The daytime Wheel of Fortune was an American game show that aired on NBC from January 6, 1975 to June 30, 1989. It was then seen on CBS from July 17, 1989, to January 11, 1991, and again on NBC from January 14, 1991, until its final cancellation on September 20, 1991. It always aired in the late morning, between 10:00 a.m. and noon Eastern Time; for most of its run, NBC carried it at 11:00 a.m. For seven weeks in 1975-76, it aired in a one-hour format, as NBC tried to copy the success of CBS's recently-expanded The Price Is Right. It was created by Merv Griffin. Image File history File links Wof70slogo. ... This article is about the television genre. ... Mervyn Edward Merv Griffin, Jr. ... Charles Herbert Chuck Woolery (born on March 16, 1941) is a popular game show host, best known for hosting the dating game show Love Connection, from its debut in 1983 to the conclusion of its first version in 1994. ... Susan Stafford (b. ... Patrick Leonard Sajdak, better known as Pat Sajak (born October 26, 1946), is best known as the host of the popular and long-running American television game show, Wheel of Fortune. ... Vanna White (born Vanna Marie Rosich on February 18, 1957 is a American television personality, best known as the hostess and puzzle board operator on the long-running game show Wheel of Fortune. ... // About Rolf Born in 1955, Rolf Benirschke was a kicker in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers from 1978 to 1987 who played from 1980 to 1986. ... Robert Kuehl Goen (born December 1, 1954) is a American game show emcee and a popular television personality, best known as the reporter and sub anchor, before being co-anchor to Mary Hart & Jann Carl on the long-running newsmagazine program, Entertainment Tonight, on which he stayed on the show... Charlie ODonnell (born August 12, 1932 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a television announcer best known for his work on Wheel of Fortune. ... Jack Clark (December 13, 1921 - July 21, 1988) was a American game show emcee and announcer. ... M.G. Kelly (also known as Machine Gun Kelly) is an actor, disc jockey and radio personality from Los Angeles, California. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... NBC (a former acronym for National Broadcasting Company) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... CBS is one of the largest radio and television networks in the United States. ... January 6 is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 359 days (360 in leap years) remaining. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... September 20 is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years). ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the television genre. ... NBC (a former acronym for National Broadcasting Company) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... January 6 is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 359 days (360 in leap years) remaining. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... June 30 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 184 days remaining. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... CBS is one of the largest radio and television networks in the United States. ... July 17 is the 198th day of the year (199th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... January 11 is the 11th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 14 is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... September 20 is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years). ... The Price Is Right is a popular American game show largely centering around contestants guessing the retail prices of featured prizes and other promotional products. ... Mervyn Edward Merv Griffin, Jr. ...

Origins

Chuck Woolery emceed the original "Wheel" pilot episode, "Shopper's Bazaar", in late 1973. After some retooling and a title change to the now famous Wheel of Fortune, Edd Byrnes hosted a second pilot in 1974. The theme song used for these episodes was "Give It One" by jazz trumpter Maynard Ferguson. Griffin ultimately preferred and chose Woolery as the host. Reportedly, Byrnes had to memorize the vowels offstage, which may have prompted Griffin to pick Woolery. Charles Herbert Chuck Woolery (born on March 16, 1941) is a popular game show host, best known for hosting the dating game show Love Connection, from its debut in 1983 to the conclusion of its first version in 1994. ... A television pilot is a test episode of an intended television series. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Walter Maynard Ferguson (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian jazz trumpet player and bandleader. ...

"Wheel" debuted on January 6, 1975, on NBC at 10:30 EST/9:30 CST. NBC daytime programming chief Lin Bolen purchased the show from Griffin as compensation for cancelling the original version of Jeopardy!, which had one year remaining on its contract, and which left the air the Friday before the "Wheel" premiere. A new version of Jeopardy! did return to NBC in 1978, but lasted only six months due to low ratings. After another hiatus, Jeopardy! returned in a syndicated version in 1984, and has been on television ever since. The syndicated versions of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! are both distributed by King World, and have been packaged together since 1990. January 6 is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 359 days (360 in leap years) remaining. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Jeopardy! is a popular international television quiz game show, originally devised by Merv Griffin, who also created Wheel of Fortune. ... King World Productions (aka King World Entertainment or simply King World) is the leading syndicator of U.S. television programming. ...

