Loved the home version of this, I still have mine. :) It had slips of paper that slid through the board to reflect the changing odds, a nice little touch.
As to the idea of a revival, if GSN had the will to stage one, you'd think it would be fairly easy - points instead of dollars, a cash jackpot or a high-end prize given to the winner, etc. What they'd really need to stress, IMHO, is the cerebral aspect of the game and not dumb it down. Sadly, such a thing will likely never happen. And even if by some miracle the original series wasn't wiped and the master tapes did exist in broadcast quality, GSN probably wouldn't be interested in airing it. :(
I like how they broke up Pot Limit, with the first segment announcing what they wagered; then coming back after the commercial break for the questions. Pretty exciting, especially for a then 7/8 year old like me.
The game show was also one of the few where the losers were allowed to keep the money they won. Hope John and Clare spent/invested their money wisely!
This episode appears to be from December of 1970 (Heisman trophy winner Jim Plunkett, but aired prior to New Years Bowl Games).
I loved this show when I was a kid. I would have been 11 when this aired.
I had the home version of this game and, although I no longer have the game box and board, I do still have two of the quiz books that came with the game.
I was really into game shows when I was a little kid. I remember another Art James show called "Pay Cards" which used to be shown here in New York on channel 5 at night (maybe 8 o'clock? It's so long ago I can't remember). I understand that show was on in 1968-69, so I would have been only 6-7 years old when I watched it. I remember watching this show at lunch time every day w. Jeopardy when I came home from school for lunch. But I haven't watched game shows in years.
I also had the "Pay Cards" play-at-home game. I wonder if you can find that in the collector's market. The Garry Moore version of To Tell The Truth would be on channel 5 around the same time, then it was time to go to sleep. Oh the memories.
This was a great companion show to Jeopardy! and proved to be a very strong contender against CBS's then-highly popular long running soap opera, Search for Tomorrow. I've been hoping someone would post an eppy of the 3 W's -- thanks so much for this rare find!
I remember twatching this show when I was growing up in New Jersey. It was part of a solid one-two quiz show punch at lunchtime on the East coast with Jeopardy and the show that was also referred to as "The 3Ws". Both shows were part of NBC Daytime VP Lin Bolen's efforts to give game shows a fresh look and The 3Ws were lost in the shuffle. There was also an episode where announcer Mike Darrow was a substitute host when Art James was under the weather. It's great to see The 3Ws again!
@TotallyShifty *raises hand* Ooh, ooh! May I whine about certain shows not being posted to YouTube? Hey, at least I'm asking permission. LOL, just kidding. :-)
The bell sounding when the Pot Limit category is revealed should sound familiar to fans of the original version of "The Price is Right" with Bill Cullen. It was the same bell from when a player's bid was "frozen."
A Ron Greenberg-created gem from NBC at 30 Rock in New York, this game followed "Jeopardy!" in most markets Monday thru Friday at 12:30 P.M. as a one-two quiz punch. All of the original tapes of the series were erased except those in private collections and copies still stored at NBC network affiliates on the West Coast, of which this appears to be one. The announcer is the late Mike Darrow, previously host of ABC's "Dream House" and later of USA Network's "Jackpot!".
when this show went off the air.. what show came on at 1230 to replace this show... was it jackpot which got moved back to 12 in the east coast or was it blank check but i think blank check started in 1975...
It was "Jackpot!", which was moved to the noon slot when "Jeopardy!" was moved to 10:30 a.m. by Lin Bolen to force a ratings drop and its eventual cancellation (she hated both quiz shows and New York as "un-hip" and wanted the style of NBC daytime to reflect her "boy toys" and Hollywood instead). "Blank Check" (also hosted by Art James, this time in Burbank, CA) took over the 12:30 p.m. slot and copied "Jackpot's" "peanut gallery" weeklong contestant format. It was a seven-month dud.
so then when did magnifcent marble machine occur... for some reason i thought MMM was at 12 and then after that around 75-76 was Fun Factory with Bobby Van... I cant remember for some reason when J was in the 12 time slot I thought that was followed by MMM and then the fun factory ..
Does anyone know who composed the upbeat little tune that runs from 0:20-0:40? I had heard it was George David Weiss (of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" fame), but I find that hard to believe.
It was indeed George David Weiss; he composed both the original and the second themes for the series (the Pot Luck theme was retained throughout). Weiss also had a hit Broadway musical running at the time called "Maggie Flynn" that starred Shirley Jones and her then-husband, the late Jack Cassidy.
@Noveltooner At what point in the run did the main theme music change? Also, was the show cancelled due to low ratings or did it fall victim to Lin Bolen's ax?
