User:Daniel Benfield/Let's Make A Deal Video Archive

I could write an intro here, but I think I'll let Monty himself give one per the 1963 pilot's sales pitch (slightly edited, though; I'll explain why in a bit):

"This is television's only trading floor, where every day the individuals who control the finances of America come to make deals. And what's more exciting than trading or swapping or looking for a bargain? It's suspense every second as men and women bring in their old white elephants and try to deal me out of big cash or big gifts. Well, do you have a leaky umbrella you'd like to get rid of? You know, I may pay you $500 for it. Or if you're a clever trader and know when to stop, you could drive home in a brand-new automobile. On this trading floor we'll buy, sell, or trade everything and anything from Aardvarks to Zithers. There are millions of deals to be made, and we'll make them every day on Let's Make A Deal. Watch, we'll show you how it works!"

LEGAL STUFF SO I DON'T GET SUED: I'm only linking to these videos, none of which were uploaded by me, for the purposes of research and as a public record. Footage ©1963-77/1980-81/1984-86/1990-92/1996/2003/2005-06 Hatos-Hall Productions/Ron Greenberg-Dick Clark Productions/Stone-Stanley Entertainment and associated entities.

NBC/ABC (1963-76)
NBC Daytime: December 30, 1963 - December 27, 1968

The original series started off pretty staid, but shortly into the run a young lady brought in a sign to get Monty's attention...which worked. Then people started bringing in signs, and then wearing crazy hats, and then eventually the wide variety of costumes Deal became most famous for.

Deal began as a 25-minute show, airing at 2:00 PM Eastern with an NBC News update at 2:25. On June 29, 1964 the show moved up to 1:30 PM (with a news update at 1:55), and finally expanded to 30 minutes on October 2, 1967.


 * Taped 5/25/63 (Pilot: First trader is Maggie {Big Deal: $2,005}; taped from GSN in 2003)
 * [The sales pitch is actually pretty sexist: after "the finances of America", Monty says "the women, of course"; during the next line, he says "And what's more exciting to a woman than trading..."]
 * 1966 (Brief clips of Norma, including her being offered $200 or a Curtain; no audio)

NBC Primetime: May 21 - September 3, 1967

Nighttime Deal did phenomenally well in the ratings, so much so that Monty approached NBC and suggested they put it on the regular schedule. Per Monty, the response pretty much amounted to "we don't want your kind of show on our precious schedule"...and so the daytime Deal moved to ABC fifteen months later.

ABC Daytime: December 30, 1968 - July 9, 1976

ABC left Deal at 1:30 PM, allowing it to continue holding its own against As the World Turns and work together with it to knock down the five shows NBC plugged into the slot over the next several years. Three on a Match held on for three years before getting canned by Lin Bolen, who threw Jeopardy! to the wolves. Days of Our Lives, though, seemed to have promise.

During the brief period when hour-long game shows were a "thing", the network forced Deal to do hour-long episodes and a bunch of gimmicks even though Monty was adamant that the show wouldn't work in an hour format (and he's right; look at the current CBS version!) and knew the gimmicks wouldn't work...and they didn't. On December 29, 1975, Deal was dumped off at Noon, where it was pretty much beaten up by The Young & The Restless.

And as a final insult to injury, ABC replaced the show with...Hot Seat. Which lasted three months.


 * April 25, 1969 (First traders are Turie, Jim, & Dottie; first deal starts with a can of bouillon {Big Deal: $1,620}; has commercials, B/W video)
 * [Spiegel catalog shown at 10:26 is the Spring/Summer 1969 one.]
 * Spring-Summer 1969 (First traders are Louise, Dave, & Sharon; first deal involves $500 inside one of several products {Big Deal: $3,037}; has commercials, B/W video)
 * [Spiegel catalog shown at 14:39 is the Spring/Summer 1969 one, hence the timeframe.]


