The Joker's Wild
The Joker's Wild was a popular
American game show of the
1970s and
1980s, billed as the game "where knowledge is king and lady luck is queen".
The Joker's Wild debuted on
CBS September 4,
1972, incidentally on the same Labor Day as the modern incarnation of
The Price is Right as well as
Gambit. It ran for 686 telecasts until
June 13,
1975 on that network. After a
syndicated rerun cycle of the last CBS season proved successful in
1976, the show returned to first-run syndication in September
1977 and continued for nine seasons, lasting until September
1986, after 2,340 episodes, making a grand total of 3,026 telecasts. A short-lived revival ran from
September 10,
1990 to
September 13,
1991, also in
syndication.
Jack Barry, who created the show and eventually used it to revive his partnership with longtime producer
Dan Enright, hosted all versions of
Joker up until his death in May
1984.
Bill Cullen hosted the remainder of the syndicated run.
Jim Peck began subbing for Barry beginning in
1981, which he would continue to do on occasion until Barry's death in
1984; he would fill-in for Cullen during the final season for a few weeks. Barry and producer
Ron Greenberg wanted Peck to become Barry's successor, but after Barry died,
Dan Enright gave the hosting duties to Cullen instead.
San Francisco weatherman
Pat Finn hosted the
1990 remake, which lasted one season.
Johnny Jacobs was the original announcer of The Joker's Wild, which he served through most of its CBS run, with
Johnny Gilbert and
Roy Rowan filling in on occasion. When the series returned to first-run syndication in
1977,
Jay Stewart became the primary announcer, with Jacobs announcing on several
1978-
1979 episodes;
Bob Hilton announcing the final three months of the
1979-
1980 season and
Art James (who hosted Barry's
Blank Check in 1975) announcing the
1980-
1981 season, with Stewart announcing the final three months of that season as well as the 1980 ToC. Finally in
1981, legendary announcer
Charlie O'Donnell became the new voice of
Barry & Enright game shows, announcing for the final five seasons of The Joker's Wild. Gilbert and
John Harlan would fill in for Charlie on occasion.
Marc Summers, then a page at CBS, is reported to have filled in in the late 1970s.
Ed MacKay, a local
Los Angeles radio DJ and one-time overnight news anchor at station
KNX AM-1070, announced the
1990-
1991 revival.
Four different studio settings were used during the course of the 1972-86 run of
The Joker's Wild. In the beginning, the joker machine was surrounded by two borders that are somewhat shaped like a "C", each containing red bulbs, and the category windows were surrounded by chase-light borders. The rest of the set was of a white and red configuration. When the syndicated version began airing in 1977, the set remained somewhat the same but with more red light bulbs and a modified chase-light border around each of the category windows. The following year, more chase lights were added, and the red lights began flashing as well. By 1981, the set changed to a neon-setting, with blue neon surrounding the joker machine.
The series was produced at the following locations (all in Los Angeles):
* 1972-1975: CBS Television City's Studio 31 and Studio 33.
* 1977-1985:
KCOP-TV's Chris Craft Studios.
* 1985-1986: The Production Group Studios, near Columbia Square in Hollywood.
* 1990-1991: CBS Television City's Studio 33.
Note: The gameplay described below represents the best-remembered format of the 1977-86 syndicated series. Any differences in alternative versions will be discussed in the appropriate section.
Main Game
Two contestants, one a returning champion, played. The challenger began the game by pulling a lever, which set three
slot machine-style wheels in motion. The wheels each contained five different categories and a Joker. After the wheels stopped (one at a time from left to right across the board) the player chose one of the displayed categories and had to answer a question from that category.If the player answered correctly, the dollar value of the question was added to his/her score. If they answered incorrectly, his/her opponent had a chance to answer and steal the money (and could possibly win the game if the question was enough to put him/her at or above $500.) The champion would then get to spin, pick a category and have a chance to answer a question, with the same rules applying.
