The Reel Game
The Reel Game was an American game show that aired on Monday nights on ABC from January 18 to May 3, 1971. The series was hosted by Jack Barry and announced by Jack Clark.
| The Reel Game | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Game show |
| Directed by | Marty Pasetta |
| Creative director | Gene Lukowski (technical director) |
| Presented by | Jack Barry |
| Narrated by | Jack Clark |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producers | Ken Johnson (producer) John Macker (producer) Justin Edgerton (associate producer) |
| Running time | 30 minutes each |
| Production companies | Jack Barry Productions Four Star Television ABC |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Picture format | 4:3 NTSC color |
| Original release | January 18 – May 3, 1971 |
This show marked Barry's return to producing shows for national television after his 13-year hiatus from television after the quiz show scandals of the 1950s.
Gameplay
Three contestants competed in a quiz game in which the answers come from film clips.
The contestants were given $250 to start, then they were given a subject after which they wagered any part of their current score. Once the bets were placed, host Barry posed a question, after which the contestants wrote down their answers. When the answers were written down, a film clip was shown to reveal the correct answer. When the clip was finished, the contestants then showed their answers. A correct answer won the contestant the amount wagered whereas an incorrect answer deducted the wager.
$25 Toss-up round
Four film clips were played and after each one, host Barry read three toss-up questions in which players buzz-in to answer. A correct answer added $25 to the player's score, while an incorrect incurred no penalty, but gave the other players a chance to answer.
Celebrity toss-up
After the fourth clip was played, a celebrity from that clip came in to ask the three toss-up questions. Correct answers were still worth $25.
Grand finale
In the Grand Finale one last film clip was played but without toss-ups. For this round, the bets were written in secret by the players before writing down their answers, after the final question was asked. Then the film clip was shown with the correct answer to the question. When the clip was finished, the players showed their bets & answers.
All players kept their cash, but the player with the most money won the game and returned the next week to play again. Players who went broke at the end of the game still received $25. Any contestant who won three games received a new car, which nobody was able to achieve during the show's brief run.
Bonus film clip round
Each show ended with a bonus film clip round in which the top winner answered 6 questions worth $50 each.
Episode status
Copies of three episodes are known to exist: the 1970 pilot, the March 8 episode, and the Finale. All three are held by the UCLA Film and Television Archive; however, the Finale has also been found among private collectors.
References
David Schwartz, Steve Ryan, and Fred Wostbrock, The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows, 3rd edition, 1999.