Beat the Clock
Encyclopedia
Beat the Clock is a Goodson-Todman
game show
which has aired on American television in several versions since 1950.
The original show, hosted by Bud Collyer
, ran on CBS
from 1950–1958 and ABC
from 1958–1961. The show was revived in syndication as The New Beat the Clock from 1969–1974, with Jack Narz
as host until 1972, when he was replaced by the show's announcer, Gene Wood
. Another version ran on CBS from 1979–1980 (as The All-New Beat the Clock, and later as All-New All-Star Beat the Clock), with former Let's Make a Deal
host Monty Hall
as host and Narz as announcer. The most recent version aired in 2002 on PAX (now ION) with Gary Kroeger
and Julielinh Parker as co-hosts. The series was also featured as the third episode of Gameshow Marathon in 2006. Ricki Lake
hosted while Rich Fields
announced.
. If they succeeded, they were said to have "beaten the Clock"; otherwise, "the Clock beat them". The show had several sponsors over its run, with the most longstanding being the electronics company Sylvania
.
(1952), stunt creator Frank Wayne
(1953), Bob Kennedy (1954), Win Elliot
(1955), and Sonny Fox
, who became Collyer's permanent substitute from 1957 to 1960. Collyer was referred to in the introductions as "America's number one clockwatcher", and the fill-in hosts were each named "America's number two clockwatcher".
The show had several female on-air assistants. The original hostess was Roxanne
(née Delores Evelyn Rosedale), who used only her first name as her professional name. Roxanne was replaced by Beverly Bentley in August 1955. Bentley's departure in 1956 coincided with Hazel Bishop's sponsorship and a period of having no main assistant (see production changes below). She reappeared as one of the models on the original version of The Price Is Right
for its entire run.
The announcer for the show's run on CBS was Bernard ("Bern") Bennett until 1958. In October 1957, Beat the Clock ran a contest inviting viewers to submit drawings of what Bennett, who was never shown on camera, might look like. Over 20,000 viewers participated, and winner Edward Darnell, of Columbus, Indiana
, was flown in to appear with Bennett on the December 2, 1957 show. When Beat the Clock moved to ABC, Dirk Fredericks became the announcer. Substitute announcers included Lee Vines, Bob Sheppard
, Hal Simms, and Dick Noel.
Occasionally, if there was going to be a messy stunt, the husband would come out dressed in a plastic jumpsuit to keep his own clothes clean. Similarly, wives would sometimes play in their "street clothes", but sometimes the women would appear in a jumpsuit issued to them by the show due to the fact that their own clothing might be too cumbersome or perhaps fragile. The women's jumpsuits, unlike the men's, which were rather plain, were patterned to look like a pair of overalls with a collared blouse
underneath. The women would also often be issued running shoes instead of their own high heels.
The Jackpot Clock and the Bonus Stunt would provide the templates for the traditional quiz show bonus round, which would become a TV staple, starting in 1961 with the Lightning Round for the Goodson-Todman word game Password.
In the show's earliest set design in available episodes, there was a round display near the contestants mirroring the Clock. This display had three rings of light like a target. The outer ring would light during the $100 Clock, the middle ring for the $200 Clock, and the center circle would light during the Jackpot Clock. This feature was removed in later set designs.
Bonus Stunts were harder than the usual $100 and $200 Clocks and sometimes reached $2,000 and even $3,000 on rare occasions. The first time the Bonus reached $1,000 was on February 28, 1953, when it was won for that amount. In 1956, the Bonus Stunt was replaced by the Super Bonus.
There was usually a special technique for performing the stunt that had to be figured out, but even then, the stunt was usually difficult enough to require some skill or luck once the technique was realized. Viewers would usually try to figure it out and after a few weeks on the air viewers would often get it (sometimes Collyer would remark that viewers had been writing in and he would give certain dimensions of the props used so viewers could try to figure it out at home).
Usually either contestants themselves would start appearing on the show with the technique in mind, or audience members would shout it out to try to help them. A stunt would usually take a few weeks before the audience realized the technique, and then a few more weeks before someone was able to properly employ it.
company was used, which was touted as the most accurate portable timer available. Probably realizing that seeing the same stunt a few times in a row was a bit boring, they moved the Super Bonus right after the $200 Clock and before the Jackpot Clock on March 17, dropping the Longines timer.
The Super Bonus was won only twice in its existence. The first Super Bonus Stunt involved the husband picking up four small paper cups from a table one at a time and stacking them atop a large helium-filled balloon using only one hand. The first seven contestants had trouble even getting the second cup stacked, but the eighth contestant to try the stunt on March 25, 1956 (the show's sixth "birthday" show) kept the balloon very close to the ground and at points held it on the ground (although Collyer warned him several times not to do so) and bounced the balloon as he grabbed the next cup. He was able to stack the four cups quickly and won $18,000, and subsequently also won the Jackpot Prize (a television). The contestants who qualified later in that program were brought back the following week to try the new Super Bonus.
The second Super Bonus Stunt again involved the husband who wore a football helmet with wooden salad bowl attached face down on the forehead. The husband had to balance a wooden cylinder (about the size of a paper towel roll) on its end on the bowl. The cylinder was tied at its midpoint to a fishing line on a shortened fishing pole. It was designed by Frank Wayne who demonstrated the completing of the stunt before the studio audience prior to at least some of the tapings. This stunt proved very difficult, and most contestants who attempted it showed no indication of a technique for getting the rod to the bowl. Only one person even had the pole sitting flat for a brief instant until September 6, where both the first contestant (a holdover who had practiced at home) and the second contestant (for $62,000 and $63,000 respectively) managed to have the dowel sitting on the bowl for a few moments, but lost its balance when the string was slacked.
On September 15, 1956, Collyer announced that the next show would gain a new sponsor, and if the Super Bonus was not won Fresh and Sylvania would donate the Super Bonus Pot to charity. However, the first contestant, Gabriel J. Fontana, a holdover from the previous show of near misses who had practiced at home, won the Jackpot of $64,000 (equivalent to over $ in 2010). He and his wife then won the Jackpot Prize, a washer and dryer. Each of the final three contestants employed a technique of raising the dowel very slowly so it did not swing around. Unlike the original bonus, however, the audience never seemed to catch on to a particular technique for the two Super Bonus Stunts, and advice was not usually shouted out.
Partway through the run of the second Super Bonus, a rolling desk/table with dollar value of the bonus printed on it was used to roll out the props for the stunt. This carried over to the Big Cash Bonus Stunt. It is notable that in the earliest surviving episodes from 1952 that air, the original bonus had a similar desk with the value of the bonus on it. The desk was done away with for several years until the idea was reused in 1956.
Like the original Bonus Stunt, the cash value started at $100, going up each time the stunt was not successfully completed. The largest cash bonus won on the daytime edition was $20,100 during its years on ABC.
was also a stunt writer. The stunts were usually aimed towards fun with difficulty being secondary. The stunts would usually be constructed out of common household props such as cardboard boxes, string, balloons, record players, dishes, cups, plates, cutlery, and balls of almost every type. As was the case with many other game shows during television's infancy, the budget was low.
The stunts performed varied widely, but there were some common themes. Most stunts in some way involved physical speed or dexterity. Contestants often had to balance something with some part of their body, or race back and forth on the stage (for example, releasing a balloon, running across the stage to do some task, and running back in time to catch the balloon before it floated too high). Often the challenge was some form of target practice
, in terms of throwing, rolling, bowling, etc.
The setup for the stunt was often designed to look easy but then have a complication or gimmick
revealed. For example, Collyer would say "All you have to do is stack four plates", check the Clock to see how much time they had to do it, and then add "Oh, and one more thing...you can't use your hands". Common twists included blindfolding one or both contestants, or telling them they couldn't use their hands (or feet or any body part that would be obvious to use for whatever the task was).
The other common element in the stunts was to get one of the contestants messy in some way often involving whipped cream, pancake batter, and such (usually limited to the husband of the couple). While it was not a part of every stunt, and sometimes it didn't even happen in an episode, it was common enough that when a couple brought a child on, Collyer would often ask what they thought the parents might have to do and the child would often respond "get whipped cream in their face". Many times the wife would be shown a task, be blindfolded, and then her husband would be quietly brought out and unknown to her she would be covering him with some sort of mess. When the mess was not hidden from the wife, Collyer would often jokingly tell the husband (who usually had a short haircut) that they would put a bathing cap on his head "to keep your long hair out of your eyes" before revealing what form of mess he would be involved with. Occasionally Collyer himself would get caught in the mess accidentally.
Technicality in the rules was not a major issue on the show. The goal was usually to make sure the contestants had fun. Collyer would often stop the Clock in the middle of a stunt if the contestant(s) was struggling so he could advise them on a better way to do the stunt. Often if a condition of the stunt was "don't use your hands," Collyer would ignore the first use of hands and just warn the contestant. If the time limit was nearly up on a task, he would often give them a few moments extra, or tell them if they started before the Clock ran out and succeeded in that attempt, he would count it. Sometimes if a contestant had come close enough (for example, if they had to stack cups and saucers without the pile falling over, and the contestant knocked the pile over while putting the last cup on top), he would give them the stunt if they did not have time to do it again. If there was a problem with a prop breaking or running out of a supply, such as balloons, Collyer would simply give the stunt to the couple, citing it as the show's fault. Similarly, on the messy stunts, since the goal was just to mess up the husband, the time limit was often unimportant and the Clock would be stopped when Bud felt the husband was messy enough.
Sometimes shows were themed, such as the entire episode containing circus-related stunts; an international show, with each stunt having some relation to some other country; a show in which certain props were used in each stunt; a birthday show on the show's anniversary; April Fools' Day
shows where there was a trick in every stunt; and an episode at the end of each year replaying favorite stunts of that year.
In order to determine if the stunts could actually be performed, and to set appropriate time limits for them, the producers hired out-of-work actors to try them out. One of those who did this work was James Dean
, who was said to be able to perform any task the producers gave him to try. He was so adept that he had to be let go, as he was too fast to set the time limits by. Collyer also noted on the air a number of times that he himself tested many of the stunts while they were being developed, often noting that the contestant performed the stunt with far more ease than he had. Another up-and-coming actor who would gain stature later in his career, Warren Oates
, was also said to have worked on the show as a stunt tester.
's tenure as sponsor (which began in March 1951), consolation prizes for losing the $100 Clock were usually a Sylvania radio which was brought out.
The sets, as was the style at the time, were freestanding pieces of furniture that sat on legs on the floor with a speaker mounted below the screen. Various models were given away over the years—sometimes the same model several times in one episode, sometimes a different model each time the Jackpot was won in an episode. Roxanne (later Beverly) would pose with the TV which was revealed from behind a curtain in a small faux living room. The earliest win of a TV in the episodes whose records still air was a Jefferson 20" cabinet. Shortly after, on September 6, 1952, the new 1953 21" Montclair cabinet (model 177M) was unveiled. In December 1952 the 1953 21" Huntington and the 21" Kensington corner cabinet debuted on the show, though the Montclair remained the most common prize. On April 4, 1953 a different 21" Kensington cabinet with "French provincial stylings" debuted.
