Buzzword - Rare Game Show Pilot
Vložit
- čas přidán 27. 08. 2024
- Merv tried again, but no one was buzzing about Buzzword!
Go behind the scenes with TV and radio legend Wink Martindale!
Facebook: / winkmartindalegames
Twitter: / winkmartindale
SUBSCRIBE: bit.ly/1galy1L
A few things changed and this could have sold.
1. Cash should have been depleting with each letter revealed.
2. The rotating player to stop the letter works. However, anyone can buzz in.
3. Extra is fine. Trigger is fine. Lock out or something should have been in there.
4. They should have had the player stop the traveling light. They should also have been banking it into the prize pack to be up for grabs in an end game. Cash to determine the winner. But the prize package at the end comes throughout the game.
5. Super buzzword should play similar to the last wheel puzzle. Every word you got in the game and a free letter for winning the game is a letter given in the Super buzzword.
So, this is where Wheel of Fortune's car prize cue had its origin. Pretty interesting pilot I'll say. Pity it didn't make it, but at least it had a legacy.
It was also the theme for Merv Griffin's Crosswords
Which was later remixed for Merv Griffin's crosswords
“OK, K.K. … I can get in trouble with that for sure…”
A revamped version of the theme song would later be used for the game show Merv Griffin's Crosswords, the last show he would produce before he died in 2007.
Thanks so much for sharing this Wink. The prizes were really nice, but the gameplay itself was boring. I can see why this pilot was not picked up.
Would love to see Winfall, the Jeopardy! 1977 pilot, or Merv's other pilots or surviving episodes of older games.
People in hell want icewater too
I second that emotion especially before June 6th 2025 which would have been Merv Griffin's 100 birthday and he should get his last game show on The game show Network and his own Roku channel or Pluto TV yeah the Merv Griffin channel
Buzzword is one of my favorite game show tunes of all time... and for the first time, while watching a show, I almost felt like the game was just a vehicle for the THEME itself... not a good sign, so bizarre... but not the worst thing I've seen, even from Merv.
Thank you for sharing Wink! Been wanting to see this pilot for a long time. It's always fascinating to see these and wonder "what could've been?"
This theme was later used for Merv Griffin's Crosswords.
If anything, the worst to come from Merv has to be Ruckus...
Merv Griffin's sets were always beautiful. This one's no exception.
Sometimes the theme songs of Merv Griffin's games sound SAD!!
@@SharikaHoochieyou crazy!
Let'ssssss Play Merv Griffin's Buzzwords with ur host Max Headroom 🤣🤣
That theme is so catchy and fun to listen to. Keep up the great work with these great game show videos.
I think that theme was used again in Crosswords.
@@sha11235 I believe you are right.
The same theme as was In Merv Griffin's Crosswords
And a cue used on Wheel of Fortune in the 80s and 90s when a very high-priced prize (usually a car) was being described.
Yeah!!!!
It was also used on Wheel of Fortune for cars during the Bonus Round!
Which was also used as a prize music cue on Wheel of Fortune.
Well, it was remixed for crosswords....but yeah same theme
Adorable Ron Hoon from Channel 10 in Phoenix! He's been on the air here since 1982!
I believe the announcer was James Bradley, who announced the short lived game show "Ruckus" which was also produced by Merv's production company.
Holy cow! I remember Ron Hoon when I was living near Phoenix! I used to watch him on FOX. Never knew he hosted a game show pilot.
He's still at KSAZ (Fox 10) down there-- been anchoring at the station for almost 40 years (as far back as when it was CBS station KOOL).
Doesn't this theme sound like merv griffin's crosswords?
What a snorefest. At least they used one of the old Wheel prize cues.
Listen to the music starting at 17:17 for a few seconds. Sound familiar?
Merv Griffin unsold pilot
If I may make some request for the following: 2 heads are better than one and duel in the daytime with Peter Tomarkan, all-star BAFFLE with Dick Emberg, big spenders with Pat Harrington, cash tornado with Jim Perry, eye Q with Henry Pollick II, fortune hunters with Bob Hanley, hollywood teasers with Rob Weller, I predict with Monty Hall, $ale of the century (1975) with Joe Garagiola, simon says with Bob Barker, spin-off with Jim Lange, wheel of fortune (1976) with Alex Trebek (sub), winfall with Flint Cole, and wizard of odds with Alex Trebek.
