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{{other uses|Password (video games)}} | |||
{{short description|American television game show}} | |||
{{More citations needed|date=August 2011}} | {{More citations needed|date=August 2011}} | ||
{{Use American English|date=June 2023}} | |||
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2023}} | |||
{{Infobox television | {{Infobox television | ||
| |
| show_name = Password | ||
| |
| show_name_2 = Password All-Stars | ||
| |
| image = Password (TV series) 1967.jpg | ||
| creator |
| creator = ] | ||
| presenter = ] | |||
| director = {{Plainlist| | |||
| narrated = ]<br>]<br>]<br>] (1961–67)<br>] (1971–75) | |||
* Lou Tedesco (1961–67) | |||
| producer = ] (1961–75)<Br />] (1971–75)<ref name="eotvgs">{{cite book|last1=Schwartz|first1=David|last2=Ryan|first2=Steve|last3=Wostbrock|first3=Fred|title=The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows|edition=3|year=1999|publisher=Facts on File, Inc.|isbn=0-8160-3846-5|pages=163–165}}</ref> | |||
* Mike Gargiulo (1961–67) | |||
| director = Lou Tedesco, Mike Gargiulo (1961–67)<br />Stuart Phelps, ] (1971–75)<ref name="eotvgs"/> | |||
* Stuart W. Phelps (1971–75) | |||
| theme_music_composer = ] (1961–67)<Br />] (1971–75)<ref name="eotvgs"/> | |||
* ] (1971–75)<ref name="eotvgs">{{cite book|last1=Schwartz|first1=David|last2=Ryan|first2=Steve|last3=Wostbrock|first3=Fred|title=The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaoftv0000schw|url-access=limited|edition=3|year=1999|publisher=Facts on File, Inc.|isbn=0-8160-3846-5|pages=–165}}</ref> | |||
| judges = ], Reason A. Goodwin (1961–67)<Br />Dr. Robert Stockwell, Dr. Carolyn Duncan (1971–75)<ref name="eotvgs"/> | |||
* Tony McCuin (2022–) | |||
| country = United States | |||
| num_episodes = 1,555 (CBS Daytime)<br>201 (CBS Primetime)<br>1,099 (ABC) | |||
| runtime = 25–26 minutes (1962–1967 prime-time), 22–23 minutes (other versions) | |||
| distributor = ]<br>(1968–1969)<br>]<br>(1969-1970)<br>] | |||
| network = CBS (1961–67)<br>ABC (1971–75) | |||
| first_aired = October 2, 1961 | |||
| last_aired = June 27, 1975 | |||
| followed_by = '']'' (1979–1982)<br>'']'' (1984–1989)<br>'']'' (2008–2009) | |||
}} | }} | ||
'''''Password''''' is an American television ] which was created by ] for ]. The host was ], who had previously been well known as the host of the ''G.E. ]''. In the game, two teams, each composed of a celebrity player and a contestant, attempt to convey mystery words to each other using only single-word clues, in order to win cash prizes. | |||
| presenter = {{Plainlist| | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
}} | |||
| narrated = {{Plainlist| | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
}} | |||
| theme_music_composer = {{Plainlist| | |||
* Kurt Rehfeld (1961–63) | |||
* ] (1963–67) | |||
* ] (1971–75)<ref name="eotvgs"/> | |||
* ] (2022–) | |||
}} | |||
| country = United States | |||
| language = English | |||
| num_seasons = {{Plainlist| | |||
* 5 (ABC) | |||
* 2 (NBC)<!-- increment when new season begins --> | |||
}} | |||
| num_episodes = {{Plainlist| | |||
* 1,555 (CBS Daytime) | |||
* 201 (CBS Primetime) | |||
* 1,099 (ABC) | |||
* 15 (NBC)<!-- increment when new episode airs --> | |||
}} | |||
| executive_producer = {{Plainlist| | |||
* ] (1961–75) | |||
* ] (2022–) | |||
* John Quinn (2022–) | |||
* Jim Juvonen (2022–) | |||
}} | |||
| producer = {{Plainlist| | |||
* ] (1971–75)<ref name="eotvgs"/> | |||
}} | |||
| location = {{Plainlist| | |||
* ] | |||
* ], ] (1961–66) | |||
* ] | |||
* ], ] (1962–67) | |||
* ] | |||
* New York, New York (1966–67) | |||
* ] | |||
* Los Angeles, California (1971–75) | |||
* Vine Street Theatre | |||
* Los Angeles, California (1971–75) | |||
* ] | |||
* ] (2022–) | |||
}} | |||
| runtime = {{Plainlist| | |||
* 22–23 minutes (1961–75) | |||
* 25–26 minutes (1962–67; primetime) | |||
* 43 minutes (2022–) | |||
}} | |||
| company = {{Plainlist| | |||
* ] (1961–75) | |||
* ] (2022–) | |||
* ] (2022–) | |||
* ] (2022–) | |||
}} | |||
| network = {{Plainlist| | |||
* ] (1961–67) | |||
* ] (1971–75) | |||
* ] (2022–) | |||
}} | |||
| first_aired = {{Start date|1961|10|2}} | |||
| last_aired = present | |||
| related = {{Plainlist| | |||
* '']'' | |||
* '']'' | |||
* '']'' | |||
}} | |||
}} | |||
'''''Password''''' is an American television ] in which two teams, each composed of a celebrity player and a contestant, attempt to convey mystery words to each other using only single-word clues, in order to win cash prizes. | |||
The show was created by ] and originally produced by ]. It aired on ] from 1961 to 1967, and ] from 1971 to 1975. The original host was ], who had previously been well known as the host of the ''G.E. ]''. | |||
''Password'' originally aired for 1,555 ] each weekday from October 2, 1961, to September 15, 1967, on ], along with weekly ] airings from January 2, 1962, to September 9, 1965, and December 25, 1966, to May 22, 1967.<ref name="eotvgs" /> An additional 1,099 daytime shows aired from April 5, 1971 to June 27, 1975 on ]. The show's ]s were ] and ] on CBS and ] on ABC. | |||
Two revivals later aired on ]: '']'' from 1979 to 1982, and '']'' from 1984 to 1989, followed by a primetime version, '']'', on CBS from 2008 to 2009.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20080414cbs02|title=Breaking News - CBS Unveils Its 2008 Summer Schedule - TheFutonCritic.com|website=The Futon Critic}}</ref> All of these versions introduced new variations in gameplay. | |||
Two revivals later aired on ]: '']'' from 1979 to 1982, and '']'' from 1984 to 1989, followed by a primetime version, '']'', on CBS from 2008 to 2009.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20080414cbs02|title=Breaking News - CBS Unveils Its 2008 Summer Schedule - TheFutonCritic.com|website=www.thefutoncritic.com}}</ref> All of these versions introduced new variations in gameplay. | |||
In 2022, NBC premiered a primetime revival of ''Password'' executive produced by ], and hosted by actress ]. This version is a modernization of the original CBS version, and features Fallon as a regular panelist. | |||
In 2013, '']'' ranked it #8 in its list of the 60 greatest game shows ever.<ref name=TVGuide>Fretts, Bruce (June 17, 2013). "Eyes on the Prize", '']'', pp. 14 and 15.</ref> | In 2013, '']'' ranked it #8 in its list of the 60 greatest game shows ever.<ref name=TVGuide>Fretts, Bruce (June 17, 2013). "Eyes on the Prize", '']'', pp. 14 and 15.</ref> | ||
==Rules== | ==Rules== | ||
Two teams, each consisting of one ] player and one "civilian" contestant, competed. The word to be conveyed (the "password") was given to one player on each team and was shown onscreen to viewers as well as spoken softly on the audio track. |
Two teams, each consisting of one ] player and one "civilian" contestant, competed. The word to be conveyed (the "password") was given to one player on each team, and was shown onscreen to viewers as well as spoken softly on the audio track.<ref>Example:The password is;Shut up!</ref> Game play alternated between the two teams. On each team, the player who was given the password gave a one-word clue from which their partner attempted to guess the password. If the partner failed to guess the password within the allotted five-second time limit, or if an illegal clue was given (two or more words, a hyphenated word, "coined" words, or any part or form of the password), play passed to the opposing team. | ||
The game continued until one of the players guessed the password correctly |
The game continued until one of the players guessed the password correctly or until ten clues had been given. Scoring was based on the number of clues given when the password was guessed, e.g. ten points were awarded for guessing the password on the first clue, nine points on the second clue, eight points on the third clue, etc., down to one point on the tenth and final clue. On the ABC version a limit of six clues was imposed to expedite game play, with the last clue worth five points. In addition, teams were given the option of either playing or passing control of the first clue to the opposing team. Specifically, the team that was trailing in score, or that had lost the previous game, was offered the pass/play option; when the score was tied, the team that failed to get the previous password was awarded the pass/play option. | ||
On the CBS daytime edition, the first team to reach 25 points won that contestant $100. On the nighttime edition, the winner won $250. The winning team earned a chance to win up to an additional $250 by playing the "Lightning Round", in which the civilian contestant on the prevailing team tried to guess five passwords within 60 seconds from clues given by his/her celebrity partner |
On the CBS daytime edition, the first team to reach 25 points won that contestant $100. On the nighttime edition, the winner won $250. The winning team earned a chance to win up to an additional $250 by playing the "Lightning Round", in which the civilian contestant on the prevailing team tried to guess five passwords within 60 seconds from clues given by his/her celebrity partner. $50 was awarded for each correctly guessed password (increased to $100 from 1973 to 1974). | ||
The Lightning Round was among the first bonus rounds on a television game (along with the scrambled phrase game on the original '']''). On the ABC version from 1971 to 1974, immediately after completing the Lightning Round |
The Lightning Round was among the first bonus rounds on a television game (along with the scrambled phrase game on the original '']''). On the ABC version from 1971 to 1974, immediately after completing the Lightning Round the player was given a chance at "the Betting Word," in which they could wager any amount of their winnings on their celebrity partner's ability to guess it within 15 seconds. This increased the maximum bonus prize to $500 ($1,000 from 1973 to 1974 when the regular Lightning Round values were doubled). | ||
On each episode from 1961 to 1975, Ludden would caution the players about unacceptable clues by stating, "When you hear this sound (a buzzer would sound) it means your clue has not been accepted by our authority, (name of word authority)." Word authorities on the CBS version included ] professor ] and ''] Dictionary'' editor Dr. Reason A. Goodwin (that dictionary being still a work-in-progress at the time of the show's first airing, first appearing in print form in 1963). Robert Stockwell from ] and Carolyn Duncan served as word authorities during the ABC version. | |||
Clark, Vines, and Harlan whispered the password to viewers on the first two versions of the show, but the practice was discontinued, beginning with ''Password All-Stars'', when a computer (referred to as "Murphy" on-camera by Allen Ludden) was incorporated. The computer would display the password one letter at a time (like a ]), followed by the quotation marks. A beeping sound would accompany each letter as it appeared on the screen. A final beep would signal that the password was revealed to the home viewer, and play would start. On ''Password Plus'', a bell would ring when the password was revealed. On ''Super Password'' from September 24, 1984 to October 31, 1986, a chirping sound was heard when the password was revealed. However, ] began whispering the words on ''Super Password'' just like in the original, starting on November 3, 1986. The practice was again discontinued on ''Million Dollar Password''. | |||
Before the cancellation of the Goodson-Todman game show '']'' on NBC in 1969, that program's set was changed to make it resemble the look of the CBS ''Password''. Goodson-Todman did this to correspond to rule changes that made ''Snap Judgment'' identical to ''Password.'' |