Money Values
The value of each question was determined by how many times that category appeared on the wheels. If three different categories appeared, a question in any of the categories was worth $50. If a two of a kind and a single appeared, a question based on the pair was worth $100, and one based on the single was worth $50. If a natural triple (three of a kind) was spun, the question was worth $200 and a bonus prize was awarded to the player. Natural pairs and triples could not be split and had to be taken for $100 or $200 respectively. There was, however, one exception to this rule: if a natural pair and one joker appeared on the wheels, the player could answer the question on the displayed category for $100 with the pair, $200 with the pair and joker, or just $50 by using the joker only.
Jokers
Jokers were wild, hence the title, and could be used to match any category (thus increasing the value of the question to $100 or $200, depending on the spin) or to substitute it for any category not displayed on the wheels (which was referred to going "off the board") for a $50 question with one joker or $100 with two jokers. The joker cards had a purple background, with an animated Joker doing a "handstand" with his feet curved to the left. The word
Wild appeared below the card.
Category Cards
Category cards were of various animations, with green, light blue, yellow, orange, pink, red and other color configurations with the name of the category displayed below. Originally, the category named appeared on the color background, but later on the category name was placed on a white box with a black border.
The Windows
The game windows were surrounded by chase-light borders, with each window having a 11-bulb-by-7-bulb configuration; having a 2-on, 2-off chase light format. For a time in 1983, a 3-on, 1-off chase light sequence was used, which was common on NBC-produced game shows. These border lights would be activated when a joker appeared, or if a player selected a category. At one time, all three window lights would turn on regardless of what appeared on the board.
Winning the game
The target score to win the game is $500. Players were given an equal amount of turns (think of innings in a baseball game).
After each completed round, the player who reached $500 or more is declared the winner. This can be accomplished by various scenarios:
If the challenger, who spins first, reaches the target score on his/her turn, then the champion is given one last spin to either tie the game or win the game with a proper spin. For example, if the champion was trailing by $100, he/she must spin at least a double to tie or a triple or three jokers to win; if trailing by more than $200, the only way to win was to spin three jokers or having either
Fast Forward Categories which allowed them to catch up, or the
Mystery category if it was in use with a proper spin. If the champion spins an amount that is less than what he/she needs, the game ends and the challenger becomes the new champion. If the champion spins the right combination needed to stay in the game and answers the question wrong, the game also ends.
The challenger can also win the game by answering a question missed by the champion, and the value of the question was enough to reach $500.
Otherwise, the champion has the advantage of winning, by answering a question on his spin or from a missed question from the challenger.
The game automatically ends if either player spins three jokers and correctly answers a question from any of the five categories. Only the player who spun three jokers gets a chance to answer the question; if it was missed, then the game continued.
If both players tied with a winning amount, extra rounds were played until someone was ahead after a completed round, or until three jokers were spun and a question was correctly answered, thus ending the game.
Different rules applied to
Tournament of Champions play: the players played for points instead of dollars, and in the championship game, winning three games out of five were needed to win the top prize. In the event a natural triple was spun, a $500 bonus was awarded to the player for his/her charity. Players drew numbers to determined who would spin the wheels first. If player #1 (in the challenger's podium) spun three jokers and answers a question, that player's score goes to 500 points. The player who spun second would get one final turn to tie the game in that case, or win the game if trailing by less than 200 points. The player who was ahead after each completed round after the target score of 500 points was reached was declared the winner. As mentioned, the championship game was a three-out-of-five games match.
Any contestant who won five consecutive games received a new car as a bonus, usually a Buick Skylark or a Chevy Chevette. Players continued on the show until defeated; some repeat champions won more than $25,000 in cash and prizes.
Between 1981 and 1984, the show (as well as its sister series,
Tic Tac Dough) had a winnings limit of $50,000 imposed on it (at the request of CBS, who owned quite a few stations where these shows aired), even though the program was syndicated. As a result,
Tournament of Champions play was discontinued.
Endgame ("Face the Devil")
The wheels now contained various amounts of money ($25, $50, $75, $100, $150 and $200 cards) and Devils in another version of "Avoid the Bad Guy", in this case the Devil is the Bad Guy. The object was to take spins and accumulate $1,000 or more on the wheels, which won a bonus prize package valued at $3,500-$5,000 (including the $1,000+ in cash). However, if the Devil came up at any time in one of the three windows, the game was over and the player lost whatever money he/she had built up. The player always had the option to stop after every "safe" spin and keep the money earned to that point.
