| packagers: Mark Goodson/Bill Todman Productions ('50-'80), FremantleMedia of North America ('02-'03) air dates: 3/23/50-2/16/58 on CBS, 10/13/58-1/27/61 on ABC, syndicated 9/8/69-9/6/74 (by 20th Century Fox TV from '69-'72 and Firestone Syndication from '72-'74), 9/17/79-2/17/80 as The All-New/All-Star Beat the Clock on CBS daytime, 9/02-2003 on PAX hosts ("America's #1 clockwatchers"): Bud Collyer ('50-'61), Jack Narz ('69-'72), Gene Wood ('72-'74), Monty Hall (All-New/All-Star version), Gary Kroeger (PAX) announcers: Bern Bennett ('50-'61), Gene Wood ('69-'72), Nick Holenreich ('72-'74), Jack Narz ('79-'80) '50-'61: A couple was brought on stage before racing against time to complete a few stunts to win big. The time allowed varied with each stunt and was displayed on a round analog clock onstage. If the couple completed the first stunt before the clock ran out, they they moved on to the second stunt. If not, their game was over but they received a nice gift worth under $100. If the second stunt was completed in time, the wife played against the Jackpot Clock, otherwise they won a prize worth $100-$199. If they beat the $200 clock, the wife (or girlfriend) was shown a magnetic board with all of the words of a famous saying or quotation. Without any help from her hubby, she must unscramble all the words and put them in the right place within 20 seconds. If successful, the couple won the $500+ Jackpot prize. If not, they won a prize worth $200+, but less expensive than the Jackpot prize. During each program, a bell would ring. Whoever was playing at that time was given the opportunity to complete a difficult bonus stunt for a cash prize that continued to grow until won. '69-'74: Two couples and a celebrity played on each show. A couple who succeeded in beating the clock went to a board and picked one of the letters in BEAT THE CLOCK. Each letter hid a cash amount (4 $25s, 5 $50s, 2 $100s, and one letter which hid $200). Usually if the stunt was completed in time, they would continue to play the stunt for more money until the clock ran out. The celebrity guest would also play a stunt against the clock. Each couple would guess as to whether the celeb would beat the clock or not. Each couple who predicted correctly won $50. The All-New/All-Star Beat the Clock: Two couples competed in one stunt against the clock. Whoever won the stunt racked up $500 and played another stunt against the clock for another $500. After this process was repeated a second time, both teams played the Bonus Shuffle. The couple with the most money was given 3 pucks while the other couple was given 2. Each couple in turn slid a puck down a shuffle board which featured areas with amounts from $300-$1,000. If a puck didn't touch a money area or if it slid off the board, it didn't count. Whichever couple reached the highest amount on the shuffleboard earned that amount and played the Bonus Stunt for 10x that amount, which meant that up to $10,000 was at stake in the Bonus Stunt. Bonus stunts retired after 5 failed attempts. Couples stayed on the show until defeated or until winning $25,000+. The show soon became All-Star Beat the Clock in which two celebrity teams each played for money to be divided among their half of the studio audience. Each stunt was played for $250. If the Bonus Stunt was completed, $1,000 of those winnings went to that team's half of the audience, with the rest going to charity. PAX version: Three teams, each with a male and female, competed in a stunt. The winning team scored 10 points and was presented with 3 objects, each representing a stunt. The team picked an object for each team. Each team is given 30 seconds to complete their stunt, but could earn another 10 seconds by answering a 2-part question correctly. Beating the clock earned the team 10 points + 1 point for each second left. After each team played a stunt, all teams competed in a stunt in which teams were positioned based on their scores. The highest scorers were given the greater advantage and the lowest scoring team had the greater disadvantage. The first two teams to complete the stunt advanced to the next round A stunt was presented and the teams bid to and fro as to how much time they can complete that stunt. The bidding started at 2 minutes and went down in 10 second increments. The couple that completed the stunt or bid their opponents into loss moved on to the Swirling Whirlwind which offered as much as $25,000 in cash and prizes. The winning team donned safety goggles, gloves, and one teammate wore a pouch around his waist. For one minute, money and prize slips blew around them in a glass booth. They were given one minute to grab as many cash and prize slips as they can, and won only what was stuffed in the pouch before the buzzer. Their winnings averaged around $6k-$12k. Later in the run, a gold dollar bill was added which doubled all cash won if grabbed. OTHER TIDBITS: The show started out as a radio program before it segued into television. Sylvania sponsored the show until '56 when Hazel Bishop Cosmetics became the sponsor. Jack Narz (1922-2008) also served as associate director while working with "TV's Big Dealer" on the All-New version. Gary Kroeger also hosted the first season of the late-'90s revival of The Newlywed Game in addition to announcing on Card Sharks in 2001 and Whammy! the following year. He was joined on Beat the Clock by Julielinh Parker. Back to my game show joint or my home page. |
| BEAT THE CLOCK |