The Big Showdown
Encyclopedia
The Big Showdown is a game show
that aired on the ABC
television network from December 23, 1974 to July 4, 1975. Jim Peck
, making his national television debut, was host with Dan Daniel, then a disc jockey on New York City
's WHN
radio, as announcer.
The series was recorded at ABC's New York studios and packaged by Don Lipp and Ron Greenberg
, with assistance by MCA Television
.
The first round consisted of at least four payoff points (sometimes five, depending on the amount of time used before going into the speed round; see below). A new set of categories was introduced after the second payoff point had been reached.
A 90-second speed round finished the first segment. During the speed round, each payoff point after the one currently in play was worth $100. At the end of the round, the player with the lowest point score was eliminated but kept any money accumulated during the game. In the event of a tie for second place or a three-way tie for first place, Peck asked questions from the one-point category until the tie was broken. Players who buzzed in with a correct answer moved to the Final Showdown, and incorrect responses eliminated that player from the game.
The player rolled the dice on a long table with a well and a trap door at its end. If "Show-Down" came up on the first roll, the contestant won $10,000. If not, the total of the numbers shown on the dice (between one and ten, with "Show" and "Down" counting as zero) served as the payoff point. The contestant then had 30 seconds to roll the dice as many times as possible, with Cunningham handing off new pairs of dice for each roll and Peck removing a completed roll from the well by pushing the dice into the trap door. Each time the player hit the payoff point, they won $250 and an extra five seconds of rolling time after the conclusion of the original 30 seconds. If "Show-Down" came up, the contestant won $5,000 plus any money won by hitting payoff points.
If after the initial 30 seconds the player had not rolled "Show-Down", but had hit the payoff point at least once, s/he would receive whatever bonus time earned (five seconds per point) to roll "Show-Down". The payoff point went out of play at this point. If the player rolled "Show-Down" during the bonus time, s/he won the $5,000 in addition to whatever payoff point money was accumulated in the initial 30 seconds.
Every champion who rolled "Show-Down" retired undefeated. Otherwise, s/he returned on the next episode.
One noteworthy $5,000 winner was former Mickey Mouse Club
cast member Lonnie Burr
.
). The rules were slightly different to that of the actual show in that:
When ABC bought the show, the producers added "The Big" to the title due to a 1966 NBC game show that had already been called Showdown; that series was produced by Heatter-Quigley Productions
and hosted by Joe Pyne
.
, a day when most of the traditional homemaker audience for afternoon shows were likely to be busy making last-minute preparations for the upcoming holiday. Since a network almost always promotes a show most heavily at the time of, and immediately prior to, its debut, this meant that many people, after the holidays had passed, knew little about Showdown.
, 1975. Part of this was due to the aforementioned debut date and relative lack of promotion following the premiere, but Showdowns chances had been further impaired by its competition on NBC
– the long-running serial
The Doctors, which was then at the height of its popularity.
The final episode of "Showdown" began with an almost 2-minute standing ovation from the audience for host Jim Peck (introduced on the finale by his full birth name, James Edward Peck).
Showdown and Maze were two of the five games that were removed by ABC in the span of two weeks – the previous Friday (June 27) saw the end of Blankety Blanks
, Password, and Split Second. Rhyme and Reason
, hosted by Bob Eubanks
, replaced Showdown.
due to network practices of the era. The 1974 pilot and Episode #67 (aired March 25, 1975) are the only surviving episodes. A clip of a full bonus round circulates among collectors.
Also known to exist are three bonus round wins, totaling 33 seconds; these are seen in the opening montage of Episode #67.
An audio clip of the opening to one episode also exists, as well as audio of the complete series finale.
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...
that aired on the ABC
American 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...
television network from December 23, 1974 to July 4, 1975. Jim Peck
Jim Peck
James Edward "Jim" Peck is an American television and radio personality based in Milwaukee and is perhaps best known for his time as a game show host.-Early career:...
