Password Plus and Super Password
Ksb1530
my faults and praises for each show
Password Plus:
The Good
1. What can I say? It was a purely ingenious formula, put a twist for the
better on a classic and timeless game- improve it with a high stakes bonus
round and you've got success
2. Allen Ludden was a great host. He could generate excitement, knew when to
let things drag and when to get things moving
2a. Tom Kennedy also fulfilled these standards. He also didn't just completely
forget that millions of P+ viewers had just lost one of their best friends, but
then he didn't bring it up every 2 minutes. He brought together a show that was
quickly losing itself after Mr. Ludden's death and the show probably wouldn't
have lasted as long without him doing so. He should be greatly acknowledged for
this.
3. The contestants were perfect. They weren't dumb idiots that couldn't get
simple words and weren't sassy know-it-alls that nod like "yeah, I knew that,
cut me a break" and just sit there and grin when they win $5000.
4. The set was great. The neon colors went perfect and the plus backgrounds
were cool. The board was neat looking too- I like the second generation version
better though, and the font got blocky during the Kennedy years.
5. $5000 wasn't too bad for 1979-1981
The Bad:
1. The rule about only losing $1000 for an illegal clue.We heard enough about
it, so let me move on
2. The early days gave the option to pass/play to the team that didn't guess
the password correctly.
3. After the first couple months, Alphabetics became too easy.
The Ugly:
1. Allen Ludden's death, in my opinion, probably was the reason for the show's
early cease. It should have lasted at least another 5 years.
Super Password:
The Good:
1. Same "What more can I say?" routine mentioned above in P+
2. Ca$hWord was a good addition. Gives it a kinda Pyramid feel with the bonuses
3. Bert Convy did a great job at keeping the show going. He realized that the
show wasn't the same without Allen and did his very best to emcee.
4. The increasing Jackpot in the Bonus round was good.
5. Switching partners in between games was a good choice. Each player either
benefits or loses from each celeb
6. The split-screen Alphabetics (excuse me, Super Password Bonus) setup.
The Bad:
1. The set wasn't all that great. All blue, red, and beige. This would have
been good for an Independence Day special, but not for the entire show. Also,
where was the big, flashy, neon logo at?
2. No pass/play option.
3. Money increased each puzzle with no increase in difficulty
4. The Bonus Round camera setup before it was split-screen
The Ugly:
1. The font used for the passwords was downright hideous
2. Although they couldn't help it, those 80s hairstyles were painful to look
at.
3. I couldn't imagine Mr. Ludden hosting this version of Password. Call me an
Allen Ludden purist. Maybe that's why I like Password Plus better.
Doug
>1. Allen Ludden's death, in my opinion, probably was the reason for the
>show's
>early cease. It should have lasted at least another 5 years.
>
Good points overall. I do think that P+ suffered overall from a move to the
noon ET time slot following CS' cancellation. In between CS' 15-month run and
SP's 4 1/2 years in the "death slot," I don't think any show lasted more than 9
months in that time slot because of lack of affiliate clearances (and even if
Ludden had still been alive and well enough to host, moving to that slot
would've killed the show anyway). I still don't know how SP did it, except
that NBC seemed to show a lot more patience with SP more than any other show in
that time slot. Quite a few affiliates found alternate slots for SP, though.
Doug
Garage Sale Week On Wheel
Later on in "Password Plus" they had the same exact Jackpot rule in
Alphabetics.
Send Me Some E-mail At-gs...@yahoo.com
Check Out Adam's Game Show Bazaar!
http://www.geocities.com/amwbeatle/
Michael Goot
preempted it for other programs. Having now seen both versions, I
think I prefer Password Plus a little better. I like the set better
and Allen's hosting. I like the primary colors and + background better
than the neo-futuristic hexagons.
I thought it was funny on the second SP episode watching Bert and the
panelists try to understand the various rules. Pat Sajak also had a
classic line: "Congratulations on being picked up for a second day."
I think the "no opposite' rule makes it tougher in PP. Was that rule
present for the entire run? I seem to recall some opposites being
mentioned on the early shows.
However, I do like the escalating jackpot structure on SP, which I
understand was used on PP at the end of the run.
Regarding PP, I have a question regarding Allen Ludden. On his first
day as subhost, Bill Cullen said Allen would be off for a week. Did he
mean a week of taping? or just a week of shows. Then, how does Bill
explain his continued absence which stretches for a month? Does anyone
know how much actual tape days Allen missed. Why didn't NBC show 1 or
2 weeks of reruns to cut down on the number of shows without Allen.