This was played in the last year of the CBS run and during the entire syndicated series. In the syndicated run, a natural triple in the bonus round (three identical dollar amounts or three of a kind) resulted in an automatic win - however, the cash would be a flat $1000, unless the amounts put them over $1000. Thus, the spin's value was simply added to the score. The highest amount of money that is possible to win in "Face the Devil" is $1,575 ($975 in the pot plus a spin of $200/$200/$200 for $600 awarded to the contestant).
Once in 1983, a player who had $850 in the pot spun a natural triple of $25s, and Jack Barry said "no, not true, he only has $925" when the win cue was played, not realizing until later that the player had spun a natural triple for an automatic win and $1,000.
Only one devil is used on the wheels, and is rotated from one window to another after each bonus game.
In later years, when a player stopped to take the money, host Jack Barry would encourage the player to spin to see what would have happen if he/she continued spinning. On a few occurances contestants stopped, believing the devil would come up, and it did.
Original 1969 pilot
This pilot episode, hosted by
Allen Ludden, was very different from the eventual series. Most notable was the fact that categories on the wheels were each represented by a different celebrity panelist, each of whom asked the questions in his/her specific category. A somewhat confusing points system was used for scoring in place of money: for three different categories, a question on any of the categories were worth 1 point. On a pair and a single, two questions were offered for two points each on the pair, and the basic 1 point question on the single. For a triple, three 3-point questions were offered. Jokers of course represented any category or to increase the value of the question. The spinner had the option to answer any of the number of questions available depending on the spin. Full turns were used, with the player reaching 13 points or more after each full round winning the game. A three-joker spin resulted in an automatic win with a right answer to a question from any of the five categories in play.
For a bonus round, the game's winner spun the wheels, each of which contained different prizes of various qualities, ranging from a five-cent piece of chewing gum to $500 cash. After the spin, the player could elect to keep the prizes shown, or give them all back for a second spin. This offer was then repeated after the second spin, but if a third spin was taken, the player was stuck with whatever prizes came up in that spin. This pilot did not feature returning champions.
This pilot was produced by Barry in association with
Mark Goodson-
Bill Todman Productions and the CBS Television Network.
1970 pilot: The Honeymoon Game
In 1970, another pilot, albeit obscure, was shot, under the name
"The Honeymoon Game", hosted by Jim MacKrell and produced by Jack Barry in association with
Metromedia. Barry came on before the beginning of the show, explaining that the first round was cut out before "airing" due to its weak format. Hence, nothing is known of the format of the first round. In round 2, couples competed against each other, after two couples having been eliminated in the first round. Just like in the 1969 Ludden pilot, the wheels had celebrities on them, each one representing a category. After the spin, the couple selected which category they wanted. The scoring was similar to that of the Ludden pilot. Instead of Jokers on the wheel, there were "bonus" cards. If a couple spun three bonus cards, the game was ended, and they would win instantly without answering a question. Ten points or more won the game. In round 3, it was the "deciding finals," with the two couples playing to win the match. The celebrities would leave, and now MacKrell would be asking the questions. The players spun as before, in the first wheel would be the category, the second wheel would display "Take a Chance," and the third wheel would display what the question on the category spun would be worth (In a spin of "Sports/Take a Chance/$10," Jim would ask a question on sports for $10). A correct answer added the value to the couple's score. The couple then "Took a chance," as the middle window implies, and was shown what was behind the slide. It could be anything from "Add $40" to "Deduct $100." If answered wrong, the amount on the first wheel was deducted from the score, however, couples did not go below 0. The game was played until time ran out, and the couple with the highest score played the bonus round, which was similar to the first bonus round used in the later CBS series of The Joker's Wild, only difference was, the couple was given three spins instead of two (see description below). There was also a second bonus round, where the wheels displayed hearts with numbers in them (slot number 1 had 1, number 2 had 2, number 3 had 3), and the couple selected one of those three windows. Behind each window was a destination for the couple to choose for their honeymoon. "The Honeymoon Game" was intended to be a 90 minute game show. The syndicated version of The Joker's Wild did have a slight throwback to the couples concept for one week in the
1981-
1982 season. This was the Newlywed Couples tournament.