@40onTheBlue It was changed in conjunction with a rule change to speed up the game with 18 months left in its run. The original theme during the Pot Limit wager remained. The game change eliminated the "declare" during the regular game play; contestants would simply lock in their questions and wagers and they would pop up immediately (umseen by the contestants; Art would then apprise them who got the particular questions). The hidden wager and "declare" remained on Pot Limit.
@Noveltooner Was speeding up the game in response to the competition from "Split Second"? (A much faster game that aired in the same time slot over on ABC, for those who don't know.) The Wikipedia article about the 3 W's also mentions something about a 60-second "quick round" introduced later in the run with rapid fire questions the contestants had to buzz in for. Did this appear at the same time? And seriously, whatever happened to Lin Bolen after NBC gave her the boot?
@40onTheBlue My ubderstanding was that it was actually game creator and producer Ron Greenberg himself who came up with the later speed alterations, not NBC itself. However, there's little doubt that it was indeed in response to the success of "Split Second," and the new changes worked really well. (The Quick Round concept was later adapted to the Ron Greenberg/Dick Clark game "The Challengers.") As for Lin Bolen, she started her own production company; its shows pretty much tanked.
@40onTheBlue The short-lived game show "Stumpers," hosted by Allen Ludden, was one of her productions, and is considered by many to be Lin Bolen's best among a number of flops. In fairness, Fred Silverman never gave it a chance (he hated game shows), and, just as he did with Ludden's "Password" on CBS, he cancelled it. Ms. Bolen later married successful film and TV director Paul Wendkos; she was widowed when he passed away in 2009. In spite of her problems at NBC, she broke the glass ceiling.
@Noveltooner You honour me by sharing your knowledge. Thank you for taking the time to respond to my many queries and for your patience. :)
One wonders how an auction would've played out if a tie bet on a question had been made in the Pot Limit round. Did that ever happen? Also, the IMDB page for the 3W's lists a all celeb episode very late in the run. Were there many of these or champions tournaments? And is this the only episode that was spared from erasure or could there be others extant?
@40onTheBlue The 3 W'swas a particular target for Lin Bolen, who had planned to cancel it and use its cancellation as an excuse for moving "Jeopardy!" out of its noon slot; in other words, it was a planned failure for the two shows. In addition, since both shows were produced in New York, Ms. Bolen was using their cancellation to help kill production of live audience shows in New York and move them to Los Angeles.
My gawd but that woman seemed hellbent on annihilating everyone and everything that got in her way. She certainly deserved her comeuppance when it finally came, didn't she? I wonder what she does for a living today.
@40onTheBlue Yes, but that was a completely different time and place. LA was the "hip" city then, and many people were really frowning upon New York as a whole (New York would almost go bankrupt a couple of years later). The trend overall was to move out of New York and do everything from LA, especially since the neighborhoods in many cases in Manhattan were rapidly deteriorating then, which didn't help matters at that time.
@Noveltooner That really doesn't surprise me. It needs to be remembered when that happened to "The 3W's," New York was in an overall downturn and was really beginning to be frowned upon by many (allegedly, Carson moved permanently to LA in 1972 because guests were refusing to appear in New York because the neighborhood surrounding 30 Rock at that time had severely deteriorated over several years).
The shame is, no one has ever thought of doing a revival of this show.
RIP Art James.
juan833blue 2 months ago
Loved the home version of this, I still have mine. :) It had slips of paper that slid through the board to reflect the changing odds, a nice little touch.
ccie12933 9 months ago
As to the idea of a revival, if GSN had the will to stage one, you'd think it would be fairly easy - points instead of dollars, a cash jackpot or a high-end prize given to the winner, etc. What they'd really need to stress, IMHO, is the cerebral aspect of the game and not dumb it down. Sadly, such a thing will likely never happen. And even if by some miracle the original series wasn't wiped and the master tapes did exist in broadcast quality, GSN probably wouldn't be interested in airing it. :(
40onTheBlue 10 months ago
Comment removed
40onTheBlue 10 months ago
"Stumpers" aired on NBC in 1976; Fred Silverman didn't start at NBC until 1978 - he was programming ABC at that point.
calliaume 10 months ago
Love that think music. Sounds like Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass would do.
QBCNetwork 1 year ago
Thanks for posting, The 3 W's was one of my favorite game shows of the 70's; it was good seeing this again.
tigermark64 1 year ago
Didn't Geoff Edwards host this during the 70's at some point? I seem to associate this with him.
zq9m3xh8 2 years ago
I remember him hosting "Treasure Hunt", & "Play The Percentages".
luvthoseclips 2 years ago
Ah, game show hosts should have sideburns again.
kstarpictures 2 years ago
I like how they broke up Pot Limit, with the first segment announcing what they wagered; then coming back after the commercial break for the questions. Pretty exciting, especially for a then 7/8 year old like me.