Good lord. It would easier to say what you dont want to see. 😆
The arrangement of the theme snuck a little of the Jeopardy theme in this one.
The good: scrambled words always allow for a play along feature, and not knowing which prize will light up is fun. The giant board is nice, too.
The bad: not enough risks or game play unpredictability. I think Merv played it a little too safe there, and there's no way the show could survive with that many high end prizes.
Seems like Merv was obsessed with trying to make that 3rd hit. He struck gold with Wheel of Fortune & Jeopardy but just couldn't get the third jewel of his triple crown: despite several attempts they all failed: Winfall, Buzzword, Monopoly, Headline Chasers (sorry Wink), Crosswords and a few I'm probably forgetting.
As far as buzzword goes: it needs tinkering, it gets repetitive fast. A lot of rules aren't properly explained if at all & Ron is very wooden as host.
Despite the fact this wasn't great. Thanks as always for sharing these Wink. I especially enjoy seeing stuff that didn't sell.
Once again, the WINKSTER delivers.
Taped June 6, 1986. Likely intended as a network program given the mention of NBC in the intro, and the lack of KingWorld credit at the end.
WORDPLAY and BLOCKBUSTERS would be added to NBC'S daytime schedule around that period.
Gorgeous set, but a bit light on actual gameplay. So much prize guff!
Julie resembles Julie Cialini from The New Price is Right.
Decent concept, could make a good board game.
Why did part of me was hoping they would’ve called it the “NES Extra”? 😂
The theme for this unsold pilot was also the music bed used on Wheel of Fortune when Charlie O described cars.
Which will be later used for Merv Griffin's Crosswords which gets remastered.
When I first saw the opening to this, I thought "Time Machine" - game show.
Buzz word was okay. The bouncing of the lights goes back to Press Your Luck but I know where the Wheel of Fortune car cue from the 90s came from. Then later used on Merv Griffins crosswords
Yawn.
The chance to bank a car for unscrambling one word would be pretty amazing in the 1980s. But big prizes or not, dang, this game is slow and painful. Revealing and unscrambling the letters in a word shouldn't take three minutes, but it does. No bueno.
Had Buzzword been sold instead of giving away a Ford Mustang we could've give away a lot of cars that were stolen from Classic Concentration hosted Alex Trebek (from Jeopardy in which it was also produced by Merv Griffin) like a Ford Festiva, a Dodge Shadow, an Isuzu I-Mark, a Buick Skyhawk, a hatchback version of the Ford Escort, a Toyota Tercel EZ and more along with Trips to Las Vegas and San Diego, A Home Computer, A Exercise Bike, A Jet Ski and So On.
That announcer, Jim...is the same man who announced on Ruckus.
Good game show but no bonus round
No wonder why they were using some Wheel Of Fortune music here as this was a Merv Griffin pilot. cool.
They also used the car cue from Wheel of Fortune.
They didn't mention how the players earn the cash along with the prizes. Which would explain the hundreds of dollars on the player's scoreboards. I would assume a player would be locked out of the rest of the puzzle if they gave an incorrect solution.
Okay, I had major Crossword vibes (Another Merv Griffin show) from the theme music, and it seems to make sense...
Great Game Show Pilot
It’s the same music they used for the prizes on Wheel Of Fortune.
The Extra!!!!
Okay, K. K., ooooope don't wanna get in trouble with that... 😂
I like the Merv Griffin's Crosswords theme (which I believe was used originally on Wheel of Fortune), as well as the Red/Yellow/Blue motif, the gameplay is painfully bland with hardly any excitement. I can see why this didn't get launched.
3:34 - Also I love how self-aware Ron was with what he was saying there.
The scrambled word basis is good. The rules are much too complicated, making the game stop and start, thus messing up the pace. WoF has bonus prizes but the main game doesn't stop for a contestant to win them, does it? While the golf cart was being described and the "daisy" was being guessed, the other two contestants could have downed several canapés and a cup of coffee.
Isn't that theme one of the old Wheel of Fortune prize themes?
Yep and later remixed it for Merv Griffin Crosswords.