1971 tryout
This tryout series aired locally on Los Angeles'
KTLA and aired for about three months. The tryout episodes were hosted by Jack Barry, with rules similar to the regular 1972-86 series with the following exceptions:
Three contestants competed in each game. Spinning three different categories and answering a question in any of the three categories were worth $25. Pairs were worth $50 and triples were worth $100, with $250 the target number to win. As before, an equal amount of turns were given. A three joker spin resulted in an automatic win with a correct response to a question from any of the five categories in play. The bonus round was similar to that of the Allen Ludden version, but with more elaborate prizes than the 1969 pilot.
Highlights of the 1971 tryout series was shown during Jack Barry's promos of the eventual series, which began production on CBS in 1972.
1972-1975
Initially, triples were worth $150, but soon increased to $200. Also, three Jokers originally won the game
automatically, without a question being asked. From episode 1 until around mid-1973, the champion went first instead of the challenger.
Bonus Rounds
The bonus round went through a few different permutations:
Prize Round #1 - For the first two episodes, it was a variation of the game seen in the 1969 pilot, but with only two spins allowed and most of the gag prizes replaced with decent ones. Additionally, some prizes appeared on the wheels inside of circles; if all three prizes in a spin were thus circled, the player also won a new car.
Prize Round #2 - Beginning with the third aired episode, the circles were eliminated and the car became a regular prize on the wheels (other big prizes including a boat or a trip were also added to the board on occasion).
Jokers and Devils - Not long after that, the endgame was completely overhauled again - this time, the wheels contained Jokers and Devils. The player was given up to three spins, and each time three Jokers came up, a different prize was won, increasing in value with each spin taken. If a Devil appeared, the player lost it all. Amusingly, for
Christmas 1972, the graphics for this game were altered to become "
Santas" (Jokers) and "
Scrooges" (Devils). Originally the winning contestant got four spins with the last spin being worth a car or another big prize. For a brief period, the prize was not told until after the successful spin. In 1973, to avoid confusion between the category wheels and the bonus game reels, the Jokers in the "Jokers and Devils" era were marked with the word "Joker" instead of the word "Wild". This was implemented following a game in which the reels were not switched to the regular reels, and the champion spun three jokers to begin the game.
Face the Devil - By the end of the CBS run, the "Face the Devil" round described above had been implemented.
Joker's Jackpot
Early in the show's run, returning champions were competing for a chance to win the "Joker's Jackpot," an accruing jackpot of cash that started at $2,500. Players won this jackpot if they won four consecutive games (later three plus (later) a new automobile). However, if they were defeated, all of their cash winnings to that point were forfeited to the Joker's Jackpot (prizes won in the bonus round was his/hers to keep). Thus, after every game, the champion decided whether to play on for a chance to win the Jackpot, or play it safe and retire from the show with their current winnings. The Jackpot continued to build until it reached $25,000 or more, which was at the time CBS's maximum "winnings cap" for game show contestants.
After winning the Joker's Jackpot, the champion was retired undefeated, but later the rules changed in which champions can continue playing until either defeated or reaching the maximum CBS winnings limit. Plus any Joker's Jackpots & main game money won was his/hers to keep.
Upon implementation of the "Money and Devils" bonus round, the "Joker's Jackpot" was abandoned, and players kept whatever they earned, and five wins were needed to win a new automobile.
1977-1986
There were a few alterations to the syndicated show over the years. One of the most notable was the addition of a "Natural Triple Jackpot" in 1983. This was an accruing prize package offered to a contestant who had spun a triple of any category, without Jokers (at one point the jackpot reached as high as $38,000). Prior to that, a bonus prize, usually around $500 in value, was given to any contestant who spun a natural triple.
The New Neon Set
After the first four years on a rather drab looking set, in 1981 neon lights and contestant tags were added as was a completely overhauled set which had a blue background as it was in the first few seasons. During the bonus round and audience game, the chase lights would flash, and on a bonus game win, all of the lights would turn on and off at one-half second intervals.
