Long before it became a date shrouded in a history of infamy, January 6th was always a fondly remembered date among the legions of true game show lovers. With today being the golden anniversary of when it was established, it’s especially celebratory.
Fifty years ago today, a twice-failed game show pilot combining elements of hangman, roulette and the timelost art of shopping came to NBC’s vaunted morning lineup. Three days earlier, an era of sorts ended when the original version of JEOPARDY! signed off after nearly 11 years as a signature part of it. Under the intense determination of a fast-rising network daytime executive named Lin Bolen, NBC one by one updated its lineup, signing off long-entrenched and spartanly produced shows, especially the ones that eminated from the cramped and outdated converted radio studios that made up its New York City 30 Rock headquarters. The OG iteration of the A and Q game was one of the last remnants of such modest efforts, and as it was far and away the most successful format ex-night club singer and current talk show host Merv Griffin created, it was an especially transitional career moment.
But as a rare nod of conciliation, as well as a fascination with a “young stud” host named Chuck Woolery who was attached, the network threw Griffin a conscilliatory order for this Burbank-based, tinsel and light box-studded show featuring a 1.2 ton roulette wheel so massive that it created arguably the most dangerous camera shot in industry history–a crane operator shooting from the top of the studio, perched precariously without any reasonable chance of a bathroom break. And thus began the life and daily habit of multiple generations called WHEEL OF FORTUNE.
If you are a more casual fan and not necessarily a pure Baby Boomer, you might not have known that there were eight and a half years of episodes produced prior to the launch of the syndicated version that became an immediate and massive hit, exclusively hosted by Pat Sajak and Vanna White. Pat actually began his run with the show’s original letter turner, Susan Stafford, at the tail end of 1981 with the lanky brunette going back to Day One with Woolery–much has been the ease of transition this season with this generation’s answer to a “young stud”, Ryan Seacrest, now teamed with the venerable and rejuvenated White. Sony in particular has been loath to acknowledge this history until very recently, having played up their version’s 40th anniversary season in 2022 and devoting last season to what at the time was Sajak’s victory lap–which, ironically, we’re being reminded later this week wasn’t quite the case, as his actual victory lap as host of the ABC primetime celebrity version finally kicks off after a three-month delay for dual illumination telecasts of Monday Night Football.
Fortunately, there are more intense and slightly more seasoned fans like Wesley Hyatt out there who have both long, vivid passionate memories and the blessings of a publisher, and if you are interested in being properly educated you can find $32 in your couch cushions and treat yourself to this via Amazon:
I’d Like to Buy a Vowel: 50 Years of Spinning Wheel of Fortune celebrates the legacy of a series ingrained in the American psyche…Wheel of Fortune is only the second game show in the United States and one of only nine national entertainment series to have run more than half a century continuously-an impressive feat indeed…People easily recognize its stars and catchphrases such as “I’d like to solve the puzzle.” But most are unfamiliar about how it has become a success and has managed to maintain that status in the ever-competitive world of television.
And it does appear that opportunistically Sony is finally going to allow the show itself to celebrate its true birth origin, as TV Showsace’s Evan Morgan reported Saturday:
Wheel Of Fortune fans may be wondering what else the popular game show has in store for this big anniversary. So far, there have been a number of things teased. Some of the things mentioned include that it will be a couples’ week. In addition, there will be a $50k home giveaway for a lucky viewer at home.
Recently, Wheel Of Fortune fans also speculated on what other surprises the show might have up its sleeve.
- One commenter said: “I’d love to see scattered chances at $50k giveaways throughout the anniversary celebration. Perhaps even a special spot on the Wheel for $50k. There are a lot of things they can do, and an anniversary like this does not come around very often. So, I’m interested in seeing what else they have in their back pocket.”
I wish a reporter as intrepid and as thorough as Morgan had bothered to reach out to my friend and former show champion David Hammett, whose Facebook feed this morning is a heck of a resource for both the show’s history and his own journey:
1975 was a historic year in daytime, as several soaps and games experimented with an hour-long format for the first time; Wheel was the only other game show besides “The Price is Right” (which expanded to 60 minutes permanently in November) to adopt an hour-long format for more than a one-week trial run starting on December 1, before returning to 30 minutes in January, 1976. During its daytime run, the show typically aired at 10:30, 11:00, or 11:30 ET, although it had a short run at 10:00 before leaving the daytime airwaves for good in 1991. It almost got cancelled in 1980 but was saved when David Letterman’s daytime entry tanked that summer. Pat Sajak replaced Chuck at the end of 1981, and Vanna debuted less than a year after that; the new blood helped to keep the show popular in daytime for most of the 80s.