Some of the other models over the years included the 24" Penhurst console, the 21" Windermere console (with French provincial stylings), and later the "Cabinet of Light" (as the line was called) models, the 21" Belvedere, and the 24" Kimberly (circa 1956).
There were also various gifts given to the contestants just for appearing on the show. There was a Sylvania Beat the Clock home game produced which was given to contestants starting in the mid-50s. When it was novel, Collyer would open the box and explain that it would be fun for not just children but adults at parties, and he would point out the working Clock and the instructions for stunts and all the props. Later in the run it would be brought out, shown and whisked away just as quickly. The boxes were reworked a few times, and there was a new edition released later in the run. Both versions were manufactured by Lowell Toy Mfg. Co. of New York, who produced a number of television-based home games at the time.
When children were brought on the show, there were special gifts. Starting on September 6, 1952, Girls brought on the show were given a Roxanne doll that was produced at the time. On October 11, 1952, the Buck Rogers
Space Ranger Kit was debuted for the male children. In the mid-50s, each child was given a camera kit (the brand of the camera varied often but it always included a supply of Sylvania "Blue Dot for sure shot" flashbulbs).
If contestants were involved in a messy stunt, Roxanne (later Beverly) would come out and take a picture of the husband/couple. Initially it wasn't made clear how the couple would get the photo (perhaps mailed to them), but later in the run, the camera would be given to the couple in addition to any their children might already have been given. Collyer would explain that when they developed the film, the first photo would be that of the husband/couple.
From 1956 and for the rest of the show's run on CBS, the Jackpot Prizes usually consisted of a Magnavox
Color TV, Fedders
air conditioners (usually awarded as a pair), Westinghouse washer & dryer pairs, and refrigerators, Hardwick ranges and Easy "Combomatic" combination washer-dryers.
on March 23, 1950, running with no commercials. Even the show's introduction was austere; no theme song, just a shot of the Clock ticking off the seconds as announcer Bern Bennett would say "It's time for America's favorite party game, "BEAT THE CLOCK..." and then introduce Bud Collyer.
Initially the show ran for 45 minutes, then expanded to an hour (it is unclear if this was still on Thursday) before moving to Saturdays. The show did not have a sponsor until the Saturday night shows, and this is believed to have happened in September 1950 (Collyer mentions on October 4, 1952 that they've just celebrated two years of sponsorship).
Those prior episodes are believed to not be in the available library of episodes (hence some of the reason for the unclarity). The show was telecast from the Maxine Elliott Theater (Studio 51).
's variety show on which he once performed a Honeymooners sketch on the Beat the Clock set with himself and Art Carney
as contestants (this sketch, titled "Teamwork: Beat the Clock", was considered one of the "lost" Honeymooners episodes but has since been available on home video).
The first year or two of this period are also presumed unavailable. There were very few production changes during this period the show. The first theme song from this period was Lights of Broadway. This later changed to the more familiar Hickory Dickory Dock (lyrics quoted above). The theme from the original unsponsored show is unknown.
In late 1955 and early 1956, there were a few production changes which were soon followed by gameplay changes. The first notable change was the departure of assistant Roxanne in August 1956.
Sylvania began a contest in 1955 where viewers could get a mail-in entry form from a local Sylvania dealer. The entries were placed in a big rotating drum onstage, and one of the contestant couples/families would draw the top three winners for the week, with additional winners being drawn after the show. Shortly before the contest began, the Jackpot Board, which had been behind the contestants' podium, was moved to the first curtain to the left of the podium from the viewer's perspective, and the drum was placed behind the curtain which had previously contained the Jackpot Board.
The show's opening also changed during this time, adding an opening teaser. Collyer would stand with the first couple on the show and explain the stunt they would have to perform. However, he would leave out that crucial detail that would make it difficult. The detail was not usually something easy to guess like blindfolding or whipped cream, but was usually something that would surprise everyone such as changing a factor of the stunt to make it more difficult (for example, Collyer would demonstrate throwing a baseball into a barrel but then replace the baseballs with basketballs that would barely fit into the barrel, or moving the contestant much further away from the barrel, etc.).
There were a few side effects of this change. The Clock's buzzer would sound, telling Collyer time had run out. Originally this buzzer often came while Collyer was explaining a stunt or during the performance of a stunt. The same stunt would start again the next week (in a form of suspense, perhaps, to bring the audience back). Collyer would often suggest that they practice the stunt at home (sometimes jokingly, if the stunt involved props that would be very unlikely to be found in the home). Collyer would then ask the contestants if they could come back, which they usually could.
After the opening teaser was added, contestants who had only the Jackpot Clock left and said they could come back were suddenly absent the next week, with Collyer explaining that after the show it seemed inconvenient to come back for just the Jackpot Clock, and that the couple had played the Jackpot Clock after the show went off the air. This generally avoided the next week starting with a Jackpot Clock (which would not work with the teaser).
After the change Collyer would often rush contestants to perform the Jackpot quickly if they had just barely enough time in order to not have the Jackpot Clock at the beginning of the next episode. Additionally, when a contestant ended the show in the middle of a stunt or after the stunt was explained, it was not repeated the next week. The teaser started with a brand new stunt. Collyer began telling contestants "You'll start next week with this stunt or another, we're not sure which yet" (which he said every time it happened for months), but rarely was the same stunt held over after the change (until late in the Fresh sponsorship when they started sometimes holding stunts over to the next week again).
Around the time the Super Bonus Stunt moved from the end of the show to after the $200 Clock, the opening teaser was changed from the preview of a stunt to a preview of the Super Bonus Stunt, telling the audience what the prize was up to that week. The effects of the teaser change (the Jackpot never starting a show, couples who were in the middle of a stunt getting a new one the next week) continued, however.
These changes seemed aimed at streamlining the show and making each show run faster and less informally. After the changes, children began not being brought out with the couple (kids gradually started reappearing after several months in the middle of 1956 with less frequency than they originally had been), even when the couple said the children were backstage or in the audience. The stunts started getting a little harder and Collyer was a bit less helpful. Stunts tended to be more often aimed towards skill and difficulty than the slapstick and embarrassment that had been at the forefront in the past. Before this, it was commonplace for every couple to win the Jackpot in an episode.
pace of panic). Collyer also took every opportunity to toss "Fresh" or "daisy" into his dialogue during the show.
There were two other changes of note to the actual implementation of the show. First, the Jackpot Clock (the magnetic word puzzle) moved back to its original location behind the contestants' podium. Second were the prizes. The gift given to contestants still included the home game (now "courtesy of Fresh" with Fresh graphics on the box, though seemingly still including a photo of Roxanne) but the camera kits with Sylvania flashbulbs were replaced by a gift box of Fresh products (and of course, photos of messy stunts were no longer taken). The Jackpot Prize was no longer a TV set, but various rotating prizes.
On the first episode of Fresh's sponsorship, Jackpot Prizes included a Westinghouse Deluxe Laundromat washer and matching dryer, and a pair of York snorkel air conditioners. Betty or Eileen posed with the prizes instead of Beverly. The last Sylvania prize ever awarded on the show was a Windermere console with a hi-fi.
A new theme song was introduced called Subway Polka, and the opening teaser introduced months earlier was eliminated. The set was redressed very similar to the way it had originally appeared, and even the Clock itself went back to its original appearance (except for the Hazel Bishop name instead of Sylvania's on the face). Another change that coincided with the new sponsor and timeslot was that Beverly Bentley was no longer with the show. She had been reassigned to appear with June Ferguson as the models on The Price Is Right
. Contestants were introduced by the announcer, and prizes and gifts were presented by the other assistants. The gifts included a giftbox of Hazel Bishop cosmetics and a yet again rebranded home game.
In January 1957, the home game was replaced with a new home version of the magnetic Jackpot Board. The prizes remained, for the most part, the same or similar prizes as under Fresh's sponsorship. A few weeks into the new Big Cash Bonus, the lighting was dimmed (or at least some camera effect was used) to darken the studio and highlight the contestants and the lights on the Clock.
Unlike previous set changes, this was not simply a redress of the walls and surfaces. The contestants were now introduced by opening a curtain to the area behind the newly redesigned podium. The Jackpot Board was moved to the wall to the left (viewers' left) of the podium/curtain. The curtained wall (with the show's title above it) between the Clock and the podium was removed to reveal a wall further back. There was a small semi-circular curtained area to the (viewers') left of the Jackpot Board which rotated more into view when needed and contained the Jackpot Prizes.
A few weeks later, the show's title was put on the back wall again, and a curtain (that was sometimes left open) was re-added to the center stage area.
Artistically, the set had a diamond motif. The contestants were once again given the home game instead of the magnetic board. Other gifts were also given to children, such as a radio kit for young boys or a doll for girls. A few weeks into the new night, recorded playful music underscored the contestants as they attempted their stunts (reminiscent of how music played during the Super Bonus in the Fresh era of the show. One of the musical pieces was "Sabre Dance
").
On June 21, 1957 the show aired unsponsored. Hazel Bishop began sponsoring only every other week. The show did not change much except for the obvious stoppage of any mention of Hazel Bishop. The Clock was rebranded with the title of the show and the podium was bare. The contestants still received the home game (a new edition that had been introduced several months earlier), but obviously not the Hazel Bishop gifts. Other recent gifts that were still given included a crystal radio kit for boys brought on the show, and a "Beat The Clock, Rags to Riches" doll (whose clothes changed her into a princess) for girls.
There was one change in the format on the daytime version. Contestants continued to play as long as they kept beating the Clock. After two wins, they would receive a prize package, sometimes consisting of an entire room of furniture, major appliances, a nursery for expectant or newlywed mothers, or children's items such as clothes, toys and games, or bicycles. This change increased opportunities for the contestants to try to win the Bonus Stunt more than once. The Bonus Stunt would revert to the nighttime version's original initial payoff of $100, increasing by that amount each time it was not won. Daytime contestants also had the chance to win a car, or on later episodes, their choice of a car or boat.
Another new wrinkle was "Ladies' Day". Usually once a week, only women would appear as contestants. Sometimes, when entire families appeared on the show, there would be a stunt that would at least engage, if not totally include, the children of the family.
The daytime show did not meet CBS' expectations, and was replaced by The Jimmy Dean Show
in September 1958. It was picked up by ABC, which was in the process of developing a daytime lineup; CBS permitted the move with the agreement that ABC would not also do a nighttime version. Following a month-long hiatus, ABC began airing the show on October 13, 1958, at 3:00 PM. It ran until January 27, 1961, with a timeslot change to 12:30 PM.
. There are even some mentions of this on the show, such as an incident when a contestant challenged a loss on the second Super Bonus Stunt, and the kinescope was used to confirm the result.
Like most kinescope recordings that have been put into current use, the films have been transferred to video tape (and in some cases, the videos into digital form). Some kinescopes or video tapes are lost or in too poor quality to broadcast so there are sometimes gaps in the available catalog of episodes. There is one "public domain" episode not part of GSN's catalog that dates to October 1951, possibly making it the oldest surviving episode in existence.