Changes

After seven years at the helm, Chuck Woolery left "Wheel" after a salary dispute with Griffin; his last episode aired on December 25 (Christmas Day), 1981. On the following episode, aired December 28, Pat Sajak replaced him as host. Sajak left the daytime show on January 9, 1989, to host an ill-fated (due in part to its direct competition with Johnny Carson) late-night talk show for CBS. He was replaced by former San Diego Chargers place-kicker Rolf Benirschke, who had no previous television hosting experience, and later admitted that he had never seen a complete episode of "Wheel" before his hiring by Griffin. Benirschke often appeared to be uncomfortable behind the camera, due to his lack of experience. He lasted only six months as host, as the show was cancelled by NBC on June 30, 1989. When it was reincarnated on CBS on July 17 of that year, experienced host Bob Goen was brought in and lasted for the rest of its run, including the 1991 move back to NBC. December 25 is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 6 days remaining in the year. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 28 is the 362nd day of the year (363rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 3 days remaining. ... Patrick Leonard Sajdak, better known as Pat Sajak (born October 26, 1946), is best known as the host of the popular and long-running American television game show, Wheel of Fortune. ... January 9 is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other people named John Carson, see John Carson (disambiguation). ... The Pat Sajak Show was an American late-night television talk show which aired on CBS from January 9, 1989 to April 13, 1990. ... City San Diego, California Other nicknames Bolts, Super Chargers Team colors Navy Blue, White, and Gold Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer Owner Alex Spanos George Pernicano (Minority owner (3%)) General manager A.J. Smith Fight song San Diego Super Chargers League/Conference affiliations American Football League (1960-1969) Western Division (1960... // About Rolf Born in 1955, Rolf Benirschke was a kicker in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers from 1978 to 1987 who played from 1980 to 1986. ... June 30 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 184 days remaining. ... July 17 is the 198th day of the year (199th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Robert Kuehl Goen (born December 1, 1954) is a American game show emcee and a popular television personality, best known as the reporter and sub anchor, before being co-anchor to Mary Hart & Jann Carl on the long-running newsmagazine program, Entertainment Tonight, on which he stayed on the show...

The original show concept did not include a hostess, as a mechanical puzzle board was constructed for the pilot. However, Susan Stafford was brought in because the letter trilons failed to turn automatically, and was hired as hostess for the show's premiere. However, she left the show in 1982 to pursue humanitarian work. Substitute letter turners included Summer Bartholomew (who would later be seen on Sale Of The Century), and Playboy playmate Vicki McCarty, until Vanna White was picked as Stafford's permanent replacement in fall 1982. (Stafford would return to substitute for a week in 1986.) Vanna White remained as hostess for the rest of the daytime show’s run, working with both of its later hosts. Susan Stafford (b. ... Summer Bartholomew (born November 20, 1951 7:45 PM in Merced, CA, USA) is a model and actress perhaps best known for winning the 1975 Miss USA pageant, as the contestant from California. ... Countries which have their own version Sale of the Century is an international television game show format that has screened in several countries in various incarnations since 1969. ... The first issue of Playboy. ... Vicky McCarty Iovine was born Vicki McCarty in Los Angeles, California on January 13, 1954. ... Vanna White (born Vanna Marie Rosich on February 18, 1957 is a American television personality, best known as the hostess and puzzle board operator on the long-running game show Wheel of Fortune. ...

Announcer Charlie O'Donnell has been "the voice of the Wheel" since the first daytime episode, except from 1980-1988, when Jack Clark announced due to O'Donnell's obligations to other shows. After Clark died in 1988, Los Angeles-area disc jockey M.G. Kelly briefly filled in until O'Donnell returned permanently in early 1989. Charlie ODonnell (born August 12, 1932 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a television announcer best known for his work on Wheel of Fortune. ... Jack Clark (December 13, 1921 - July 21, 1988) was a American game show emcee and announcer. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... M.G. Kelly (also known as Machine Gun Kelly) is an actor, disc jockey and radio personality from Los Angeles, California. ...

