Pass the Buck (game show)
Encyclopedia
Pass the Buck is a game show
that aired on CBS
television's daytime lineup from April 3 to June 30, 1978. The series was hosted by Bill Cullen
and was created by Bob Stewart
. Bob Clayton
was the announcer.
If at any point an item is repeated or the judges deem a response incorrect, the next contestant in line can eliminate the contestant before him/her by giving an acceptable response. If that contestant also fails to give an acceptable response, the third contestant can eliminate the previous two in the same manner. The fourth contestant can eliminate all three of his/her opponents if they each successively give incorrect responses. However, if all the contestants give incorrect responses, that question is thrown out and play resumes with a new question. A new round begins with a new category after one or more contestants are eliminated from the game.
Play continues until one player is left, with that last player winning the bank and going onto the Fast Bucks bonus round.
The winning player begins on the bottom level and is given a category with more defined answers (e.g., people from Happy Days
, U.S. States). The winner's job is to reveal as many of the four hidden answers on the bottom level as possible in 15 seconds.
If the contestant reveals at least one answer on a level, he/she moves up to the next level. The process is the same for the remaining levels. If at any time the player does not reveal any answers on any level when time expires, the bonus round ends and the player receives $100 for each revealed answer on the board. However, if the player reveals all answers on one level or at least one answer on each of the four levels, he/she wins $5,000.
The same four players stay on the show until one of them wins the $5,000, at which point the other three players leave the show (but keep any money won up to that point). The $5,000 winner faces three new challengers.
four years earlier (with the top prize having increased to $20,000 on the ABC
version since then) by taking Pass the Buck to replace Goodson-Todman's Tattletales
.
The original (unaired) pilots of Pass The Buck were videotaped at the CBS Broadcast Center
on West 57th Street in Manhattan during the weekend of May 7–8, 1977; its tapes were then placed on the network's shelves for almost a year until it finally decided to put the show on the daytime schedule.
At the start of its run, Pass The Buck looked to easily dominate Sanford and Son
reruns on NBC
(the program had already ended in primetime) at 10:00 AM (9:00 Central) and become a stable companion to The Price Is Right
, the original version of which Cullen had finished hosting almost 13 years earlier.
However, NBC sprang a surprise three weeks later in the form of its first Goodson-Todman game since 1969, Card Sharks
, whose winsome host Jim Perry and thrilling gameplay rendered Pass The Buck tame to many viewers by comparison. Card Sharks doomed Stewart's high hopes when Pass The Buck was canceled and simply ended after 13 weeks on June 30.
In what transpired as a trial run for its eventual syndicated success, Tic-Tac-Dough
replaced it the next Monday, but ran only two months; the syndicated version continued until 1986.
in New York City
, now the home of The Late Show with David Letterman. It was the last CBS game show taped in New York City
until Power of 10
debuted in 2007.
aired episodes of the series between October 11, 1997 and April 18, 1998.
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...
that aired 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...
television's daytime lineup from April 3 to June 30, 1978. The series was hosted by Bill Cullen
Bill Cullen
William Lawrence Francis "Bill" Cullen was an American radio and television personality whose career spanned five decades...
and was created by Bob Stewart
Bob Stewart (television)
Bob Stewart is a former American television game show producer. He was active in the TV industry from 1956 until his retirement in 1992....
. Bob Clayton
Bob Clayton
Bob Clayton was an American television game show announcer and host of several shows...
was the announcer.
Gameplay
Four contestants compete to give a list of items that fit into a specific category announced at the beginning of each round. The bank for each game starts at $100. The order of contestants giving answers progresses from left to right and $25 is added to the bank for each correct item.If at any point an item is repeated or the judges deem a response incorrect, the next contestant in line can eliminate the contestant before him/her by giving an acceptable response. If that contestant also fails to give an acceptable response, the third contestant can eliminate the previous two in the same manner. The fourth contestant can eliminate all three of his/her opponents if they each successively give incorrect responses. However, if all the contestants give incorrect responses, that question is thrown out and play resumes with a new question. A new round begins with a new category after one or more contestants are eliminated from the game.