The game show was also one of the few where the losers were allowed to keep the money they won. Hope John and Clare spent/invested their money wisely!
jfab64 2 years ago
Comment removed
OttoJames 2 years ago
I had the home version of the game. Watched this show when it was on if I wasn't in school.
I remember Mike Darrow doing the hosting of the $128,000 question back in 1977-78
timbabcock 2 years ago
This episode appears to be from December of 1970 (Heisman trophy winner Jim Plunkett, but aired prior to New Years Bowl Games).
I loved this show when I was a kid. I would have been 11 when this aired.
I had the home version of this game and, although I no longer have the game box and board, I do still have two of the quiz books that came with the game.
Great, great show. I loved it!
bd001217 2 years ago
I was really into game shows when I was a little kid. I remember another Art James show called "Pay Cards" which used to be shown here in New York on channel 5 at night (maybe 8 o'clock? It's so long ago I can't remember). I understand that show was on in 1968-69, so I would have been only 6-7 years old when I watched it. I remember watching this show at lunch time every day w. Jeopardy when I came home from school for lunch. But I haven't watched game shows in years.
RRaquello 2 years ago
I also had the "Pay Cards" play-at-home game. I wonder if you can find that in the collector's market. The Garry Moore version of To Tell The Truth would be on channel 5 around the same time, then it was time to go to sleep. Oh the memories.
RRaquello 2 years ago
This was a great companion show to Jeopardy! and proved to be a very strong contender against CBS's then-highly popular long running soap opera, Search for Tomorrow. I've been hoping someone would post an eppy of the 3 W's -- thanks so much for this rare find!
staytunedfor 2 years ago
I remember twatching this show when I was growing up in New Jersey. It was part of a solid one-two quiz show punch at lunchtime on the East coast with Jeopardy and the show that was also referred to as "The 3Ws". Both shows were part of NBC Daytime VP Lin Bolen's efforts to give game shows a fresh look and The 3Ws were lost in the shuffle. There was also an episode where announcer Mike Darrow was a substitute host when Art James was under the weather. It's great to see The 3Ws again!
howilu 3 years ago
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Should you post more Game shows please, JustinInAtlanta?
PTH4Fun 3 years ago
No, YOU should post some, PTH4Fun. You have no right to whine about how many videos people post when you yourself have none to your credit.
TotallyShifty 3 years ago 14
@TotallyShifty *raises hand* Ooh, ooh! May I whine about certain shows not being posted to YouTube? Hey, at least I'm asking permission. LOL, just kidding. :-)
johnissoevil 10 months ago
and i remember the music for the pot limit wagering like yesterday
setheriah 3 years ago
The bell sounding when the Pot Limit category is revealed should sound familiar to fans of the original version of "The Price is Right" with Bill Cullen. It was the same bell from when a player's bid was "frozen."
Noveltooner 3 years ago
A Ron Greenberg-created gem from NBC at 30 Rock in New York, this game followed "Jeopardy!" in most markets Monday thru Friday at 12:30 P.M. as a one-two quiz punch. All of the original tapes of the series were erased except those in private collections and copies still stored at NBC network affiliates on the West Coast, of which this appears to be one. The announcer is the late Mike Darrow, previously host of ABC's "Dream House" and later of USA Network's "Jackpot!".
Noveltooner 3 years ago
when this show went off the air.. what show came on at 1230 to replace this show... was it jackpot which got moved back to 12 in the east coast or was it blank check but i think blank check started in 1975...
setheriah 3 years ago
It was "Jackpot!", which was moved to the noon slot when "Jeopardy!" was moved to 10:30 a.m. by Lin Bolen to force a ratings drop and its eventual cancellation (she hated both quiz shows and New York as "un-hip" and wanted the style of NBC daytime to reflect her "boy toys" and Hollywood instead). "Blank Check" (also hosted by Art James, this time in Burbank, CA) took over the 12:30 p.m. slot and copied "Jackpot's" "peanut gallery" weeklong contestant format. It was a seven-month dud.
Noveltooner 3 years ago
so then when did magnifcent marble machine occur... for some reason i thought MMM was at 12 and then after that around 75-76 was Fun Factory with Bobby Van... I cant remember for some reason when J was in the 12 time slot I thought that was followed by MMM and then the fun factory ..
setheriah 3 years ago
in the 12pm time slot in the east...
setheriah 3 years ago
@Noveltooner Darrow also hosted "The $128,000 Question" in Canada back in the mid-late 70s as well.. I remember watching that show.
professor1966 1 year ago
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Hey, JustinInAtlanta. Where are your other game shows?