The outer chase lights, which remained intact from the previous set (as well as the chase lights around the windows), would not flash at all, except for a short time in 1981, and again regularly by 1985. The contestant's podiums and the host's podiums were surrounded by three vertical flashing jokers on each side.
Tournament of Champions
"Tournament of Champions" were held annually between 1977 and 1980. Frank Dillon won the $50,000 and $100,000 tournaments in 1977 and 1978 respectively; Eileen Jason captured the $250,000 tournament in 1979; and Rob Griffin won $500,000 in the 1980 tournament with a $1,000,000 purse (with the other remaining $500,000 divided by other participants depending on how each player finished). Other special weeks over the years included "College Week", "Couples Week", "Teen Week" and "Children's Week" (which led to the weekly syndicated "Joker! Joker
Joker | !").Special CategoriesSpecial categories were introduced during the course of the syndicated era; the most famous of which were the "Mystery" category & the "Fast Forward" category. Here's the rundown of the special categories:
*Mystery - in which if picked the value of the question would then double. Host Jack Barry would place seven hidden questions (marked 1 through 7) in front of his podium, and when the category is selected, the contestant picks a number, and the category is announced by Barry. A right answer would earn the player $100, $200 or $400, depending on the spin.
*Fast Forward - in which a player can answer as many questions as he/she wished, stopping after a correct answer--a wrong answer forfeiting the money won in that turn and giving his opponent a chance to answer the missed question for the base value ($50, $100 or $200). It's usually an alternative to three jokers if the champion whom is taking a final spin is trailing well behind.
*Stumpers - this was introduced in 1983, which featured questions missed by both players from previous episodes; the player could elect to answer the question straight up, doubling the dollar value, or answer the question with the help of two wrong answers for the face value of the question (originally when this category was selected, an extra $100 was added to the value of the question, making the value of the question $150, $200 or $300, but was changed during the Cullen era to $100, $200 or $400).
*Bid - in which a player had to answer a certain amount of questions (a la Bullseye). The player though determined how many questions he/she would like to answer, and like "Fast Forward", can be used to catch up if trailing.
*Fact or Foto - in which the player had the option of seeing a photo he would have to identify or hearing a fact--an incorrect response giving his opponent both the fact and the photo.
*Multiple Choice - in which a player is given three possible answers to a potluck question, and he/she had to choose which is the right one.
*How Low Will You Go? â€" where in a question with a list of clues was asked, and the player had to decide how few clues he would need to answer it (similar to "Bid A Note" on Name That Tune)--a wrong answer giving all the clues to his opponent.
*Just One More - This category is the same thing as Tic Tac Dough's "Auction" category. In this category both players gets to bid on a questions with multiple answers. The highest bidder gets control. If the player completes his/her bid the player gets the money. If the player fails the opponent has to just get one more answers from the list to earn the money.
Other popular categories over the years included "Grab Bag" which is a potluck category, "Crossword Definitions", "Spelling Bee", "Alphabet Soup", "News of the 70s", "Television", "Sex Symbols", "Scrambled Words" and "Who, What or Where?".
One category that had a relatively short life was "Road Signs", in which a player had to identify a road sign with a symbol on it. On one occurrence in 1978, both contestants could not identify the "Two-Way Traffic" sign. One of the contestant's answers was You could pass on either side and the other was You could pass on both sides, causing Jack Barry to say, "If you two were doing that, you'd be in an accident!"
Two other categories played in the CBS run, Bing Crosby and Horse Racing resulted in many memorable exchanges between Jack Barry and the contestants, due to the fact that many of the questions were missed in both of these categories.The Audience GameBeginning with the 1981-82 season, an audience game was played at the final segment each show (originally two or three shows per week, including the week-ending show). Three members of the studio audience were selected by announcer Charlie O'Donnell for a chance to win bonus money and a chance to spin against the devil. Each audience member was given one spin to get as much money as possible (originally two spins were given; meaning the audience member can take another spin if he/she did not like the amount spun or wasn't enough to take the lead). The wheels contained money amounts ranging from $10 to $100, with $250 the highest amount possible in one spin (accomplished a few times). Whoever had the highest score went on to face the devil for a bonus prize and an additional $1,000. In the event of a tie, a spinoff would occur, with the members winning whatever came up on the wheels, added to what they spun before. When Bill Cullen took over the reins of "The Joker's Wild" in 1984, the third contestant became a home viewer playing from his/her touch-tone telephone. The audience end game was discontinued following the 1984-85 season.