It is not publicly known whether the daytime episodes (both CBS and ABC) are lost or damaged, but they are rarely seen. However, circulating amongst collectors is a daytime episode from September 23, 1960 with a Bonus Stunt win of $20,100 plus the choice of a car or a boat, which set a record for daytime TV winnings in the post-scandal era; also notable is that the Bonus Stunt had not been won for 51 weeks, and the couple who won it, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Hunt of Tolleson, Arizona
, did so on their third attempt.
GSN had previously aired 1952–1958 episodes of the nighttime version, but they have not been seen on the channel since 2006.
on Broadway
in New York City.
Prior to the start of tapings for the second season, Clock relocated to Montreal
, Canada
as a cost-saving experiment, making it the only Goodson-Todman game to be produced in Canada (not counting French-Canadian versions of their shows). CTV
aired the series for Canadian audiences during its four-year stay in Montreal.
The music for this version of Clock was played live on the organ by the renowned keyboardist and arranger Dick Hyman
.
In addition, if a couple completed a stunt in less than half the time, the remaining time would be used for awarding a cash bonus. Anywhere from $10 to $50 would be awarded for each time the stunt could be completed in the time remaining.
At some point during the show, the celebrity would perform a "Solo Stunt" (which seemed to have supplanted the Bonus Stunt on the original show). The couples could win $50 if they guessed correctly whether the star could beat the Clock or vice versa. Towards the end of Narz's tenure as host, stunts would be replaced in the second half of the show with the celebrity playing a game of intuition with the couples, who would play for a cash prize that was divided among them.
During this time, the show was syndicated through 20th Century Fox Television
. One unusual aspect of these shows was that Narz's suit jackets had a "Beat The Clock" logo sewn onto their pockets.
interview, Narz finally explained that the show's budget did not include his personal travel expenses; Narz had to pay for his travel, and the cost of airline fare between his Los Angeles home and Montreal became prohibitive. His travel costs were essentially equal to his earnings, and even a successful appeal to Mark Goodson for more money was not enough.
Announcer Gene Wood hosted the show for the next two seasons. Wood had also been hosting a similar stunt game titled Anything You Can Do
, a battle of the sexes competition which was also recorded in Canada. CFCF-TV
Montreal staff announcer Nick Holenreich became the show's announcer; he had previously announced for a week during Narz's final season in which Wood was the celebrity guest. At this time, the show also changed syndicators to Firestone Syndication Services, which syndicated another Goodson-Todman show, To Tell the Truth
, which had originally been hosted by Bud Collyer.
The show was now called The New Beat the Clock (although the logo still read simply "Beat the Clock"), and the set was refreshed with a new color scheme and a redesigned Clock. Both Narz and Wood wore suit jackets with a "Beat The Clock" logo sewn on the pockets.
The only changes in the format were that couples were introduced separately and played two stunts, win or lose (a win still getting a trip to the Cash Board), and both couples competed simultaneously in a final stunt, with the winning couple receiving a prize. Celebrity guests were retained in the new format, once again aiding the contestants, and performing the Solo Stunt as well as "co-judge" with Wood in the final stunt of the day. Another throwback to the Collyer era (when the show was seen in the daytime) was the revival of "Ladies' Day", where women only (not counting the celebrity for that week) would play the game.
Despite continued popularity on local stations in both daytime and prime time access
timeslots, Goodson-Todman decided to discontinue production of Clock in 1974 when CTV asked the company for half of the proceeds from advertisers awarding their wares as contestant consolation prizes. Wood returned to voice-over work, and went on to a 20-year career announcing Los Angeles
-based shows for Goodson-Todman and occasionally other packagers. However, he never hosted another show.
in the past. Two episodes from the Jack Narz era were aired in late 2005 to pay tribute to Bob Denver
and Louis Nye
, both of whom had recently died. An episode featuring Tom Kennedy (Narz's brother) aired on June 11, 2007.
In January 2007, a Gene Wood episode aired which featured William Shatner
. Another episode aired on October 22, 2007 featuring Dick Clark. At least three episodes were also aired featuring Richard Dawson.
). This version was broadcast at 10:00 A.M. Eastern for its entire run with Whew!
and The Price is Right following. After the series ended, the 10:00 slot would remain empty until The New $25,000 Pyramid premiered two years later.
Monty Hall
hosted this version (his first show since Video Village
that was not produced by his own company
), with former host Jack Narz
on board as announcer and associate producer. This version was taped in Studio 31 at CBS Television City
. There were two theme songs used (both composed by Score Productions
). The second one was performed live in the studio by a small band led by Arthur B. Rubinstein
.
Two couples, one usually a returning champion, competed against each other and the Clock. The champion couple (or champion-designate if the previous episode had ended with a retiring champion couple) wore red sweaters while the opposing couple wore green.
on a special table which had stripes at the far end denoting $300–$1,000 in $100 increments, increasing towards the end of the table. The couple which was leading after two rounds received three pucks and shot first and their opponents received two pucks. If the couples were tied going into this round, each couple had two pucks, and the challengers went first. (The first time there was a tie, a coin toss determined which team shot first; also, when two new couples appeared, they tossed a coin before the show to see which would be the red team, which had the advantage in case of a tie.) The couples alternated shooting pucks. The women shot first, followed by the men, and the leading team's third shot could be taken by either team member.
The table had no walls around it, and any pucks which were thrown or knocked off the side or end of the table, as well as any which did not reach the first money stripe, did not count and were removed. In addition, each of the money stripes (except for the $1,000 stripe at the very end of the table) had just enough blank space in between them for a puck to land in and therefore not score; if this happened, however, the pucks would remain on the board and not be taken out of play.
The team whose puck that was furthest along the board at the end of play, and which was touching a money stripe won that amount and got to play the bonus stunt for ten times the amount. Both couples kept their winnings from the first two rounds, but these winnings were not used in determining the champions. The couple who won the bonus shuffle would return as champions for the next episode.
If neither team had a puck touching a money amount at the end of the game, or if the pucks were equidistant from the end of the board, the teams would play a playoff. The team with the advantage from the earlier rounds chose whether to throw first or second. Each team threw one puck, and the furthest puck touching a money amount was the winner like in the regular game. (The first time there was a playoff, the first puck was moved aside and its position marked; after that, the second team had to take the first team's puck on the table into account when throwing.)
, Joyce Bulifant
, Johnny Brown
, and Patti Deutsch
has been aired on GSN in the past during Christmas-themed marathons. The series aired on GSN between September 10, 2007 and September 2008 in a late Saturday and Sunday night slot but was pulled from the schedule after beginning the final week. On November 12, 2008 it returned to the GSN lineup weeknights at 2:00 AM, replacing Trivia Trap
. It last aired January 3, 2009.
, three couples competed in this version with no returning champions. The couples were distinguished by color--red, blue, and gold.
Later in the run, a gold dollar bill was added. If it was grabbed the money won was doubled (adding cash if prizes were won, or adding $500 in cash for each one grabbed to the team's total, on the pilot).
The "swirling whirlwind" was previously used in the bonus round of The Diamond Head Game
, a show hosted by Bob Eubanks
in 1975.
, it was hugely popular there as a part of ATV's Sunday Night at the London Palladium
on the ITV
network from 1955–1967, and is still very well-remembered.
It was hosted by the Palladium show's comperes, successively Tommy Trinder
, Bruce Forsyth
(later the host of many other games including The Generation Game
, Play Your Cards Right
, You Bet!
, and Bruce's Price Is Right), Don Erroll, Norman Vaughan
, and Jimmy Tarbuck
.
The series was occasionally revived afterwards, notably in a BBC
variety show hosted by Mike Smith
in 1987.
Mark Goodson
Mark Goodson was an American television producer who specialized in game shows.-Life and early career:...
game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
which has aired on American television in several versions since 1950.
The original show, hosted by Bud Collyer
Bud Collyer
Bud Collyer was an American radio actor/announcer who became one of the nation's first major television game show stars...
, ran on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
from 1950–1958 and ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
from 1958–1961. The show was revived in syndication as The New Beat the Clock from 1969–1974, with Jack Narz
Jack Narz
Jack Narz was an American television announcer and game show host. Narz was the elder brother of Tom Kennedy and the former brother-in-law of Bill Cullen...
as host until 1972, when he was replaced by the show's announcer, Gene Wood
Gene Wood
Eugene Edward "Gene" Wood was an American television personality, known primarily for his work as an announcer on various game shows. From the 1960s to the 1990s, he announced many game shows, primarily Mark Goodson–Bill Todman productions such as Family Feud, Card Sharks, Password, and Beat the...
. Another version ran on CBS from 1979–1980 (as The All-New Beat the Clock, and later as All-New All-Star Beat the Clock), with former Let's Make a Deal
Let's Make a Deal
Let's Make a Deal is a television game show which originated in the United States and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The show is based around deals offered to members of the audience by the host. The traders usually have to weigh the possibility of an offer being...
host Monty Hall
Monty Hall
Monte Halperin, OC, OM , better known by the stage name Monty Hall, is a Canadian-born MC, producer, actor, singer and sportscaster, best known as host of the television game show Let's Make a Deal.-Early life:...
as host and Narz as announcer. The most recent version aired in 2002 on PAX (now ION) with Gary Kroeger
Gary Kroeger
Gary Kroeger is an American actor best known for his work on Saturday Night Live from 1982 to 1985.Born in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Kroeger attended Northern University High School and graduated from Northwestern University in 1981. He joined the cast of Saturday Night Live during Lorne Michaels' hiatus...
and Julielinh Parker as co-hosts. The series was also featured as the third episode of Gameshow Marathon in 2006. Ricki Lake
Ricki Lake
Ricki Pamela Lake is an American actress, producer, and television host. She is best known for her starring role as Tracy Turnblad in the original Hairspray, her ground-breaking documentary film The Business of Being Born, and her talk show which was broadcasted internationally from...
hosted while Rich Fields
Rich Fields
Richard Wayne "Rich" Fields is an American broadcaster, spokesman, announcer and meteorologist, best known for being the announcer of the American version of The Price Is Right from 2004–2010....
announced.
1950–1961
Contestants were required to perform tasks (called "problems") within a certain time limit which was counted down on a large 60-second clockClock
A clock is an instrument used to indicate, keep, and co-ordinate time. The word clock is derived ultimately from the Celtic words clagan and clocca meaning "bell". A silent instrument missing such a mechanism has traditionally been known as a timepiece...
. If they succeeded, they were said to have "beaten the Clock"; otherwise, "the Clock beat them". The show had several sponsors over its run, with the most longstanding being the electronics company Sylvania
Sylvania Electric Products
Sylvania Electric Products was a U.S. manufacturer of diverse electrical equipment, including at various times radio transceivers, vacuum tubes, semiconductors, and mainframe computers...
.
On-air personalities
Substitute hosts on the original version included Bill Hart (1951), John Reed KingJohn Reed King
John Reed King was a famous radio and television game show host who hosted numerous game shows during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s....
(1952), stunt creator Frank Wayne
Frank Wayne
Frank Wayne was an American game show producer and host.Wayne was the original executive producer of the 1972 revival of The Price Is Right until his death in 1988. He created the show's most popular game, Plinko, and many others...