Before the cancellation of the Goodson-Todman game show '']'' on NBC in 1969, that program's set was changed in order to make it resemble the look of the CBS ''Password''. Goodson-Todman did this to correspond to rule changes that, in fact, made ''Snap Judgment'' identical to ''Password.'' | ||
==Contestants== | ==Contestants== | ||
On the CBS daytime version, contestants played two matches, win or lose, with each game awarding $100 to the winner. For most of the CBS nighttime version's first year, the same two players stayed for the entire show, playing as many matches as time allowed |
On the CBS daytime version, contestants played two matches, win or lose, with each game awarding $100 to the winner. For most of the CBS nighttime version's first year, the same two players stayed for the entire show, playing as many matches as time allowed. However, after three contestants managed to break the $1,000 mark, this practice was changed in November 1962 to having two new contestants play each game (generally, three pairs of contestants competed in the course of each show), with winning contestants receiving $250 and losers receiving $50. | ||
For two shows in July 1965, the nighttime version experimented with a "championship match" format, in which the winners of games 1 and 2 would return to compete against each other in the final game. Also in 1965, the show adopted an annual "Tournament of Champions" where contestants on the daytime version who won both their games were invited back to compete for more money. |
For two shows in July 1965, the nighttime version experimented with a "championship match" format, in which the winners of games 1 and 2 would return to compete against each other in the final game. Also in 1965, the show adopted an annual "Tournament of Champions" where contestants on the daytime version who won both their games were invited back to compete for more money. | ||
Early on |
Early on the ABC version, contestants played a single elimination game; the winning contestants could stay until either defeated or win a maximum of 10 games, thus retiring them as undefeated champions. Later on, the limit was dropped, and champions stayed on the show until defeated. From 1973 to 1974, the first contestant to win a two-out-of-three match played the Lightning Round. | ||
Every three months, the four top winners during that period would return for a quarterly contest. The winner would earn $1,000 and the right to compete in the annual Tournament of Champions. The winner of the annual contest won $5,000, received a free trip to |
Every three months, the four top winners during that period would return for a quarterly contest. The winner would earn $1,000 and the right to compete in the annual Tournament of Champions. The winner of the annual contest won $5,000, received a free trip to Macedonia and faced the previous year's champion in a best-of-seven match for $10,000. Lewis Retrum, from Boston, won the Tournament of Champions two years in a row and retired undefeated when the show went off the air. | ||
==Format changes== | ==Format changes== | ||
From November 18, 1974, to February 21, 1975, ''Password'' became ''Password All-Stars'', where teams of celebrities played for ] in a tournament-style format. At the end of each week, the highest scorer would win $5,000 and advance to the Grandmasters' Championship, which would award the winner another $25,000. The first tournament's finalists were ], ], ], and ], with Shigeta winning the championship; the second tournament's finalists were ], ], ], and ], with Dawson winning the championship (Dawson had almost made it to the first tournament finals, but Gautier beat him out during their preliminary week by just one point). |
From November 18, 1974, to February 21, 1975, ''Password'' became ''Password All-Stars'', where teams of celebrities played for ] in a tournament-style format. At the end of each week, the highest scorer would win $5,000 and advance to the Grandmasters' Championship, which would award the winner another $25,000. The first tournament's finalists were ], ], ], and ], with Shigeta winning the championship; the second tournament's finalists were ], ], ], and ], with Dawson winning the championship (Dawson had almost made it to the first tournament finals, but Gautier beat him out during their preliminary week by just one point). | ||
After the celebrity format modification proved unpopular with viewers, Goodson-Todman made ''Password All-Stars'' simply ''Password'' again, but the show carried over elements of ''All-Stars'' mainly to use the set that had been redesigned for the all-celebrity period. Among these |
After the celebrity format modification proved unpopular with viewers, Goodson-Todman made ''Password All-Stars'' simply ''Password'' again, but the show carried over elements of ''All-Stars'' mainly in order to use the set that had been redesigned for the all-celebrity period. Among these were an elimination round in which four contestants (two new players and the two players from the previous game) competed with the help of the two celebrities in the first round. In the qualifying round, one of the two celebrities used a one-word clue to a password (with both celebrities alternating turns on giving clues), and the four contestants would ring in with the password. A correct response earned that contestant one point, with three points needed to qualify for the regular game. An incorrect response locked that player out of the word in play. The first two contestants to reach three points went on to play the regular Password game. | ||
In the regular game, an addition to the rules was the "double" option, in which the first clue giver could ask to increase the word value to 20 points by giving only one clue; if that word was missed, the other team could score the 20 points with a second clue. The first team to reach 50 points or more could win thousands of dollars in the ''Big Money Lightning Round'', using a three-step structure in which the winning team attempted to guess three passwords within 30 seconds per step. The contestant was paid as follows: | In the regular game, an addition to the rules was the "double" option, in which the first clue giver could ask to increase the word value to 20 points by giving only one clue; if that word was missed, the other team could score the 20 points with a second clue. The first team to reach 50 points or more could win thousands of dollars in the ''Big Money Lightning Round'', using a three-step structure in which the winning team attempted to guess three passwords within 30 seconds per step. The contestant was paid as follows: | ||
* Part One: Each password paid $25. Guessing all three passwords in 30 seconds further netted $5 for each second left on the clock. The round ended if the contestant was unable to guess at least one of the three passwords. | * Part One: Each password paid $25. Guessing all three passwords in 30 seconds further netted $5 for each second left on the clock. The round ended if the contestant was unable to guess at least one of the three passwords. | ||
* Part Two: The money earned in part one would be multiplied by the number of passwords guessed here. Naming all three passwords this time added $10 for each second left. If the receiver failed to identify at least one of the passwords here, the round ended and the contestant still kept all part-one winnings; he or she then returned to the elimination panel to compete for the right to play the main game again. | * Part Two: The money earned in part one would be multiplied by the number of passwords guessed here. Naming all three passwords this time added $10 for each second left. If the receiver failed to identify at least one of the passwords here, the round ended and the contestant still kept all part-one winnings; he or she then returned to the elimination panel to compete for the right to play the main game again. | ||
* Part Three: Naming all three passwords in 30 seconds multiplied the contestant's part-two winnings tenfold (meaning if a player accumulated $500 after two parts, guessing all three passwords in this part would earn $5,000). |
* Part Three: Naming all three passwords in 30 seconds multiplied the contestant's part-two winnings tenfold (meaning if a player accumulated $500 after two parts, guessing all three passwords in this part would earn $5,000). | ||
Winners of $20,000 retired from the show. Until April, contestants could win no more than $20,000. However, later champions were allowed to win over $20,000 but had to retire immediately upon doing so. | |||
==Broadcast history== | ==Broadcast history== | ||
===CBS: 1961–1967=== | ===CBS: 1961–1967=== | ||
With Goodson-Todman established as a reliable producer of high-rated games for CBS, including '']'', '']'', and '']'', the network gave the new ] the 2:00 PM (1:00 Central) time slot, replacing the courtroom-themed game ''Face the Facts''. As television's first successful celebrity-civilian team game, ''Password'' attracted a large and loyal audience that made it into a solid ] favorite for nearly five years as shows came and went with great frequency on the other networks. A concurrent prime time version which debuted in January 1962 was also successful, albeit somewhat less than the daytime show. Both versions performed strongly in the ratings. | |||
] | |||
With Goodson–Todman established as a reliable producer of highly rated games for CBS, including '']'', '']'', and '']'', the network gave the new ] the 2:00 PM (1:00 Central) time slot, replacing the courtroom-themed game ''Face the Facts''. As television's first successful celebrity–civilian team game, ''Password'' attracted a large and loyal audience that made it into a solid ] favorite for nearly five years while shows came and went with great frequency on the other networks. A concurrent prime-time version, which debuted in January 1962, was also successful, but less than the daytime show. Both versions performed strongly in the ratings.{{fact|date=January 2023}} | |||
On July 11, 1966, CBS preempted ''Password'' in favor of live coverage of a press conference held by ] ] on the progress of the ]. The other two networks went ahead with their regular schedules |
On July 11, 1966, CBS preempted ''Password'' in favor of CBS News' live coverage of a press conference held by ] ] on the progress of the ]. The other two networks went ahead with their regular schedules, as their news divisions had not been granted the power to make programming decisions. A new show beginning that day on ]—'']''—attracted some ''Password'' fans. ] also benefited from the CBS programming decision, experiencing success with their recently launched ] '']''. | ||
Over the next year, '' |
Over the next year, ''Newlywed'' and ''Days'' achieved higher ratings than ''Password''. CBS daytime head ], who was not a personal fan of the genre, cancelled ''Password'' in the spring of 1967. The cancellation occurred after squabbles over where the show would be taped (] or ]). Silverman wanted the show permanently moved to ], where it was moved for part of the 1966–1967 season to allow the show to tape in color, as CBS' New York studios had not made the full switch to colorization. | ||
''Password'' was most often taped in New York at CBS-TV Studio 52 (later converted to the ] discothèque) and CBS-TV Studio 50 (the ]) until the end of the daytime run in 1967. The original CBS version made annual trips to CBS Television City during the 1960s, including once when the CBS New York studios were |
