It Takes Two (game show)
Encyclopedia
It Takes Two is a game show
in which contestants gave numerical answers to questions (which usually entail stunts and/or demonstrations). The original program was created and produced by Ralph Andrews
and aired on NBC
from March 31, 1969 to July 31, 1970 at 10:00 AM Eastern. A second version, produced by Mark Phillips Philms & Telephision, aired on The Family Channel
in 1997.
Los Angeles Dodgers
broadcaster Vin Scully
hosted the NBC version with John Harlan
as announcer and on-camera assistant. The 1997 version was hosted by Dick Clark.
The second-place prize for question one was originally $50. If a two-way tie occurred, both teams received the first or second place money. If a three-way tie occurred, all three teams received the first-place money. If at any point a team member gave an exact answer they also won a prize in addition to the first place money.
The team with the most money won the game and played one last question called the "Brainteaser". All teams keep their money.
The winning range varied between episodes. At times the correct answer had to be within twenty high or low of their averaged guess. At other times the winning range had to be within the two individual guesses or within a different varied range.
If the game ended in a tie, the tied teams both competed in the Brainteaser with the winners of that question receiving the grand prize.
game show Snap Judgment and ran against sitcom reruns on CBS
. Numerous NBC affiliates tape-delayed or preempted the show in favor of local homemaker's shows or syndicated
programming, although the series ran over a full year due to its popularity. On Monday, August 3, 1970, the show was replaced by Dinah's Place, a women's talk/variety/homemaker's half-hour hosted by entertainer Dinah Shore
.
from March 10 to May 30, 1997 and was hosted by Dick Clark
(who appeared on the NBC series with his wife) with Burton Richardson announcing.
The series was produced by Mark Phillips Philms & Telephision with Phillips serving as Executive Producer. Rich DeMichele was producer while Gary Jonke was the writer.
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...
in which contestants gave numerical answers to questions (which usually entail stunts and/or demonstrations). The original program was created and produced by Ralph Andrews
Ralph Andrews
Ralph Andrews is an American television producer best known for producing the hit 1960s game show You Don't Say!, the 1970s game show Celebrity Sweepstakes, and the original 1987 version of Lingo....
and 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 March 31, 1969 to July 31, 1970 at 10:00 AM Eastern. A second version, produced by Mark Phillips Philms & Telephision, aired on The Family Channel
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
in 1997.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
broadcaster Vin Scully
Vin Scully
Vincent Edward Scully is an American sportscaster, known primarily as the play-by-play voice of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team on Prime Ticket, KCAL-TV and KABC radio...
hosted the NBC version with John Harlan
John Harlan (announcer)
John Harlan is an American television announcer who has worked on numerous television projects for over 40 years, particularly game and variety shows....
as announcer and on-camera assistant. The 1997 version was hosted by Dick Clark.
NBC
Three celebrity couples competed in this version. For each question, both spouses of each celebrity couple gave individual numerical answers which were averaged into their combined answer. After the celebrity couples gave their answers, a studio audience member guessed which couple was the closest. A correct answer won $100 for the audience member. By the fall of 1969, each win awarded a prize instead of cash. In 1970, audience members who won four prizes in a row also won a new car.1997
Gameplay remained similar in this version with three teams each with two civilian contestants competing. Once again, both players on each team gave individual numerical answers to make one averaged answer. However, each question was worth money for the team who was the closest, and the second-closest team won a smaller amount of money.| Round | Closest team | Second-closest team |
|---|---|---|
| Question #1 | $100 | $75 |
| Question #2 | $200 | $100 |
| Question #3 | $300 | $150 |
| Question #4 | $400 | $200 |
| Question #5 | $1,000 | $500 |
The second-place prize for question one was originally $50. If a two-way tie occurred, both teams received the first or second place money. If a three-way tie occurred, all three teams received the first-place money. If at any point a team member gave an exact answer they also won a prize in addition to the first place money.
The team with the most money won the game and played one last question called the "Brainteaser". All teams keep their money.
Bonus round (Brainteaser)
A question based upon an act or demonstration that was already used during the show was presented to the team and each member gave a verbal response. If the correct answer was within a predetermined range based upon the team's response, the team won a grand prize.The winning range varied between episodes. At times the correct answer had to be within twenty high or low of their averaged guess. At other times the winning range had to be within the two individual guesses or within a different varied range.
If the game ended in a tie, the tied teams both competed in the Brainteaser with the winners of that question receiving the grand prize.
