebrity Charades
Celebrity Charades is a series which originally aired from January to September, 1979 as a syndicated series throughout the United States.-Original version:...
. The sound signifying that the jury locked in their answers was later used as the solo player buzz-in sound on the Bill Cullen
Bill Cullen
William Lawrence Francis "Bill" Cullen was an American radio and television personality whose career spanned five decades...
version of Blockbusters
Blockbusters (US game show)
Blockbusters is an American game show which had two separate runs in the 1980s. Created by Steve Ryan for Mark Goodson Productions, the first series debuted on NBC on October 27, 1980 and aired until April 23, 1982. In the first series, a team of two family members competed against a solo contestant...
.
Episode status
Mindreaders is believed to have been wipedWiping
Wiping or junking is a colloquial term for action taken by radio and television production and broadcasting companies, in which old audiotapes, videotapes, and telerecordings , are erased, reused, or destroyed after several uses...
due to network practices of the era. The pilot (taped August 3, 1979 with Charles Nelson Reilly
Charles Nelson Reilly
Charles Nelson Reilly was an American actor, comedian, director and drama teacher known for his comedic roles in theater, movies, children's television, animated cartoons, and as a panelist on the game show Match Game....
and Sarah Purcell
Sarah Purcell
Sarah Purcell is an American former talk show host, game show host, and panelist.She was co-host of The Better Sex , Real People , America , and The Home Show , and made guest appearances on several TV dramas. She also co-starred in the 1981 film Terror Among Us with Tracy Reed...
), the third episode, and the December 13 episode (with Joyce Bulifant
Joyce Bulifant
Joyce Bulifant is an American television actress, notable for her sunny "little girl"-like Southern lilt of a voice. She was a frequent panelist on the television game show Match Game, more often than not giving bizarre answers that seldom matched the contestants.-Life and career:Bulifant was born...
and Jack Jones
Jack Jones (singer)
John Allan "Jack" Jones is an American jazz and pop singer. He was one of the most popular vocalists of the 1960s.-Overview:...
) are the only three known to exist in full, along with the first two minutes of the December 31 episode (with Bill Daily
Bill Daily
Bill Daily is an American comedian and dramatic actor, and a veteran of many television sitcoms. He is best known for playing astronaut Roger Healey on I Dream of Jeannie and commercial airline navigator Howard Borden in The Bob Newhart Show.-Biography:Daily's father died when Bill was very...
and Brett Somers
Brett Somers
Brett Somers was a American actress, singer, and comedienne who was born in Canada and raised in Maine...
). In contrast, most of the other Goodson-Todman game shows are well-preserved and (mostly) intact.
A birthday tape produced for Mark Goodson
Mark Goodson
Mark Goodson was an American television producer who specialized in game shows.-Life and early career:...
in 1992 featured clips from shows he produced over his career; notable among them is a Mindreaders opening featuring Patty Duke-Astin
Patty Duke
Anna Marie "Patty" Duke is an American actress of stage, film, and television. First becoming famous as a child star, winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at age 16, and later starring in her eponymous sitcom for three years, she progressed to more mature roles upon playing Neely...
and Nipsey Russell
Nipsey Russell
Julius "Nipsey" Russell was an American comedian, best known today for his appearances as a guest panelist on game shows from the 1960s through the 1990s, especially Match Game, Password, Hollywood Squares, To Tell the Truth and Pyramid...
, who were on during the first week.