''Password'' was most often taped in New York at CBS-TV Studio 52 (later converted to the ] discothèque) and CBS-TV Studio 50 (the ]) until the end of the daytime run in 1967. The original CBS version made annual trips to CBS Television City during the 1960s, including once when the CBS New York studios were refurbished for color TV. During its run, ''Password'' was taped in all four of the studios at different times (31, 33, 41 and 43).<ref>{{cite web|title=Shows–CBS Television City|url=http://www.cbstelevisioncity.com/shows#|accessdate=25 July 2011}}</ref> | ||
As Mark Goodson opposed a permanent move of the show to Hollywood, Silverman canceled the series on September 15, 1967. | |||
===ABC: 1971–1975=== | ===ABC: 1971–1975=== | ||
] |
]'' when Oscar and Felix became contestants in 1973.]] | ||
Goodson-Todman sold reruns of the CBS version to local stations via ] in the late 1960s, and in some markets they performed quite well in mid-morning or late-afternoon slots. This prompted ABC to contact Mark Goodson about reviving the game; this time around, Goodson agreed to have the show tape in ] per ABC's wishes. ''Password'' (commonly called '''''Password ABC''''' to distinguish it from the CBS run) would become Goodson-Todman's first show to be staged in ] full-time rather than ]. The company eventually moved almost all production to southern ] during the 1970s. The show was taped at ABC Studio TV-10, "The Vine Street Theater," in Hollywood and the ABC Television Center. | |||
]'' series, in which Oscar and Felix were contestants]] | |||
] on ''Password'' in 1972]] | |||
Goodson-Todman sold reruns of the CBS version to local stations via ] in the late 1960s, and in some markets, they performed quite well in mid-morning or late-afternoon slots. This prompted ABC to contact Mark Goodson about reviving the game; this time around, Goodson agreed to have the show tape in ] per ABC's wishes. ''Password'' would become Goodson-Todman's first show to be staged in ] full-time rather than ]. The company eventually moved almost all production to southern ] during the 1970s. The show was taped at ABC Studio TV-10, "The Vine Street Theater," in Hollywood and the ].{{fact|date=January 2023}} | |||
The network slated ''Password'' to replace the cult soap '']'' at 4:00 PM (3:00 Central) on April 5, 1971. Some of the more devoted ''Shadows'' fans threatened ABC with physical disruption of the first tapings of ''Password'' at the Hollywood studios. These plans never materialized and ABC went ahead, managing strong results against NBC's '']'' and reruns of '']'' on CBS. |
The network slated ''Password'' to replace the cult soap '']'' at 4:00 PM (3:00 Central) on April 5, 1971. Some of the more devoted ''Shadows'' fans threatened ABC with physical disruption of the first tapings of ''Password'' at the Hollywood studios. These plans never materialized and ABC went ahead, managing strong results against NBC's '']'' and reruns of '']'' on CBS. | ||
ABC promoted the show to 12:30 PM (11:30 AM Central) on September 6, where it faced stronger challenges in the form of CBS' long-running '']'' and NBC's '']'', which had been on for two years. ''Password'' held up well there for six months until the network moved it up a half-hour to 12:00 PM (11:00 AM Central) on March 20, 1972 |
ABC promoted the show to 12:30 PM (11:30 AM Central) on September 6, where it faced stronger challenges in the form of CBS' long-running '']'' and NBC's '']'', which had been on for two years. ''Password'' held up well there for six months until the network moved it up a half-hour to 12:00 PM (11:00 AM Central) on March 20, 1972 for the new Hatos-Hall game '']''. ''Password'' came in a solid second to NBC's '']'' and out-performed three-year-old CBS soap '']''. CBS replaced ''Heart'' on March 26, 1973 with the youth-oriented '']'', causing ''Password'' and ''Jeopardy!'' to hit ratings trouble that summer. | ||
Even though NBC moved ''Jeopardy!'' on January 7, 1974 |
Even though NBC moved ''Jeopardy!'' on January 7, 1974 from 12:00 PM to 10:30 AM (9:30 Central) in favor of '']'', the ABC ''Password'' was sliding into third place. In May, the show won the first-ever ] for Outstanding Game Show. A large Emmy statue then became part of the set's backdrop until the overhaul in November. | ||
Beginning on July 15, 1974, several gimmicks were tried to boost ratings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://abcpassword.tvheaven.com/ABCPass_CelebArchives/1974.html|title=WEBSITE CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE - FreeServers|website=abcpassword.tvheaven.com}}</ref> This included: | Beginning on July 15, 1974, several gimmicks were tried to boost ratings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://abcpassword.tvheaven.com/ABCPass_CelebArchives/1974.html|title=WEBSITE CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE - FreeServers|website=abcpassword.tvheaven.com}}</ref> This included: | ||
Line 165: | Line 90: | ||
* Several other celebrity-filled weeks for charity were also held from July 29 to August 2, September 16–20, and October 14–18. | * Several other celebrity-filled weeks for charity were also held from July 29 to August 2, September 16–20, and October 14–18. | ||
* A week (September 2–6) in which ] and ] played with their children ("Celebrities and Their Children Week"); this was followed by "Celebrities and Their Wives Week" from September 9 to the 13th and a "Celebrity Husbands & Wives Charity Week" from September 30 to October 4. | * A week (September 2–6) in which ] and ] played with their children ("Celebrities and Their Children Week"); this was followed by "Celebrities and Their Wives Week" from September 9 to the 13th and a "Celebrity Husbands & Wives Charity Week" from September 30 to October 4. | ||
* Two weeks containing big winners from throughout the show's run aired from October 21 to November 1; this was followed from November 4 through the 8th by a week in which the show's producers and writers played the game for charity with ] and ]. |
* Two weeks containing big winners from throughout the show's run aired from October 21 to November 1; this was followed from November 4 through the 8th by a week in which the show's producers and writers played the game for charity with ] and ]. | ||
On November 18 (after one final week of unknown content) |
On November 18 (after one final week of unknown content) the show ran an all-celebrity format called ''Password All-Stars''. Although Goodson-Todman had success with celebrity-driven formats such as '']'' (which debuted in 1973) and '']'' (which began earlier in the year) through the late 1970s, the lack of civilian contestants and significantly altered rules on ''Password'' drove more viewers away. | ||
On February 24, 1975, Goodson-Todman abandoned the |
On February 24, 1975, Goodson-Todman abandoned the format (but changed the contestant configuration in order to avoid another set redesign) in a last-ditch effort to save the program. Although ''Password'' was given another eighteen weeks, ABC had all but given up on the show. Aside from a week in which Betty White hosted while her husband played (March 24–28), no more gimmicks were attempted for the rest of the run. | ||
On June 27, 1975, four members of the show's staff played a "mock game" which filled some time after the final Lightning Round.<ref>Only three words were played in the time allowed. All normal rules were in effect; however, no mention was made of what would happen had one team reached the 50-point goal.</ref> Mark Goodson then appeared to declare Ludden "Mr. Password" and mentioned that numerous elementary schoolteachers in the U.S. used the various editions of the ]-packaged home game as a tool to teach their pupils English. Ludden and White then gave an emotional farewell. ''Password'' was replaced with '']'', which lasted six months. |
On June 27, 1975, four members of the show's staff played a "mock game" which filled some time after the final Lightning Round.<ref>Only three words were played in the time allowed. All normal rules were in effect; however, no mention was made of what would happen had one team reached the 50-point goal.</ref> Mark Goodson then appeared to declare Ludden "Mr. Password" and mentioned that numerous elementary schoolteachers in the U.S. used the various editions of the ]-packaged home game as a tool to teach their pupils English. Ludden and White then gave an emotional farewell. ''Password'' was replaced with '']'', which lasted six months. | ||
In 1978, Goodson-Todman tried again and successfully brought ''Password'' to ] on January 8, 1979. Originally titled ''Password '79'', celebrity guest ] remarked during a run-through that with the various new elements the show had adopted, it was "'']''". | |||
==Other versions== | |||
===''Password Plus''=== | ===''Password Plus''=== | ||
{{Main|Password Plus and Super Password}} | {{Main|Password Plus and Super Password}} | ||
] brought ''Password'' back as ''Password Plus'' on January 8, 1979 with ] returning as host. It was originally announced in '']'' magazine as ''Password '79'', in the manner that '']'' named its 1973 version with the year. The show ran until March 26, 1982. | |||
Ludden hosted until 1980 when he was forced to step down due to a bout with stomach cancer. Initially, Ludden took a month off from taping to deal with his illness |
Ludden hosted until 1980, when he was forced to step down due to a bout with stomach cancer. Initially, Ludden took a month off from taping to deal with his illness and ] took time off from hosting '']'' to step in for him. Eventually Ludden's cancer worsened and he left the series after the October 24, 1980. He succumbed to the disease in 1981. The producers, reportedly at Ludden's request, hired ] to take over ''Password Plus'', and he remained as host until the show was cancelled. | ||
===''Super Password''=== | ===''Super Password''=== | ||
On September 24, 1984 |
On September 24, 1984 NBC brought the format back as ''Super Password'' with ] hosting. ] was the first announcer until November 23, 1984 and filled in for Wood sporadically thereafter. Bob Hilton also filled in on occasion on the show. | ||
''Super Password'' ran until March 24, 1989 |
''Super Password'' ran until March 24, 1989 and was canceled on the same day as another NBC game show, '']''. In some markets in the Eastern time zone, the show was preempted by local news due to its 12:00 PM time slot. NBC stations in the Central and Pacific time zones usually preempted '']'' at 11:30 for local news and aired ''Super Password'' at 11:00. | ||
===''Million Dollar Password''=== | ===''Million Dollar Password''=== | ||
{{Main|Million Dollar Password}} | {{Main|Million Dollar Password}} | ||
] picked up a new version of the show entitled '']'', hosted by ], which premiered on June 1, 2008 |
] picked up a new version of the show entitled '']'', hosted by ], which premiered on June 1, 2008 and ran for 12 episodes over two seasons.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> The series was taped in New York, and was the second million-dollar game show that Philbin has hosted (the first being the American network version '']''). The first season taped at the ] in ], and the second season was taped at the CBS Radford studios in ]. | ||
==Episode status== | |||
===''Buzzr (YouTube)''=== | |||
From March 4, 2015, until June 18, 2016, the ] ] channel had a very short-lived online reboot of ''Password''<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://buzzrplay.com/show/original/password |title=Password | Buzzr |date=October 8, 2015 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151008010435/http://buzzrplay.com/show/original/password |archive-date=October 8, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> hosted by online personality ] ('']'') where various internet celebrities were teamed up as contestants instead of a celebrity and civilian being paired up.{{fact|date=January 2023}} | |||