Well, as Pat Sajak would say as the wheel is about to stop on Bankrupt, Ooooooh Boy!!! I can see why it didn't sell. Should've tried it for syndication with a bit more development.
I hope this game show pilot is good
Yeah!!!!
It's not
@@davidlivingston2754 OK.
@@davidlivingston2754 I don't know if I agree with you on this. I say the budget-breaking way of winning all these prizes is to blame.
Why don't you watch it and find out if it's good.
This theme sounds like the theme song from Merv Griffin's Crosswords
Actually, it is. Also used on Wheel back in the 90s when a car was won.
I can see why this didn't sell. How do you know where the traveling light is landing on?
K.K., Lance & Julie are the 3 contestants competing on this first/only pilot episode (aired in June 1986) of the American unsold TV show "Buzzword". 🇺🇲 🇺🇲
Great find as always @Wink Martindale The set looks slick and high quality but I can see why this didn't sell, it looked too easy and the expensive prizes would break the budget. Plus you have no idea which prize was being selected as the letters are moving around.
Thanks, Wink! How could there be so few words in a half hour?
The blonde model resembled Teri Ann Linn, who a year later joined the inaugural CBS soap at the time THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL.
So, describe loads of prizes, unscramble a word, get random prize worth random value, describe loads of prizes, unscramble a word, get random prize worth random value...keep going two more times...very...uh...boring.
Lot of gaps that need filled in the game play
Will Wink ever upload the 2012 unsold Fox pilot of The Chase?
Abc already has the chase
I don't hate the concept, but the pacing is just too slow for what it is. This would have worked better with fewer delays between rounds and smaller prizes to keep the budget from exploding.
Hollywood? When was the last time NBC produced a TV program in Hollywood? They were in Burbank for 40 years, and everything moved to Universal City about 6-7 years ago. Neither of those places is Hollywood, although both of them are Hollywood-adjacent.
It's in the TMZ
Is it just me or does the host look like a real-life Ken doll? I don't like the fakeness of some game show hosts. It was worse back in the '70s and '80s in my opinion!
I think they should bring this gameshow BACK!! I LOVE Word Scramble Games!! ;)
What year was this pilot shot in?
1986
Them's some pricey prizes for doing not much to win them...lol
awwwwwww. My one complaint is that it's Buzz_word_; singular! :P
Other than that, not that bad a pilot! :D
Of course nobody was abuzz about the show-they must've thought _J!_ and _Wheel_ were enough. At least _Wheel_ found a use for the theme, so that's saying something.
This wasn't one of the best pilots out there.
What year was this and this game was too easy and difficult and slightly boring
1986
I’m sorry, this pilot is trash!
Thank you for sharing wink!
Is that the same announcer from RUCKUS?
Yep
This host is super generic as a type-casted game show host. But I gives that makes sense given it’s a pilot. However, I strongly wish they did a better job with the script for the show. Such a snoozer of a show tho.
And thanks for posting this however. Still a part of game show history. Thanks Wink!
Not really impressed.
This is an awful word game with painful chit chat between host and contestants.
I Love Word Games Who is Hosting This Show ? Is it Pat Alex Or Wink?
Alex.
Nope, a local newsman named Ron Hoon
It’s Ron Hoon who works for FOX 10 in Phoenix as a news anchor.
it's Ron Hoon. Merv trying once again to make a star out of a virtual unknown.
Ron Hoon, who was then and still is a newscaster In Phoenix - www.fox10phoenix.com/person/h/ron-hoon
Not a good pilot - it deserved not to sell.
Boring game, overpriced prizes that would've been cut 50-75% in budget if had gone to series, and lack of variety. NBC was right not to pick this up.
Wink Martindale because premieres are still basically the same as livestreams and Susan Wojcicki was the one who made it happen in 2018 and it’s her fault, sorry but I’d like you to stop premiering things since people love it.
I have absolutely NO idea what you're talking about!
@@WinkMartindaleGames Ok sorry!, how about I’ll say that Premiering videos on CZcams is still too popular almost not that exciting, and filming and posting is a lot easier and way more sense and exciting than just premiering it.
@@WinkMartindaleGames I think I may have an idea, Wink (or John). You announce these "premieres" in advance and when people click on it and see they have to wait, they get disappointed.
@@LogoMan7777 patience is a virtue! :D