(1953), Bob Kennedy (1954), Win Elliot
Win Elliot
Win Elliot, was an American television and radio sportscaster and game show host who was best-known for his long tenures as a play-by-play broadcaster of NHL New York Rangers and NBA New York Knicks games and host of Sports Central USA on the CBS Radio Network.Born Irwin Elliot Shalek in Chelsea,...
(1955), and Sonny Fox
Sonny Fox
Irwin "Sonny" Fox is an American television host, executive and broadcasting consultant, who was the fourth full-time host of the children's television program, Wonderama.-Biography:...
, who became Collyer's permanent substitute from 1957 to 1960. Collyer was referred to in the introductions as "America's number one clockwatcher", and the fill-in hosts were each named "America's number two clockwatcher".
The show had several female on-air assistants. The original hostess was Roxanne
Roxanne (model)
Roxanne was a model and actress. She was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was the blonde assistant on the Bud Collyer-hosted original version of the Goodson-Todman Productions game show Beat the Clock. Roxanne was replaced by Beverly Bentley in August 1955. She gave birth to her daughter Ann in...
(née Delores Evelyn Rosedale), who used only her first name as her professional name. Roxanne was replaced by Beverly Bentley in August 1955. Bentley's departure in 1956 coincided with Hazel Bishop's sponsorship and a period of having no main assistant (see production changes below). She reappeared as one of the models on the original version of The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right is a television game show franchise originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, and created by Bob Stewart, and is currently produced and owned by FremantleMedia. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also includes merchandise such as video games, printed...
for its entire run.
The announcer for the show's run on CBS was Bernard ("Bern") Bennett until 1958. In October 1957, Beat the Clock ran a contest inviting viewers to submit drawings of what Bennett, who was never shown on camera, might look like. Over 20,000 viewers participated, and winner Edward Darnell, of Columbus, Indiana
Columbus, Indiana
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Bartholomew County, Indiana, United States. The population was 44,061 at the 2010 census, and the current mayor is Fred Armstrong. Located approximately 40 miles south of Indianapolis, on the east fork of the White River, it is the state's 20th largest...
, was flown in to appear with Bennett on the December 2, 1957 show. When Beat the Clock moved to ABC, Dirk Fredericks became the announcer. Substitute announcers included Lee Vines, Bob Sheppard
Bob Sheppard
Robert Leo "Bob" Sheppard was the long-time public address announcer for numerous New York area college and professional sports teams, in particular the MLB New York Yankees , and the NFL New York Giants .Sheppard announced more than 4,500 Yankees baseball games over a period of 56 years,...
, Hal Simms, and Dick Noel.
Contestants
Contestants were chosen from the studio audience and usually were married couples; other pairs were engaged, dating, or were a familial relationship. Collyer would ask them general questions (usually including where they were from and how long they'd been married) and usually asked if they had children, their ages and genders. Sometimes the couple would bring child/ren on the show. Collyer usually would talk to the children, asking them what they wanted to be when they grew up, or, if the kids were not at the show, to have their parents wave to them on TV. The husbands on the show usually wore a business suit. Collyer would often ask the husband to take off his coat for stunts to make it less cumbersome (there were hooks on the contestants' podium) or Collyer would hold the coat).Occasionally, if there was going to be a messy stunt, the husband would come out dressed in a plastic jumpsuit to keep his own clothes clean. Similarly, wives would sometimes play in their "street clothes", but sometimes the women would appear in a jumpsuit issued to them by the show due to the fact that their own clothing might be too cumbersome or perhaps fragile. The women's jumpsuits, unlike the men's, which were rather plain, were patterned to look like a pair of overalls with a collared blouse
Blouse
A blouse is a loose-fitting upper garment that was formerly worn by workmen, peasants, artists, women and children. It is typically gathered at the waist so that it hangs loosely over the wearer's body. Today, the word most commonly refers to a woman's shirt but can also refer to a man's shirt if...
underneath. The women would also often be issued running shoes instead of their own high heels.
Main Game
One couple competed against the Clock to win a prize in stunts that could require one or both members of the couple. The first stunt was called the "$100 Clock". The stunt was described and the time limit was set on a giant onstage clock. The time limit was always a multiple of 5 seconds, usually at least 30 seconds. At one point Collyer said that a 55-second time limit was the maximum, but later on, stunts occasionally had 60-second limits. If the couple beat the $100 Clock, they moved on to the "$200 Clock" and the same rules applied. If they failed to beat the $100 Clock, they received a consolation prize worth less than $100. If they failed to beat the $200 Clock, they got a prize worth more than $100.Jackpot Clock
If the couple beat the $200 Clock, the wife would play the "Jackpot Clock" in which the words of a famous saying or quote was scrambled up on a magnetic board and that phrase had to be unscrambled in 20 seconds or less. If successful, then the couple won the Jackpot Prize. If not, they got a prize worth more than $200. Occasionally, when the wife of the couple did not speak English very well, the husband was allowed to perform the Jackpot Clock.The Jackpot Clock and the Bonus Stunt would provide the templates for the traditional quiz show bonus round, which would become a TV staple, starting in 1961 with the Lightning Round for the Goodson-Todman word game Password.
In the show's earliest set design in available episodes, there was a round display near the contestants mirroring the Clock. This display had three rings of light like a target. The outer ring would light during the $100 Clock, the middle ring for the $200 Clock, and the center circle would light during the Jackpot Clock. This feature was removed in later set designs.
Bonus Stunt
Some time during every episode (between normal stunts), a bell would sound. The couple playing at the time would attempt the Bonus Stunt for the Bonus Prize that started at $100 in cash. If the stunt was not beaten, it would be attempted the next week with $100 added to the prize. When it was beaten, it was retired from the show and a new Bonus Stunt began the next week at $100. The bonus (as the name suggests) did not affect the regular game, and win or lose the couple continued the regular Clocks wherever they left off. Beginning in August 1954, the starting amount for each Bonus Stunt was raised to $500, still increasing $100 each week.Bonus Stunts were harder than the usual $100 and $200 Clocks and sometimes reached $2,000 and even $3,000 on rare occasions. The first time the Bonus reached $1,000 was on February 28, 1953, when it was won for that amount. In 1956, the Bonus Stunt was replaced by the Super Bonus.
There was usually a special technique for performing the stunt that had to be figured out, but even then, the stunt was usually difficult enough to require some skill or luck once the technique was realized. Viewers would usually try to figure it out and after a few weeks on the air viewers would often get it (sometimes Collyer would remark that viewers had been writing in and he would give certain dimensions of the props used so viewers could try to figure it out at home).
Usually either contestants themselves would start appearing on the show with the technique in mind, or audience members would shout it out to try to help them. A stunt would usually take a few weeks before the audience realized the technique, and then a few more weeks before someone was able to properly employ it.
Super Bonus Stunt
In response to the big money prizes which began to appear on other networks' game shows, CBS talked Mark Goodson into increasing the stakes on Beat The Clock. Ultimately the plan was unsuccessful as the ratings never did improve much, perhaps leading to the end of the Super Bonus. Starting on February 25, 1956, after the last regular Bonus Stunt had been won, it was replaced by the "Super Bonus" which started at $10,000 and went up by $1,000 every time a couple failed to beat the Clock. Unlike with the regular Bonus Stunt and the "Big Cash Bonus Stunt" that followed it, the Super Bonus was attempted by every couple who qualified by beating the $200 Clock. Originally the stunt was played at the end of the show by each couple that qualified, and "because of the high prize value" a special timing machine made by the LonginesLongines
Longines is a Swiss luxury watchmaker based in Saint-Imier, Switzerland. The company was originally founded by Auguste Agassiz in 1832 and it currently holds the oldest registered logo for a watch company . Longines is currently owned by the Swatch Group.Longines is known for its 'Aviators' watches...
company was used, which was touted as the most accurate portable timer available. Probably realizing that seeing the same stunt a few times in a row was a bit boring, they moved the Super Bonus right after the $200 Clock and before the Jackpot Clock on March 17, dropping the Longines timer.
The Super Bonus was won only twice in its existence. The first Super Bonus Stunt involved the husband picking up four small paper cups from a table one at a time and stacking them atop a large helium-filled balloon using only one hand. The first seven contestants had trouble even getting the second cup stacked, but the eighth contestant to try the stunt on March 25, 1956 (the show's sixth "birthday" show) kept the balloon very close to the ground and at points held it on the ground (although Collyer warned him several times not to do so) and bounced the balloon as he grabbed the next cup. He was able to stack the four cups quickly and won $18,000, and subsequently also won the Jackpot Prize (a television). The contestants who qualified later in that program were brought back the following week to try the new Super Bonus.
The second Super Bonus Stunt again involved the husband who wore a football helmet with wooden salad bowl attached face down on the forehead. The husband had to balance a wooden cylinder (about the size of a paper towel roll) on its end on the bowl. The cylinder was tied at its midpoint to a fishing line on a shortened fishing pole. It was designed by Frank Wayne who demonstrated the completing of the stunt before the studio audience prior to at least some of the tapings. This stunt proved very difficult, and most contestants who attempted it showed no indication of a technique for getting the rod to the bowl. Only one person even had the pole sitting flat for a brief instant until September 6, where both the first contestant (a holdover who had practiced at home) and the second contestant (for $62,000 and $63,000 respectively) managed to have the dowel sitting on the bowl for a few moments, but lost its balance when the string was slacked.
On September 15, 1956, Collyer announced that the next show would gain a new sponsor, and if the Super Bonus was not won Fresh and Sylvania would donate the Super Bonus Pot to charity. However, the first contestant, Gabriel J. Fontana, a holdover from the previous show of near misses who had practiced at home, won the Jackpot of $64,000 (equivalent to over $ in 2010). He and his wife then won the Jackpot Prize, a washer and dryer. Each of the final three contestants employed a technique of raising the dowel very slowly so it did not swing around. Unlike the original bonus, however, the audience never seemed to catch on to a particular technique for the two Super Bonus Stunts, and advice was not usually shouted out.
Partway through the run of the second Super Bonus, a rolling desk/table with dollar value of the bonus printed on it was used to roll out the props for the stunt. This carried over to the Big Cash Bonus Stunt. It is notable that in the earliest surviving episodes from 1952 that air, the original bonus had a similar desk with the value of the bonus on it. The desk was done away with for several years until the idea was reused in 1956.
Big Cash Bonus Stunt
Starting on September 22, 1956 (the same day the show's new sponsor became Hazel Bishop) the bonus reverted back to the original Bonus Stunt format (attempted once per episode by whatever couple heard the "Bonus Bell" ringing). The Jackpot started at $5,000 and increased $1,000 every week it was not won. If successful, the couple left the show with the "top prize"; otherwise, they continued on with the regular game.Bonus Cash and Prize Stunt
Featured on the daytime version. A lucky couple had a chance to win a bundle of cash and their choice of a new car or a boat. To win, they had to successfully complete their Bonus Stunt.Like the original Bonus Stunt, the cash value started at $100, going up each time the stunt was not successfully completed. The largest cash bonus won on the daytime edition was $20,100 during its years on ABC.