=== |
===CBS=== | ||
All of the CBS prime time episodes were preserved on ], and have aired on GSN and ]. The final year of the CBS daytime version and the second prime time version were preserved on color videotape, as the producers chose to ] those reruns following the program's first cancellation. Most of the earlier daytime episodes are presumed lost; at least two daytime episodes are available on home video, each one as part of a general game show compilation package. | |||
] greenlit a new version of ''Password'' from ] with current '']'' host ] as executive producer, on May 17, 2021, during ] upfronts presentation.<ref>{{cite web |last1=White |first1=Peter |title=Jimmy Fallon Rebooting Classic Game Show 'Password' For NBC |url=https://deadline.com/2021/05/jimmy-fallon-developing-reboot-of-classic-gameshow-password-nbc-1234758776/ |website=Deadline |date=May 17, 2021 |access-date=May 17, 2021}}</ref> On January 24, 2022, a casting notice was put out.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://passwordcasting.castingcrane.com/|title=Password Casting|website=Password Casting}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Davis |first1=Alex |title=NBC's Password Revival Now Casting |url=https://www.buzzerblog.com/2022/01/24/nbcs-password-revival-now-casting |website=Buzzerblog |date=January 24, 2022 |access-date=January 24, 2022}}</ref> In April 2022, it was reported that ] would serve as host, and that the show would premiere in the summer, later specified as August 9.<ref>{{cite web|last=White|first=Peter|title=Keke Palmer To Host 'Password' Reboot For NBC From Jimmy Fallon|url=https://deadline.com/2022/04/keke-palmer-to-host-password-reboot-nbc-jimmy-fallon-1235000771/|work=]|date=April 12, 2022|access-date=April 12, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite tweet|number=1522366530125582336|user=KekePalmer|title=It's #WorldPasswordDay & I'm coming with the tea about our show 😉...|author=Keke Palmer|author-link=Keke Palmer|date=May 5, 2022|access-date=May 5, 2022}}</ref> The first episode was dedicated to Betty White. Each hour-long episode consists of two half-hour matches, each with different pairs of contestants.{{fact|date=December 2022}} On May 12, 2023, the series was renewed for a second season; however, production was delayed to November 2023<ref>{{cite web | url=https://on-camera-audiences.com/shows/Password | title=Password }}</ref> due to Fallon's support of the ].<ref>{{cite web|last=White|first=Peter|title=Jimmy Fallon's 'Password' Renewed For Season 2 At NBC, But Production Pushed Due To Writers Strike|url=https://deadline.com/2023/05/writers-strike-jimmy-fallons-password-pushes-production-of-season-2-1235363361/|work=]|date=May 12, 2023|access-date=May 12, 2023}}</ref> After a holiday special on December 18, 2023,<ref>{{cite press release|last=Manno|first=Jackie|url=https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/thats-my-jam-password-holiday-specials-details|title=That's My Jam and Password's Holiday Specials Are a Must-Watch for Game Show Fans|publisher=]|date=December 18, 2023|access-date=February 1, 2024}}</ref> it was announced on January 29, 2024 that the second season would premiere on March 12, 2024.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://thefutoncritic.com/news/2024/01/29/new-season-of-hit-game-show-password-returns-march-12-at-10-pm-et-pt-to-nbc-942111/20240129nbc01/|title=New Season of Hit Game Show "Password" Returns March 12 at 10 P.M. ET/PT to NBC|publisher=]|via=]|date=January 29, 2024|access-date=January 29, 2024}}</ref> | |||
===ABC=== | |||
The gameplay is reminiscent of the 1961–75 versions, with games played to 15 points and the point value for each password starting at 6 for the first clue. Starting in the second season, someone from each team can "Shoot the Moon" if a player can get the other player to get the password. They earn 8 points if they can get the password (2 extra points). If not, the opposing team will have a chance to steal those points. "Shoot the Moon" can only be used once per game, and be activated throughout the game. Another addition in the second season is the "Password Prize of the Night", where correctly guessing the password earns the team points and the player a trip to a ]. Starting in the second season, the passwords in round two are related to the category, since the passwords are harder. If an illegal clue is given, the opposing team gets two points. Two such games are played, with the celebrities switching partners for the second game; if the contestants each win one game, a tie-breaker round, presented on-screen similarly to the Password Puzzle format from ], is played. Palmer reads a series of up to five clues to the final password; whoever buzzes in with the correct answer moves on to the bonus round. An incorrect answer, however, allows the opponent to guess with all five clues revealed. If both players answer incorrectly, the procedure repeats until one buzzes in with the correct answer.{{fact|date=December 2022}} Starting in the second season, Palmer gives the clues. If a player buzzes in with an incorrect answer, their opponent moves on to the bonus round. | |||
The ABC version is considered to be almost completely ]. Clips from the December 7, 1971 episode featuring ] and ] were featured on ]'s '']'' in 2006. ] aired the complete Somers/Klugman episode on September 11, 2006 in the early morning hours as part of its weekly overnight classic game-show programming (and aired it again in tribute following Somers' death). | |||
A second studio master from February 14, 1972 with ] and ] is also known to have survived; the opening of that episode can be seen on ]. Three episodes from 1975 circulate amongst collectors, two as recorded by home viewers: the ''Password All-Stars'' Finale; a studio master of episode #15 of the big-money revamp (March 14, 1975) with ] and ]; and the June 27, 1975 Finale with ] and ]. An audio recording of an episode featuring ] and ] from 1975 is also known to have survived. A few more episodes from this run are held in ] film and television archive. | |||
The bonus round uses a modified Alphabetics/Super Password round format (again from ''Plus/Super''). The contestant now plays with both celebrities, where they have a total of 60 seconds to guess all ten passwords that begin with consecutive letters of the alphabet. After one celebrity plays for the first 30 seconds, they switch out and gameplay resumes. If an illegal clue is given during the first 30 seconds, a new word beginning with the same letter will be used during the second 30. The contestant wins $1,000 per guessed word, and $25,000 for solving all ten before time runs out. If all ten are not solved in time, the contestant receives one more password, which is not revealed to the home audience, for both celebrities to jointly guess. After giving a single clue, the contestant puts on headphones and turns their back to the celebrities, while they deliberate for up to 30 seconds. If they are correct, the contestant's winnings are doubled; if not, they keep their previous winnings.{{fact|date=December 2022}} | |||
It is believed that the videotapes that were used for the ABC ''Password'' were recycled and reused for the ] version of '']'', which began on July 12, 1976. | |||
The final episode of the first season featured four celebrities playing for charity and switching teams for the second half of the episode. One member of the winning team gives the clues in the bonus round and the other guesses the password in 60 seconds. If all ten passwords are not solved, the celebrity gives a clue to the other celebrities and puts on headphones during the deliberation. Fallon, instead of playing in the second half of the episode, let Palmer take his place playing, while he hosted.{{fact|date=December 2022}} | |||
== |
===DVD release=== | ||
On December 2, 2008, BCI Entertainment Company LLC (under license from ]) released a DVD box set "The Best of ''PASSWORD'', starring Allen Ludden: The CBS Years - 1962–1967". The set predominately features the nighttime show, with most of the final disc containing daytime episodes from 1967; notably, despite their existence, neither the nighttime nor daytime finales are present. This 3-Disc set contains 30 episodes of ''PASSWORD'' (1961 daytime episodes and 1962-1967 primetime episodes), uncut and un-edited, and also digitally transferred, re-mastered and restored from the original B&W kinescopes and original 2-inch color videotapes. | |||
All of the CBS primetime episodes were preserved on ], and have aired on GSN and ]. The final year of the CBS daytime version and the second primetime version was preserved on color videotape, as the producers chose to ] those reruns following the program's first cancellation. Most of the earlier daytime episodes are presumed lost; at least two daytime episodes are available on home video, each one as part of a general game show compilation package. A number of episodes exist in the ].{{fact|date=January 2023}} | |||
Although ''Password'' began in 1961, the DVD set consistently states "The CBS Years: 1962–1967". This misleading title may be due to the earliest episode on the set being the nighttime premiere, which aired in early 1962. A rerelease by Mill Creek, which acquired the rights to the Fremantle game-show DVD sets following BCI's collapse, corrected this error. | |||
The ABC version is considered to be almost completely ]{{According to whom|date=May 2019}}. Clips from the December 7, 1971, episode featuring ] and ] were featured on ]'s '']'' in 2006. ] aired the complete Somers/Klugman episode on September 11, 2006, in the early morning hours as part of its weekly overnight classic game-show programming (and aired it again in tribute following Somers' death). ] aired the complete Somers/Klugman episode on August 8, 2022.{{fact|date=January 2023}} | |||
An early mock-up of the packaging showed host Ludden on the later CBS set, with the original ABC logo on the front of the desk (as well as on the spine), while a slew of celebrities were listed on the bottom of the cover. Further, the press release stated that set would range "from the early 1960s all the way up to the mid 1970s", indicating that ABC episodes would be included.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Password-The-Best-Of/10546|title=Password DVD news: Announcement for Password - The Best Of - TVShowsOnDVD.com|website=www.tvshowsondvd.com|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081021170937/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Password-The-Best-Of/10546|archivedate=2008-10-21|df=}}</ref> A later update to the box art removed the celebrity list and clarified that the set would only cover the CBS era, although the ABC logo was still present (the front cover now had it in place of the CBS logo above Ludden).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Password-The-Best-Of/10639|title=Password DVD news: Box Art for Password - The Best Of - TVShowsOnDVD.com|website=www.tvshowsondvd.com|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208022718/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Password-The-Best-Of/10639|archivedate=2008-12-08|df=}}</ref> The ABC logo was omitted altogether when the DVD set was released, with the CBS logo behind Ludden in the original picture being enlarged. | |||