, making his national television debut, was host with Dan Daniel, then a disc jockey on New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's WHN
WHN
WHN was a radio station in New York City located at 1050 kHz. Its best known format was country music, which the station played from 1972 to 1987...
radio, as announcer.
The series was recorded at ABC's New York studios and packaged by Don Lipp and Ron Greenberg
Ron Greenberg
Ron Greenberg is an American television game show producer who worked on numerous successful network and syndicated programs of that genre from the 1960s through the 1990s...
, with assistance by MCA Television
Universal Television
Universal Television is the television production arm of the NBCUniversal Television Group, and by extension, the NBC television network...
.
Round 1 (The Big Showdown)
Three contestants competed. Before the round began, a "payoff point" was announced and a dollar value selected from a randomizer in Peck's podium ($25, $50, $75, $100, or $500). Peck read a one-point toss-up question, with the player who answered the question correctly choosing from one of six available categories, ranging in point values from 1-6, represented by faces of a die. Play continued with contestants answering tossup questions from the categories and earning the associated point values. Contestants who answered a question incorrectly were locked out for the remainder of that question and their opponents were given a chance to answer. Contestants were also locked out from answering if the question's value would put them over the current payoff point, as it had to be hit exactly. The first player whose score reached the payoff point won the dollar value and a new payoff point was determined, raised proportionally to several points above the leading contestant's score.The first round consisted of at least four payoff points (sometimes five, depending on the amount of time used before going into the speed round; see below). A new set of categories was introduced after the second payoff point had been reached.
A 90-second speed round finished the first segment. During the speed round, each payoff point after the one currently in play was worth $100. At the end of the round, the player with the lowest point score was eliminated but kept any money accumulated during the game. In the event of a tie for second place or a three-way tie for first place, Peck asked questions from the one-point category until the tie was broken. Players who buzzed in with a correct answer moved to the Final Showdown, and incorrect responses eliminated that player from the game.
Round 2 (Final Showdown)
The two remaining contestants competed to reach a payoff point of seven. Three categories were played, again represented by faces on a die, and point values were 1, 2, and 3 respectively. The same rules from Round 1 applied, with a player being locked out of a question that would cause his/her score to exceed seven. The first player to reach seven points won the game and an additional $250.Bonus Round
The champion now had a chance to win $10,000 by rolling dice. The dice were oversized (but otherwise standard) six-sided dice, but the sixes were replaced with the word "Show" on one die and "Down" on the other. Model Heather Cunningham joined the show at this point to assist the contestant by handing him or her the dice to roll.The player rolled the dice on a long table with a well and a trap door at its end. If "Show-Down" came up on the first roll, the contestant won $10,000. If not, the total of the numbers shown on the dice (between one and ten, with "Show" and "Down" counting as zero) served as the payoff point. The contestant then had 30 seconds to roll the dice as many times as possible, with Cunningham handing off new pairs of dice for each roll and Peck removing a completed roll from the well by pushing the dice into the trap door. Each time the player hit the payoff point, they won $250 and an extra five seconds of rolling time after the conclusion of the original 30 seconds. If "Show-Down" came up, the contestant won $5,000 plus any money won by hitting payoff points.
If after the initial 30 seconds the player had not rolled "Show-Down", but had hit the payoff point at least once, s/he would receive whatever bonus time earned (five seconds per point) to roll "Show-Down". The payoff point went out of play at this point. If the player rolled "Show-Down" during the bonus time, s/he won the $5,000 in addition to whatever payoff point money was accumulated in the initial 30 seconds.
Every champion who rolled "Show-Down" retired undefeated. Otherwise, s/he returned on the next episode.
