| Hit Man | |
|---|---|
 Promotional photo featuring the Hit Man set. | |
| Created by | Jay Wolpert |
| Directed by | John "The Fox" Dorsey |
| Presented by | Peter Tomarken |
| Narrated by | Rod Roddy |
| Theme music composer | Paul Epstein for Score Productions |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 65 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Jay Wolpert |
| Producers | Roger Speakman Randy Neece |
| Production locations | NBC Studios Burbank, California |
| Running time | 22 minutes (without commercials) |
| Production companies | Jay Wolpert Productions Metromedia Video Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | January 3 (1983-01-03) – April 1, 1983 (1983-04-01) |
Hit Man is an American television game show. The show aired on NBC from January 3 to April 1, 1983, and was hosted by Peter Tomarken. Rod Roddy was the announcer, and the program was produced by Jay Wolpert Productions in association with Metromedia Video Productions.
Game play
Four contestants competed on each episode of Hit Man in a quiz based on memory and instant recall. One was either a returning champion or champion-designate, with the other three were challengers who competed for the right to face him/her in the second round. The winner of each game played the bonus round, known as the Triple Crown, for a top prize of $10,000.
Round 1
The three challengers watched a short film narrated by Tomarken. Film topics varied widely and included biographies, behind-the-scenes features about specific movies, professions, hobbies, etc. The film was also shown to the returning champion offstage, since the subject matter would also be used for the Triple Crown.
After the film ended, Tomarken asked the challengers a series of toss-up questions about its content. Each correct answer moved the challenger one step up a five-step ladder behind him/her, while a miss put the question out of play and froze him/her out of the next one. The first challenger to give five correct answers won $300 and sat out the rest of the round, and the second to do so won $200. These two challengers advanced to the second round; the third one was eliminated from the game and received consolation prizes.
Round 2
The champion joined the two remaining challengers onstage, and all three contestants were shown a second film and asked a series of toss-up questions about it. The object this time for all three contestants was to defend a series of hit men assigned to them. The champion was given seven hit men, while the winner and runner-up from the first round received four and three respectively.
Each toss-up was played as a head-to-head showdown between the champion and one of the challengers, starting with the winner of the first round. Answering a question correctly caused the opposing contestant to lose a hit man, while answering incorrectly cost the contestant that did so one of his/her own. Each challenger played against the champion until they lost a hit man. Any player who lost all their hit men was eliminated. If either challenger was eliminated from the game, play continued with the champion and the remaining challenger.
Play continued until the champion had eliminated all seven of his/her opponents’ hit men or until he/she had lost all seven of his/hers. The champion retained in the former case; in the latter case, the challenger that was in control when the champion’s seventh and last hit man was eliminated became the champion.
Triple Crown
The champion faced a board of eight columns that contained varying numbers of circles. Two columns each had two, three, and four circles, while one column had one circle and one had five circles. The champion turned his/her back to the board, and the columns were scrambled.
The champion had 60 seconds to answer questions based on the day's two films, without turning to face the board. He/she chose a column, and Tomarken began to ask questions. Each correct answer placed a money man in one circle, but a pass or incorrect answer forced the champion to choose a new one. He/she was never told how many answers were needed to fill a chosen column until it had been successfully filled and/or the end of the round. The champion won $1,000 for each of the first two columns filled, or $10,000 for filling three.
Champions remained on the show until they were defeated in the second round of the main game or had played the Triple Crown five times.
Broadcast history
Hit Man premiered on January 3, 1983, as one of three new game shows on NBC's daytime schedule, along with the new Just Men! and a revival of Sale of the Century, that the network commissioned to replace the cancelled serials Texas and The Doctors. Hit Man and its lead-in program, Wheel of Fortune, were moved to the slot Texas had occupied, with Hit Man airing at 11:30 AM Eastern.
Although NBC was drawing better ratings in the hour, Hit Man suffered from ratings trouble against the second half of The Price Is Right on CBS and reruns of The Love Boat on ABC and the network did not renew the series beyond its original sixty-five episode commitment, with the final episode airing on April 1. On the final episode, instead of doing the usual request for contestants during the final segment, announcer Rod Roddy told the home audience, "If you would like to be a contestant on Hit Man, forget it!" The show was replaced by Dream House hosted by Bob Eubanks. Hit Man and Just Men! both ended their runs on the same day, but Sale continued for another six years, ending in 1989.
Peter Tomarken later hosted Press Your Luck, which debuted in September 1983 (five months after Hit Man ended) and ran for three years on CBS. Rod Roddy reunited with Tomarken as the announcer of Press Your Luck, and later became Johnny Olson's permanent replacement in 1986 as announcer on The Price Is Right after the latter's death the previous year. Roddy held this position until his death in 2003.
International versions
| Country | Name | Host | Network | Date premiered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Italy
|
Babilonia | Umberto Smaila | Canale 5 | September 18, 1989 – December 30, 1990 |
 United Kingdom
|
Hitman | Nick Owen | ITV | February 21 – May 30, 1989 |
References
- Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 213. ISBN 978-0823083152. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- Baber, David (2009). Television Game Show Hosts: Biographies of 32 Stars. McFarland & Co. p. 251. ISBN 9780786445738. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
- Pino Corrias (1989). "Fininvest, la tv è quiz". La Stampa. p. 7. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- Laura Delli Colli (1990). "Un '91 con Giuliano Ferrara". la Repubblica. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- "Book Nick Owen, Event Host and Facilitator".