A second studio master from February 14, 1972, with ] and ] is also known to have survived; the opening of that episode can be seen on ], with the complete episode being uploaded in May 2020.<ref>Archived at {{cbignore}} and the {{cbignore}}: {{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87rYGJwVfKs| title = Password ABC Daytime (February 14th 1972) | website=]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Five episodes from 1975 circulate amongst collectors, three as recorded by home viewers: the ''Password All-Stars'' Finale; a studio master of episode #15 of the big-money revamp (March 14, 1975) with ] and ]; a kinescope of episode #24 of the revamp (March 27, 1975); a June 1975 episode with ] and ]; and the June 27, 1975 finale with ] and ]. An audio recording of an episode featuring ] and ] from 1975 is also known to have survived. A few more episodes from this run are held in ] film and television archive.{{fact|date=January 2023}} | |||
==Theme music== | |||
It is believed that the videotapes that were used for the ABC ''Password'' were recycled and reused for the ] version of '']'', which began on July 12, 1976.{{fact|date=January 2023}} | |||
{{unreferenced section|date=July 2011}} | |||
The theme song used on ''Password'' from 1961 to 1963 was called "Holiday Jaunt", composed by Kurt Rehfeld. That theme was followed later by "You Know the Password", composed by ], which was used from 1963 until the CBS version's cancellation in 1967. During the closing credits Ludden would often be seen keeping time to the music on Cobert's tune. When ''Password'' returned on ABC in 1971, ] composed "The Fun of It". The theme used later in that version's run, beginning with ''Password All-Stars'' in 1974, was called "Bicentennial Funk", which was used until the ABC version's finale in 1975. That theme, as well as the themes for ''Password Plus'' and ''Super Password'', was also composed by Score Productions. | |||
==International versions== | |||
Both NBC daytime versions were preserved and have aired in reruns on GSN and Buzzr, though a few select episodes are skipped due to either poor tape condition, puzzles or clues that may be deemed offensive, or celebrity clearance issues.{{fact|date=January 2023}} | |||
=== |
===Australia=== | ||
The 1962–1966 ] series '']'' may have been based at least partially on ''Password'', judging by a description in a newspaper article announcing the series.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0DlVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XJUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6606,2594547|title=The Age - Google News Archive Search|website=news.google.com}}</ref> | |||
On December 2, 2008, BCI Entertainment Company LLC (under license from ]) released a DVD box set "The Best of ''Password'', starring Allen Ludden: The CBS Years - 1962–1967". The set predominantly features the nighttime show, with most of the final disc containing daytime episodes from 1967; notably, despite their existence, neither the nighttime nor daytime finales are present. This 3-Disc set contains 30 episodes of ''Password'' (1961 daytime episodes and 1962-1967 primetime episodes), uncut and unedited, and also digitally transferred, remastered, and restored from the original B&W kinescopes and original 2-inch color videotapes.{{fact|date=January 2023}} | |||
===Brazil=== | |||
Although ''Password'' began in 1961, the DVD set consistently states "The CBS Years: 1962–1967". This misleading title may be due to the earliest episode on the set being the nighttime premiere, which aired in early 1962. A rerelease by Mill Creek, which acquired the rights to the Fremantle game-show DVD sets following BCI's collapse, corrected this error.{{fact|date=January 2023}} | |||
An old version was called Passe A Palavra ("Spread The Word") hosted by Silvio Santos; another version is called ''MegaSenha'', airs Saturdays on ]. | |||
===New Zealand=== | |||
An early mock-up of the packaging showed host Ludden on the later CBS set, with the original ABC logo on the front of the desk (as well as on the spine), while a slew of celebrities was listed on the bottom of the cover. Further, the press release stated that the set would range "from the early 1960s all the way up to the mid 1970s", indicating that ABC episodes would be included.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Password-The-Best-Of/10546|title=Password DVD news: Announcement for Password - The Best Of - TVShowsOnDVD.com|website=www.tvshowsondvd.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081021170937/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Password-The-Best-Of/10546|archive-date=October 21, 2008}}</ref> A later update to the box art removed the celebrity list and clarified that the set would only cover the CBS era, although the ABC logo was still present (the front cover now had it in place of the CBS logo above Ludden).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Password-The-Best-Of/10639|title=Password DVD news: Box Art for Password - The Best Of - TVShowsOnDVD.com|website=www.tvshowsondvd.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208022718/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Password-The-Best-Of/10639|archive-date=December 8, 2008}}</ref> The ABC logo was omitted altogether when the DVD set was released, with the CBS logo behind Ludden in the original picture being enlarged.{{fact|date=January 2023}} | |||
A Maori-language version has aired since 2006. | |||
== |
===Portugal=== | ||
A version based on ''Super Password'' called ''Palavra Puxa Palavra'' ("Word Pulls Word") hosted by António Sala ran on ] in 1990 before it moved to ] due to the success of the show. | |||
===1998 version=== | |||
According to a November 11, 1997, issue of ''Broadcasting & Cable'' magazine,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1997/BC-1997-11-17.pdf|title=From a November 11, 1997 issue of ''Broadcasting & Cable'' magazine in an article stating that a ''"New 'Feud' may sign Dolly Parton as Host"''}}</ref> it was reported that former talk show host and emcee of the short-lived 1990 NBC daytime revival of '']'', ] was being prepped to become the brand new host of a version of ''Password'' planned for syndication in the Fall of 1998, with ] to have produced the series. However, those plans never materialized.{{fact|date=January 2023}} | |||
=== |
===United Kingdom=== | ||
{{main|Password (UK game show)}} | |||
On May 14, 2016, an article from ''Buzzerblog''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Carrion|first=Christian|title=EXCLUSIVE: Password Revival May Be Coming to ABC|url=http://www.buzzerblog.com/2016/05/14/exclusive-password-revival-may-be-coming-to-abc/|publisher=Buzzerblog|date=May 14, 2016|accessdate=May 14, 2016}}</ref> received word from an anonymous but reputable source that ''Password'' was listed as a possible new alternative series on the internal ABC affiliate website. But neither the host, premiere date, nor taping/casting information have been mentioned since.{{fact|date=January 2023}} | |||
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left; font-size:95%; line-height:14px;" | |||
==International versions== | |||
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left; line-height:17px;" | |||
|- | |- | ||
! Country !! Title !! Broadcaster !! Presenter !! Premiere !! Finale | ! Country !! Title !! Broadcaster !! Presenter !! Premiere !! Finale | ||
|- | |- | ||
| {{flag|Australia}} || '']'' |
| {{flag|Australia}} || '']'' || ] || ] || 1962 || 1966 | ||
|- | |||
| {{flag|Brazil}} || ''Passe A Palavra'' || ] || ] || 1995 || 1995 | |||
|- | |||
| {{flag|Germany}} || ''Passwort'' || SDR/SWF || Wolf Mittler || 1964 || 1966 | |||
|- | |||
| {{flag|Greece}} || ? || ] || ? || colspan="2"| Upcoming | |||
|- | |||
| {{flag|Hungary}} || ''Password - A jelszó'' || ] || Ramóna Lékai-Kiss || colspan="2"| Upcoming | |||
|- | |||
| {{flag|Israel}} || ? || ] || ? || colspan="2"| Upcoming | |||
|- | |||
| {{flag|Mexico}} || '']'' || ] || ] || May 20, 2023 || present | |||
|- | |||
| {{flag|New Zealand}} || ''Password'' || ? || ? || 2006 || 2006 | |||
|- | |||
| rowspan="2" | {{flag|Slovakia}} || rowspan="2" |''Heslo''|| rowspan="2" | ] ||]|| July 6, 2017 | |||
|June 5, 2018 | |||
|- | |||
|Jasmina Alagič | |||
|January 8, 2024 | |||
|present | |||
|- | |||
| {{flag|Spain}} || '']'' || ] || ] || July 28, 2023 || December 30, 2023 | |||
|- | |||
| rowspan="9"| {{flag|United Kingdom}} || rowspan="9"| '']'' || ] || ] || March 12, 1963 || September 10, 1963 | |||
|- | |||
| ] || ] || March 24, 1973 || April 28, 1973 | |||
|- | |||
| rowspan="2"| ] || ] || rowspan="2"| January 7, 1974 || rowspan="2"| January 3, 1976 | |||
|- | |||
| ] | |||
|- | |||
| ] || ] || November 6, 1982 || May 14, 1983 | |||
|- | |||
| rowspan="2"| ] || Brian Munn || rowspan="3"| September 2, 1985 || rowspan="3"| July 29, 1988 | |||
|- | |- | ||
| {{flag|Brazil}} || ] || ] || ] || 1995 || 1995 | |||
| rowspan="2"| ] | |||
|- | |- | ||
| {{flag|New Zealand}} || ? || ? || ? || 2006 || 2006 | |||
| rowspan="2"| ITV | |||
|- | |- | ||
| {{flag|Portugal}} || ] || ] (1990–93)<br>] (1993–94) || António Sala || 30 September 1990 || 11 June 1994 | |||
| ] || colspan="2"| Upcoming | |||
|- | |- | ||
| {{flag|United Kingdom}} || '']'' || ] (1963; 1987–88)<br>] (1973)<br>] (1974–75)<br>] (1982–83) || ] (1963)<br>] (1973)<br>] (1974)<br>] (1974–75)<br>] (1982–83)<br>] (1987–88) || 12 March 1963 || 5 August 1988 | |||
| {{flag|Vietnam}} || ''Ngạc nhiên chưa'' || ] || Đại Nghĩa || October 7, 2015 || present | |||
|} | |} | ||
== |
==In popular culture== | ||
An episode of '']'' featured both Oscar and Felix appearing on the show season 3, Episode 11 "Password".<br /> | |||
The ] introduced the first home version of ''Password'' in 1962 and subsequently released 24 editions of the game until 1986. Owing to common ], these releases were numbered 1–12 and 14–25, skipping ]. It was tied with '']'' as the most prolific of Milton Bradley's home versions of popular game shows and was produced well into the ''Super Password'' era of the television show. Milton Bradley also published three editions of a ''Password Plus'' home game between 1979 and 1981, but never did a version for ''Super Password''.{{fact|date=January 2023}} | |||
The game was parodied as a "porn" version in the 1996 film '']''.<br /> | |||
The game was parodied in '']'' season 2, episode 20 "Wasted Talent".<br /> | |||
'']'' parodied the game as ''"Buzzword"'' for a promo as part of their "Stand-Up Month" in 2005.<br /> | |||
The game is played a couple of times on '']'' with celebrities playing. | |||
==Home games== | |||
Since 1997, Endless Games has released seven editions of ''Password'', including a children's edition (with gameplay closer to the various incarnations of '']''), a special "50th Anniversary Edition" in 2011 and a DVD edition featuring the voice of ] (notably, the latter uses the original ABC logo on its packaging). In addition, Endless released a home version of ''Million-Dollar Password'' in 2008.{{fact|date=January 2023}} | |||
] | |||
The ] introduced the ] of ''Password'' in 1962 and subsequently released 24 editions of the game until 1986. Owing to common ], these releases were numbered 1–12 and 14–25, skipping ]. It was tied with '']'' as the most prolific of Milton Bradley's home versions of popular game shows, and was produced well into the ''Super Password'' era of the television show. Milton Bradley also published three editions of a ''Password Plus'' home game between 1979 and 1981, but never did a version for ''Super Password''. | |||
More recently, Endless Games has released seven editions of ''Password'' since 1997, including a children's edition (with gameplay closer to the various incarnations of '']'') and a DVD edition featuring the voice of ] (notably, the latter uses the original ABC logo on its packaging). In addition, Endless released a home version of ''Million-Dollar Password'' in 2008. | |||
