Break the Bank (1976)
Encyclopedia
Break the Bank is an American
game show created by Jack Barry and Dan Enright
and produced by their production company Barry & Enright Productions
. It was the first game show produced by Barry and Enright as a tandem since their fall from grace following the 1950s quiz show scandals
.
The show aired in the spring and summer of 1976 as an ABC
daytime series hosted by Tom Kennedy, and in weekly syndication during the 1976–1977 season, hosted by creator-producer Barry.
s measuring four rows of five. Each space on the board connected to two different celebrities.
When either a Money Box or the Wild Card was selected, a question was asked to the two connecting celebrities, with each one giving an answer, one of which was correct. (On rare occasions, both stars would give a bluff answer, forcing the question to be discarded for a new one.) Once captured, a box was augmented with either a mustache or pair of lips, depending on which contestant claimed the box.
If a contestant gave a correct answer, the box was augmented with the proper symbol and they kept control. Originally, on an incorrect answer, the box would return to a neutral position and the other contestant gained control. To speed up gameplay, this was changed to the box being awarded to the opposing contestant unless it meant a win by default.
On the ABC version, champions stayed either until defeated or until they surpassed the network's winnings limit of $20,000. However, champions were allowed to keep up to $25,000.
Also on the ABC version, the first contestant (the champion, if there was one) could win the game before the challenger had the chance to select a number. When this happened, the challenger remained on the show for the next game.
. Although popular, the network canceled the series in order to expand the soap operas One Life to Live
and General Hospital
, which preceded and followed Bank on the daytime schedule, from 30 minutes to 45 minutes. The show quickly returned as a weekly syndicated game from September 18, 1976 to September 11, 1977.
On the daytime show, games straddled episodes, meaning that game play would stop when time ran out and would be completed on the next episode. On the syndicated version, each episode was self-contained due to syndication practices of the era; two contestants competed for the entire episode, with multiple games per show, and the contestant who broke the bank first or won the most games became champion and played the bonus round. If time ran short in the middle of a game, the contestants alternated choosing squares without questions, and the first contestant to get three of anything won (a format that also determined the winner of the final ABC episode).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
game show created by Jack Barry and Dan Enright
Dan Enright
Daniel "Dan" Enright was one of the most successful game show producers in American television. Enright worked with Jack Barry from the 1940s until Barry's death in 1984. They were partners in creating programs for radio and television...
and produced by their production company Barry & Enright Productions
Barry & Enright Productions
Barry & Enright Productions , was a United States television production company that was formed in 1947 by Jack Barry and Dan Enright.-History:Jack Barry and Dan Enright first met at radio station WOR in New York, where...
. It was the first game show produced by Barry and Enright as a tandem since their fall from grace following the 1950s quiz show scandals
Quiz show scandals
The American quiz show scandals of the 1950s were a series of revelations that contestants of several popular television quiz shows were secretly given assistance by the show's producers to arrange the outcome of a supposedly fair competition....
.
The show aired in the spring and summer of 1976 as an 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...
daytime series hosted by Tom Kennedy, and in weekly syndication during the 1976–1977 season, hosted by creator-producer Barry.
Gameplay
Break The Bank featured nine celebrities, and pitted one male and one female contestant against one another. The contestants took turns calling out numbers on a large board with 20 numbered trilonTrilon
A trilon is a triangular prism-shaped object, turning on an axle to show different letters or images. Trilons have been used on game shows and billboards....
s measuring four rows of five. Each space on the board connected to two different celebrities.
Board
- Money: There were three sets of three money boxes, each box in each set connecting to one another on one side. The daytime show used values of $100–$200–$300, while the syndicated run used $100–$300–$500.
- Wild Card: Only one was on the board, identified by a large "W" on a rainbow background. Once claimed, it could be used to count as anything, including a Money Bag. Only the Wild Card and Money Boxes could be claimed by questions to connecting celebrities.
- Money Bag: Five were scattered across the board, and may or may not connect. If a money bag was uncovered, the contestant could keep it (and end their turn) or reject it and select another box. Collecting three Money Bags broke the bank.
- Blank: Five of these as well. The only function of the blanks was to end a contestant's turn any time they uncovered one. The blanks did not connect to one another.
When either a Money Box or the Wild Card was selected, a question was asked to the two connecting celebrities, with each one giving an answer, one of which was correct. (On rare occasions, both stars would give a bluff answer, forcing the question to be discarded for a new one.) Once captured, a box was augmented with either a mustache or pair of lips, depending on which contestant claimed the box.
If a contestant gave a correct answer, the box was augmented with the proper symbol and they kept control. Originally, on an incorrect answer, the box would return to a neutral position and the other contestant gained control. To speed up gameplay, this was changed to the box being awarded to the opposing contestant unless it meant a win by default.
Winning
There were two ways to win a game:- If one contestant claimed three similar dollar amounts they would win triple that amount ($300, $600, $900, or $1,500) and a bonus prize.
- Claiming three money bags which would break the bank, winning the contestant a jackpot of cash and/or prizes. On the ABC version the bank was a progressive cash jackpot starting at $5,000 and increasing by $500 (later $250) per game until won. On the syndicated version, the bank was a $10,000+ prize package (which included a new car). A bank could be broken more than once on any given episode, depending on how quickly games progressed.
On the ABC version, champions stayed either until defeated or until they surpassed the network's winnings limit of $20,000. However, champions were allowed to keep up to $25,000.
Also on the ABC version, the first contestant (the champion, if there was one) could win the game before the challenger had the chance to select a number. When this happened, the challenger remained on the show for the next game.
Bonus Round
Used on the syndicated version, the nine celebrities each were given cards: eight hid various amounts of money, and the ninth card read "BUST". The contestant continued to select celebrities, who then revealed the hidden card, until finding the "BUST" card (ending the round and losing all money accumulated), or accumulating a total of $2,000 or more, at which point the prize was augmented to $5,000. The contestant could stop at any time.Broadcast history
Bank had two separate runs on American television. The first was as a daily series that aired from April 12 to July 23, 1976 on ABCAmerican 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...
. Although popular, the network canceled the series in order to expand the soap operas One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
and General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
, which preceded and followed Bank on the daytime schedule, from 30 minutes to 45 minutes. The show quickly returned as a weekly syndicated game from September 18, 1976 to September 11, 1977.
On the daytime show, games straddled episodes, meaning that game play would stop when time ran out and would be completed on the next episode. On the syndicated version, each episode was self-contained due to syndication practices of the era; two contestants competed for the entire episode, with multiple games per show, and the contestant who broke the bank first or won the most games became champion and played the bonus round. If time ran short in the middle of a game, the contestants alternated choosing squares without questions, and the first contestant to get three of anything won (a format that also determined the winner of the final ABC episode).