Mike G.
Zach Horan
>present for the entire run?
Early in the run of P+, they allowed opposites.
>Regarding PP, I have a question regarding Allen Ludden. On his first
>day as subhost, Bill Cullen said Allen would be off for a week. Did he
>mean a week of taping? or just a week of shows.
Four weeks of shows, which was probably two weekends of taping(Chris Clementson
would better know what days of the week P+ normally taped)
>Then, how does Bill
>explain his continued absence which stretches for a month? Does anyone
>know how much actual tape days Allen missed.
He missed four tape days I assume. Bill's filling in caused him to miss two
weeks of Chain Reaction shows at the time, Geoff Edwards filled in for Bill on
CR.
Chris Jaunsen
shows might depend on when he/she was born...I was born in '80 and grew
up on Super Password and therefore like it better, if perhaps for no
other reason than its familiarity. Same goes for Combs Feud over Dawson,
although I remember seeing Dawson during its original run. As a result
the sets (and hairstyles, as another poster brought up) of the 80's
versions just seem to look and feel better. I personally can't stand
Password Plus' ugly red rug whereas the patriotic colors and neon lights
of the 80's (not to mention catchy theme song) feel perfect. Other than
these superficial qualities, there are very few differences between the
two versions with the exception of the host of course. With all the
similarities, I think most criticisms (including my own) are very
lightweight and should be taken with a grain of salt (having said all
that, I personally hope GSN keeps P+ and SP on the damn schedule for an
extended period for once!).
ALockh13
>shows might depend on when he/she was born...
You seem to have a point there, Chris. I was born four years before you
(1976), and I have had the opportunity to see both "Password Plus" and "Super
Password"--but I saw very little of the latter show, as I was in school at the
time of its original run.
But, like many others, I like "Password Plus" best mostly because of the set
design, the excellent gameplay ("Alphabetics" was the best part), and the funky
theme song. Of course, Allen Ludden, as always, did a good job in hosting.
When he was replaced by Bill Cullen and Tom Kennedy, they were also wonderful
and tried to make their hosting abilities similar to Allen's to ease the
transition. But when "Super Password" came along, I really didn't think that
Bert Convy was appropriate for the show. I'm not trying to discredit Bert--he
was a good host, and may God rest his soul--but the show just was not for his
straight-laced hosting style. I would have felt a little better if someone
like Peter Marshall or Geoff Edwards did "Super Password", because they had
never done a Goodson show and "SP" would have been a good one for them. Also,
the show's theme was totally annoying--a poster who once commented on "SP"s
theme was correct when he said it sounded like a jingle from the Crystal Light
drink commercials of that time!
Andrea
Brandon Brooks
if it was for a couple of weeks. I they would have liked him, he would have
been in consideration. Personally, I think he could have done a very good
job.
Brandon Brooks
"ALockh13" <aloc...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20010530020855...@ng-mp1.aol.com...
Zach Horan
>if it was for a couple of weeks
Geoff never had anything to do with a GT show IIRC. He said one time that he
would have gotten Family Feud, but passed on it to do Shoot the Works(became
Shoot for the Stars) for Bob Stewart.
James Allen
>>Well I do have to say that Edwards did have experience with a G-T show, even
>>if it was for a couple of weeks
>
>Geoff never had anything to do with a GT show IIRC.
"Chain Reaction" wasn't GT? I believe that's what was being referred to ("for a
couple weeks.")
>He said one time that he
>would have gotten Family Feud, but passed on it to do Shoot the Works(became
>Shoot for the Stars) for Bob Stewart.
>
Poor Geoff. I always liked him as a host but he never really hooked up with a
long time show like many othert hosts. I guess he's known best for "Treasure
Hunt," because that was on for a number of years (in two seperate runs) and
because it was so damned weird.
A guilty pleasure Geoff show from my youth was "Starcade," from the early 80's.
I always wanted to get on that show. At that time the thought of actually
winning an actual coin-op video game of my very own was cool. I figured out the
perfect spot in my bedroom for it. You know, just in case.)
Brandon Brooks
Brandon Brooks
"James Allen" <sji...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20010530122649...@ng-xc1.aol.com...
Zach Horan
>"Chain Reaction" wasn't GT? I believe that's what was being referred to ("for
>a
>couple weeks.")