The 1990-91 revival did have audience members spin the wheels for money to fill in the remaining time of the episodes in which the main game ended sooner than expected, to avoid straddling.Joker! Joker| Joker | ! (1979-1981)This was a special once-weekly version of The Joker's Wild with children for contestants and appropriately themed subject matter for questions. The format was basically the same, with only some slight alterations. In the main game, the children would play for points, not dollars. The winning child received a $500 education bond, losing players received a $100 education bond. The children's parents played the bonus round, presumably to avoid giving the kids the vice of gambling (and because the bonus round lever was too high for the average child). The special categories "Mystery" & "Fast Forward" were not in use in this version, but "Multiple Choice" was still used. This version featured many memorable exchanges between the young kids and host Jack Barry. It is also said that more jokers were added to the wheels, a fact that Barry himself pointed out during one episode after an audience member shouted out fixed during the opening segment of that program.
The most memorable moment in the kids version was when Jack Barry asked a 7-year-old contestant, Alec Green, what he wanted to be when he grew up. Alec responded that he wanted to be a game show host. When Barry asked "like me?", Alec replied, "no, Bob Barker". Alec later mentioned other hosts Bill Cullen, Monty Hall and Wink Martindale, and game shows such as Chain Reaction, Card Sharks and The Price Is Right, among others (much to Barry's dismay).
Prior to the debut of Joker! Joker | Joker | !, The Joker's Wild featured children playing every year around Easter time beginning in 1973.1990-1991When "The Joker's Wild" returned to syndication in 1990, virtually everything about the show had been changed. One change in particular was the fact that the regular questions were replaced with definitions.Round 1In the first round, three contestants (one a returning champion) competed to be the first to reach $500. The game began with a toss-up definition, and whoever buzzed in first with the correct answer gained control of the machine. The wheels contained various dollar amounts (generally $5-$50 in each window), with a Joker in the third window tripling the value of the first two if it came up (and giving that player 15 seconds to come up with as many correct answers as possible). After spinning, the player was given a series of rapid-fire definitions and had to figure out what those definitions referred to. Each correct answer earned the current value of the wheels. If a definition was missed, the other two players can buzz-in and attempt to steal control of the board, which if successful, the wheels were spinned again. When one player reached the $500 target number, the low-scoring contestant was eliminated.Round 2The two remaining contestants advanced to the second round, which was played much like the first, with higher dollar amounts on the wheels, the contestants build on their scores from the first round, and they get a choice of one of two categories after each spin. Additionally, an "Opponent's Choice" card could appear in the third window; as the name suggests, this gave the spinning player's opponent the choice of categories the spinner would have to answer questions from. The first to reach $2,000 or more won the game and kept the money.Bonus RoundIn the bonus round, the champion was given up to three definitions to different words starting with the same letter. Each correct answer given within a sixty second time limit earned one spin of the wheels. The wheels, this time, contained prizes (including various cash awards of $1,000 or more) and Jokers. The object was to get three of a kind of any prize in order to win it. After each spin, the player could "freeze" windows containing a prize he/she wanted to win, and only the unfrozen windows would continue to spin. Jokers could be used to match any prize showing; spinning three Jokers won a "Joker's Jackpot" that started at $5,000 and increased by $500 each day until won. (This had to be done in one spin, as Jokers could not be frozen.) The highest the "Joker's Jackpot" was ever reached, and won, was $36,000 in 1990.The Classic Game ReturnsAbout halfway through this show's run, the front game format was reworked to incorporate elements of the original "Joker's Wild" game. Although still played with the "definition" format, categories at least had returned to the wheels - $25 for a single, $50 for a double, $100 for a triple. Spinning three Jokers here won an automatic $250 bonus and selected one of three categories for $100 a question. The winning score for the first round was increased to $1,000 at this point.
Thomas Van Dyke holds the record for most money won and for most appearances on this version of the show.There have been many big winners on the show over the years.