Alex Trebek, current host of Jeopardy!, filled in on this version during an episode in 1980, when Woolery took a brief leave of absence. There was also at least one week of shows in 1980 featuring other game show emcees as contestants, where a featured emcee played for a member of the studio audience. The emcee played against two regular studio contestants. At least one episode from that week — one featuring Tom Kennedy — survives on the game show tape trading circuit. Bill Cullen, Jim Perry, and Wink Martindale also participated. Alex Trebek, with his once-iconic mustache, hosting a 1986 episode of Jeopardy! George Alexander Trebek (born as Giorgi Suka-Alex Trebek [1] on July 22, 1940) is an Emmy Award-winning Canadian-American television personality and best known as the host of the game show Jeopardy! since September 10... Tom Kennedy (born James Narz February 16, 1927, in Louisville, Kentucky) is a television game show host who had his greatest fame in the 1960s and 1970s. ... William Bill Lawrence Frances Cullen (February 18, 1920–July 7, 1990), was an American radio and television personality. ... Jim Perry, seen here hosting the popular American game show, Card Sharks. ... Wink Martindale entering on Tic Tac Dough Wink Martindale (born Winston Conrad Martindale on December 4, 1933 in Jackson, Tennessee, USA) is a disc jockey and television game show host. ...

The show underwent a number of format changes when it moved to CBS, which remained after the 1991 return to NBC. The concept of shopping for prizes was eliminated in favor of an all-cash format that the nighttime version had been using successfully since 1987. This allowed the show a faster pace, since time was no longer needed between rounds for contestants to "spend" the money they earned. However, to avoid budget difficulties, the dollar amounts on the Wheel were reduced (see below), contributing to the show's ultimate demise. The Bonus Round also changed at that time; once shopping was eliminated, contestants no longer chose any one of the higher-priced "shopping" prizes from the main game as their bonus prize. Instead, they chose from four or five special bonus prizes, which always included a cash prize of $5,000 (analogous to the $25,000 on the nighttime show).

Ultimately, the daytime show had four permanent hosts and two permanent hostesses in 16 1/2 years, while the nighttime show, in contrast, has had the same host and hostess (Sajak and White) in over 23 years since its premiere in 1983. This article discusses the current version of the U.S. game show. ...

Production

Production of the show moved from NBC Studios in Burbank to CBS Television City in Hollywood when the daytime show first changed networks. Production did not return to NBC when the show briefly rejoined that network in 1991, but remained at Television City until final cancellation.

Gameplay

See article: Wheel of Fortune (US game show)#Gameplay This article discusses the current version of the U.S. game show. ...

Each contestant who solved a puzzle would be guaranteed a house minimum of $200 ($100 during the first few months in 1975).

Returning champions

The final version of the daytime show allowed victorious contestants to return up to three times (originally up to five). However, the winner on the last Benirschke episode, even though he had not yet won three games, apparently was brought back as returning champion on Goen’s first show.

Wheel dollar amounts and prize values

A contestant with a portion of her winnings On Account, during a 1980 episode.

The top dollar values on the wheel at the outset were $500 in round one, $750 in round two, and $1000 for each round thereafter, with some spaces worth as little as $25. One year later, in 1976, the top amounts changed to $1000 in round two and $1500 for rounds 3 and beyond, and no value less than $100 was present on the wheel. Around 1980, the top amounts increased to $750, $1000 and $2000, and remained there until the end of the first NBC run. Image File history File links Onaccount. ... Image File history File links Onaccount. ...

Through the daytime show's history, the infamous black BANKRUPT and yellow LOSE A TURN spaces went unchanged. The tan FREE SPIN space (or "territory", as Chuck Woolery called it) was replaced after the first NBC run by a single FREE SPIN marker placed on various dollar amounts. In the very early days of "Wheel", there was also a red BUY A VOWEL space which enabled the spinner to buy one of the five vowels if he/she had enough money accumulated. This proved to be too complex for regular game play and the space was removed after a very short stint, giving the players an opportunity to buy vowels at any time as long as they had enough money.