>
CHain Reaction was Stewart(1980 CR would be another nice weekend addition, GSN,
but I aint complaining)
Brandon Brooks
original Chain Reaction was a Goodson-Toodman production, IIRC, and who said
anything about asking it to be on the schedule?
Brandon Brooks
"Zach Horan" <zach...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20010530192409...@ng-mh1.aol.com...
Zach Horan
>What are you talking about? CR was a Bob Stewart Production? Anyway, the
>original Chain Reaction was a Goodson-Toodman production, IIRC,
Stewart Production from 1986-91 on USA
and who said
>anything about asking it to be on the schedule?
>
little work maybe.
Stephan Mynarkiewicz
>
> >>Well I do have to say that Edwards did have experience with a G-T show,
even
> >>if it was for a couple of weeks
> >
> >Geoff never had anything to do with a GT show IIRC.
>
> "Chain Reaction" wasn't GT? I believe that's what was being referred to
("for a
> couple weeks.")
Er, CR was created by Bob Stewart...Geoff still had nothing to do with G/T
directly (unless you consider his filling in for Cullen on CR while *HE*
filled in for Ludden on P+ an association)
Curt Alliaume
(James Allen) writes:
>>He said one time that he
>>would have gotten Family Feud, but passed on it to do Shoot the Works(became
>>Shoot for the Stars) for Bob Stewart.
I don't remember him saying this (Geoff, correct me if I'm wrong).
Steve Beverly once noted Jack Narz told him he had hosted a Family Feud pilot
and *he* was anticipating getting the series. Yet most of what I've read
indicates Dawson was really the only candidate.
Someone must know the real story.
-- Curt Alliaume
----------------------
Game Shows '75
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Bungalow/2827/gameshow.html
Jason Compton
: I don't remember him saying this (Geoff, correct me if I'm wrong).
: Steve Beverly once noted Jack Narz told him he had hosted a Family Feud pilot
: and *he* was anticipating getting the series. Yet most of what I've read
: indicates Dawson was really the only candidate.
: Someone must know the real story.
Unfortunately...
Mark Goodson: Dead
Howard Felsher: Alive, but seems to still hate Dawson's guts after all
these years so is unlikely to be terribly forthcoming.
Uhhh...is Paul Alter still alive?
--
Jason Compton jcom...@xnet.com
Zach Horan
>Howard Felsher: Alive, but seems to still hate Dawson's guts after all
>these years so is unlikely to be terribly forthcoming.
>
>Uhhh...is Paul Alter still alive?
Paul Alter is still alive, and was working as Director on TPIR until late in
2000 when Pearson AKA PIFOS told him to take an early retirement(even though he
is close to 80, he wasn't looking to retire as yet)
Curt Alliaume
<jcom...@typhoon.xnet.com> writes:
>Curt Alliaume <call...@aol.comeondown> wrote:
>: Someone must know the real story.
>
>Unfortunately...
>
>Mark Goodson: Dead
>Howard Felsher: Alive, but seems to still hate Dawson's guts after all
>these years so is unlikely to be terribly forthcoming.
>
>Uhhh...is Paul Alter still alive?
Sure; he just finished his tenure on The Price Is Right. I thought he might
have still been doing TTTT in New York up until Feud's debut, but apparently he
also directed Showoffs, so I guess he would be the expert.
An interesting EOTVGS note: Johnny Gilbert, Art James, and Rod Roddy are
listed as substitute Feud announcers, but I don't remember them at all --
anybody have any recollection of this trio guesting?
Zach Horan
>An interesting EOTVGS note: Johnny Gilbert, Art James, and Rod Roddy are
>listed as substitute Feud announcers, but I don't remember them at all --
>anybody have any recollection of this trio guesting?
>
Johnny G. filled in for Wood in 1982 or 1983 I think. Art James filled in
around 1990, and Rod in early 1994.
Stephan Mynarkiewicz
"Brandon Brooks" <b-br...@northwestern.edu> wrote in message
news:9f430v$4kb$1...@news.acns.nwu.edu...
> What are you talking about? CR was a Bob Stewart Production? Anyway, the
> original Chain Reaction was a Goodson-Toodman production, IIRC, and who
said
> anything about asking it to be on the schedule?
Sorry to BBIFOS you, but both versions of CR were Bob Stewart's doing. G/T
had nothing to do with either version.
Brandon Brooks
USE THE TERM!
Brandon Brooks
"Stephan Mynarkiewicz" <cats...@newsguy.com> wrote in message
news:9f49h...@enews2.newsguy.com...