Stunts
The stunts performed on the show were mostly created by staff stunt writers Frank Wayne and Bob Howard. In the early days of the show, playwright Neil SimonNeil Simon
Neil Simon is an American playwright and screenwriter. He has written numerous Broadway plays, including Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, and The Odd Couple. He won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Lost In Yonkers. He has written the screenplays for several of his plays that...
was also a stunt writer. The stunts were usually aimed towards fun with difficulty being secondary. The stunts would usually be constructed out of common household props such as cardboard boxes, string, balloons, record players, dishes, cups, plates, cutlery, and balls of almost every type. As was the case with many other game shows during television's infancy, the budget was low.
The stunts performed varied widely, but there were some common themes. Most stunts in some way involved physical speed or dexterity. Contestants often had to balance something with some part of their body, or race back and forth on the stage (for example, releasing a balloon, running across the stage to do some task, and running back in time to catch the balloon before it floated too high). Often the challenge was some form of target practice
Target practice
Target practice refers to any exercise in which projectiles are fired at a specified target, usually to improve the aim of the person or persons firing the weapon....
, in terms of throwing, rolling, bowling, etc.
The setup for the stunt was often designed to look easy but then have a complication or gimmick
Gimmick
In marketing language, a gimmick is a unique or quirky special feature that makes something "stand out" from its contemporaries. However, the special feature is typically thought to be of little relevance or use. Thus, a gimmick is a special feature for the sake of having a special feature...
revealed. For example, Collyer would say "All you have to do is stack four plates", check the Clock to see how much time they had to do it, and then add "Oh, and one more thing...you can't use your hands". Common twists included blindfolding one or both contestants, or telling them they couldn't use their hands (or feet or any body part that would be obvious to use for whatever the task was).
The other common element in the stunts was to get one of the contestants messy in some way often involving whipped cream, pancake batter, and such (usually limited to the husband of the couple). While it was not a part of every stunt, and sometimes it didn't even happen in an episode, it was common enough that when a couple brought a child on, Collyer would often ask what they thought the parents might have to do and the child would often respond "get whipped cream in their face". Many times the wife would be shown a task, be blindfolded, and then her husband would be quietly brought out and unknown to her she would be covering him with some sort of mess. When the mess was not hidden from the wife, Collyer would often jokingly tell the husband (who usually had a short haircut) that they would put a bathing cap on his head "to keep your long hair out of your eyes" before revealing what form of mess he would be involved with. Occasionally Collyer himself would get caught in the mess accidentally.
Technicality in the rules was not a major issue on the show. The goal was usually to make sure the contestants had fun. Collyer would often stop the Clock in the middle of a stunt if the contestant(s) was struggling so he could advise them on a better way to do the stunt. Often if a condition of the stunt was "don't use your hands," Collyer would ignore the first use of hands and just warn the contestant. If the time limit was nearly up on a task, he would often give them a few moments extra, or tell them if they started before the Clock ran out and succeeded in that attempt, he would count it. Sometimes if a contestant had come close enough (for example, if they had to stack cups and saucers without the pile falling over, and the contestant knocked the pile over while putting the last cup on top), he would give them the stunt if they did not have time to do it again. If there was a problem with a prop breaking or running out of a supply, such as balloons, Collyer would simply give the stunt to the couple, citing it as the show's fault. Similarly, on the messy stunts, since the goal was just to mess up the husband, the time limit was often unimportant and the Clock would be stopped when Bud felt the husband was messy enough.
Sometimes shows were themed, such as the entire episode containing circus-related stunts; an international show, with each stunt having some relation to some other country; a show in which certain props were used in each stunt; a birthday show on the show's anniversary; April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day is celebrated in different countries around the world on April 1 every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1 is not a national holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when many people play all kinds of jokes and foolishness...
shows where there was a trick in every stunt; and an episode at the end of each year replaying favorite stunts of that year.
In order to determine if the stunts could actually be performed, and to set appropriate time limits for them, the producers hired out-of-work actors to try them out. One of those who did this work was James Dean
James Dean
James Byron Dean was an American film actor. He is a cultural icon, best embodied in the title of his most celebrated film, Rebel Without a Cause , in which he starred as troubled Los Angeles teenager Jim Stark...
, who was said to be able to perform any task the producers gave him to try. He was so adept that he had to be let go, as he was too fast to set the time limits by. Collyer also noted on the air a number of times that he himself tested many of the stunts while they were being developed, often noting that the contestant performed the stunt with far more ease than he had. Another up-and-coming actor who would gain stature later in his career, Warren Oates
Warren Oates
Warren Mercer Oates was an American actor best known for his performances in several films directed by Sam Peckinpah including The Wild Bunch and Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia...
, was also said to have worked on the show as a stunt tester.
Prizes
Prizes varied depending on the era of the show and the sponsor at the time. During SylvaniaOsram Sylvania
Osram Sylvania Inc. is the North American operation of lighting manufacturer Osram GmbH, which is owned by Siemens AG. It was established in January 1993, with the acquisition of GTE’s Sylvania lighting division by Osram GmbH....
's tenure as sponsor (which began in March 1951), consolation prizes for losing the $100 Clock were usually a Sylvania radio which was brought out.
- $100 Clock prizes included Michael C. Fina silverware sets, a collection of four Knapp-Monarch small kitchen appliances, or a HooverThe Hoover CompanyThe Hoover Company started out as an American floor care manufacturer based in North Canton, Ohio. It also established a major base in the United Kingdom and for most of the early-and-mid-20th century, it dominated the electric vacuum cleaner industry, to the point where the "hoover" brand name...
uprightVacuum cleanerA vacuum cleaner, commonly referred to as a "vacuum," is a device that uses an air pump to create a partial vacuum to suck up dust and dirt, usually from floors, and optionally from other surfaces as well. The dirt is collected by either a dustbag or a cyclone for later disposal...
, among others. - $200 Clock prizes included International-Harvester refrigerators, air conditioning units (usually in the summer), a Tappan range/oven, a James dishwasher, Speed QueenSpeed QueenSpeed Queen is a laundry machine manufacturer headquartered in Ripon, Wisconsin, USA. Speed Queen is a subsidiary of Alliance Laundry Systems LLC, who bill themselves as the world's largest manufacturer of commercial laundry equipment. They make a large variety of residential and commercial...
washers and dryers (for some reason, they were only offered separately) and small Sylvania TVs. All of these prizes, except the Sylvania radio, were shown on "art cards" and not actually brought out on the show. - The Jackpot Prize during Sylvania's tenure was always a Sylvania television setTelevision setA television set is a device that combines a tuner, display, and speakers for the purpose of viewing television. Television sets became a popular consumer product after the Second World War, using vacuum tubes and cathode ray tube displays...
. Sometimes a hi-fi stereo/phonograph (with "famous surround sound") was included with the television, and it was noted that the Jackpot Prize was "worth more than $500". A notable (and often pointed out) feature of Sylvania's TVs at the time was the "halo light", which was an illuminated "frame" around the image which was supposed to have made watching the image easier on the eyes, similar to PhilipsPhilipsKoninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
' "AmbiLight" feature on television sets today.
The sets, as was the style at the time, were freestanding pieces of furniture that sat on legs on the floor with a speaker mounted below the screen. Various models were given away over the years—sometimes the same model several times in one episode, sometimes a different model each time the Jackpot was won in an episode. Roxanne (later Beverly) would pose with the TV which was revealed from behind a curtain in a small faux living room. The earliest win of a TV in the episodes whose records still air was a Jefferson 20" cabinet. Shortly after, on September 6, 1952, the new 1953 21" Montclair cabinet (model 177M) was unveiled. In December 1952 the 1953 21" Huntington and the 21" Kensington corner cabinet debuted on the show, though the Montclair remained the most common prize. On April 4, 1953 a different 21" Kensington cabinet with "French provincial stylings" debuted.
Some of the other models over the years included the 24" Penhurst console, the 21" Windermere console (with French provincial stylings), and later the "Cabinet of Light" (as the line was called) models, the 21" Belvedere, and the 24" Kimberly (circa 1956).
There were also various gifts given to the contestants just for appearing on the show. There was a Sylvania Beat the Clock home game produced which was given to contestants starting in the mid-50s. When it was novel, Collyer would open the box and explain that it would be fun for not just children but adults at parties, and he would point out the working Clock and the instructions for stunts and all the props. Later in the run it would be brought out, shown and whisked away just as quickly. The boxes were reworked a few times, and there was a new edition released later in the run. Both versions were manufactured by Lowell Toy Mfg. Co. of New York, who produced a number of television-based home games at the time.
When children were brought on the show, there were special gifts. Starting on September 6, 1952, Girls brought on the show were given a Roxanne doll that was produced at the time. On October 11, 1952, the Buck Rogers
Buck Rogers
Anthony Rogers is a fictional character that first appeared in Armageddon 2419 A.D. by Philip Francis Nowlan in the August 1928 issue of the pulp magazine Amazing Stories. A sequel, The Airlords of Han, was published in the March 1929 issue....
Space Ranger Kit was debuted for the male children. In the mid-50s, each child was given a camera kit (the brand of the camera varied often but it always included a supply of Sylvania "Blue Dot for sure shot" flashbulbs).
If contestants were involved in a messy stunt, Roxanne (later Beverly) would come out and take a picture of the husband/couple. Initially it wasn't made clear how the couple would get the photo (perhaps mailed to them), but later in the run, the camera would be given to the couple in addition to any their children might already have been given. Collyer would explain that when they developed the film, the first photo would be that of the husband/couple.
From 1956 and for the rest of the show's run on CBS, the Jackpot Prizes usually consisted of a Magnavox
Magnavox
Magnavox is a US electronics company founded by Edwin Pridham and Peter L. Jensen, who invented the moving-coil loudspeaker in 1915 at their lab in Napa, California. They formed Magnavox in 1917 in order to market their inventions....
Color TV, Fedders
Fedders
Fedders Corporation manufactures air conditioners and other air treatment products. The company is French and was founded in Paris, France. US company headquarters are in Liberty Corner, New Jersey....
air conditioners (usually awarded as a pair), Westinghouse washer & dryer pairs, and refrigerators, Hardwick ranges and Easy "Combomatic" combination washer-dryers.
1950
Beat the Clock began airing Thursday nights on CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
on March 23, 1950, running with no commercials. Even the show's introduction was austere; no theme song, just a shot of the Clock ticking off the seconds as announcer Bern Bennett would say "It's time for America's favorite party game, "BEAT THE CLOCK..." and then introduce Bud Collyer.
Initially the show ran for 45 minutes, then expanded to an hour (it is unclear if this was still on Thursday) before moving to Saturdays. The show did not have a sponsor until the Saturday night shows, and this is believed to have happened in September 1950 (Collyer mentions on October 4, 1952 that they've just celebrated two years of sponsorship).
Those prior episodes are believed to not be in the available library of episodes (hence some of the reason for the unclarity). The show was telecast from the Maxine Elliott Theater (Studio 51).
1950–1956
The show moved to a more standard half hour on Saturday nights at 7:30 PM Eastern beginning in 1950 or 1951. In March 1951, the show became sponsored by the Sylvania company. Notable on the show were their flashbulbs, radios and television sets. The show was CBS' lead-in to Saturday night programming. One program on their schedule in 1952 was Jackie GleasonJackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason was an American comedian, actor and musician. He was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy style, especially by his character Ralph Kramden on The Honeymooners, a situation-comedy television series. His most noted film roles were as Minnesota Fats in the drama film The...
