as of late 2023 the trop in Vegas shut down and then demolition began half way through 2024 to make room for the athletics baseball team come 2028, still crazy rewatching the pilots and seeing how different everything was even vacation spots
Fact for everyone: there was a prop man under the wheel controlling it just to vary things up once they realized that those flippers did little to stop the wheel. Fortunately, they put a fan under there for the second pilot after he almost passed out from the heat. (And I actually liked the shopping in the early days when it was possible for people to win enough to buy a car in round 1 or 2.)
Not so much "to control" but just to add weight to it. Later when it got officially picked up with Woolery they were able to put a lot more money into the set knowing that it would get out of the pilots... (i.e.. the wheel could be more than a bunch of posterboard wedges and an overgrown cake spinner lol... oh and arrows you could actually see. lol)
It's a good thing that someone at NBC saw the potential in both this format and Chuck Woolery as a host. Merv had two halves of a whole win, he just didn't know it at first.
He also did the western 77 sunset strip and was a singer best known for the duet with Connie Stevens: "Kookie, lend me your comb". He was a victim of typecasting after 77 sunset strip and pretty much played similar characters after that for the most part.
This theme is "Give it One" The 4 acceptable Wheel Themes are Give it One Big Wheels Changing Keys and Happy Wheels. Whenever it was changed from Happy Wheels to whatever that weird 2018 theme was was ridiculous...having Changing Keys back was the right call...because Changing Keys is the Wheel Theme!
Directed by Marty Pasetta, later of Pasetta Productions which put out the 1980s show Catch Phrase. Bringing this all full-circle, he also directed the 'comeback special' for...Frank Sinatra!!
Ed "Kookey" Burnes.... Did anyone notice the math error? Last I checked $2800 + $700 does not = $3550... lol Not that it made a difference.... (I'm a gameshow nutjob. lol)
Yes, I was going to mention that as well... It didn't affect the outcome, barely... Maybe the scoreboard operator didn't make it out of the pilot stage either 😂
Gotta agree the way Edd kinda tried to bully contestants to keep spinning was a problem. Standards & practices definitely wouldn't have liked that since it could influence the outcome of the game. The only time i ever saw Chuck do anything close to that is if the contestant didn't have all that much, but even then, he didn't push the issue. It would go something like this: Contestant: I'd like to solve. Chuck: Ma'am you have $300, you sure that's all you want? Okay, it's up to you. And there was one occasion the contestant solved at $850, after Chuck got her spin to see what would have happened...she would have hit $1500. ouch.
I will say this though, if I were in Edd's shoes at 21:22 I would have said. "Now before you decide Marge, let me point one thing out to you: you're at $3550, you are only $50 short of having enough to buy the car. But you gamble, you could lose it all. Completely up to you, spin or solve?"
He's "excitable" because it's well known he was very intoxicated. That's part of why he didn't get the job... lol Fun fact... the letterboard was supposed to be mechanical, but they never got it to work so they took out the mechanics and stuck with the idea of a hostess.
@@LittleRockElevatorsandmore That's why it never really made it out of rehearsals.... They stopped and scrapped the whole thing all together. What's amazing is that they still have a hostess given the automation... (International versions such as in South Africa only have a host with the onset of the digital board...)
@@joshuagibson5121 that's no rumor. Dr. Stafford on the board there caught him and went right to Merv...the second pilot is way more open about it..."Spin the Puzzle" what a "who said anything about a horse?" Moment if there ever was.
So yes, it was good that they got rid of the prize selection segment. But I loved watching them try and maximize their prizes and end up getting an ugly ceramic dog statue at the end.
Be warned friend from what I’ve heard the reason people say this episode is such a fun watch is because of how badly Ed Burns screws up but you were the judge
I still like my steak well done... i don't care if you eat it still mooing.. I remember later in Wheel of fortune that you could either 'put it on account' or get a 'Service Merchandise' gift certificate
Actually, they could've put the leftover money on a gift certificate during this pilot as well; it's just the player in the blue position chose to put hers on account every time (something that got way less popular later on) and the winner actually spent all her money to the dollar, so the gift certificate thing that would've been forced on her never came into play.