A computer version of ''Super Password'' was released by ] for ] systems, as well as the ] and ], shortly before the series was canceled. A ] version was also planned but never released. ] released an electronic hand-held "''Super Password''" game in the late 1990s. More recently, ] released a new hand-held electronic version featuring a touch screen with a stylus to enter words.{{fact|date=January 2023}} | |||
A computer version of ''Super Password'' was released by ] for ] systems, as well as the ] and ], shortly before the series was canceled. A ] version was also planned but never released. ] released an electronic hand-held "''Super Password''" game in the late 1990s. More recently, ] released a new hand-held electronic version featuring a touch screen with stylus to enter words. | |||
An online version of ''Password'' was once available on its now-defunct website ''Uproar.com'' where instead of just one partner every time, you were allowed to play along with lots of other people in a party atmosphere. However, as of September 30, 2006, the website no longer offers any game show-based online games of any kind.{{fact|date=January 2023}} | |||
As with several other Goodson-Todman game shows, ''Password'' has been adapted into a ] by ]. A simulated ] emcees the proceedings, with the voices and caricatures of ], ], ], and ]. One bonus round offers the player free spins; the other involves choosing from four envelopes offered by the celebrities. Finding the "Password" envelope advances the player to a new level with four more envelopes, worth more prize money.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20071216015814/http://www.wms.com/game-detail.php?Category=00&Themes=337</ref> | |||
Interactive online versions of ''Password Plus'' and ''Super Password'' were once available from ] where you would play along while watching the show.{{fact|date=January 2023}} | |||
As with several other Goodson-Todman/Goodson game shows, ''Password'' has been adapted into a ] by ]. A simulated ] emcees the proceedings, with the voices and caricatures of ], ], ], and ]. One bonus round offers the player free spins; the other involves choosing from four envelopes offered by the celebrities. Finding the "Password" envelope advances the player to a new level with four more envelopes, worth more prize money.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wms.com/game-detail.php?Category=00&Themes=337 |title=WMS Gaming |website=www.wms.com |access-date=January 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071216015814/http://www.wms.com/game-detail.php?Category=00&Themes=337 |archive-date=December 16, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
*'']'', a comedic 2013 3-D animated short inspired by the original ''Password''.<ref name="Sarto">{{cite news|url=http://www.awn.com/articles/short-films/chris-landreth-talks-subconscious-password|title=Chris Landreth Talks Subconscious Password|last=Sarto|first=Dan|date= |
*'']'', a comedic 2013 3-D animated short inspired by the original ''Password''.<ref name="Sarto">{{cite news|url=http://www.awn.com/articles/short-films/chris-landreth-talks-subconscious-password|title=Chris Landreth Talks Subconscious Password|last=Sarto|first=Dan|date=6 May 2013|work=]|accessdate=4 July 2013}}</ref> | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
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==External links== | ==External links== | ||
* {{IMDb title|0054560|Password}} | |||
* {{Official website|https://www.nbc.com/password}} (NBC) | |||
* {{IMDb title|0054560}} | |||
* {{IMDb title|0197176|Password Plus}} | * {{IMDb title|0197176|Password Plus}} | ||
* {{IMDb title|0086811|Super Password}} | * {{IMDb title|0086811|Super Password}} | ||
* {{IMDb title|1224277|Million Dollar Password}} | * {{IMDb title|1224277|Million Dollar Password}} | ||
* {{dead link|date=September 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} | |||
* {{IMDb title|14671508|Password (2022)}} | |||
* | |||
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{{succession box | before = First winner | title = ] | years = 1974 | after = ]}} | ||
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{{succession box | title=2:00 p.m. EST, CBS| before=Face the Facts | after=]| years=10/2/61 – 9/15/67}} | ||
{{succession box | title=4:00 p.m. EST, ABC| before= |
{{succession box | title=4:00 p.m. EST, ABC| before=] | after=]| years=4/5/71 – 8/27/71}} | ||
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{{succession box | title=12:30 p.m. EST, ABC| before=] | after=]| years=8/30/71 – 3/17/72}} | ||
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{{succession box | title=12:00 p.m. EST, ABC| before=] | after=]| years=3/20/72 – 6/27/75}} | ||
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{{Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Game/Audience Participation Show}} | {{Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Game/Audience Participation Show}} | ||
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Revision as of 01:21, 1 May 2024
For other uses, see Password (video games).This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Password" American game show – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Password | |
---|---|
Created by | Bob Stewart |
Directed by | Lou Tedesco, Mike Gargiulo (1961–67) Stuart Phelps, Ira Skutch (1971–75) |
Presented by | Allen Ludden |
Judges | David H. Greene, Reason A. Goodwin (1961–67) Dr. Robert Stockwell, Dr. Carolyn Duncan (1971–75) |
Narrated by | Jack Clark Gene Wood Bern Bennett Lee Vines (1961–67) John Harlan (1971–75) |
Theme music composer | Bob Cobert (1961–67) Score Productions (1971–75) |
Country of origin | United States |
No. of episodes | 1,555 (CBS Daytime) 201 (CBS Primetime) 1,099 (ABC) |
Production | |
Producer | Frank Wayne (1961–75) Howard Felsher (1971–75) |
Running time | 25–26 minutes (1962–1967 prime-time), 22–23 minutes (other versions) |
Original release | |
Network | CBS (1961–67) ABC (1971–75) |
Release | October 2, 1961 – June 27, 1975 |
Password is an American television game show which was created by Bob Stewart for Goodson-Todman Productions. The host was Allen Ludden, who had previously been well known as the host of the G.E. College Bowl. In the game, two teams, each composed of a celebrity player and a contestant, attempt to convey mystery words to each other using only single-word clues, in order to win cash prizes.
Password originally aired for 1,555 daytime telecasts each weekday from October 2, 1961, to September 15, 1967, on CBS, along with weekly prime time airings from January 2, 1962, to September 9, 1965, and December 25, 1966, to May 22, 1967. An additional 1,099 daytime shows aired from April 5, 1971 to June 27, 1975 on ABC. The show's announcers were Jack Clark and Lee Vines on CBS and John Harlan on ABC.
Two revivals later aired on NBC: Password Plus from 1979 to 1982, and Super Password from 1984 to 1989, followed by a primetime version, Million Dollar Password, on CBS from 2008 to 2009. All of these versions introduced new variations in gameplay.
In 2013, TV Guide ranked it #8 in its list of the 60 greatest game shows ever.
Rules
Two teams, each consisting of one celebrity player and one "civilian" contestant, competed. The word to be conveyed (the "password") was given to one player on each team, and was shown onscreen to viewers as well as spoken softly on the audio track. Game play alternated between the two teams. On each team, the player who was given the password gave a one-word clue from which their partner attempted to guess the password. If the partner failed to guess the password within the allotted five-second time limit, or if an illegal clue was given (two or more words, a hyphenated word, "coined" words, or any part or form of the password), play passed to the opposing team.
The game continued until one of the players guessed the password correctly or until ten clues had been given. Scoring was based on the number of clues given when the password was guessed, e.g. ten points were awarded for guessing the password on the first clue, nine points on the second clue, eight points on the third clue, etc., down to one point on the tenth and final clue. On the ABC version a limit of six clues was imposed to expedite game play, with the last clue worth five points. In addition, teams were given the option of either playing or passing control of the first clue to the opposing team. Specifically, the team that was trailing in score, or that had lost the previous game, was offered the pass/play option; when the score was tied, the team that failed to get the previous password was awarded the pass/play option.
On the CBS daytime edition, the first team to reach 25 points won that contestant $100. On the nighttime edition, the winner won $250. The winning team earned a chance to win up to an additional $250 by playing the "Lightning Round", in which the civilian contestant on the prevailing team tried to guess five passwords within 60 seconds from clues given by his/her celebrity partner. $50 was awarded for each correctly guessed password (increased to $100 from 1973 to 1974).
The Lightning Round was among the first bonus rounds on a television game (along with the scrambled phrase game on the original Beat the Clock). On the ABC version from 1971 to 1974, immediately after completing the Lightning Round the player was given a chance at "the Betting Word," in which they could wager any amount of their winnings on their celebrity partner's ability to guess it within 15 seconds. This increased the maximum bonus prize to $500 ($1,000 from 1973 to 1974 when the regular Lightning Round values were doubled).
On each episode from 1961 to 1975, Ludden would caution the players about unacceptable clues by stating, "When you hear this sound (a buzzer would sound) it means your clue has not been accepted by our authority, (name of word authority)." Word authorities on the CBS version included New York University professor David H. Greene and World Book Encyclopedia Dictionary editor Dr. Reason A. Goodwin (that dictionary being still a work-in-progress at the time of the show's first airing, first appearing in print form in 1963). Robert Stockwell from UCLA and Carolyn Duncan served as word authorities during the ABC version.
Clark, Vines, and Harlan whispered the password to viewers on the first two versions of the show, but the practice was discontinued, beginning with Password All-Stars, when a computer (referred to as "Murphy" on-camera by Allen Ludden) was incorporated. The computer would display the password one letter at a time (like a typewriter), followed by the quotation marks. A beeping sound would accompany each letter as it appeared on the screen. A final beep would signal that the password was revealed to the home viewer, and play would start. On Password Plus, a bell would ring when the password was revealed. On Super Password from September 24, 1984 to October 31, 1986, a chirping sound was heard when the password was revealed. However, Gene Wood began whispering the words on Super Password just like in the original, starting on November 3, 1986. The practice was again discontinued on Million Dollar Password.
Before the cancellation of the Goodson-Todman game show Snap Judgment on NBC in 1969, that program's set was changed in order to make it resemble the look of the CBS Password. Goodson-Todman did this to correspond to rule changes that, in fact, made Snap Judgment identical to Password.