's variety show on which he once performed a Honeymooners sketch on the Beat the Clock set with himself and Art Carney
Art Carney
Arthur William Matthew “Art” Carney was an American actor in film, stage, television and radio. He is best known for playing Ed Norton, opposite Jackie Gleason's Ralph Kramden in the situation comedy The Honeymooners....
as contestants (this sketch, titled "Teamwork: Beat the Clock", was considered one of the "lost" Honeymooners episodes but has since been available on home video).
The first year or two of this period are also presumed unavailable. There were very few production changes during this period the show. The first theme song from this period was Lights of Broadway. This later changed to the more familiar Hickory Dickory Dock (lyrics quoted above). The theme from the original unsponsored show is unknown.
1955–1956 changes
In late 1955 and early 1956, there were a few production changes which were soon followed by gameplay changes. The first notable change was the departure of assistant Roxanne in August 1956.
Sylvania began a contest in 1955 where viewers could get a mail-in entry form from a local Sylvania dealer. The entries were placed in a big rotating drum onstage, and one of the contestant couples/families would draw the top three winners for the week, with additional winners being drawn after the show. Shortly before the contest began, the Jackpot Board, which had been behind the contestants' podium, was moved to the first curtain to the left of the podium from the viewer's perspective, and the drum was placed behind the curtain which had previously contained the Jackpot Board.
The show's opening also changed during this time, adding an opening teaser. Collyer would stand with the first couple on the show and explain the stunt they would have to perform. However, he would leave out that crucial detail that would make it difficult. The detail was not usually something easy to guess like blindfolding or whipped cream, but was usually something that would surprise everyone such as changing a factor of the stunt to make it more difficult (for example, Collyer would demonstrate throwing a baseball into a barrel but then replace the baseballs with basketballs that would barely fit into the barrel, or moving the contestant much further away from the barrel, etc.).
There were a few side effects of this change. The Clock's buzzer would sound, telling Collyer time had run out. Originally this buzzer often came while Collyer was explaining a stunt or during the performance of a stunt. The same stunt would start again the next week (in a form of suspense, perhaps, to bring the audience back). Collyer would often suggest that they practice the stunt at home (sometimes jokingly, if the stunt involved props that would be very unlikely to be found in the home). Collyer would then ask the contestants if they could come back, which they usually could.
After the opening teaser was added, contestants who had only the Jackpot Clock left and said they could come back were suddenly absent the next week, with Collyer explaining that after the show it seemed inconvenient to come back for just the Jackpot Clock, and that the couple had played the Jackpot Clock after the show went off the air. This generally avoided the next week starting with a Jackpot Clock (which would not work with the teaser).
After the change Collyer would often rush contestants to perform the Jackpot quickly if they had just barely enough time in order to not have the Jackpot Clock at the beginning of the next episode. Additionally, when a contestant ended the show in the middle of a stunt or after the stunt was explained, it was not repeated the next week. The teaser started with a brand new stunt. Collyer began telling contestants "You'll start next week with this stunt or another, we're not sure which yet" (which he said every time it happened for months), but rarely was the same stunt held over after the change (until late in the Fresh sponsorship when they started sometimes holding stunts over to the next week again).
Around the time the Super Bonus Stunt moved from the end of the show to after the $200 Clock, the opening teaser was changed from the preview of a stunt to a preview of the Super Bonus Stunt, telling the audience what the prize was up to that week. The effects of the teaser change (the Jackpot never starting a show, couples who were in the middle of a stunt getting a new one the next week) continued, however.
These changes seemed aimed at streamlining the show and making each show run faster and less informally. After the changes, children began not being brought out with the couple (kids gradually started reappearing after several months in the middle of 1956 with less frequency than they originally had been), even when the couple said the children were backstage or in the audience. The stunts started getting a little harder and Collyer was a bit less helpful. Stunts tended to be more often aimed towards skill and difficulty than the slapstick and embarrassment that had been at the forefront in the past. Before this, it was commonplace for every couple to win the Jackpot in an episode.
1956
In late Spring 1956, just weeks after Collyer's announcement of a new Sylvania contest (see the 1955 contest above), Beat the Clock got a new sponsor — Fresh Deodorants. Along with this came a number of production changes. First, the show's Hickory Dickory Dock theme song was replaced by a jazzy electric guitar piece (with no lyrics) to the tune of the song Bicycle Built For Two, over footage of a field of daisies (daisies apparently being a theme of the new sponsor, "Fresh as a daisy"). After a few episodes, a lyric was added that was an alteration of the lyric of the original song (the lyric was "Daisy, Daisy, tell me your secret do." and it could possibly have been a slogan of the company at the time). The walls (previously in a type of bubble/marble pattern) and podium were changed to have daisies decorating them, and the famous Clock was redressed into a Fresh motif. The contestants even wore small daisy lapel pins. More jazzy guitar music was added to the opening teaser of the Super Bonus, and while the contestants attempted the bonus (in a sort of Flight of the BumblebeeFlight of the Bumblebee
"Flight of the Bumblebee" is an orchestral interlude written by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov for his opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan, composed in 1899–1900. The piece closes Act III, Tableau 1, during which the magic Swan-Bird changes Prince Gvidon Saltanovich into an insect so that he can fly away to...
pace of panic). Collyer also took every opportunity to toss "Fresh" or "daisy" into his dialogue during the show.
There were two other changes of note to the actual implementation of the show. First, the Jackpot Clock (the magnetic word puzzle) moved back to its original location behind the contestants' podium. Second were the prizes. The gift given to contestants still included the home game (now "courtesy of Fresh" with Fresh graphics on the box, though seemingly still including a photo of Roxanne) but the camera kits with Sylvania flashbulbs were replaced by a gift box of Fresh products (and of course, photos of messy stunts were no longer taken). The Jackpot Prize was no longer a TV set, but various rotating prizes.
On the first episode of Fresh's sponsorship, Jackpot Prizes included a Westinghouse Deluxe Laundromat washer and matching dryer, and a pair of York snorkel air conditioners. Betty or Eileen posed with the prizes instead of Beverly. The last Sylvania prize ever awarded on the show was a Windermere console with a hi-fi.
1956
On September 22, 1956 the Hazel Bishop cosmetics company became the show's new sponsor and were the final sponsor of the show on CBS. This coincided with the above-mentioned new Big Cash Bonus which was likely a response to the failure of the Super Bonus to improve ratings. In perhaps another response, the show also moved to a new time, 7:00–7:30 PM Eastern time. This made it the first program ever to open a Saturday night lineup at 7:00. However, some affiliates had other programming commitments and the show lost about 20 stations.A new theme song was introduced called Subway Polka, and the opening teaser introduced months earlier was eliminated. The set was redressed very similar to the way it had originally appeared, and even the Clock itself went back to its original appearance (except for the Hazel Bishop name instead of Sylvania's on the face). Another change that coincided with the new sponsor and timeslot was that Beverly Bentley was no longer with the show. She had been reassigned to appear with June Ferguson as the models on The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right is a television game show franchise originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, and created by Bob Stewart, and is currently produced and owned by FremantleMedia. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also includes merchandise such as video games, printed...
. Contestants were introduced by the announcer, and prizes and gifts were presented by the other assistants. The gifts included a giftbox of Hazel Bishop cosmetics and a yet again rebranded home game.
In January 1957, the home game was replaced with a new home version of the magnetic Jackpot Board. The prizes remained, for the most part, the same or similar prizes as under Fresh's sponsorship. A few weeks into the new Big Cash Bonus, the lighting was dimmed (or at least some camera effect was used) to darken the studio and highlight the contestants and the lights on the Clock.
1957
The ratings continued to decline and on February 8, 1957 the show moved to Fridays at 7:30 PM Eastern. Corresponding with this change was a redesign of the show's set (it is suggested that this might be the point where the show moved to the Ritz Theater in New York City, but other sources date that as 1958 and likely refer to the point where the show moved to ABC).Unlike previous set changes, this was not simply a redress of the walls and surfaces. The contestants were now introduced by opening a curtain to the area behind the newly redesigned podium. The Jackpot Board was moved to the wall to the left (viewers' left) of the podium/curtain. The curtained wall (with the show's title above it) between the Clock and the podium was removed to reveal a wall further back. There was a small semi-circular curtained area to the (viewers') left of the Jackpot Board which rotated more into view when needed and contained the Jackpot Prizes.
A few weeks later, the show's title was put on the back wall again, and a curtain (that was sometimes left open) was re-added to the center stage area.
Artistically, the set had a diamond motif. The contestants were once again given the home game instead of the magnetic board. Other gifts were also given to children, such as a radio kit for young boys or a doll for girls. A few weeks into the new night, recorded playful music underscored the contestants as they attempted their stunts (reminiscent of how music played during the Super Bonus in the Fresh era of the show. One of the musical pieces was "Sabre Dance
Sabre Dance
"The Sabre Dance" is a movement in the final act of the ballet Gayane , written by Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian's and completed in 1942. It evokes a whirling war dance in an Armenian dance, where the dancers display their skill with sabres. Its middle section incorporates an Armenian folk...
").
On June 21, 1957 the show aired unsponsored. Hazel Bishop began sponsoring only every other week. The show did not change much except for the obvious stoppage of any mention of Hazel Bishop. The Clock was rebranded with the title of the show and the podium was bare. The contestants still received the home game (a new edition that had been introduced several months earlier), but obviously not the Hazel Bishop gifts. Other recent gifts that were still given included a crystal radio kit for boys brought on the show, and a "Beat The Clock, Rags to Riches" doll (whose clothes changed her into a princess) for girls.
1957–1961: Daytime
On September 16, 1957 CBS began airing the show at 2:00 PM daily in addition to the Friday night show, which made Beat the Clock only the second nighttime game show to add a daytime version. The nighttime show continued to lose viewers, and shortly afterward moved to Sunday nights at 6:00 PM, without a sponsor. In February 1958, the nighttime show ended after eight years.There was one change in the format on the daytime version. Contestants continued to play as long as they kept beating the Clock. After two wins, they would receive a prize package, sometimes consisting of an entire room of furniture, major appliances, a nursery for expectant or newlywed mothers, or children's items such as clothes, toys and games, or bicycles. This change increased opportunities for the contestants to try to win the Bonus Stunt more than once. The Bonus Stunt would revert to the nighttime version's original initial payoff of $100, increasing by that amount each time it was not won. Daytime contestants also had the chance to win a car, or on later episodes, their choice of a car or boat.
Another new wrinkle was "Ladies' Day". Usually once a week, only women would appear as contestants. Sometimes, when entire families appeared on the show, there would be a stunt that would at least engage, if not totally include, the children of the family.