For the 1987-88 season, a JACKPOT wedge, which began with a value of $1,000 and increased by that amount each day until won, was introduced for the third round of each episode. If a player landed on JACKPOT, avoided BANKRUPT for the rest of the round, and solved the puzzle, the jackpot value was added to that player's total score and was used to shop for prizes.

After the move to CBS and the introduction of the all-cash format, the vast majority of the spaces on the wheel had their values cut in half from the shopping version, making them an even smaller fraction of the analogous values on the nighttime show. The top values on the wheel were $500 for the first two rounds, $1000 for round 3 and $1250 for rounds 4 and beyond, and prize wedges similar in appearance to those on the nighttime show but smaller in value were introduced. In the first few weeks of the CBS version, $50 and $75 spaces briefly re-appeared on the wheel. These amounts below $100 were eliminated almost immediately, and additional dollar values were raised with the move back to NBC in 1991, but payouts still paled to those offered on the nighttime show. To compensate, the price of vowels on the daytime show was decreased from $250 to $200 before the end of 1989, and again to $100 during the second NBC run.

The bonus prizes offered on the daytime show post-shopping were considerably smaller as well, with a $5,000 cash prize instead of $25,000, and cars in the $10,000-$15,000 range instead of the upper five-figure Porsches, motorhomes, and annuities frequently offered on the nighttime show. Briefly, a player on the daytime version could win only 20% to 25% as much as an equally lucky and skillful nighttime contestant.

Bonus Round

1975-76 version

The U.S. version tinkered with a bonus round format for six weeks in December 1975 and January 1976, when the show was one hour long in competition with The Price is Right. The winner of the show was asked to choose one of four different puzzles: easy, medium, hard, and difficult; shown the chosen puzzle; asked to specify four consonants and a vowel; and given 15 seconds to solve the puzzle. If he or she was successful, the contestant won a prize based on the chosen difficulty. (For example, the prize for an easy puzzle might be a $1,000 television-stereo console, while a difficult puzzle would provide the show's grand prize, such as a $13,000 Cadillac Eldorado.) The prizes varied widely between episodes.

1978 "Star Bonus" version

The "Star Bonus" round was played for a time in September 1978, and allowed a second- or third-place contestant to become champion by solving a Bonus Round-type puzzle.

A special "Star Bonus" disc was placed on the wheel. The disc allowed anyone who claimed it to play the Bonus Round if he or she was the second- or third-place contestant that day. The contestant had to play for a prize that was worth more than the lead of the first-place contestant; just like the hour-long Bonus Round, the prize's value corresponded with the puzzle's difficulty. As before, the contestant was asked to pick four consonants and one vowel, then was given 15 seconds to attempt to solve the puzzle.

Critics of this format point to several flaws, most notably that merely landing on the space did not guarantee the Star Bonus would be played. It was possible for the day's eventual first-place contestant to land on the Star Bonus. Also, the Star Bonus prizes were available during shopping rounds, meaning a dominant player could buy the proverbial $13,000 Chevrolet Corvette and thus render an opponent's Star Bonus token useless. Then, there was the possibility that the Star Bonus token would not be landed on at all, causing some haphazard editing that irked viewers.

1981-1991

The show adopted a permanent bonus round on Sajak's first episode. Originally, no cash prize was offered, but a player could choose one of the more expensive "shopping" prizes as a bonus prize. The move to CBS and adoption of the cash format led to a bonus round almost identical to that seen on the nighttime version, but with cheaper prizes. The prizes typically included trips, subcompact cars, or rooms of furniture, and always included a cash prize of $5,000. Prizes were not removed from play when won; while a returning champion could not pick the same prize twice, a new champion could pick the same prize as a previous champion. Some of the daytime bonus prizes doubled as main-game wheel prizes for the syndicated version, providing unintended humor for viewers of both versions. The contestant was always allowed to choose the prize; no "blind draw" was employed on the daytime version.

Throughout the history of the daytime version, a tie game meant that there would be no Bonus Round played that day, but all three players would return on the next show, even if one finished behind the other two.

