Las Vegas Gambit Part 3

In June 1980, NBC cancelled Heatter-Quigley's flagship show The Hollywood Squares and the revival of High Rollers in favor of a 90-minute (later 60) talk-variety show hosted by future late night icon David Letterman. When Letterman's effort failed miserably after a four-month run, the network obviously decided to make amends to the packager by reviving Gambit.

Plugging the show in at 10 a.m./9 Central, NBC found out, however, that many affiliates would not give the show a chance, due to the increasing popularity of syndicated talk shows like Donahue and Hour Magazine, which station managers thought would draw larger audiences (and, more importantly, larger local advertising revenues) than NBC offerings. Further, even though CBS ran sitcom reruns against Las Vegas Gambit, many of their stations carried those aforementioned syndicated offerings and often won their markets with those, instead of the network feed.

Las Vegas Gambit lasted 13 months. Over the next several months, NBC would rid itself of all the other games on its daytime schedule except for Wheel, which became NBC's sole daytime game show until January 1983.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Las
• Vegas
• Gambit
• blackjack
• game
• show
• wink
• martindale

[Dodgerfn5]

How interesting that the dice version of Las Vegas Gambit would turn out to be High Rollers 7 years later produced by the same Merill Heatter and hosted by the same Wink Martindale. This is exactly like its bonus game.

[BatmanFan1966]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!! I DONT want Regis! Bring back GAMBIT! Not Catch 21, GAMBIT!!!!! Don't care how...I want it now! Don't care how, I want it NOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWwwww­wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww­w!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lupton2000]

Was this the last taped show? I figured it would have aired in August 1981 with reruns airing until November 27, 1981.

[9409312]

You Mean 1972-1976 he Hosted the CBS Verison of that Game Show for Almost 5 years on the Classic Original "Gambit"

[johnissoevil]

WAY more short lived.

[johnissoevil]

They didn't know at the time that this would be it.

[nicka727]

Did this apply to stations that aired on other than NBC stations or syndication with that Wink in the little box reminding viewers that this is the last broadcast? In Detroit, it was shown on WXYZ channel 7 and when I watched it, the reminder did not show up at the end because it is an ABC station but the syndicated Regis Philbin airs on this station. Did the tape of the same broadcast had with the reminder for NBC and without the reminder for broadcasts not seen on the NBC affiliates?

[lilyitch]

Was That Both The Finale Of The Second singles week, And The Series Finale Of Las Vegas Gambit In which After That Regis Hosted Las Vegas Gambit?

[supersaver87]

A plug for Las Vegas Gambit tickets. On the finale.

Ooooooookay...

[Hondo20132]

Martindale popping up to remind us that it was the finale was pretty scary. Then again, they had to do that 'cause they probably didn't know by the time this was taped.