Joe Dunn - He was the highest-money winner (non-Tournament of Champions winnings) in Joker's Wild history, earning $66,200 in cash and prizes during a 16 game long winning streak in 1983 before retiring undefeated when he went over the then-maximum limit of $50,000. Dunn, one of the last big winners ever, kept $50,000 of those winnings and gave the other $16,200 to charity.
Eileen Jason - She won $55,380 in cash and prizes in 1979, the highest regular-season money winner in the series' history until she was surpassed in 1983 by Joe Dunn. In addition she also won the $250,000 Tournament of Champions special that same year (She did that by having Frank Dillon lose on a spin of three different categories, needing at least a double to stay in the game, for she reached $500 first). In total, Jason won $305,880; the highest winner in the series' history (including ToC winnings).
Hal Shear - Hal Shear, known for his "Lucky Suit", won close to $40,000 during a winning streak of some 10 games. During one of Hal's games, Hal was destined to lose (trailing $500 to $200 to her opponent, Adrianne Carter), and the only thing that could save him was three jokers. Miraculously, he immediately spun three jokers and answered his question on the category News 78 right to continue his streak. Jack Barry, who nearly passed out after the spin, told Shear never to take the suit off for the rest of his life. Shear was the highest winner in the series until Eileen Jason surpassed him a year later.
Frank Dillon - A retired schoolteacher who became a newspaper reporter in Cleveland, Frank Dillon won the $50,000 and $100,000 Tournament of Champions specials in 1977 and 1978 respectively. In the 1979 tournament, trailing two games to one (with three out of five games needed to win the match and $250,000), Frank was trailing in game four 500 to 400, needing at least a double to stay in the game. He spun three different categories instead, giving Jason the win and $250,000. Dillon however won $5,000 and a new car and was invited to participate in the $1,000,000 Tournament, but he elected not to do so.
Rob Griffin - Rob won the $1,000,000 Tournament of Champions in 1980. By doing so, Griffin earned $25,000 a year for a decade, with $250,000 awarded to his favorite charity, March of Dimes.*As he had done in the past, Jack Barry would begin each broadcast by saying Thank you and a most cordial welcome once again to The Joker's Wild. And at the end of each broadcast, Jack would ask the players to come back on the next show...which they would, of course...some 20 or 30 minutes later with new wardrobe for the next taping. These were two traits Barry used in the 1950s when live television was in place.
*Although Joker is commonly named by several game show historians as the first series Jack Barry was part of following the disastrous quiz show scandals, that isn't actually true. Barry had hosted two earlier series (The Generation Gap and The Reel Game) prior to the premiere of Joker (the latter of the two produced and created by Barry himself), and some evidence suggests he and partner Dan Enright were "silent partners" in several game shows of the 1960s (both in the United States and Canada), defying their unofficial blacklisting by the industry. Enright was brought on as executive producer of The Joker's Wild during its final CBS season.
*It has been said from sources that the concept of The Joker's Wild came as early as the mid-1960s, and that Jack Barry pitched the concept to Goodson-Todman Productions. G-T was not impressed with the format, so Barry eventually continued working the format for several years before CBS finally gave him the green light to put the series on the air (following a local tryout on station KTLA in Los Angeles one year prior to debuting on CBS).
*In 1980, The Joker's Wild became the first television program to advertise that it was giving away $1,000,000.00. It was the total purse for a special tournament of champions; the eventual winner received $500,000.00 of that total ($250,000, paid $25,000 annually for 10 years), half of which went to the charity of his or her choice. The remainder of the money was divided among the other participants in the tournament, depending on how they performed, with once again half of their winnings going to charity. Rob Griffin won the top prize. Other tournament of champions were held prior to this, but no ToCs were held after the $1,000,000 tournament. Appropriately, Barry and Enright used the theme from Break the Bank (which they produced in 1976 and 1977) as the special music for the tournament--composed by Stu Levin.
*Beginning in 1981, Jack Barry on occasion would follow the same path as Bob Barker, encouraging all pet owners to have their pets spayed or neutered at the end of show.
*The 1990-91 version of The Joker's Wild paid tribute to Jack Barry with a memorial plaque placed on that version's slot machine.