Linda
>Geoff said one time that he
>would have gotten Family Feud, but passed on it to do Shoot the Works(became
>Shoot for the Stars) for Bob Stewart.
I think he mentioned this on his radio show last year.
"Meaning is where it's at..."--Bert Convy, "Semi Tough",1978
http://www.bertconvy.net
"See You Around the pool hall!"--Larry Blyden, WML, 1974
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/7011/blyden.html
(http://www.larryblyden.net coming soon)
Linda
>From: aloc...@aol.com (ALockh13)
>But when "Super Password" came along, I really didn't think that
>Bert Convy was appropriate for the show. I'm not trying to discredit
>Bert--he
>was a good host, and may God rest his soul--but the show just was not for his
>straight-laced hosting style.
Personally, I liked him in it of course. Bert never claimed to be an Allen
Ludden or Bill Cullen, and he knew this, but I feel he did very well with this
show, Imho. He will never be in the leagues of the others, but he seemed to
make the show fun, for me anyway.
Someone a few weeks ago was mentioning Bert's hair. I really think this wasnt
a perm. I know because I have the same kind of hair. People think I have a perm
and I dont. If its short, its straighter.I just wanted to make a point that his
hair always seemed to have a wave to it when it was shorter and he just let it
get longer and didnt fight it anymore in the 70's and 80's.Of course, I really
dont have any proof but I know in my case that people can mistake a perm.
Being 41 I was in my 20's during the run of both PP and SP but was able to see
SP more.
Just some thoughts from an old person.
Curt Alliaume
viny...@aol.comnospam (Linda) writes:
>Personally, I liked him in it of course. Bert never claimed to be an Allen
>Ludden or Bill Cullen, and he knew this, but I feel he did very well with
>this
>show, Imho. He will never be in the leagues of the others, but he seemed to
>make the show fun, for me anyway.
True. Neither Allen nor Tom Kennedy were available (obviously), and I doubt
Bill Cullen wanted to host two shows at that point. Bert did a decent job.
>Someone a few weeks ago was mentioning Bert's hair. I really think this
>wasnt
>a perm. I know because I have the same kind of hair. People think I have a
>perm
>and I dont. If its short, its straighter.I just wanted to make a point that
>his
>hair always seemed to have a wave to it when it was shorter and he just let
>it
>get longer and didnt fight it anymore in the 70's and 80's.Of course, I
>really
>dont have any proof but I know in my case that people can mistake a perm.
You know, I would have sworn for years he had a perm, but then I looked at the
Tattletales photos and it looks more like a Greg & Peter Brady mass of hair
than a Robert Reed it's-not-a-perm-but-it-really-is. I should know; I had the
same kind of hair in the late 1970s that curled up when it got humid. (My wife
still thinks I have a perm in my yearbook photo.)
Zach Horan
>True. Neither Allen nor Tom Kennedy were available (obviously),
Tom Kennedy was hosting Body Language on CBS at the time, so he couldn't have
done SP since that would have him hosting daytime game shows on two networks.
He would have been up against himself in NYC, and some other cities as BL and
SP both aired at Noon. BL had the 4PM time slot on CBS, but by that point, many
stations were airing Syndicated programming, and aired the CBS show at that
time at an earlier time or not at all.
Garage Sale On Wheel Of Fortune
>done SP since that would have him hosting daytime game shows on two networks.
>He would have been up against himself in NYC, and some other cities as BL and
>SP both aired at Noon. BL had the 4PM time slot on CBS, but by that point,
>many
>stations were airing Syndicated programming, and aired the CBS show at that
>time at an earlier time or not at all.
Tattletales was still on the air however when he was hosting Super Password.
Tattletales was on CBS, not NBC.
One of the GOOD AOL users
>Tattletales was on CBS, not NBC.
>
Umm, no it wasn't. How could Bert host two shows on two different networks?
Tattletales was replaced by Body Language three months before SP's premiere.
The only way you would've seen TT in September would've been by syndicated
repeats. (looking at a Jan. 1985 microfiche, WVEC would be an example; they
did this in the mornings)
The ONE and ONLY, Brandon Foster-Gray
R. Dawson: Name something you always see at the front door.
Contestant: The mailman.
---Celebrity Family Feud, 1981
Terry Knab
:>Tattletales was still on the air however when he was hosting Super Password.
:>
: Umm, no it wasn't. How could Bert host two shows on two different networks?
: Tattletales was replaced by Body Language three months before SP's premiere.