One noteworthy $5,000 winner was former Mickey Mouse Club
Mickey Mouse Club
The Mickey Mouse Club is an American variety television show that began in 1955, produced by Walt Disney Productions and televised by the ABC, featuring a regular but ever-changing cast of teenage performers. The Mickey Mouse Club was created by Walt Disney...
cast member Lonnie Burr
Lonnie Burr
Lonnie Burr was born on May 31, 1943, in Dayton, Kentucky. He is an American actor, dancer/choreographer, singer, director and author of Danish, French, Scots-Irish and German descent, best known for having been a star on the original Mickey Mouse Club television show from 1955 to 1959...
.
Pilot
The pilot, titled Showdown, featured a different theme and slightly different set plus Dirk Fredericks as announcer (he also handled these duties on the original Beat the ClockBeat the Clock
Beat the Clock is a Goodson-Todman game show which has aired on American television in several versions since 1950.The original show, hosted by Bud Collyer, ran on CBS from 1950–1958 and ABC from 1958–1961. The show was revived in syndication as The New Beat the Clock from 1969–1974, with Jack Narz...
). The rules were slightly different to that of the actual show in that:
- The first payoff point awarded $50, the second worth $75, and so on in $25 increments.
- Final Showdown paid out $200 to the winner.
- In the Bonus Round, hitting the payoff point stopped the clock at that moment and added five seconds to it.
- The top prize was consistently given as $5,000 until just before the contestant rolled the dice to set the payoff point, at which time the actual top prize of $10,000 was mentioned.
- The day's champion returned on the next show, regardless of whether the big money was won.
When ABC bought the show, the producers added "The Big" to the title due to a 1966 NBC game show that had already been called Showdown; that series was produced by Heatter-Quigley Productions
Heatter-Quigley Productions
Heatter-Quigley Productions was an American television production company that was launched in 1960 by two former television writers, Merrill Heatter and Bob Quigley....
and hosted by Joe Pyne
Joe Pyne
Joe Pyne was an American radio and television talk show host, who pioneered the confrontational style in which the host advocates a viewpoint and argues with guests and audience members...
.
Series
ABC debuted The Big Showdown on the day before Christmas EveChristmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
, a day when most of the traditional homemaker audience for afternoon shows were likely to be busy making last-minute preparations for the upcoming holiday. Since a network almost always promotes a show most heavily at the time of, and immediately prior to, its debut, this meant that many people, after the holidays had passed, knew little about Showdown.
Cancellation
Showdown ended just six months after arrival, as did its sister show The Money Maze, on July 4Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
, 1975. Part of this was due to the aforementioned debut date and relative lack of promotion following the premiere, but Showdowns chances had been further impaired by its competition on NBC
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...
– the long-running serial
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
The Doctors, which was then at the height of its popularity.
The final episode of "Showdown" began with an almost 2-minute standing ovation from the audience for host Jim Peck (introduced on the finale by his full birth name, James Edward Peck).
Showdown and Maze were two of the five games that were removed by ABC in the span of two weeks – the previous Friday (June 27) saw the end of Blankety Blanks
Blankety Blanks (US game show)
Blankety Blanks is an American game show that aired on ABC from April 21 to June 27, 1975. This Bob Stewart Production starred Bill Cullen as its host with Bob Clayton announcing.-Gameplay:...
, Password, and Split Second. Rhyme and Reason
Rhyme and Reason
Rhyme and Reason is an American television game show that aired on ABC from July 7, 1975 through July 9, 1976. Bob Eubanks hosted the show, with Johnny Jacobs serving as announcer.-Gameplay:...
, hosted by Bob Eubanks
Bob Eubanks
Robert Leland "Bob" Eubanks is an American television/radio personality and game show host, best known for hosting the game show The Newlywed Game on and off since 1966, where he was known for using the catchphrase, "Makin' Whoopee"...
, replaced Showdown.
Episode status
The series 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 1974 pilot and Episode #67 (aired March 25, 1975) are the only surviving episodes. A clip of a full bonus round circulates among collectors.
Also known to exist are three bonus round wins, totaling 33 seconds; these are seen in the opening montage of Episode #67.
An audio clip of the opening to one episode also exists, as well as audio of the complete series finale.