High Rollers
Encyclopedia
High Rollers is an American
television game show
based on the dice game Shut the Box
. The show aired on NBC
from July 1, 1974 to June 11, 1976 and again from April 24, 1978 to June 20, 1980. Two different syndicated
versions were also produced, a weekly series in the 1975–1976 season which ran concurrently with the daytime version, and a daily series in 1987–1988. Heatter-Quigley Productions
packaged all versions of the series except the 1987 revival, a co-production of Merrill Heatter Productions and Century Towers Productions.
and announced by Kenny Williams
, while Wink Martindale
hosted and Dean Goss
announced the 1987–1988 version. The Trebek versions were taped at NBC Studios
in Burbank, while the Martindale version was taped in Studio 43 at CBS Television City
.
During the first Trebek version, actress Ruta Lee
served as the model and dice roller on the daytime edition while Elaine Stewart
filled that role on the nighttime edition. Becky Price, Linda Hooks and Lauren Firestone rotated as models during the second Trebek version, while Martindale was assisted on his version by models Crystal Owens and KC Winkler.
.
In order to determine who gained control of the dice, the host asked a toss-up question. The answers were usually multiple choice, true/false, or "Yes" or "No". A contestant who buzzed in with the correct answer, or whose opponent answered incorrectly, earned the chance to either roll the dice, or pass and force the opponent to roll. The controlling contestant usually chose to roll only early in a game. All numbers were good on the first roll of the game. Passing to the opponent became more common as the game progressed, with fewer good rolls left on the board. A contestant who made a bad roll (one which could not be made with the remaining numbers) lost the game. However, if the odds of making a bad roll were low, such as if the only bad roll were 3 or 11, the contestant who won control of the dice often chose to take the gamble and roll.
Contestants removed numbers from the board based on the value of the roll of the dice, either all by itself or in combinations. For example, if a 10 was rolled, the contestant could remove any available combination that added up to that number: 1-9, 2-8, 3-7, 4-6, 1-2-7, 1-3-6, 1-4-5, 2-3-5, or 1-2-3-4.
Beginning with the 1978 version, contestants who rolled doubles earned an "Insurance Marker," which could be turned in for a free roll if they hit a bad number. However, if the doubles roll itself was a bad roll, the contestant received no marker but rolled again.
Play continued until a contestant either took the last remaining digit(s) off the board and won, or (more commonly) made a bad roll and lost. If the only remaining digit on the board was the number 1, a final toss-up question was asked and the contestant who answered the question correctly won the round (since it is impossible to make a roll totaling 1 with two dice). The winner of the game kept whatever prizes were in his or her bank, or a "house minimum" of $100 cash. Two out of three games won the match on most versions.
In addition to the basic gameplay which remained constant, each version had unique rules:
During the final seven weeks of the first daytime version (April 26 – June 11, 1976), the main game was known as "Face Lifters"; the digits were arranged in a 3x3 grid and concealed a picture of a famous person. The contestant won the game for correctly identifying the person in the picture. A contestant could take a guess after making a good roll. If a contestant made a bad roll, the opponent was allowed one guess for each remaining number in the picture; a successful guess won the game plus the prizes belonging to the numbers still on the board. If neither contestant guessed who it was, Trebek gave clues until one contestant buzzed in with the answer.
During the 1974–1976 version of the show, the hostess and not the contestants rolled the dice. The contestants sat along the long side of the dice table opposite from Trebek.
A syndicated version with almost identical rules ran weekly in 1975–1976. The only major difference, besides more expensive prizes being offered, was that the same two contestants competed for the entire show. After the first few episodes the rules were changed so that, rather than requiring contestants to win a two-out-of-three match, the winner of each game played "The Big Numbers" for $10,000, and the losing contestant returned for another game. The contestants played as many games as possible until time was called. If this happened during a game, the one who had knocked out more numbers won the final game and any prizes accumulated. Under the two-out-of-three game format used in the first few episodes, the contestant also had another chance at "The Big Numbers". Like other weekly nighttime game shows at that time, this version had no returning champions.
The prizes on this version ranged from the usual game show gifts (e.g., furniture, appliances, trips) to offbeat, unusual prizes, such as:
Often, the value of a prize package reached $20,000, mostly exceeding that mark toward the end of the 1978–1980 version.
One (or sometimes two) of the columns were called "Hot Columns", meaning that all three digits could be taken off by a single roll of the dice at the beginning of the game, thus claiming the prize(s) in that column. During the 1978–1980 series, each column started with one prize, with another prize added in each game until the package was won, or until the maximum of five prizes per column had been reached. The contestant banked these prizes by eliminating the last digit from each column, and won the prizes by winning the game.