The daytime show did not meet CBS' expectations, and was replaced by The Jimmy Dean Show
The Jimmy Dean Show
The Jimmy Dean Show is the name of several similar music and variety series on American local and network television between 1957–75. Each starred country music singer Jimmy Dean as host.-Daytime:...
in September 1958. It was picked up by ABC, which was in the process of developing a daytime lineup; CBS permitted the move with the agreement that ABC would not also do a nighttime version. Following a month-long hiatus, ABC began airing the show on October 13, 1958, at 3:00 PM. It ran until January 27, 1961, with a timeslot change to 12:30 PM.
Episode status
Like many other shows of its day, the show was recorded using kinescopeKinescope
Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program made by filming the picture from a video monitor...
. There are even some mentions of this on the show, such as an incident when a contestant challenged a loss on the second Super Bonus Stunt, and the kinescope was used to confirm the result.
Like most kinescope recordings that have been put into current use, the films have been transferred to video tape (and in some cases, the videos into digital form). Some kinescopes or video tapes are lost or in too poor quality to broadcast so there are sometimes gaps in the available catalog of episodes. There is one "public domain" episode not part of GSN's catalog that dates to October 1951, possibly making it the oldest surviving episode in existence.
It is not publicly known whether the daytime episodes (both CBS and ABC) are lost or damaged, but they are rarely seen. However, circulating amongst collectors is a daytime episode from September 23, 1960 with a Bonus Stunt win of $20,100 plus the choice of a car or a boat, which set a record for daytime TV winnings in the post-scandal era; also notable is that the Bonus Stunt had not been won for 51 weeks, and the couple who won it, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Hunt of Tolleson, Arizona
Tolleson, Arizona
Tolleson is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 6,812.-Geography:Tolleson is located at ....
, did so on their third attempt.
GSN had previously aired 1952–1958 episodes of the nighttime version, but they have not been seen on the channel since 2006.
1969–1974
This version ran from September 15, 1969 to September 20, 1974 in five-day-a-week syndication. For the first season (1969–1970), the show was taped at The Little TheatreHelen Hayes Theatre
Helen Hayes Theatre with 597 seats is the smallest Broadway theatre and is located at 240 West 44th Street in midtown-Manhattan....
on Broadway
Broadway (New York City)
Broadway is a prominent avenue in New York City, United States, which runs through the full length of the borough of Manhattan and continues northward through the Bronx borough before terminating in Westchester County, New York. It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to...
in New York City.
Prior to the start of tapings for the second season, Clock relocated to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
as a cost-saving experiment, making it the only Goodson-Todman game to be produced in Canada (not counting French-Canadian versions of their shows). CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
aired the series for Canadian audiences during its four-year stay in Montreal.
The music for this version of Clock was played live on the organ by the renowned keyboardist and arranger Dick Hyman
Dick Hyman
Richard “Dick” Hyman is an American jazz pianist/keyboardist and composer, best-known for his versatility with jazz piano styles. Over a 50 year career, he has functioned as pianist, organist, arranger, music director, and, increasingly, as composer...
.
Jack Narz (1969–1972)
In early episodes, couples, now aided by a weekly celebrity guest, played for points simply by completing stunts. The first couple to reach 100 points won a prize package. This was subsequently changed to the couples receiving a prize every time they won, which was later replaced by the winning couple facing a "cash board" with "BEAT THE CLOCK" spelled out on three levels, each letter concealing a money amount: either $25 (4), $50 (5), $100 (2), or $200. The couple would agree on a letter, select it, and the winnings would be revealed.In addition, if a couple completed a stunt in less than half the time, the remaining time would be used for awarding a cash bonus. Anywhere from $10 to $50 would be awarded for each time the stunt could be completed in the time remaining.
At some point during the show, the celebrity would perform a "Solo Stunt" (which seemed to have supplanted the Bonus Stunt on the original show). The couples could win $50 if they guessed correctly whether the star could beat the Clock or vice versa. Towards the end of Narz's tenure as host, stunts would be replaced in the second half of the show with the celebrity playing a game of intuition with the couples, who would play for a cash prize that was divided among them.
During this time, the show was syndicated through 20th Century Fox Television
20th Century Fox Television
20th Century Fox Television is the television production division of 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, and a production arm of the Fox Broadcasting Company...
. One unusual aspect of these shows was that Narz's suit jackets had a "Beat The Clock" logo sewn onto their pockets.
Gene Wood (1972–1974)
Jack Narz left the show in 1972. At the time, he made no announcement and gave no reason for his departure. In a 2007 Internet radioInternet radio
Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
interview, Narz finally explained that the show's budget did not include his personal travel expenses; Narz had to pay for his travel, and the cost of airline fare between his Los Angeles home and Montreal became prohibitive. His travel costs were essentially equal to his earnings, and even a successful appeal to Mark Goodson for more money was not enough.
Announcer Gene Wood hosted the show for the next two seasons. Wood had also been hosting a similar stunt game titled Anything You Can Do
Anything You Can Do (game show)
Anything You Can Do was a Canadian stunt-based game show that aired on that country's CTV network and in syndication in the United States from 1971–1974. The host in the show's first season was Gene Wood, who at the time was also the announcer on Beat the Clock. For the last two seasons Don Harron...
, a battle of the sexes competition which was also recorded in Canada. CFCF-TV
CFCF-TV
CFCF-DT is a CTV-owned and operated station located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
Montreal staff announcer Nick Holenreich became the show's announcer; he had previously announced for a week during Narz's final season in which Wood was the celebrity guest. At this time, the show also changed syndicators to Firestone Syndication Services, which syndicated another Goodson-Todman show, To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth is an American television panel game show created by Bob Stewart and produced by Goodson-Todman Productions that has aired in various forms since 1956 both on networks and in syndication...
, which had originally been hosted by Bud Collyer.
The show was now called The New Beat the Clock (although the logo still read simply "Beat the Clock"), and the set was refreshed with a new color scheme and a redesigned Clock. Both Narz and Wood wore suit jackets with a "Beat The Clock" logo sewn on the pockets.
The only changes in the format were that couples were introduced separately and played two stunts, win or lose (a win still getting a trip to the Cash Board), and both couples competed simultaneously in a final stunt, with the winning couple receiving a prize. Celebrity guests were retained in the new format, once again aiding the contestants, and performing the Solo Stunt as well as "co-judge" with Wood in the final stunt of the day. Another throwback to the Collyer era (when the show was seen in the daytime) was the revival of "Ladies' Day", where women only (not counting the celebrity for that week) would play the game.
Despite continued popularity on local stations in both daytime and prime time access
Prime Time Access Rule
The Prime Time Access Rule was instituted by the Federal Communications Commission in 1970 to restrict the amount of network broadcast programming that a local television station, Owned-and-operated station by or affiliated with a television network may air during "prime time"...
timeslots, Goodson-Todman decided to discontinue production of Clock in 1974 when CTV asked the company for half of the proceeds from advertisers awarding their wares as contestant consolation prizes. Wood returned to voice-over work, and went on to a 20-year career announcing Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
-based shows for Goodson-Todman and occasionally other packagers. However, he never hosted another show.
Episode status
Some, if not all, of this series is intact and has aired on GSNGame Show Network
The Game Show Network is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite channel dedicated to game shows and casino game shows. The channel was launched on December 1, 1994. Its current slogan is "The World Needs More Winners"...
in the past. Two episodes from the Jack Narz era were aired in late 2005 to pay tribute to Bob Denver
Bob Denver
Robert Osbourne "Bob" Denver was an American comedic actor known for his roles as Gilligan on the television series Gilligan's Island and the beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on the 1959–1963 TV series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.-Early life:Denver was born in New Rochelle, New York, and raised in...
and Louis Nye
Louis Nye
Louis Nye was an American comedy actor.-Early years:He was born Louis Neistat in Hartford, Connecticut, the son of Joseph Neistat and Jennie Sherman . His sister was Rose Neistat...
, both of whom had recently died. An episode featuring Tom Kennedy (Narz's brother) aired on June 11, 2007.
In January 2007, a Gene Wood episode aired which featured William Shatner
William Shatner
William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
. Another episode aired on October 22, 2007 featuring Dick Clark. At least three episodes were also aired featuring Richard Dawson.
1979–1980
The All-New Beat The Clock aired as a daytime show from September 17, 1979 to February 1, 1980 on CBS. This was the only version of Beat the Clock to originate from Los Angeles (except for the Gameshow Marathon episode hosted by Ricki LakeRicki Lake
Ricki Pamela Lake is an American actress, producer, and television host. She is best known for her starring role as Tracy Turnblad in the original Hairspray, her ground-breaking documentary film The Business of Being Born, and her talk show which was broadcasted internationally from...
). This version was broadcast at 10:00 A.M. Eastern for its entire run with Whew!
Whew!
Whew! is an American game show that aired on CBS from April 23, 1979, until May 30, 1980. It was hosted by Tom Kennedy and announced by Rod Roddy.The game was created by Jay Wolpert...
and The Price is Right following. After the series ended, the 10:00 slot would remain empty until The New $25,000 Pyramid premiered two years later.
Monty Hall
Monty Hall
Monte Halperin, OC, OM , better known by the stage name Monty Hall, is a Canadian-born MC, producer, actor, singer and sportscaster, best known as host of the television game show Let's Make a Deal.-Early life:...
hosted this version (his first show since Video Village
Video Village
Video Village is an American television game show produced by Heatter-Quigley Productions which aired on the CBS network in daytime from July 11, 1960 to June 15, 1962 and in primetime from July 1 to September 16, 1960....
that was not produced by his own company
Stefan Hatos-Monty Hall Productions
Stefan Hatos-Monty Hall Productions was a television production company responsible for producing several American game shows in the 1970s and 1980s...
), with former host Jack Narz
Jack Narz
Jack Narz was an American television announcer and game show host. Narz was the elder brother of Tom Kennedy and the former brother-in-law of Bill Cullen...
on board as announcer and associate producer. This version was taped in Studio 31 at CBS Television City
CBS Television City
CBS Television City is a television studio complex located in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles at 7800 Beverly Boulevard, at the corner of North Fairfax Avenue...
. There were two theme songs used (both composed by Score Productions
Score Productions
Score Productions is an American musical production company specializing in background music and themes for television programs. Started in 1963 by music producer Robert A...
). The second one was performed live in the studio by a small band led by Arthur B. Rubinstein
Arthur B. Rubinstein
Arthur B. Rubinstein is a composer and behind in particular several TV series soundtracks, but also occasional film scores, possibly most notably work such as Video Fever and Edge of the World in the film WarGames. During the making of these soundtracks, he was a member of the band The Beepers...
.
Two couples, one usually a returning champion, competed against each other and the Clock. The champion couple (or champion-designate if the previous episode had ended with a retiring champion couple) wore red sweaters while the opposing couple wore green.
