During the taping of the pilot in mid-1983, it became evident that this game was capable of producing excitement the likes of which had never before been seen on television. The presence of the Whammy, a wisecracking red creature with a yellow cape and a cheesy grin, added an element of risk to the proceedings-stop that light on the Whammy, and he’d take everything you’ve earned up to that point, as well as put on a little cartoon show for you. There, players had the chance to win untold sums of money and fabulous prizes by stopping a randomly flashing light on one of the board’s 18 squares. Three players competed by answering host Peter Tomarken’s trivia questions in exchange for “spins” on the show’s iconic big board. A reimagining of Second Chance, their similarly-structured yet unsuccessful late-70s ABC show, Press Your Luck aimed to be the biggest, brightest, most exciting game on television. You see, this whole mess-like many other messes-started back in the mid-80s.Īfter lending their experienced hands to the production of shows like The Newlywed Game and Give-N-Take, producer Bill Carruthers and his partner Bill Mitchell hit pay dirt with their newest creation, Press Your Luck. An enormous victory was celebrated in Los Angeles in the summer of 1984, and it sure wasn’t at the Olympics.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |