The Generation Gap
Encyclopedia
The Generation Gap was a primetime American game show
that aired from February 7 to May 23, 1969 on ABC
. It was originally hosted by Dennis Wholey
for the first ten episodes, after which he was replaced by Jack Barry. Fred Foy
announced during the entire run.
Two teams of three players competed – one composed of people under the age of thirty, the other being people over thirty. At least one member of each team was a well-known celebrity
, occasionally playing against a relative on the other team.
In Round 1, questions were directed at each individual contestant and were worth $20 apiece. The other team could earn $5 for each prediction as to whether their opponents could answer correctly. In Round 2, the Cross-Generation round, any player could buzz in, with a correct answer worth $10 but an incorrect answer deducting $10 from the team's earnings. The team who earned the most money would have their winnings tripled.
Each show featured a musical guest from either the past or present.
in his first national hosting job since the quiz show scandals
over a decade earlier forced him and his company out of the business.
It was hoped that, if the show were a success in primetime, it would lead to a daytime slot. However, ratings were not strong enough and The Generation Gap ended after 16 episodes. Despite this, Barry's game show career was successfully revived, and he thanked ABC for the opportunity during his goodbyes on the last episode.
(which originally ran in the United Kingdom
from 1971-1981 and hosted by Bruce Forsyth
) was based on a 1969 Dutch show entitled Een van de acht ("One of the Eight"), which in turn used a stunt-based format much like that of Beat the Clock
and Truth or Consequences
.
series Trivia Trap
.
The 1998 VH1 series My Generation
could be considered a revival due to a similar format and emphasis on music, which featured two teams of two people representing different years. The game was played for points, and the series used a Pyramid
-esque bonus round for a prize package.
Canadian youth channel YTV produced a game show of their own called The Generation Gap which ran for a single season in 1989. This version was a stunt-based show which pitted a team of kids against a team of adults. However, beyond the title, it had very little to do with the original series.
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 from February 7 to May 23, 1969 on 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...
. It was originally hosted by Dennis Wholey
Dennis Wholey
Dennis Wholey is an American television host and producer, and the author of a number of self-help books, one of which was a New York Times bestseller. He currently hosts This is America with Dennis Wholey, an interview program shown throughout the U.S...
for the first ten episodes, after which he was replaced by Jack Barry. Fred Foy
Fred Foy
Frederick William Foy was an American radio and television announcer, who used Fred Foy as his professional name. He is best known for his narration of The Lone Ranger...
announced during the entire run.
Two teams of three players competed – one composed of people under the age of thirty, the other being people over thirty. At least one member of each team was a well-known celebrity
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
, occasionally playing against a relative on the other team.
Gameplay
Each team had to answer questions about the other's generation; for example, the under-30s might have to answer a question about the big bands, while the over-30s might have to answer a question about rock groups.In Round 1, questions were directed at each individual contestant and were worth $20 apiece. The other team could earn $5 for each prediction as to whether their opponents could answer correctly. In Round 2, the Cross-Generation round, any player could buzz in, with a correct answer worth $10 but an incorrect answer deducting $10 from the team's earnings. The team who earned the most money would have their winnings tripled.
Each show featured a musical guest from either the past or present.
Broadcast history
The series was aired on Friday nights and first hosted by Wholey from the pilot through the tenth episode on April 11, 1969. Beginning the following week, he was replaced by Jack BarryJack Barry (television)
Jack Barry was an American television game show host and producer via Barry & Enright Productions, his production company with Dan Enright...
in his first national hosting job since the quiz show scandals
Quiz show scandals
The American quiz show scandals of the 1950s were a series of revelations that contestants of several popular television quiz shows were secretly given assistance by the show's producers to arrange the outcome of a supposedly fair competition....
over a decade earlier forced him and his company out of the business.
It was hoped that, if the show were a success in primetime, it would lead to a daytime slot. However, ratings were not strong enough and The Generation Gap ended after 16 episodes. Despite this, Barry's game show career was successfully revived, and he thanked ABC for the opportunity during his goodbyes on the last episode.
Foreign versions
The Generation Gap has not been revived in other countries, partly due to its short run. Despite its title, The Generation GameThe Generation Game
The Generation Game was a British gameshow produced by the BBC in which four teams of two competed to win prizes...
(which originally ran in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
from 1971-1981 and hosted by Bruce Forsyth
Bruce Forsyth
Sir Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson, CBE , commonly known as Bruce Forsyth, or Brucie, is an English TV personality...
) was based on a 1969 Dutch show entitled Een van de acht ("One of the Eight"), which in turn used a stunt-based format much like that of Beat the Clock
Beat 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...
and Truth or Consequences
Truth or Consequences
Truth or Consequences is an American quiz show originally hosted on NBC radio by Ralph Edwards and later on television by Edwards , Jack Bailey , Bob Barker , Bob Hilton and Larry Anderson . The television show ran on CBS, NBC and also in syndication...
.
Revivals
While not explicitly revived, the concept of "Juniors vs. Seniors" would be later used on the 1984-1985 Mark GoodsonMark Goodson
Mark Goodson was an American television producer who specialized in game shows.-Life and early career:...
series Trivia Trap
Trivia Trap
Trivia Trap is an American game show produced by Mark Goodson Productions. It was created by producer Goodson and originally ran from October 8, 1984 to April 5, 1985 on ABC. The game featured two teams of three contestants each who competed against each other to answer trivia questions in various...
.
The 1998 VH1 series My Generation
My Generation (game show)
My Generation was a game show on VH1 that was hosted by comedian Craig Shoemaker and announced by Lindsay Stoddart. Its 48 episodes aired for a brief period in 1998, and due to its similar format and emphasis on music is considered to be a revival of the 1969 ABC series The Generation...
could be considered a revival due to a similar format and emphasis on music, which featured two teams of two people representing different years. The game was played for points, and the series used a 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...
-esque bonus round for a prize package.
Canadian youth channel YTV produced a game show of their own called The Generation Gap which ran for a single season in 1989. This version was a stunt-based show which pitted a team of kids against a team of adults. However, beyond the title, it had very little to do with the original series.