Play continues until one player is left, with that last player winning the bank and going onto the Fast Bucks bonus round.
Fast Bucks
The Fast Bucks round is played on a triangular board with four different levels: one box on the top level, two on the second, three on the third, and four on the bottom.The winning player begins on the bottom level and is given a category with more defined answers (e.g., people from Happy Days
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
, U.S. States). The winner's job is to reveal as many of the four hidden answers on the bottom level as possible in 15 seconds.
If the contestant reveals at least one answer on a level, he/she moves up to the next level. The process is the same for the remaining levels. If at any time the player does not reveal any answers on any level when time expires, the bonus round ends and the player receives $100 for each revealed answer on the board. However, if the player reveals all answers on one level or at least one answer on each of the four levels, he/she wins $5,000.
The same four players stay on the show until one of them wins the $5,000, at which point the other three players leave the show (but keep any money won up to that point). The $5,000 winner faces three new challengers.
Broadcast history
CBS tried to make amends with packager Stewart for prematurely canceling his The $10,000 PyramidPyramid (game show)
Pyramid is an American television game show which has aired several versions. The original series, The $10,000 Pyramid, debuted March 26, 1973 and spawned seven subsequent Pyramid series...
four years earlier (with the top prize having increased to $20,000 on the 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...
version since then) by taking Pass the Buck to replace Goodson-Todman's Tattletales
Tattletales
Tattletales is a game show which first aired on the CBS daytime schedule on February 18, 1974. It was hosted by Bert Convy, with several announcers, including Jack Clark, Gene Wood, Johnny Olson and John Harlan, providing the voiceover at various times...
.
The original (unaired) pilots of Pass The Buck were videotaped at the CBS Broadcast Center
CBS Broadcast Center
The CBS Broadcast Center is a television and radio production facility located in New York City, New York. It is CBS's main East Coast production center, much as Television City in Los Angeles is the West Coast hub.-Overview:...
on West 57th Street in Manhattan during the weekend of May 7–8, 1977; its tapes were then placed on the network's shelves for almost a year until it finally decided to put the show on the daytime schedule.
At the start of its run, Pass The Buck looked to easily dominate Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son is an American sitcom, based on the BBC's Steptoe and Son, that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977....
reruns 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...
(the program had already ended in primetime) at 10:00 AM (9:00 Central) and become a stable companion to 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...
, the original version of which Cullen had finished hosting almost 13 years earlier.
However, NBC sprang a surprise three weeks later in the form of its first Goodson-Todman game since 1969, Card Sharks
Card Sharks
Card Sharks is an American television game show created by Chester Feldman for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. Two contestants compete for control of a row of oversized playing cards by answering questions posed by the host and then guessing if the next card is higher or lower in value than...
, whose winsome host Jim Perry and thrilling gameplay rendered Pass The Buck tame to many viewers by comparison. Card Sharks doomed Stewart's high hopes when Pass The Buck was canceled and simply ended after 13 weeks on June 30.
In what transpired as a trial run for its eventual syndicated success, Tic-Tac-Dough
Tic-Tac-Dough
Tic-Tac-Dough is an American television game show based on the pen-and-paper game of tic-tac-toe. Contestants answer questions in various categories to put up their respective symbol, X or O, on the board. Three versions were produced: the initial 1956–59 run on NBC, a 1978–1986 run initially on...
replaced it the next Monday, but ran only two months; the syndicated version continued until 1986.
Taping location
The show videotaped during its brief run at the Ed Sullivan TheaterEd Sullivan Theater
The Ed Sullivan Theater, located at 1697-1699 Broadway between West 53rd and West 54th, in Manhattan, is a venerable radio and television studio in New York City...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, now the home of The Late Show with David Letterman. It was the last CBS game show taped in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
until Power of 10
Power of 10
Power of 10 is an international Sony Pictures Television game show format featuring contestants predicting how a cross-section of local people from the host broadcaster's country responded to questions covering a wide variety of topics in polls conducted by the broadcaster and production...
debuted in 2007.
Episode status
The series is believed to be intact. Game Show NetworkGame 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"...
aired episodes of the series between October 11, 1997 and April 18, 1998.