*Although it was a Barry & Enright-produced game show from 1977 onward, The Joker's Wild was copyrighted and a property of Jack Barry Productions during its entire run and in the 1990 version, with Barry's sons John and Douglas Barry as co-executive producers.
*The theme music of the show's first incarnation was titled "The Savers." In 1997, it was renamed, "Peanuts, Popcorn, and Cracker Jack". It originally appeared on the 1967 release, Spotlight On The Moog (Kaleidoscopic Vibrations) by electronic music artists Perrey and Kingsley. A second theme, composed by Alan Thicke was introduced in 1974, titled Joker's Jive, and would be used for the 1974-75 season and for the closing of the first syndicated season. Both versions would be replaced in 1978 with the so-called Whistle Theme, a remixed version of Perrey & Kingsley's "The Savers" composed by Hal Hidey.
*It was rumored that the aforementioned original opening and closing themes were used on the final broadcast with Jack Barry as host in mid-1984, in tribute to Barry, who had died. While such a tape exists, it is believed to be a crude dub job from an unknown source. The announcer heard over the music is not Charlie O'Donnell; Barry ends up welcoming the viewers twice (his voice is heard first on the audio track, then he is seen and heard again in the "present" time); the closing fee plug announcements don't match up with what's actually on screen; and the end theme is looped and has dated station voiceovers over the music at one point.
*The CBS version of "The Joker's Wild" was produced mostly at CBS Television City's Studio 31, but in the final months of the network run, it was produced at Studio 33. The syndicated version was videotaped at the KCOP's "Chris Craft Studios" for all but the final season. The 1990-91 version was produced at CBS Television City's "Bob Barker Studio" 33.
*It has been said that the Devil in the "Face the Devil" bonus game was meant to be a caricature of Jack Barry. Many contestants have told Jack that the devil resembles him.
*On their 1995 album The Riddle Box, rap group ICP recorded a track called "The Joker's Wild". The song is based on an eponymous, unwinnable quiz show set in Hell where losers are killed and winners are promised "Cash, money, and prizes."
The Joker's Wild was named as the 23rd best game show of all time during GSN's ongoing broadcast of "The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time," a summer long marathon which aired in 2006. An episode of the show was aired to commemorate this ranking on August 3, 2006.*Board game manufacturer Milton Bradley produced four editions of The Joker's Wild home game, the fourth of which was actually branded for Joker! Joker! Joker!.
*In the mid-1990s, Philips produced two games for its ill-fated CD-i platform based on The Joker's Wild. These games featured "real" hosts and were based more or less on the first syndicated series. Wink Martindale "hosted" the first and best-known of these games (with Charlie O'Donnell as the announcer), while Marc Summers could be found on a special "Junior" edition of the game. Martindale incidentally was among the first candidates to host the original series when networks were still not 100 percent sold on Jack Barry as host due to his involvement in the quiz show scandals of the 1950s. Tom Kennedy and even Allen Ludden were also considered candidates to host Joker too.
*In 2006, IGT released a slot machine based on The Joker's Wild. Thus, we have a slot machine that is based on a game show that was based on slot machines.All episodes survive, including the first 2 years of the CBS version which was once thought to be lost forever until the episodes were found at WCBS-TV in 2000. The CBS and first syndicated run have been shown on GSN (GSN still had the 1974-75 CBS installments in its vault.) and are currently held by Sony Pictures Television. The 1990 version is held by CBS Paramount Domestic Television and StudioCanal via the latter's acquisition of the library of Carolco Pictures, which distributed this version.According to various press releases on July 31, 2006, it was announced that a new edition of The Joker's Wild will be produced by Sony Pictures Television. Harry Friedman, the executive producer of Jeopardy! will also oversee the new version of Joker. The new series will be syndicated and is expected to debut in Fall 2007. The announcement did not name a host.* THE CBS JOKER'S WILD DATASHEET"
* Game Show Galaxy: The Joker's Wild
* Game Show Utopia: The Joker's Wild
* Curt Alliaume's Game Shows '75: The Joker's Wild''
* Fan site dedicated to all runs of The Joker's Wild from 1972 to 1991
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