Guests
Many episodes featured a guest celebrity that came on to either perform a task related to a question or for a question related to their work.- Vicki LawrenceVicki LawrenceVicki Lawrence is an American actress, comedienne, and Billboard Hot 100 #1 singer, who was frequently a game show panelist in the 1970s and 1980s...
appeared on the Premiere for a question on ironing. - Christina Ferrare and Michael BurgerMichael BurgerMichael Burger is an American actor and game show host. He is best known for hosting the game show, Match Game, and co-hosting the 1994 ABC talk show Mike and Maty...
of Home & Family appeared on the second episode for a question about Ferrare's modeling career. - Rod RoddyRod RoddyRobert Ray "Rod" Roddy was an American radio and television announcer. He is primarily known for his role as an offstage announcer on game shows. Among the shows that he announced are the CBS game shows Whew!, Press Your Luck and The Price Is Right. On the latter two, Roddy appeared on camera on...
and Janice PenningtonJanice PenningtonJanice Marie Pennington was one of the original "Barker's Beauties" models on The Price Is Right, serving as the show's longest-running model to date, from 1972 to 2000. She was also Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for the May 1971 issue. She is the older sister of fellow model Ann...
of The Price is RightThe Price Is Right (U.S. game show)The Price Is Right is an American game show which was created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Contestants compete to identify the pricing of merchandise to win cash and prizes. The show is well-known for its signature line of "Come on down!" when the announcer directs newly selected contestants to...
appeared on the fifth episode for one of the questions as well as the "Brainteaser". - Betty WhiteBetty WhiteBetty White Ludden , better known as Betty White, is an American actress, comedienne, singer, author, and former game show personality. With a career spanning seven decades since 1939, she is best known to modern audiences for her television roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and...
appeared for a question in the second week of the series. - Ruta LeeRuta LeeRuta Lee is a Canadian actress and dancer who appeared as one of the brides in the film Seven Brides for Seven Brothers...
of High RollersHigh RollersHigh 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...
fame stopped by to roll dice for one question based on the number of times she would be able to roll sevens or elevens during the remainder of the episode. - Ed McMahonEd McMahonEdward Peter "Ed" McMahon, Jr. was an American comedian, game show host and announcer. He is most famous for his work on television as Johnny Carson's sidekick and announcer on The Tonight Show from 1962 to 1992. He also hosted the original version of the talent show Star Search from 1983 to 1995...
, Dick's co-host on TV's Bloopers & Practical JokesTV's Bloopers & Practical JokesTV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes is a television series and a group of television specials that aired in the United States by NBC and, later, ABC from the 1980s to the mid-2000s...
came by for two questions: one was related to his role as Johnny Carson'sJohnny CarsonJohn William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
sidekick, and the other was for his American Family Publishers sweepstakes. - Ron PearsonRon PearsonRonald "Ron" Samuel Pearson is an American actor, comedian and world record juggler.He started his career as a stand up comic at night clubs, a warm up guy on numerous shows...
from Shopping SpreeShopping SpreeShopping Spree is a game show that aired on the Family Channel for two seasons from September 30, 1996 to August 14, 1998. It was hosted by Ron Pearson, announced by Burton Richardson and produced by Jay Wolpert Enterprises and MTM Enterprises.-Premise:...
appeared on an episode to juggle for one of the questions.
NBC
The original series replaced the Ed McMahonEd McMahon
Edward Peter "Ed" McMahon, Jr. was an American comedian, game show host and announcer. He is most famous for his work on television as Johnny Carson's sidekick and announcer on The Tonight Show from 1962 to 1992. He also hosted the original version of the talent show Star Search from 1983 to 1995...
game show Snap Judgment and ran against sitcom reruns 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...
. Numerous NBC affiliates tape-delayed or preempted the show in favor of local homemaker's shows or 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...
programming, although the series ran over a full year due to its popularity. On Monday, August 3, 1970, the show was replaced by Dinah's Place, a women's talk/variety/homemaker's half-hour hosted by entertainer Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore was an American singer, actress, and television personality...
.
1997
The revival ran on The Family ChannelABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
from March 10 to May 30, 1997 and was hosted by Dick Clark
Dick Clark (entertainer)
Richard Wagstaff "Dick" Clark is an American businessman; game-show host; and radio and television personality. He served as chairman and chief executive officer of Dick Clark Productions, which he has sold part of in recent years...
(who appeared on the NBC series with his wife) with Burton Richardson announcing.
The series was produced by Mark Phillips Philms & Telephision with Phillips serving as Executive Producer. Rich DeMichele was producer while Gary Jonke was the writer.