Which makes me wonder if BL had been pulled at 13 weeks if Kennedy would
have been recruited to go over to Super Password?
I have no problem with Bert's hosting style on SP. I thought he was more
laid back than Ludden, Cullen, and Kennedy. Bert did understand the game
and not only -that-, he could play password. A good host of any show
should be able to play the game as well as they can host it. Everyone who
has ever hosted Password (in any of its incarations) for any length of time
has played the game at least once (Kennedy may not have played P+ though,
but the fact he did host and could play You Don't Say made the choice an
easy one for him to host P+)
He wasn't Ludden, but we all know that those shoes were big ones to fill.
Kennedy, Convy, and Cullen -all- have different styles than Ludden did.
No body can be Ludden, or expected to be him.
And you know Convy must have done a decent enough job if Mrs. Password
(Betty White) is willing to stop by and play!
chris319
>should be able to play the game as well as they can host it.
Not necessarily. Bill Cullen himself once said he wished he could answer half
the questions he'd asked over the years, the implication being that he wasn't
very good at playing Q&A games.
Matt Ottinger
chris319 wrote:
That may have been just another example of Bill's self-depreciating style, since
we all know he was an extremely intelligent and well-read fellow and had no
problem playing ANY game that was put in front of him.
And although Chris was a lot closer to the man than I ever got, that also may be
an altered version of this quote he gave when asked if he'd like to have all the
money he had given away over the years. He said, "No. I would rather have all
the answers to the questions I've asked. As the smartest guy in the world, all
the rest would follow." Obviously, in that context he's responding to a
hypothetical question and not judging his own Q&A abilities.
--Matt
otti...@acd.net
The Bill Cullen Homepage
http://userdata.acd.net/ottinger/Cullen
TrlrMstr
down over "Password Plus". The set, contestants, celebrities (I'm sorry,
but Allen's kissing the butts of Elizabeth Montgomery, Wesley Eure,
Bowzer, and Tony Randal gets on my nerves), and especially the theme of
"SP" make this show more fun for me. I had never seen "P+" until GSN,
but even if I had seen it originally, I still would have preferred "SP",
just like I prefer "The Joker's Wild" '90, "Card Sharks" Eubanks, "To
Tell the Truth" '90, and "Match Game" Shafer over the originals and/or
previous installments. The '80s and '90s remakes of these shows were the
first versions I saw, and I prefer them.
chris319
>we all know he was an extremely intelligent and well-read fellow and had no
>problem playing ANY game that was put in front of him.
He said it during a Blockbusters rehearsal. I took it to mean that he wouldn't
be good at a Q&A game, as good as he may have been at other types of game.
Curt Alliaume
writes:
There's a picture in EOTVGS 2 and 3 of a hosts' week when all the hosts played
each other's shows. Bill is pictured with Peter Marshall and Art James on the
Jeopardy set -- and he's got a pretty big lead according to the score readouts.
chris319
>each other's shows. Bill is pictured with Peter Marshall and Art James on the
>Jeopardy set -- and he's got a pretty big lead according to the score readouts.
Does that mean BC is a good Q&A game player or PM and AJ are bad ones? ;-)
Curt Alliaume
writes:
I leave that open to debate. The only other game I've seen Peter Marshall play
was Tattletales; he and his then-wife did terribly (of course, she looked like
a deer caught in the headlights -- I don't think she'd been on television
much).
The scores were:
Bill +930
Peter +560
Art +500
That means $1,990 gets contributed to their favorite charities -- or about as
much as a so-so trip to the Money Cards last night.
Brandon Brooks
show faintly, at best, resembled the original. It was a good show though,
but Pat Finn could have been dispensed for someone else.
Brandon Brooks
"TrlrMstr" <depou...@hci.net> wrote in message
news:48ed6bf8.01060...@posting.google.com...
David Lynch
>Also being a child of the '80s, I prefer "Super Password" hands
>down over "Password Plus".
To be honest, as far as I'm concerned, NBC could have stuck the
"Password Plus" name on "Super Password" and nobody would have bat an
eyelash. As far as I know, the cashword and puzzle values were just
about the only gameplay difference between the end of P+ and the start
of SP. New host, new set, new music, but that didn't keep Goodson from
reusing the names of Card Sharks and Blockbusters not long after that;
then again, the ghost of Allen Ludden might have been enough.
- David James Lynch -
unrealtor@unreal estate.net
(Change space to hyphen)