Contestants were awarded $100 for each number removed from the board. In the earliest episodes, contestants could stop and take this money after a good roll. A bad roll with no insurance markers, or eliminating all numbers except for the 1, ended the game and lost the bonus money accumulated. The contestant won a car for removing eight numbers, and $10,000 for all nine. The rules soon changed so that the car bonus was removed, but a contestant who continued to roll did not risk the accumulated money.
The 1978–1980 version offered a prize of $5,000 cash and a car for winning the Big Numbers. The car was temporarily dropped as a prize, with Trebek explaining that it was due to the energy crisis
. The Martindale version offered a prize of $10,000, and used a pair of "golden dice" for this segment of the game.
The Big Numbers bonus round was also used on Las Vegas Gambit
in 1981, also produced by Heatter-Quigley and coincidentally hosted by Martindale.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television 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...
based on the dice game Shut the Box
Shut the Box
Shut the Box, also called Tric-Trac, Canoga, Klackers, Zoltan Box, Batten Down the Hatches, or High Rollers, is a game of dice for one or more players, commonly played in a group of two to four for stakes. Traditionally, a counting box is used with tiles numbered 1 to 9 where each can be covered...
. The show aired on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
from July 1, 1974 to June 11, 1976 and again from April 24, 1978 to June 20, 1980. Two different syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
versions were also produced, a weekly series in the 1975–1976 season which ran concurrently with the daytime version, and a daily series in 1987–1988. Heatter-Quigley Productions
Heatter-Quigley Productions
Heatter-Quigley Productions was an American television production company that was launched in 1960 by two former television writers, Merrill Heatter and Bob Quigley....
packaged all versions of the series except the 1987 revival, a co-production of Merrill Heatter Productions and Century Towers Productions.
Personnel
The first three versions were hosted by Alex TrebekAlex Trebek
George Alexander "Alex" Trebek is a Canadian American game show host who has been the host of the game show Jeopardy! since 1984, and prior to that, he hosted game shows such as Pitfall and High Rollers. He has appeared in numerous television series, usually as himself...
and announced by Kenny Williams
Kenny Williams (announcer)
Kenny Williams was an American television announcer from the late 1940s to 1980s. He was best known as the announcer of many game shows produced by Merrill Heatter and Bob Quigley . He also appeared on screen as "Kenny the Cop" on Video Village and Shenanigans...
, while Wink Martindale
Wink Martindale
Winston Conrad Martindale , known professionally as Wink Martindale, is an American disc jockey and television game show host.-Radio:...
hosted and Dean Goss
Dean Goss
Dean Goss is an American disc jockey who has also had several announcer roles on television game shows. As a disc jockey, he has been employed by several radio stations in California, including KCBQ San Diego from 1976 to 1979 and KFRC 99.7 in San Francisco...
announced the 1987–1988 version. The Trebek versions were taped at NBC Studios
NBC Studios
The NBC Studios in New York, New York is located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the historic GE Building houses the headquarters of the NBC television network, its parent General Electric, and NBC's flagship station WNBC , as well as cable news channel MSNBC.When NBC Universal relocated,...
in Burbank, while the Martindale version was taped in Studio 43 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...
.
During the first Trebek version, actress Ruta Lee
Ruta Lee
Ruta Lee is a Canadian actress and dancer who appeared as one of the brides in the film Seven Brides for Seven Brothers...
served as the model and dice roller on the daytime edition while Elaine Stewart
Elaine Stewart
Elaine Stewart was an American actress and model.-Life:Stewart was born in Montclair, New Jersey as Elsy Steinberg. She was one of five children born into a German Jewish family. In 1961, nearing the end of her television career, she married actor Bill Carter...
filled that role on the nighttime edition. Becky Price, Linda Hooks and Lauren Firestone rotated as models during the second Trebek version, while Martindale was assisted on his version by models Crystal Owens and KC Winkler.
Music
Stan Worth composed the theme for the 1974–1976 and 1978–1980 versions. In 1985, Score Productions composed the theme entitled "Bubble Gum" for the 1987–1988 version.Gameplay
Two contestants competed. The object was to remove the numbers 1 through 9 from a game board by rolling an oversized pair of dice. High Rollers was modeled on a traditional board game called Shut the BoxShut the Box
Shut the Box, also called Tric-Trac, Canoga, Klackers, Zoltan Box, Batten Down the Hatches, or High Rollers, is a game of dice for one or more players, commonly played in a group of two to four for stakes. Traditionally, a counting box is used with tiles numbered 1 to 9 where each can be covered...