PTH4Fun 3 years ago
Does anyone know who composed the upbeat little tune that runs from 0:20-0:40? I had heard it was George David Weiss (of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" fame), but I find that hard to believe.
pynchonfan 3 years ago
It was indeed George David Weiss; he composed both the original and the second themes for the series (the Pot Luck theme was retained throughout). Weiss also had a hit Broadway musical running at the time called "Maggie Flynn" that starred Shirley Jones and her then-husband, the late Jack Cassidy.
Noveltooner 3 years ago 2
@Noveltooner At what point in the run did the main theme music change? Also, was the show cancelled due to low ratings or did it fall victim to Lin Bolen's ax?
40onTheBlue 1 year ago
@40onTheBlue It was changed in conjunction with a rule change to speed up the game with 18 months left in its run. The original theme during the Pot Limit wager remained. The game change eliminated the "declare" during the regular game play; contestants would simply lock in their questions and wagers and they would pop up immediately (umseen by the contestants; Art would then apprise them who got the particular questions). The hidden wager and "declare" remained on Pot Limit.
Noveltooner 1 year ago
@Noveltooner Was speeding up the game in response to the competition from "Split Second"? (A much faster game that aired in the same time slot over on ABC, for those who don't know.) The Wikipedia article about the 3 W's also mentions something about a 60-second "quick round" introduced later in the run with rapid fire questions the contestants had to buzz in for. Did this appear at the same time? And seriously, whatever happened to Lin Bolen after NBC gave her the boot?
40onTheBlue 10 months ago
@40onTheBlue My ubderstanding was that it was actually game creator and producer Ron Greenberg himself who came up with the later speed alterations, not NBC itself. However, there's little doubt that it was indeed in response to the success of "Split Second," and the new changes worked really well. (The Quick Round concept was later adapted to the Ron Greenberg/Dick Clark game "The Challengers.") As for Lin Bolen, she started her own production company; its shows pretty much tanked.
Noveltooner 10 months ago
@40onTheBlue The short-lived game show "Stumpers," hosted by Allen Ludden, was one of her productions, and is considered by many to be Lin Bolen's best among a number of flops. In fairness, Fred Silverman never gave it a chance (he hated game shows), and, just as he did with Ludden's "Password" on CBS, he cancelled it. Ms. Bolen later married successful film and TV director Paul Wendkos; she was widowed when he passed away in 2009. In spite of her problems at NBC, she broke the glass ceiling.
Noveltooner 10 months ago
@Noveltooner You honour me by sharing your knowledge. Thank you for taking the time to respond to my many queries and for your patience. :)
One wonders how an auction would've played out if a tie bet on a question had been made in the Pot Limit round. Did that ever happen? Also, the IMDB page for the 3W's lists a all celeb episode very late in the run. Were there many of these or champions tournaments? And is this the only episode that was spared from erasure or could there be others extant?
40onTheBlue 6 months ago
@40onTheBlue The 3 W'swas a particular target for Lin Bolen, who had planned to cancel it and use its cancellation as an excuse for moving "Jeopardy!" out of its noon slot; in other words, it was a planned failure for the two shows. In addition, since both shows were produced in New York, Ms. Bolen was using their cancellation to help kill production of live audience shows in New York and move them to Los Angeles.
Noveltooner 1 year ago
@Noveltooner Thanks for the info. :)
My gawd but that woman seemed hellbent on annihilating everyone and everything that got in her way. She certainly deserved her comeuppance when it finally came, didn't she? I wonder what she does for a living today.
40onTheBlue 1 year ago
@40onTheBlue Yes, but that was a completely different time and place. LA was the "hip" city then, and many people were really frowning upon New York as a whole (New York would almost go bankrupt a couple of years later). The trend overall was to move out of New York and do everything from LA, especially since the neighborhoods in many cases in Manhattan were rapidly deteriorating then, which didn't help matters at that time.
WaltGekko 10 months ago
@Noveltooner That really doesn't surprise me. It needs to be remembered when that happened to "The 3W's," New York was in an overall downturn and was really beginning to be frowned upon by many (allegedly, Carson moved permanently to LA in 1972 because guests were refusing to appear in New York because the neighborhood surrounding 30 Rock at that time had severely deteriorated over several years).
The shame is, no one has ever thought of doing a revival of this show.
WaltGekko 10 months ago
Great game, this the final round resembles Final Jeopardy.
nextbarker 3 years ago
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Okay, Geuss who won?
PTH4Fun 3 years ago
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Greg. But, should you post other game shows soon?
PTH4Fun 3 years ago
Should you have some patience?
But thanks for the video, Justin. I always enjoy these old shows you post.
MrMatteNWk 3 years ago 2
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Ah, All right. I will, Now.
PTH4Fun 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
No spoiling please.
BlackwoodCompany 3 years ago
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Thanks.
PTH4Fun 3 years ago