Contestants
On the CBS daytime version, contestants played two matches, win or lose, with each game awarding $100 to the winner. For most of the CBS nighttime version's first year, the same two players stayed for the entire show, playing as many matches as time allowed. However, after three contestants managed to break the $1,000 mark, this practice was changed in November 1962 to having two new contestants play each game (generally, three pairs of contestants competed in the course of each show), with winning contestants receiving $250 and losers receiving $50.
For two shows in July 1965, the nighttime version experimented with a "championship match" format, in which the winners of games 1 and 2 would return to compete against each other in the final game. Also in 1965, the show adopted an annual "Tournament of Champions" where contestants on the daytime version who won both their games were invited back to compete for more money.
Early on the ABC version, contestants played a single elimination game; the winning contestants could stay until either defeated or win a maximum of 10 games, thus retiring them as undefeated champions. Later on, the limit was dropped, and champions stayed on the show until defeated. From 1973 to 1974, the first contestant to win a two-out-of-three match played the Lightning Round.
Every three months, the four top winners during that period would return for a quarterly contest. The winner would earn $1,000 and the right to compete in the annual Tournament of Champions. The winner of the annual contest won $5,000, received a free trip to Macedonia and faced the previous year's champion in a best-of-seven match for $10,000. Lewis Retrum, from Boston, won the Tournament of Champions two years in a row and retired undefeated when the show went off the air.
Format changes
From November 18, 1974, to February 21, 1975, Password became Password All-Stars, where teams of celebrities played for charity in a tournament-style format. At the end of each week, the highest scorer would win $5,000 and advance to the Grandmasters' Championship, which would award the winner another $25,000. The first tournament's finalists were Dick Gautier, James Shigeta, Peter Bonerz, and Don Galloway, with Shigeta winning the championship; the second tournament's finalists were Richard Dawson, Bill Bixby, Hal Linden, and Betty White, with Dawson winning the championship (Dawson had almost made it to the first tournament finals, but Gautier beat him out during their preliminary week by just one point).
After the celebrity format modification proved unpopular with viewers, Goodson-Todman made Password All-Stars simply Password again, but the show carried over elements of All-Stars mainly in order to use the set that had been redesigned for the all-celebrity period. Among these were an elimination round in which four contestants (two new players and the two players from the previous game) competed with the help of the two celebrities in the first round. In the qualifying round, one of the two celebrities used a one-word clue to a password (with both celebrities alternating turns on giving clues), and the four contestants would ring in with the password. A correct response earned that contestant one point, with three points needed to qualify for the regular game. An incorrect response locked that player out of the word in play. The first two contestants to reach three points went on to play the regular Password game.
In the regular game, an addition to the rules was the "double" option, in which the first clue giver could ask to increase the word value to 20 points by giving only one clue; if that word was missed, the other team could score the 20 points with a second clue. The first team to reach 50 points or more could win thousands of dollars in the Big Money Lightning Round, using a three-step structure in which the winning team attempted to guess three passwords within 30 seconds per step. The contestant was paid as follows:
- Part One: Each password paid $25. Guessing all three passwords in 30 seconds further netted $5 for each second left on the clock. The round ended if the contestant was unable to guess at least one of the three passwords.
- Part Two: The money earned in part one would be multiplied by the number of passwords guessed here. Naming all three passwords this time added $10 for each second left. If the receiver failed to identify at least one of the passwords here, the round ended and the contestant still kept all part-one winnings; he or she then returned to the elimination panel to compete for the right to play the main game again.
- Part Three: Naming all three passwords in 30 seconds multiplied the contestant's part-two winnings tenfold (meaning if a player accumulated $500 after two parts, guessing all three passwords in this part would earn $5,000).
Broadcast history
CBS: 1961–1967
With Goodson-Todman established as a reliable producer of high-rated games for CBS, including What's My Line?, To Tell the Truth, and I've Got a Secret, the network gave the new word association game the 2:00 PM (1:00 Central) time slot, replacing the courtroom-themed game Face the Facts. As television's first successful celebrity-civilian team game, Password attracted a large and loyal audience that made it into a solid Nielsen favorite for nearly five years as shows came and went with great frequency on the other networks. A concurrent prime time version which debuted in January 1962 was also successful, albeit somewhat less than the daytime show. Both versions performed strongly in the ratings.
On July 11, 1966, CBS preempted Password in favor of CBS News' live coverage of a press conference held by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara on the progress of the Vietnam War. The other two networks went ahead with their regular schedules, as their news divisions had not been granted the power to make programming decisions. A new show beginning that day on ABC—The Newlywed Game—attracted some Password fans. NBC also benefited from the CBS programming decision, experiencing success with their recently launched soap opera Days of Our Lives.
Over the next year, Newlywed and Days achieved higher ratings than Password. CBS daytime head Fred Silverman, who was not a personal fan of the genre, cancelled Password in the spring of 1967. The cancellation occurred after squabbles over where the show would be taped (New York City or Hollywood). Silverman wanted the show permanently moved to CBS Television City, where it was moved for part of the 1966–1967 season to allow the show to tape in color, as CBS' New York studios had not made the full switch to colorization.
Password was most often taped in New York at CBS-TV Studio 52 (later converted to the Studio 54 discothèque) and CBS-TV Studio 50 (the Ed Sullivan Theater) until the end of the daytime run in 1967. The original CBS version made annual trips to CBS Television City during the 1960s, including once when the CBS New York studios were refurbished for color TV. During its run, Password was taped in all four of the studios at different times (31, 33, 41 and 43).
As Mark Goodson opposed a permanent move of the show to Hollywood, Silverman canceled the series on September 15, 1967.
ABC: 1971–1975
Goodson-Todman sold reruns of the CBS version to local stations via syndication in the late 1960s, and in some markets they performed quite well in mid-morning or late-afternoon slots. This prompted ABC to contact Mark Goodson about reviving the game; this time around, Goodson agreed to have the show tape in Hollywood per ABC's wishes. Password (commonly called Password ABC to distinguish it from the CBS run) would become Goodson-Todman's first show to be staged in Los Angeles full-time rather than New York City. The company eventually moved almost all production to southern California during the 1970s. The show was taped at ABC Studio TV-10, "The Vine Street Theater," in Hollywood and the ABC Television Center.
The network slated Password to replace the cult soap Dark Shadows at 4:00 PM (3:00 Central) on April 5, 1971. Some of the more devoted Shadows fans threatened ABC with physical disruption of the first tapings of Password at the Hollywood studios. These plans never materialized and ABC went ahead, managing strong results against NBC's Somerset and reruns of Gomer Pyle, USMC on CBS.
ABC promoted the show to 12:30 PM (11:30 AM Central) on September 6, where it faced stronger challenges in the form of CBS' long-running Search for Tomorrow and NBC's The Who, What, or Where Game, which had been on for two years. Password held up well there for six months until the network moved it up a half-hour to 12:00 PM (11:00 AM Central) on March 20, 1972 for the new Hatos-Hall game Split Second. Password came in a solid second to NBC's Jeopardy! and out-performed three-year-old CBS soap Where the Heart Is. CBS replaced Heart on March 26, 1973 with the youth-oriented The Young and the Restless, causing Password and Jeopardy! to hit ratings trouble that summer.
Even though NBC moved Jeopardy! on January 7, 1974 from 12:00 PM to 10:30 AM (9:30 Central) in favor of Jackpot!, the ABC Password was sliding into third place. In May, the show won the first-ever Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show. A large Emmy statue then became part of the set's backdrop until the overhaul in November.
Beginning on July 15, 1974, several gimmicks were tried to boost ratings. This included:
- Monty Hall guest-hosting for several weeks; from July 15 to the 26th he did two weeks with Ludden and Elizabeth Montgomery as the celebrities, while the third (September 23–27) was a "Four-Celebrity Charity Week" with Ludden and his wife Betty White competing as a team against celebrities including Richard Dawson, Arlene Francis, Vicki Lawrence, and White's mother Tess.
- Several other celebrity-filled weeks for charity were also held from July 29 to August 2, September 16–20, and October 14–18.
- A week (September 2–6) in which Joyce Bulifant and Joseph Campanella played with their children ("Celebrities and Their Children Week"); this was followed by "Celebrities and Their Wives Week" from September 9 to the 13th and a "Celebrity Husbands & Wives Charity Week" from September 30 to October 4.
- Two weeks containing big winners from throughout the show's run aired from October 21 to November 1; this was followed from November 4 through the 8th by a week in which the show's producers and writers played the game for charity with George Peppard and Linda Kaye Henning.
On November 18 (after one final week of unknown content) the show ran an all-celebrity format called Password All-Stars. Although Goodson-Todman had success with celebrity-driven formats such as Match Game (which debuted in 1973) and Tattletales (which began earlier in the year) through the late 1970s, the lack of civilian contestants and significantly altered rules on Password drove more viewers away.
On February 24, 1975, Goodson-Todman abandoned the format (but changed the contestant configuration in order to avoid another set redesign) in a last-ditch effort to save the program. Although Password was given another eighteen weeks, ABC had all but given up on the show. Aside from a week in which Betty White hosted while her husband played (March 24–28), no more gimmicks were attempted for the rest of the run.
On June 27, 1975, four members of the show's staff played a "mock game" which filled some time after the final Lightning Round. Mark Goodson then appeared to declare Ludden "Mr. Password" and mentioned that numerous elementary schoolteachers in the U.S. used the various editions of the Milton Bradley-packaged home game as a tool to teach their pupils English. Ludden and White then gave an emotional farewell. Password was replaced with Showoffs, which lasted six months.
In 1978, Goodson-Todman tried again and successfully brought Password to NBC on January 8, 1979. Originally titled Password '79, celebrity guest Carol Burnett remarked during a run-through that with the various new elements the show had adopted, it was "Password Plus".
Other versions
Password Plus
Main article: Password Plus and Super PasswordNBC brought Password back as Password Plus on January 8, 1979 with Allen Ludden returning as host. It was originally announced in Variety magazine as Password '79, in the manner that Match Game named its 1973 version with the year. The show ran until March 26, 1982.
Ludden hosted until 1980, when he was forced to step down due to a bout with stomach cancer. Initially, Ludden took a month off from taping to deal with his illness and Bill Cullen took time off from hosting Chain Reaction to step in for him. Eventually Ludden's cancer worsened and he left the series after the October 24, 1980. He succumbed to the disease in 1981. The producers, reportedly at Ludden's request, hired Tom Kennedy to take over Password Plus, and he remained as host until the show was cancelled.