.
In order to determine who gained control of the dice, the host asked a toss-up question. The answers were usually multiple choice, true/false, or "Yes" or "No". A contestant who buzzed in with the correct answer, or whose opponent answered incorrectly, earned the chance to either roll the dice, or pass and force the opponent to roll. The controlling contestant usually chose to roll only early in a game. All numbers were good on the first roll of the game. Passing to the opponent became more common as the game progressed, with fewer good rolls left on the board. A contestant who made a bad roll (one which could not be made with the remaining numbers) lost the game. However, if the odds of making a bad roll were low, such as if the only bad roll were 3 or 11, the contestant who won control of the dice often chose to take the gamble and roll.
Contestants removed numbers from the board based on the value of the roll of the dice, either all by itself or in combinations. For example, if a 10 was rolled, the contestant could remove any available combination that added up to that number: 1-9, 2-8, 3-7, 4-6, 1-2-7, 1-3-6, 1-4-5, 2-3-5, or 1-2-3-4.
Beginning with the 1978 version, contestants who rolled doubles earned an "Insurance Marker," which could be turned in for a free roll if they hit a bad number. However, if the doubles roll itself was a bad roll, the contestant received no marker but rolled again.
Play continued until a contestant either took the last remaining digit(s) off the board and won, or (more commonly) made a bad roll and lost. If the only remaining digit on the board was the number 1, a final toss-up question was asked and the contestant who answered the question correctly won the round (since it is impossible to make a roll totaling 1 with two dice). The winner of the game kept whatever prizes were in his or her bank, or a "house minimum" of $100 cash. Two out of three games won the match on most versions.
In addition to the basic gameplay which remained constant, each version had unique rules:
1974–1976
The original series featured a prize hidden under every digit on the game board, which was revealed when that digit was eliminated and added to the bank of the contestant who removed it. Two digits each contained one half of a large prize, usually a new car or boat. To bank the car, both "1/2 Car" cards had to be uncovered by the same contestant. If the contestants each revealed one of the two cards, the car was taken out of play.During the final seven weeks of the first daytime version (April 26 – June 11, 1976), the main game was known as "Face Lifters"; the digits were arranged in a 3x3 grid and concealed a picture of a famous person. The contestant won the game for correctly identifying the person in the picture. A contestant could take a guess after making a good roll. If a contestant made a bad roll, the opponent was allowed one guess for each remaining number in the picture; a successful guess won the game plus the prizes belonging to the numbers still on the board. If neither contestant guessed who it was, Trebek gave clues until one contestant buzzed in with the answer.
During the 1974–1976 version of the show, the hostess and not the contestants rolled the dice. The contestants sat along the long side of the dice table opposite from Trebek.
A syndicated version with almost identical rules ran weekly in 1975–1976. The only major difference, besides more expensive prizes being offered, was that the same two contestants competed for the entire show. After the first few episodes the rules were changed so that, rather than requiring contestants to win a two-out-of-three match, the winner of each game played "The Big Numbers" for $10,000, and the losing contestant returned for another game. The contestants played as many games as possible until time was called. If this happened during a game, the one who had knocked out more numbers won the final game and any prizes accumulated. Under the two-out-of-three game format used in the first few episodes, the contestant also had another chance at "The Big Numbers". Like other weekly nighttime game shows at that time, this version had no returning champions.
1978–1980
When the series was revived in 1978 (and originally known as The New High Rollers), the digits (in various colors and fonts) were randomly arranged in three columns of three digits apiece, with each column containing up to five prizes. Also beginning in 1978, the contestants themselves rolled the dice.The prizes on this version ranged from the usual game show gifts (e.g., furniture, appliances, trips) to offbeat, unusual prizes, such as:
- A collection of musical dolls.
- African masks.
- 12 portable televisions.
- A fully catered gourmet banquet for 50 people.
- A trip to the Kentucky DerbyKentucky DerbyThe Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
with $100 bets on each horse. - A fully equipped built-in home aquarium.
- A $10,000 antique Chinese fishbowl.
Often, the value of a prize package reached $20,000, mostly exceeding that mark toward the end of the 1978–1980 version.