There is a difference between being a little tipsy and taking your hosting job seriously and being outright wasted and unprofessional. It's time to "Spin the Puzzle" and "Solve the Wheel." Susan Stafford, after the two pilots was livid with Edd Byrnes due to his drunken behavior because she thought that it may have cost the show a chance of getting greenlit by NBC.
And Dr. Stafford would be right about that. Wheel would be airring mid-morning competing with The Price is Right on CBS. If this had gone unchecked...well the show would have had a different audience in the afternoon instead of the audience show was aiming for...and when it comes to Wheel's taping rules...Dr. Stafford agreed with the price producers back then. Never do anything to embarress parents with little solvers watching...because this show can and is used to teach how to read.
@@marcpower4167 and that was a good choice. Chuck was a much better option for Early Wheel. Also for some fun humor, most people in the martial arts circuit tell Chuck Norris jokes, in the gameshow world we tell Chuck Woolery jokes when Match Game rips off his gig!
The 2nd pilot is where he says spin the puzzle & solve the wheel. Also, no one bought vowels here.
6:52--That face he made after he said "WHAT IS YOUR DECISION"... LOL, you can tell he was inebriated.
god, you can tell Ed was on the sauce during this taping
He was drunk
YOU DON''T WANNA BUY A VOWEL?!?!?!?!
@@wschmrdr Hell No Edd leave me alone and let me solve the puzzle. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
He did another pilot as well, on that one he was a different kind of drunk almost like he was hungover.
@@marcpower4167 That's where he asked a contestant about spinning the puzzle.
as of late 2023 the trop in Vegas shut down and then demolition began half way through 2024 to make room for the athletics baseball team come 2028, still crazy rewatching the pilots and seeing how different everything was even vacation spots
Fact for everyone: there was a prop man under the wheel controlling it just to vary things up once they realized that those flippers did little to stop the wheel. Fortunately, they put a fan under there for the second pilot after he almost passed out from the heat. (And I actually liked the shopping in the early days when it was possible for people to win enough to buy a car in round 1 or 2.)
Not so much "to control" but just to add weight to it. Later when it got officially picked up with Woolery they were able to put a lot more money into the set knowing that it would get out of the pilots... (i.e.. the wheel could be more than a bunch of posterboard wedges and an overgrown cake spinner lol... oh and arrows you could actually see. lol)
22:11 Probably Alan Thicke lol
It's a good thing that someone at NBC saw the potential in both this format and Chuck Woolery as a host. Merv had two halves of a whole win, he just didn't know it at first.
Rule of a host. Never cajole a contestant against their wishes.
Standards and Practices would be livid with the host because it could affect the outcome of a game.
@@foxmccloud7055 That could be why he didn't get the gig.
I remember when Acapulco was a great trip game shows used to give away. Now Acapulco is crime ridden, travellers liabel get into trouble.
Burns did a 2nd pilot of this as well. I remember him from Grease.
He also did the western 77 sunset strip and was a singer best known for the duet with Connie Stevens: "Kookie, lend me your comb". He was a victim of typecasting after 77 sunset strip and pretty much played similar characters after that for the most part.
To heck with you, I like the shopping!
Alan Thicke wrote this theme along with "Big Wheels", the theme finally chosen for the show.
This theme is "Give it One"
The 4 acceptable Wheel Themes are
Give it One
Big Wheels
Changing Keys
and Happy Wheels. Whenever it was changed from Happy Wheels to whatever that weird 2018 theme was was ridiculous...having Changing Keys back was the right call...because Changing Keys is the Wheel Theme!
Directed by Marty Pasetta, later of Pasetta Productions which put out the 1980s show Catch Phrase. Bringing this all full-circle, he also directed the 'comeback special' for...Frank Sinatra!!
now i know for SURE...there was a "Buy a vowel" wedge
Merv Griffin didn't want Edd Kookie Burns because he was mouthing AEIOU over and over in the back
Who wrote the music?
Maynard Ferguson (1971)
Wink uploaded a never before seen Pat Sajack pilot Show Me The Money.
I saw he did that, I should totally do a watch along with that one.
When Roseanne solved the first puzzle, there was only one consonant left. The Acapulco trip today would be at least $7,500.
Supposedly there were rumors that Edd was so drunk backstage that he was having trouble memorizing the vowels. He was not very good in these pilots.