Rounds 1 and 2
In rounds one and two, the couples competed against each other in a stunt worth $500 for the winner. One stunt usually featured the women of the couples, while the other featured the men, though the other partner sometimes had to help as well. The clock was run as a fail safe by which if neither couple completed the stunt within the time limit, the couple nearest would win. The winner of each round's competitive stunt went on the play a solo stunt together for an additional $500.Bonus Shuffle
After the first two rounds, both couples played the "Bonus Shuffle", a round of shuffleboardTable Shuffleboard
Table shuffleboard is a game in which players push metal-and-plastic weighted pucks down a long and smooth wooden table into a scoring area at the opposite end of the table...
on a special table which had stripes at the far end denoting $300–$1,000 in $100 increments, increasing towards the end of the table. The couple which was leading after two rounds received three pucks and shot first and their opponents received two pucks. If the couples were tied going into this round, each couple had two pucks, and the challengers went first. (The first time there was a tie, a coin toss determined which team shot first; also, when two new couples appeared, they tossed a coin before the show to see which would be the red team, which had the advantage in case of a tie.) The couples alternated shooting pucks. The women shot first, followed by the men, and the leading team's third shot could be taken by either team member.
The table had no walls around it, and any pucks which were thrown or knocked off the side or end of the table, as well as any which did not reach the first money stripe, did not count and were removed. In addition, each of the money stripes (except for the $1,000 stripe at the very end of the table) had just enough blank space in between them for a puck to land in and therefore not score; if this happened, however, the pucks would remain on the board and not be taken out of play.
The team whose puck that was furthest along the board at the end of play, and which was touching a money stripe won that amount and got to play the bonus stunt for ten times the amount. Both couples kept their winnings from the first two rounds, but these winnings were not used in determining the champions. The couple who won the bonus shuffle would return as champions for the next episode.
If neither team had a puck touching a money amount at the end of the game, or if the pucks were equidistant from the end of the board, the teams would play a playoff. The team with the advantage from the earlier rounds chose whether to throw first or second. Each team threw one puck, and the furthest puck touching a money amount was the winner like in the regular game. (The first time there was a playoff, the first puck was moved aside and its position marked; after that, the second team had to take the first team's puck on the table into account when throwing.)
Bonus Stunt
The winning couple played the Bonus Stunt for ten times their winning shuffleboard score, for a top prize of $10,000. A stunt would remain as the Bonus Stunt until a couple completed it or it was played five times. Theoretically, the most money a team could win in a single day was $13,000 (sweep all the stunts, score $1,000 in the Bonus Shuffle, and successfully complete the Bonus Stunt). Teams stayed on until they won $25,000 or more, or were defeated.The All-New All-Star Beat The Clock
Midway into its short-lived run, the show switched to an all-celebrity format. Changes made included:- Celebrity pairs played for designated rooting sections of the audience which split the winnings. (Also, someone in "the winning rooting section" won a set of prizes, which were the "consolation prizes" in the non-celebrity part of the run.)
- Both rooting sections could be seen on-camera (the cameras were placed high in the ceiling).
- Stunts in the first two rounds were only worth $250 for the rooting sections.
- If the winning team completed the bonus stunt, $1,000 went to their rooting section while the remaining money went to their favorite charity (thus, the most money a celebrity team could win for their rooting section in a single day was $3,000 and a possible $9,000 to their charity).
- Both star teams remained on the show for a week. The pairings stayed the same on four of the five days, with the teams changing colors (the red team on Monday and Thursday was the green team on Tuesday and Friday); on Wednesdays, the teams switched, although still one man and one woman per team.
- In case of a tie going into the Bonus Shuffle, a coin toss determined who went first. (On one show, the coin was tossed on the air.)
- In the last two weeks of the run, after each head-to-head stunt, both teams got to perform the next stunt, with the losing team from the previous stunt going first; if both teams performed this stunt in the time limit, whoever did it faster got the $250.
- The theme song was now an upbeat version of the first one used in its run (it was previously used going into and out of the commercials of the earlier episodes), and was performed live in the studio.
Episode status
This series exists in its entirety. The Christmas episode with Ronnie SchellRonnie Schell
Ronald Ralph "Ronnie" Schell is an American actor, stand-up comedian and cartoon voice actor . Early in his career he appeared as himself as a contestant on You Bet Your Life opposite Groucho Marx, demonstrating a comic barrage of jive talk.-Life and career:Schell was born in Richmond, California...
, Joyce Bulifant
Joyce Bulifant
Joyce Bulifant is an American television actress, notable for her sunny "little girl"-like Southern lilt of a voice. She was a frequent panelist on the television game show Match Game, more often than not giving bizarre answers that seldom matched the contestants.-Life and career:Bulifant was born...
, Johnny Brown
Johnny Brown
Johnny Brown is an American actor and singer. Brown is a nightclub and stage performer as well as a comic actor, and a regular cast member of the television series Laugh-in. Brown is mostly remembered for his chubby physique, wide ingratiating smile, mobile facial expressions, and easy pleasant...
, and Patti Deutsch
Patti Deutsch
Patricia "Patti" Deutsch is a voice artist and comedic actress. In the 1970s she was a frequent panelist on Match Game.-Match Game:...
has been aired on GSN in the past during Christmas-themed marathons. The series aired on GSN between September 10, 2007 and September 2008 in a late Saturday and Sunday night slot but was pulled from the schedule after beginning the final week. On November 12, 2008 it returned to the GSN lineup weeknights at 2:00 AM, replacing Trivia Trap
Trivia Trap
Trivia Trap is an American game show produced by Mark Goodson Productions. It was created by producer Goodson and originally ran from October 8, 1984 to April 5, 1985 on ABC. The game featured two teams of three contestants each who competed against each other to answer trivia questions in various...
. It last aired January 3, 2009.
2002–2003
This version, the show's most recent appearance other than the Gameshow Marathon special, aired daily from September 2, 2002 to September 4, 2003 on PAX TV (the first week of shows was called a "preview week"). Taped at Universal Studios FloridaUniversal Studios Florida
Universal Studios Florida is an American theme park located in Orlando, Florida. Opened on June 7, 1990, the park's theme is the entertainment industry, in particular movies and television. Universal Studios Florida inspires its guests to "ride the movies," and it features numerous attractions and...
, three couples competed in this version with no returning champions. The couples were distinguished by color--red, blue, and gold.
Round 1
To start the game, all three couples faced off in a stunt. The first couple to complete the stunt got 10 points and the advantage of having to play a solo stunt first. Each couple in turn starting with the couple who won the opening stunt played a 30-second stunt. The first couple to play was shown 3 items on a tray that represented the stunts themselves, and got to assign the stunts to all 3 couples, including themselves. Before that, they first had to answer a two-part question. After the question was asked, the female player got to answer and, if she was correct, the male partner got to answer (sometimes they could both answer). If both correct answers were given, 10 seconds was added to the time for a total of 40 seconds. Either way they would then play the stunt. If the stunt was completed the couple won 10 points plus 1 for every second left on the Clock (Ex: 10 + 3 sec. = 13 points).Round 2
Again all three couples played a face-off stunt. The couples were positioned according to their score, with the couple in first place getting the advantage, the second place couple in the middle, and third at a disadvantage. This was an elimination stunt in which first two couples to complete the stunt advanced to round three, while the couple coming in last was eliminated.Round 3
In this round only one stunt was played. Two minutes was the starting time for the stunt, and the two remaining couples bid against each other to see who played the stunt with a lower time limit. Control of who starts the bidding was determined by a question in which the woman of the team that won the Elimination Stunt decided to either have the partner answer or have the opponents answer. Whoever won the question started the bidding. The bidding round was played until one team told the other to "Beat the Clock", at which point the opposing team played the stunt in the adjusted time limit. If the couple could perform the stunt within that time limit, they won the game, otherwise the other team won. The winning couple went on to the Bonus Round.Bonus Round ("The Swirling Whirlwind of Cash and Prizes")
The winning couple went into a play area called "The Swirling Whirlwind of Cash and Prizes", inside of which was over $25,000 in cash and prizes ($100,000 in the pilot). The winning couple had 60 seconds to grab as many dollar bills and prize vouchers as they can. They could only grab what was in the air, nothing on the ground, although they could kick up what was on the ground. Each time they grabbed the cash and prizes, the female partner had to stick them in the male partner's little bag strapped around his waist. When time ran out, the team had to put their hands in the air, letting go of any money in their hands, and come out. Everything that was in the bag was theirs to keep. The host usually throws some extra money and vouchers in at the beginning.Later in the run, a gold dollar bill was added. If it was grabbed the money won was doubled (adding cash if prizes were won, or adding $500 in cash for each one grabbed to the team's total, on the pilot).
The "swirling whirlwind" was previously used in the bonus round of The Diamond Head Game
The Diamond Head Game
The Diamond Head Game is an American game show that aired from January 6 to July 4, 1975 in five-day-a-week syndication. Borrowing its name from a long dormant volcano on the island of Oahu, the series was hosted by Bob Eubanks and assistant Jane Nelson, and is the only game show that was taped...
, a show hosted by Bob Eubanks
Bob Eubanks
Robert Leland "Bob" Eubanks is an American television/radio personality and game show host, best known for hosting the game show The Newlywed Game on and off since 1966, where he was known for using the catchphrase, "Makin' Whoopee"...
in 1975.
British version
Although Beat the Clock was never a programme in its own right in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, it was hugely popular there as a part of ATV's Sunday Night at the London Palladium
Sunday Night at the London Palladium
Sunday Night at the London Palladium is a British television variety show produced by ATV for the ITV network, originally running from 1955 to 1967, with a brief revival in 1973 and 1974...
on the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network from 1955–1967, and is still very well-remembered.
It was hosted by the Palladium show's comperes, successively Tommy Trinder
Tommy Trinder
Thomas Edward Trinder CBE known as Tommy Trinder, was an English stage, screen and radio comedian of the pre and post war years whose catchphrase was 'You lucky people'.-Life:...
, Bruce Forsyth
Bruce Forsyth
Sir Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson, CBE , commonly known as Bruce Forsyth, or Brucie, is an English TV personality...
(later the host of many other games including The Generation Game
The Generation Game
The Generation Game was a British gameshow produced by the BBC in which four teams of two competed to win prizes...
, Play Your Cards Right
Play Your Cards Right
Play Your Cards Right is a British television game show based on the American show known as Card Sharks. The gameplay was basically the same as in the American version.-Broadcast History:...
, You Bet!
You Bet!
You Bet! was a British game show based around the format of the German show Wetten, dass..? developed by Frank Elstner. You Bet! ran on ITV, mostly on Saturday nights but sometimes on Fridays, between 20 February 1988 and 12 April 1997, initially hosted by Bruce Forsyth from 1988 to 1990, then by...
, and Bruce's Price Is Right), Don Erroll, Norman Vaughan
Norman Vaughan (comedian)
Norman Vaughan was an English comedian who led a long and successful career in the television and theatre, appearing occasionally in the cinema.-Early life:...
, and Jimmy Tarbuck
Jimmy Tarbuck
Jimmy Tarbuck OBE or Tarby is an English comedian. Growing up he was a schoolmate of John Lennon.His first television show was It's Tarbuck 65! on ITV in 1964. He has also hosted numerous quiz shows, including Winner Takes All, Full Swing, and Tarby's Frame Game...
.
The series was occasionally revived afterwards, notably in a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
variety show hosted by Mike Smith
Mike Smith (television presenter)
Mike Smith is a British television, radio presenter, racing driver, pilot, and businessman.-Radio career:...
in 1987.
External links
- Canadian Communications Foundation: Beat the Clock (background of Canadian involvement, 1970–1974)