| BREAK THE BANK packagers: Wolf Productions ('48-'57), Jack Barry/Dan Enright Productions ('76-'77), Kline & Friends ('85-'86) air dates: various runs from 10-22/48-1/15/57 on NBC, ABC, and CBS, 4/12/76-7/23/76 on ABC daytime, syndicated 9/18/76-9/11/77 by Colbert Television Sales & 9/16/85-9/12/86 hosts: Bert Parks ('48-'57), Bud Collyer ('53), Tom Kennedy (ABC '76), Jack Barry (syn. '76-'77), Gene Rayburn ('85-'86), Joe Farago ('85-'86) announcers: Johnny Olson ('48-'57), Johnny Jacobs (ABC '76), Ernie "Voice of ABC" Anderson (syn. '76-'77), Michael Hanks ('85-'86) HOW TO PLAY: ('48-'57): A contesant attempted to correctly answer eight questions increasing in difficulty as well as money value. The seventh question, worth $500, was called the Gateway to the Bank. The eighth and final question, if answered correctly, won the player the money in the Bank, which started at $1,000. Missing two questions lost all winnings, which then went into the Bank. After missing one question, the player was allowed to stop after any question and protect his/her winnings. ('76-'77): On the 5/week ABC version, a man played against a woman. The players faced a game board with 5 celebrities seated at the top and 4 more down the left side. Behind the 20 spaces were 3 $100 boxes all touching each other on the sides, 3 $200 boxes also touching sides, and 3 $300 boxes also touching sides. There were also 5 blank spaces which did not touch sides at all, and 5 money bags which may (not) touch sides. There was also a 'wild card' behind one of the spaces. If the player found a money amount, the two celebs attached to the box heard a question. One celeb gave the right answer and the other gave a wrong answer. Agreeing with the right celeb earned that player the box and another turn. If not, control passed over to the other player. Any boxes earned by the man were marked with a moustache, whereas the lady's boxes were marked with lips. At first, a wrong answer turned the box back. Later in the run, to speed up the game, the box went to the other player unless it meant a win. Finding a blank space also passed control to the other player. If the player found a money bag, (s)he may keep it and pass control to the other player, of turn it back and pick another box. The first player to capture three of the same amount won the values of those boxes ($300, $600, or $900) and a nice prize. Finding three of the five money bags "broke the bank" which started at $5,000 + $500 (later $250) a day until broken. The winner faced a new challenger unless the loser was completely shut out, in which case, the two players played another game against each other. A champion could continue until defeated or until (s)he won over $20,000, but could take home up to $25,000 in loot. On the one-night-a-week syndie run, two players competed for the entire show. The $200 boxes were upped to $500 so that winning a game could pay the winner $300, $900, or $1,500. Breaking the Bank won that player a $10,000+ prize package which included a CAR! If time was running short, the players alternated picking boxes until one player got three of a kind. (This happened on the last episode of the ABC run.) The player who won the most games or the first player to break the bank would be given an opportunity to break the bonus bank. One celeb hid a BUST card while each of the other eight hid cash amounts from $200-$1,000. The player could end the round at any time and protected any cash racked up. The round also ended upon the player finding the BUST card which ended the game and lost all bonus winnings, or racking up $2,000+ which broke the $5,000 (all cash) bonus bank. ('85-'86): Two couples competed solving puzzles to earn time to use in the bonus round. A question was asked and whoever buzzed in with the right answer earned time to use in the bonus round in addition to a chance to solve the puzzle. Up to six questions were played for each puzzle, the first being worth 5 seconds and going up with each question up to the last one being worth 1:40. All the correct answers to the questions were related to a person, place, thing, etc. A wrong guess at the puzzle entitled the opposing couple to a free guess at the next question. The first couple to solve two puzzles won a chance to "break the bank". The winning couple used the time they earned in the front game to complete a series of stunts. For each stunt completed, the couple won a prize and selected one of 40 bank cards, only one of which would "break the bank" worth thousands and thousands of dollars worth of loot that grew until won. After time was up, the couple took their bank cards to the bank vault and inserted them, one at a time, until either opening the vault or running out of bank cards. The second format involved two couples playing for cash in the front game. In the first round, each correct answer to a question scored $100. The couple who solved the first puzzle won $100 and a prize. The second puzzle was worth $200/question with $200 and a prize for solving. Each puzzle after that was worth $400 and clues were revealed one at a time. The first couple to rack up $2,000+ was given a chance to Break the Bank. First the couple had to solve a Master Puzzle. The less clues needed to solve the puzzle, the more bank cards the couple was allowed to select from a set of 40. 38 of them were each worth a different prize. As for the remaining two, one of them was a BANKRUPT card which lost all bonus winnings, while the other opened the vault and BROKE THE BANK! OTHER TIDBITS: The biggest Bank won on BtB I was over $8,000, although the show became Break the $250,000 Bank in '56. Ernie Anderson became better known for voicing ABC promos until his death in '97. Kline and Friends, which also produced Strike It Rich, Win Lose or Draw, 3rd Degree, and the RIDICULOUS(!) 1990 version of The Joker's Wild, was founded by former Barry/Enright staffer Richard S. Kline. Back to my game show joint or my home page. |