Ratings and cancellation

The daytime Wheel of Fortune had respectably strong ratings for most of its run. From 1978 until 1990, it was the second- or third-most-watched network game show, trailing only The Price is Right and sometimes Family Feud. However, the daytime show never reached its nighttime counterpart's stratospheric level of popularity, as evidenced by the fact that it was cancelled three times in two and one-half years (NBC, summer 1989; CBS, winter 1991; NBC, summer 1991). This was, of course, because the daytime audience, composed mainly of housewives, college students, and children, amounted to only a fraction of the viewers tuned in during the "access hour" (usually 7-8 p.m. Eastern and 6:30-7 Central) in the early evening, when local stations usually broadcast the syndicated version.

In its final months, it was the last NBC network show to air in the 10:00 a.m. Eastern time slot; following its ultimate departure, the network gave that hour back to the affiliates for local or syndicated programming (in the Central time zone, the third hour of the Today Show airs there presently). There is no indication that packager Sony has considered reviving the daytime version in the immediate future. However, the nighttime version continues to be the most-watched syndicated television show in the United States. The Today Show (officially called Today) is currently, a long-running morning news show airing on the NBC television network in the United States. ... Sony Corporation ) is a Japanese multinational corporation and one of the worlds largest media conglomerates with revenue of $68. ...

Episode status

The original pilot made for NBC, with Edd Byrnes as host, still exists from September 1974; a clip of that was shown in the 3000th episode celebration in November 1998. Most of the Woolery/Stafford episodes are believed to have been destroyed by NBC, which still has yet to be proven. However, known surviving examples circulate among game show tape traders; at least three have been comfirmed to be completely intact. All Sajak/White syndicated nighttime episodes are intact, and many have been shown on GSN. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wiping or junking is an economic move by TV companies in which old videotapes and kinescopes were wiped (deleted) and reused or were destroyed. ... NBC (a former acronym for National Broadcasting Company) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... The Game Show Network logo (1997-2004) The Game Show Network Logo (1994-1997) GSN (formerly known on-air as Game Show Network) is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite channel dedicated to game shows, casino game shows, interactive television games, and reality shows. ...

Many Sajak/Benirschke/Goen daytime episodes exist among tape collectors, though the daytime version has never been rerun on GSN. It is likely that all of Vanna White's episodes have been preserved, since a clip of her first show was played during the 1997 April Fool's episode of Wheel, in the 3000th episode celebration. (Although Vanna's first episode indeed exists, some sources say that most of the remaining daytime episodes up until about 1984 have been destroyed. Some episodes from that era still exist and can be seen at this site.) A Chuck Woolery episode from June 3, 1976 exists in the Library of Congress. All episodes that remain in existence have been converted to digibeta tape. Vanna White (born Vanna Marie Rosich on February 18, 1957 is a American television personality, best known as the hostess and puzzle board operator on the long-running game show Wheel of Fortune. ... April Fools Day or All Fools Day, though not a holiday in its own right, is a notable day celebrated in many countries on 1 April. ... June 3 is the 154th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (155th in leap years), with 211 days remaining. ... The Great Hall interior. ...

Clips from early episodes, including several from the Woolery/Stafford era, early Sajak daytime episodes and Vanna's first show surfaced on the recent E! True Hollywood Story episode chronicling the show's history. A short clip of an intro from a Woolery episode, with O'Donnell announcing, surfaced on the 3000th and 4000th episodes. E! True Hollywood Story is a TV documentary series on the E! Entertainment Television cable and DBS channel that deals with famous Hollywood celebrities, movies, TV shows and well-known public figures. ...

Trivia

• On one episode during Rolf's tenure as host, the show ended in a tie. Rolf, unfamiliar with the game, admitted that he didn't know what to do, and the show cut to commercial.

• Another time, during a teen tournament, Rolf gave the wheel a final spin for the "speed-up" round. However, he mistakenly looked at the blue contestant's arrow, instead of the red contestant's, and had to be corrected by a contestant. (The red contestant's arrow was pointing to Bankrupt.)^[1]

Sources

• The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows, 3rd Ed. (includes information on A.C. Nielsen Company ratings)
• The Wheel of Fortune timeline page at gscentral.net
• "Wheel of Fortune" at curtalliaume.com
• The Classic Wheel of Fortune Page