One (or sometimes two) of the columns were called "Hot Columns", meaning that all three digits could be taken off by a single roll of the dice at the beginning of the game, thus claiming the prize(s) in that column. During the 1978–1980 series, each column started with one prize, with another prize added in each game until the package was won, or until the maximum of five prizes per column had been reached. The contestant banked these prizes by eliminating the last digit from each column, and won the prizes by winning the game.
1987–1988
In 1987–1988, each game featured a single prize or prize package in each column, which did not carry over to subsequent rounds if the prizes went unclaimed. In some games, one of the columns contained the right to play one of several "mini-games", including the following:- Around The World: Each number on a die corresponded to one of five available trips; rolling a 6 won all five trips (i.e., "a trip around the world"). Regardless of the outcome of the game, the winner also received $5,000 in spending money.
- Auction: The contestant chose a number between 1 and 6, and then rolled the die. A correct hunch won the contestant a new car.
- Dice Derby: This game mimicked a horse raceHorse racingHorse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
; one horse was designated with even numbers (2, 4 and 6); the other odd numbers (1, 3 and 5). The contestant rolled the die and the appropriate horse moved one space depending on the outcome. The first horse to move four spaces on the track would win the race and a prize for the contestant. If the even horse won, the grand prize was a new car (or sometimes a trip or $10,000 cash). If the odd horse won, the contestant received a moderately priced trip or pocketed $1,000. - Driver's Test: The contestant controlled a game piece on a 12-position game board, arranged in a 4x4 ring of spaces. He/she had four rolls of a die to make the piece land exactly on the "CAR" space (which was seven spaces away from the starting position). The piece always moved toward the "CAR" space; if a roll caused it to overshoot the target, the next roll would have the piece reversing direction.
- It Takes Two: A different prize was assigned to each number on the die. The contestant continued to roll the die until he/she repeated a number, winning the prize corresponding to that number. Frequently, the prize associated with the 6 was the "kitchen sink", meaning that the contestant would win all five other prizes if they rolled a 6 twice.
- Love Letters: The contestant rolled a die up to six times to reveal letters in a six-letter word. Solving the word at any time won a new car, Otherwise, the contestant won $100 for every letter that was revealed.
- Map Game: An earlier version of "Around The World", played on the pilot and the series premiere. It was played identically to "Around The World", except in this game a 6 did not win all five trips but rather a sixth, more expensive trip.
- Rabbit Test: The models wore fur coats, one fake while the other was real rabbit fur. If the contestant could "feel out" the real fur, they won it.
- Smiling Wink's Car Lot: In this game each number on a die represented a new car, except number 6, which represented a "clunker," a used but operational car. The contestant rolled the die and won the car corresponding to the number rolled.
- Wink's Garage Sale: Six prizes, including a worthless gag gift, were available. Rolling a 6 won the junk prize; the others were the usual game show prizes.
The Big Numbers (all versions)
In the bonus game, called the "Big Numbers", the champion rolled the dice and attempted to knock off the numbers 1–9 from the board, with a large prize for clearing the board. A bigger gameboard (giving rise to the name) was used, except on the 1978–1980 series, which used the same board as the main game. Insurance markers were awarded for doubles, giving the contestant the opportunity to roll again after a bad roll; this was the only time insurance markers were used during the 1974–1976 version, not in the main game.Contestants were awarded $100 for each number removed from the board. In the earliest episodes, contestants could stop and take this money after a good roll. A bad roll with no insurance markers, or eliminating all numbers except for the 1, ended the game and lost the bonus money accumulated. The contestant won a car for removing eight numbers, and $10,000 for all nine. The rules soon changed so that the car bonus was removed, but a contestant who continued to roll did not risk the accumulated money.
The 1978–1980 version offered a prize of $5,000 cash and a car for winning the Big Numbers. The car was temporarily dropped as a prize, with Trebek explaining that it was due to the energy crisis
1979 energy crisis
The 1979 oil crisis in the United States occurred in the wake of the Iranian Revolution. Amid massive protests, the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, fled his country in early 1979 and the Ayatollah Khomeini soon became the new leader of Iran. Protests severely disrupted the Iranian oil...
. The Martindale version offered a prize of $10,000, and used a pair of "golden dice" for this segment of the game.
The Big Numbers bonus round was also used on Las Vegas Gambit
Gambit (game show)
Gambit is a television game show, created by Wayne Cruseturner and produced by Heatter-Quigley Productions, that originally ran on CBS from September 4, 1972 to December 10, 1976. A slightly retooled version, Las Vegas Gambit, aired on NBC from October 27, 1980 to November 27, 1981, originating...
in 1981, also produced by Heatter-Quigley and coincidentally hosted by Martindale.