Super Password
On September 24, 1984 NBC brought the format back as Super Password with Bert Convy hosting. Rich Jeffries was the first announcer until November 23, 1984 and filled in for Wood sporadically thereafter. Bob Hilton also filled in on occasion on the show.
Super Password ran until March 24, 1989 and was canceled on the same day as another NBC game show, Sale of the Century. In some markets in the Eastern time zone, the show was preempted by local news due to its 12:00 PM time slot. NBC stations in the Central and Pacific time zones usually preempted Scrabble at 11:30 for local news and aired Super Password at 11:00.
Million Dollar Password
Main article: Million Dollar PasswordCBS picked up a new version of the show entitled Million Dollar Password, hosted by Regis Philbin, which premiered on June 1, 2008 and ran for 12 episodes over two seasons. The series was taped in New York, and was the second million-dollar game show that Philbin has hosted (the first being the American network version Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?). The first season taped at the Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York City, and the second season was taped at the CBS Radford studios in Los Angeles.
Episode status
CBS
All of the CBS prime time episodes were preserved on videotape, and have aired on GSN and Buzzr. The final year of the CBS daytime version and the second prime time version were preserved on color videotape, as the producers chose to syndicate those reruns following the program's first cancellation. Most of the earlier daytime episodes are presumed lost; at least two daytime episodes are available on home video, each one as part of a general game show compilation package.
ABC
The ABC version is considered to be almost completely gone. Clips from the December 7, 1971 episode featuring Brett Somers and Jack Klugman were featured on VH1's I Love the '70s: Volume 2 in 2006. GSN aired the complete Somers/Klugman episode on September 11, 2006 in the early morning hours as part of its weekly overnight classic game-show programming (and aired it again in tribute following Somers' death).
A second studio master from February 14, 1972 with Sheila MacRae and Martin Milner is also known to have survived; the opening of that episode can be seen on YouTube. Three episodes from 1975 circulate amongst collectors, two as recorded by home viewers: the Password All-Stars Finale; a studio master of episode #15 of the big-money revamp (March 14, 1975) with Betty White and Vicki Lawrence; and the June 27, 1975 Finale with Kate Jackson and Sam Melville. An audio recording of an episode featuring Jack Klugman and Loretta Swit from 1975 is also known to have survived. A few more episodes from this run are held in UCLA's film and television archive.
It is believed that the videotapes that were used for the ABC Password were recycled and reused for the Dawson version of Family Feud, which began on July 12, 1976.
DVD release
On December 2, 2008, BCI Entertainment Company LLC (under license from FremantleMedia Enterprises) released a DVD box set "The Best of PASSWORD, starring Allen Ludden: The CBS Years - 1962–1967". The set predominately features the nighttime show, with most of the final disc containing daytime episodes from 1967; notably, despite their existence, neither the nighttime nor daytime finales are present. This 3-Disc set contains 30 episodes of PASSWORD (1961 daytime episodes and 1962-1967 primetime episodes), uncut and un-edited, and also digitally transferred, re-mastered and restored from the original B&W kinescopes and original 2-inch color videotapes.
Although Password began in 1961, the DVD set consistently states "The CBS Years: 1962–1967". This misleading title may be due to the earliest episode on the set being the nighttime premiere, which aired in early 1962. A rerelease by Mill Creek, which acquired the rights to the Fremantle game-show DVD sets following BCI's collapse, corrected this error.
An early mock-up of the packaging showed host Ludden on the later CBS set, with the original ABC logo on the front of the desk (as well as on the spine), while a slew of celebrities were listed on the bottom of the cover. Further, the press release stated that set would range "from the early 1960s all the way up to the mid 1970s", indicating that ABC episodes would be included. A later update to the box art removed the celebrity list and clarified that the set would only cover the CBS era, although the ABC logo was still present (the front cover now had it in place of the CBS logo above Ludden). The ABC logo was omitted altogether when the DVD set was released, with the CBS logo behind Ludden in the original picture being enlarged.
Theme music
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The theme song used on Password from 1961 to 1963 was called "Holiday Jaunt", composed by Kurt Rehfeld. That theme was followed later by "You Know the Password", composed by Bob Cobert, which was used from 1963 until the CBS version's cancellation in 1967. During the closing credits Ludden would often be seen keeping time to the music on Cobert's tune. When Password returned on ABC in 1971, Score Productions composed "The Fun of It". The theme used later in that version's run, beginning with Password All-Stars in 1974, was called "Bicentennial Funk", which was used until the ABC version's finale in 1975. That theme, as well as the themes for Password Plus and Super Password, was also composed by Score Productions.
International versions
Australia
The 1962–1966 Nine Network series Take the Hint may have been based at least partially on Password, judging by a description in a newspaper article announcing the series.
Brazil
An old version was called Passe A Palavra ("Spread The Word") hosted by Silvio Santos; another version is called MegaSenha, airs Saturdays on RedeTV!.
New Zealand
A Maori-language version has aired since 2006.
Portugal
A version based on Super Password called Palavra Puxa Palavra ("Word Pulls Word") hosted by António Sala ran on RTP2 in 1990 before it moved to Canal 1 due to the success of the show.
United Kingdom
Main article: Password (UK game show)Country | Title | Broadcaster | Presenter | Premiere | Finale |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | Take the Hint | Nine Network | Frank Wilson | 1962 | 1966 |
Brazil | Passe A Palavra | SBT | Silvio Santos | 1995 | 1995 |
New Zealand | ? | ? | ? | 2006 | 2006 |
Portugal | Palavra Puxa Palavra | RTP2 (1990–93) RTP1 (1993–94) |
António Sala | 30 September 1990 | 11 June 1994 |
United Kingdom | Password | ITV (1963; 1987–88) BBC2 (1973) BBC1 (1974–75) Channel 4 (1982–83) |
Shaw Taylor (1963) Brian Redhead (1973) Eleanor Summerfield (1974) Esther Rantzen (1974–75) Tom O'Connor (1982–83) Gordon Burns (1987–88) |
12 March 1963 | 5 August 1988 |
In popular culture
An episode of The Odd Couple featured both Oscar and Felix appearing on the show season 3, Episode 11 "Password".
The game was parodied as a "porn" version in the 1996 film The Cable Guy.
The game was parodied in Family Guy season 2, episode 20 "Wasted Talent".
Comedy Central parodied the game as "Buzzword" for a promo as part of their "Stand-Up Month" in 2005.
The game is played a couple of times on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon with celebrities playing.
Home games
The Milton Bradley Company introduced the first home version of Password in 1962 and subsequently released 24 editions of the game until 1986. Owing to common superstition, these releases were numbered 1–12 and 14–25, skipping 13. It was tied with Concentration as the most prolific of Milton Bradley's home versions of popular game shows, and was produced well into the Super Password era of the television show. Milton Bradley also published three editions of a Password Plus home game between 1979 and 1981, but never did a version for Super Password.
More recently, Endless Games has released seven editions of Password since 1997, including a children's edition (with gameplay closer to the various incarnations of Pyramid) and a DVD edition featuring the voice of Todd Newton (notably, the latter uses the original ABC logo on its packaging). In addition, Endless released a home version of Million-Dollar Password in 2008.
A computer version of Super Password was released by GameTek for MS-DOS systems, as well as the Apple II and Commodore 64, shortly before the series was canceled. A Nintendo Entertainment System version was also planned but never released. Tiger Electronics released an electronic hand-held "Super Password" game in the late 1990s. More recently, Irwin Toys released a new hand-held electronic version featuring a touch screen with stylus to enter words.
As with several other Goodson-Todman game shows, Password has been adapted into a slot machine by WMS Gaming. A simulated Allen Ludden emcees the proceedings, with the voices and caricatures of Rose Marie, Dawn Wells, Adam West, and Marty Allen. One bonus round offers the player free spins; the other involves choosing from four envelopes offered by the celebrities. Finding the "Password" envelope advances the player to a new level with four more envelopes, worth more prize money.
See also
- Subconscious Password, a comedic 2013 3-D animated short inspired by the original Password.
References
- ^ Schwartz, David; Ryan, Steve; Wostbrock, Fred (1999). The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows (3 ed.). Facts on File, Inc. pp. 163–165. ISBN 0-8160-3846-5.
- ^ "Breaking News - CBS Unveils Its 2008 Summer Schedule - TheFutonCritic.com". www.thefutoncritic.com.
- Fretts, Bruce (June 17, 2013). "Eyes on the Prize", TV Guide, pp. 14 and 15.
- Example:The password is;Shut up!
- "Shows–CBS Television City". Retrieved 25 July 2011.
- "WEBSITE CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE - FreeServers". abcpassword.tvheaven.com.
- Only three words were played in the time allowed. All normal rules were in effect; however, no mention was made of what would happen had one team reached the 50-point goal.
- "Password DVD news: Announcement for Password - The Best Of - TVShowsOnDVD.com". www.tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on 2008-10-21.
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suggested) (help) - "The Age - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
- https://web.archive.org/web/20071216015814/http://www.wms.com/game-detail.php?Category=00&Themes=337
- Sarto, Dan (6 May 2013). "Chris Landreth Talks Subconscious Password". Animation World Network. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
External links
- Password at IMDb
- Password Plus at IMDb
- Super Password at IMDb
- Million Dollar Password at IMDb
- "Official" website that created the Password video slot machine (via Internet Archive)
Preceded byFirst winner | Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game/Audience Participation Show 1974 |
Succeeded byHollywood Squares |
Preceded byFace the Facts | 2:00 p.m. EST, CBS 10/2/61 – 9/15/67 |
Succeeded byLove Is a Many Splendored Thing |
Preceded byDark Shadows | 4:00 p.m. EST, ABC 4/5/71 – 8/27/71 |
Succeeded byLove, American Style |
Preceded byLove, American Style | 12:30 p.m. EST, ABC 8/30/71 – 3/17/72 |
Succeeded bySplit Second |
Preceded byThat Girl | 12:00 p.m. EST, ABC 3/20/72 – 6/27/75 |
Succeeded byShowoffs |
- 1960s American game shows
- 1961 American television series debuts
- 1967 American television series endings
- 1970s American game shows
- 1971 American television series debuts
- 1975 American television series endings
- American Broadcasting Company network shows
- CBS network shows
- Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show winners
- Television series by Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions
- American television series revived after cancellation
- Word games
- Guessing games