Password (1975) ***ABC SERIES FINALE*** PT. 5

[bluebear1985]

Split Second with Tom Kennedy was cancelled by ABC on the same day as Password. During the credits, I noticed that it mentioned that a new version of You Don't Say would premiere the following Monday. A similar thing happened to him towards the end of 1976 on NBC. 50 Grand Slam was cancelled on New Year's Eve, and had a daytime version of Name That Tune to open 1977.

[Kinoakim]

It's so sad this era has mostly been lost. I am still holding out hope that some tech savvy person from the 70's recorded the episodes and has his tapes stored in his basement forgotten. Wishful thinking I know.

[streetcarjay]

The show went off the air. Only to come back as Password Plus. Same Password Same Host until Allen died in 1982.

[rksncu]

Allen ludden will be back in 1979 in Password Plus.

[DENo1MatchGameFan]

This is exactly why Betty White should have been at the GSN Game Show Awards in person to hand the icon award to Mark Goodson's daughter Marjorie - instead, ol' big baby Bob Barker made a stink, and now that moment is lost in history, and his damn ego is strong as ever!

[gamshwfan]

There we have it, the end of the 1970's version of password. What started out as an old favorite with new life became an experament that did not click. Allen was himself about it along with his wife and the rest of the staff. It was an okay era, though it ended with an experament that didn't really work. I would give the whole era 4 stars, it stayed true to what we liked but slumped downward to 3 stars. THe episode was rushed a little too much so I give it 4 stars. THe password here is GOOBYE.

[baconhead2008]

I love that theme music.

[akampfer]

The name of it is Bicentenial Funk.

[tnawcwvictoria]

Videotaped at ABC Television Center in Hollywood

The home to Trivia Trap w/Bob Eubanks, Password, Split Second w/Tom Kennedy, Break the Bank, AFV, SOAP, Benson, Barney Miller, General Hospital, The Dating Game w/Jim Lange, The Newlywed Game w/Bob Eubanks, Let's Make a Deal, Bruce Forsyth Hot Streak, Double Talk, Match Game w/Ross Schafer, Showoffs w/the late Bobby Van, Who's the Boss, and of course, American Bandstand w/Dick Clark and Family Feud with the King of The Feud Richard Dawson.

[megamanj2004X]

@tnawcwvictoria and also the home to other ABC game shows such as: The Krypton Factor (1981) w/ Dick Clark, Animal Crack-Ups w/ Alan Thicke, Rhyme and Reason, Love Connection w/ Chuck Woolery (1983-87 eps. only), The Better Sex w/ Sarah Purcell & country singer Bill Anderson, All-Star Blitz w/ Peter Marshall, Hollywood Squares w/ John Davidson, Shows such as That's My Mama!, Welcome Back Kotter, Mr. Belvedere, America's Funniest People w/ Dave Coulier, That's Incredible!, Hail to the Chief

[tnawcwvictoria]

@megamanj2004X and here's something else:

The set to Password which was used during Password All-Stars was designed by Henry C. Lickel who designed the original set to abc's Family Feud and Howard Felsher was the producer of this version as well

[StukInBuf]

The "slack" time could've been filled with ABC promos, and maybe a local(New York, possible?) station break?

[GarfieldnPyramid]

Wow the finale where did you get this? I think the oringal ABC copy is erased so take very good care of it. (may be the only copy left in the world.)

[Hondo20132]

Nope; I think ABC preserved this; this was the studio copy. Anyway, this is not his copy, he got it from the trading circuit.

[GarfieldnPyramid]

I hear a voice over for You Don't Say and Ryme and Reason at the end. So it must have come from an OB date because the oringial tapes don't have the voice over. Someone Recorded this and it went into the tradeing current.

[PREGO1966]

Tom Kennedy was Allen's best friend. He was the right man to take his place at the time. If a man's worth is measured in conviction and courage, Allen Ludden had no equal.. There are other class acts, some who have left us recently like Tom's big brother Jack Narz. Tom and later Bert Convy and maybe someday someone else could take Allen's place. No one could ever replace him. I still miss you, you old man.

[megamanj2004X]

@PREGO1966 - as both men cameoed on each other's shows in the mid-to-late '70s on NBC. Allen Ludden was hosting Stumpers! while Tom Kennedy was helming 50 Grand Slam.

[megamanj2004X]

@PREGO1966 - also Allen Ludden helmed 3/4 of the future PW hosts (Tom Kennedy, Bill Cullen, Bert Convy), while Tom Kennedy is the only PW host to interact w/ all of the PW hosts, including future MDP and WWtbaM host Regis Philbin.

