Concentration (1985 pilot), pt. 3

Before Classic Concentration, there was this pilot.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Concentration
• game
• show
• pilot
• Classic
• Orson
• Bean

[Noveltooner]

@MrLogoman007 That was because NBC originally had rejected "Classic Concentration" because they were phasing out game shows and turning much of the time over to local stations. However, when most CBS and ABC affiliates displayed interest in picking up what was in essence NBC's property, the network paid former NBC exec. Jim Victory to "syndicate" it to the network. This version was disliked by many of the network brass, but the network was still raking in royalties.

[MrLogoman007]

3:40- Interestingly enough, Classic Concentration (which was a network show) was also syndicated by Victory Television.

[TVGamePlayah]

I knew for certain my particular episode had no chance to air.

Two of the word associations in one of my puzzles were: "mother/father" and "kiss/pucker". Guess which two I blindly chose... yup, mother and pucker! The live audience roared in laughter. Bean and I looked at each other in stunned awkward silence, and moved on.

[TVGamePlayah]

There were actually five pilot episodes taped back to back. I was a "contestant" on one of the other episodes taped that day.

It was clearly explained to us that as a pilot, we would only earn the money won during the main game. Any bonus round prizes would only be actually awarded if the episode was eventually aired. I don't think anybody involved, cast or crew, really thought our pilot episodes would air, even if the show was picked up.

[TVGamePlayah]

Although I had been somewhat expecting my mother-pucker episode to appear on TV Bloopers with Dick Clark, but it never did.

The highlight of this experience for me was meeting Mark Goodson, he was very gracious and personally thanked me for doing a good job - I was thrilled. Orson Bean, on the other hand, was obviously stressed out, didn't seem to enjoy the gig, and by the time we taped my episode, he was not very friendly off camera.

Thanks Whammy for finding this.

[MountainHawkPYL]

Look at 2:07 (7 seconds left in game). He picked ONE square (13, blender) and it got reset. In a real game he would have got the money due to the technical error

[WarioBarker88]

Sorry again -- apparently I couldn't add. 0_0 It *has* been 25 years.

[Hondo20132]

Wait a minute... I just noticed something! Even if he did choose that last number in time, he wouldn't have won.

[Hondo20132]

You can't help but think what a win from this kind of version would look like, you know...

[WarioBarker88]

I showed this episode to my mother, and she said she recalls seeing such a version like this.

Then again, I showed her a picture of the unsold "Golden Triangle" starring Tom Kennedy and she claimed that was a show from her childhood.