That was actually a "Buy A Vowel" which forced a player to either buy a vowel or, if they don't have enough money to do do so, lose their turn.
The buy a vowel wedge was pointless. because people could just buy a vowel on there own, they later changed it to a free vowel.
They got rid of both of those in the first week and eventually put in Free Spin.
A lot of orange on the wedges it's an eyesore
Review the first pat sajak episode then Vanna then whichever episode debued the modern format with cash and a bonus roung
Ed "Kookey" Burnes.... Did anyone notice the math error? Last I checked $2800 + $700 does not = $3550... lol Not that it made a difference....
(I'm a gameshow nutjob. lol)
Yes, I was going to mention that as well... It didn't affect the outcome, barely... Maybe the scoreboard operator didn't make it out of the pilot stage either 😂
Gotta agree the way Edd kinda tried to bully contestants to keep spinning was a problem. Standards & practices definitely wouldn't have liked that since it could influence the outcome of the game. The only time i ever saw Chuck do anything close to that is if the contestant didn't have all that much, but even then, he didn't push the issue. It would go something like this:
Contestant: I'd like to solve.
Chuck: Ma'am you have $300, you sure that's all you want? Okay, it's up to you.
And there was one occasion the contestant solved at $850, after Chuck got her spin to see what would have happened...she would have hit $1500. ouch.
I will say this though, if I were in Edd's shoes at 21:22 I would have said. "Now before you decide Marge, let me point one thing out to you: you're at $3550, you are only $50 short of having enough to buy the car. But you gamble, you could lose it all. Completely up to you, spin or solve?"
He's "excitable" because it's well known he was very intoxicated. That's part of why he didn't get the job... lol
Fun fact... the letterboard was supposed to be mechanical, but they never got it to work so they took out the mechanics and stuck with the idea of a hostess.
And its a good thing they did that. Can you imagine the mechanical failures that board would have if they stuck to the original idea?
@@LittleRockElevatorsandmore That's why it never really made it out of rehearsals.... They stopped and scrapped the whole thing all together. What's amazing is that they still have a hostess given the automation... (International versions such as in South Africa only have a host with the onset of the digital board...)
Edd was um...elevated. 😀
Rumors has it that he was drunk.
@@joshuagibson5121 that's no rumor. Dr. Stafford on the board there caught him and went right to Merv...the second pilot is way more open about it..."Spin the Puzzle" what a "who said anything about a horse?" Moment if there ever was.
Edd admitted it in his autobiography also.
So yes, it was good that they got rid of the prize selection segment. But I loved watching them try and maximize their prizes and end up getting an ugly ceramic dog statue at the end.
Be warned friend from what I’ve heard the reason people say this episode is such a fun watch is because of how badly Ed Burns screws up but you were the judge
I still like my steak well done... i don't care if you eat it still mooing.. I remember later in Wheel of fortune that you could either 'put it on account' or get a 'Service Merchandise' gift certificate
Actually, they could've put the leftover money on a gift certificate during this pilot as well; it's just the player in the blue position chose to put hers on account every time (something that got way less popular later on) and the winner actually spent all her money to the dollar, so the gift certificate thing that would've been forced on her never came into play.
There is a difference between being a little tipsy and taking your hosting job seriously and being outright wasted and unprofessional. It's time to "Spin the Puzzle" and "Solve the Wheel." Susan Stafford, after the two pilots was livid with Edd Byrnes due to his drunken behavior because she thought that it may have cost the show a chance of getting greenlit by NBC.
And Dr. Stafford would be right about that. Wheel would be airring mid-morning competing with The Price is Right on CBS. If this had gone unchecked...well the show would have had a different audience in the afternoon instead of the audience show was aiming for...and when it comes to Wheel's taping rules...Dr. Stafford agreed with the price producers back then.
Never do anything to embarress parents with little solvers watching...because this show can and is used to teach how to read.
From what I understand, it was a condition NBC put on greenlighting the show: Get rid of Edd and bring Chuck back.
@@marcpower4167 and that was a good choice. Chuck was a much better option for Early Wheel.
Also for some fun humor, most people in the martial arts circuit tell Chuck Norris jokes, in the gameshow world we tell Chuck Woolery jokes when Match Game rips off his gig!