[SailorCallie]

Speaking of 'Showoffs', wasn't during the 84-85 tv season that CBS debuted 'Body Language' which is similar to 'Showoffs'?

[nanlisa]

Tom Kennedy stayed with Password Plus until the show ended in 1982. But it was during that time period that Allen Ludden had passed away from cancer; just five days before him and Betty White's 18th wedding anniversary. I remember hearing him say tht he left the show in good hands (referring to Tom Kennedy).

[nanlisa]

Don't forget that Allen Ludden had that four-year break between the CBS and the ABC versions. When it went off the air on CBS in 1967, Love is a Many-Splendored Thing replaced it. Then in 1971, it replaced Dark Shadows on ABC.

He came back with Password Plus in '79, but then he had health problems. He had surgery in the spring of 1980, then in October (1980) he had a stroke and he was in a coma for two weeks. By then he was just too sick to continue, therefore Tom Kennedy took his place.

[sugarbear522]

I can't believe the original version ended in my birth year. I see and hear alot of game shows in my lifetime, and on the last show I hear its host rant like a candidate lose the election. It's my opinion, I might be wrong.

[FreeFallin1976]

This gameshow is forever legendary! And Allen made it wonderful and unforgettable.

[pbatommy]

I've owned a Password board game ever since I was in grade school. We should be ever grateful to Allen Ludden, Betty White, and Mark Goodson for creating this masterpiece of a game.

[gameshowluvr86]

Amen.

[secondchance1977]

Amen!

[davemock]

As well as the actual creator, Bob Stewart.

[Macduck92]

Amen, I will stil be enterly grateful to Mark Goodson for making the best game shows

and to Allen Ludden and Betty White who made "Password" the historic game it was

[tnawcwvictoria]

@pbatommy Amen to that

Allen Ludden will always be Mr. Password and Betty White will forver be a TRUE Legend of Game Shows

[Aspergian]

The game show buddy of yours had to have had a copy of the master tape, or the master tape itself.

[gameshowluvr86]

I think that explains the extra slack at the end. :)

[Aspergian]

How did you get hold of this with the original ABC voice-over? Video cassette recorders did get introduced in 1975, but not everybody had them.

[gameshowluvr86]

I've had this copy for about six months now, got it from tape trading with another game show buddy. Awesome, right? :)

[bluebear1985]

For the shows mentioned during the credits, You Don't Say! would be off the air in 4 months, while Rhyme & Reason lasted a year. I havn't seen much of it, but from descriptions I've read about it, it sounds like a Match Game ripoff.

[gameshowfrk]

Not to mention "Showoffs", the show that replaced "Password" in most markets would call it quits on December 26th of 1975! Also, I might add that "Rhyme and Reason" would be replaced by a little effort called "Family Feud"!

[johnissoevil]

Yeah, I heard about that little Feud game. Some kissing guy hosted it. I wonder whatever became of that show.. ;-)

[AarHan3]

Didn't he also do Match Game?

[digital2500]

No that was Gene Rayburn

[gpciie]

As a panelist he did, though.

[pbatommy]

Which incidentally was created by someone named Mark Goodson!

[mpontheair2]

...and Showoffs would be replaced by the humongous bomb called "The Magnificent Marble Machine."

...and the new "You Don't Say" barely came to fruition and was canceled after only several weeks.

[sailorlunatic]

Actually you're wrong about "Marble Machine". It was on NBC opposite "Showoffs" on ABC in most markets. I also might add that on Labor Day of 1975 I was mad that I couldn't watch "Showoffs" because the local ABC affiliate was carrying the Jerry Lewis Telethon. So I had to settle for "Marble Machine".

[midknightryder13]

Am I one of the few people who actually LIKED "The Magnificent Marble Machine"? Yes, I know -- so corny you could pop it, but it worked for me on some level I can't fully explain -- besides my love of pinball.

[midknightryder13]

R&R was, essentially, a vehicle to showcase Nipsey Russell's poetic talents. The problem was there were 3 (or 4 or 5) OTHER celebrities on the panel as well. Sometimes, it was just painful to watch. Kind of like "Password All-Stars", the ill-advised version of "Password" that directly preceeded this one. Personally, I always thought it MORE than redeemed itself when they added civilian contestants back into it. ut, it was too late -- the viewers had left and didn't return.

[tjmsgal]

Thanks for posting this!

[megamanj2004X]

And sure enough Password would be back...as "Password Plus" (Jan. 1979-March 1982; NBC) and later as "Super Password" (Sep. 1984-Mar. 1989; NBC) and now as "Million Dollard Password" (June 2008-pres.; CBS).