 * Early November-December 20, 1974 (#186 LMD 74: First traders are Betty, Darnella, & Janey {taped 10/30/74}; first deal is a series of money-or-Box/Curtain decisions {Big Deal: $3,960}; studio master with slate and commercials!)
 * [Has the blue curtains in the back, logo with ® symbol, "LMAD TRADING FLOOR" wall in front of audience, and "ribbed" walls in front of traders. I'm guessing the blue curtains were to denote which was the daytime show, unless it was really late '74 taping-wise that they switched to the wood paneling.]

ABC Primetime: February 7, 1969 - August 30, 1971

While ABC was way more willing than NBC to let a nighttime version be on the schedule pretty much year-round, the network eventually got tired of Deal and moved it around the lineups a whole bunch during 1971.


 * August? 1970 (Various still shots and brief clips from ABC's Fall Preview for the 1970-71 season, including several Big Deals {$8,402; $2,530; and $9,577})
 * Taped 9/23/70 (First traders are Ellen, Dick, & Linda; first deal involves choosing between a bankroll, candy, or a treasure chest {Big Deal: $10,171}; taped from GSN)

Syndicated (1971-77)
Syndicated, Weekly?: September 13, 1971 - May 28 [September], 1977 (281 episodes)

Pretty much the same as the daytime show, just with a bigger budget. Three early episodes were actually repeats of ABC primetime shows, which are placed in the above section.

Probably the major distinctive factor for shows from this era is the backdrop: originally, it was a blue curtain, which changed in late 1974 to wood paneling. In...I believe 1975 (it's kinda hard to tell with these), the intro changed to an animated one and the Doors had flashing lights added; later in Season 5, the intro changed to a clip montage.

The first two or three seasons were distributed by ABC Films, after which the show was distributed by Worldvision Enterprises, Inc.

Hollywood, blue curtains in back (1971-74)
 * Taped 7/29/71 (First traders are Ida, Bernard, & Mercedes; first deal is a hilarious "Follow the Leader" game {Big Deal: $8,582}; taped from GSN in June 2008)
 * [Spiegel catalog shown at 6:10 is the Fall/Winter 1971 one.]
 * 1971 (Brief clip of the Big Deal {$8,062}; Buzzr repeat, "shaky-cam" upload)
 * [May be #8/S, based on GSN's advance schedule PDFs.]


 * 1972 (First traders are Kay & Olivia; first deal is Olivia making decisions for Kay {Big Deal: $8,444}; Buzzr repeat)
 * [May be #21/S, per GSN's advance schedules.]
 * 1972 (First trader is Naomi; first deal is the debut of Monty's Instant Cash Machine {Big Deal: $14,313}; taped from GSN in late July-early August 2007)
 * [An odd episode, taped at NBC Studios rather than the normal location. May be #45/S, per GSN's advance schedules.]
 * Taped 12/14/72 (#63/S: First traders are Gloria, Darlene, & Jim; first deal involves several $500 bills! {Big Deal: $8,949}; studio master with slate, montage including intro and Big Deal)


 * 1972? (Clip of a trader being offered various things in exchange for a box of Mars Almond candy bars; Buzzr repeat, "shaky-cam" upload)
 * 1972? (Clip of a standard "Cash or the Small Box?" deal; Buzzr repeat, "shaky-cam" upload)


 * 1973 (Big Deal segment, with someone who traded in 59 cents for a shot at an $8,757 Big Deal; taped from GSN in November 2008-May 2009)
 * [Aldens "book of Big Ideas" catalog shown at 3:11 has a listing of "1973 SPRING AND SUMMER". May be #59/S, per GSN's advance schedules.]

® symbol added to logo (began 1973?); wall in front of audience adds "LMAD TRADING FLOOR" signage, walls in front of trading area become "ribbed" (began 1974)
 * 1974 (First traders are Linda {who brought the home game!}, Earl, & Darlene {Part 2, Part 3, Part 4}; first deal is Monty's Instant Cash Machine {Big Deal: $9,057}; taped from GSN, two prize reveals and part of one description missing)
 * [Spiegel catalog shown at 3:43 of Part 3 is the Fall/Winter 1974 one.]
 * 1974? (First traders are Andrea, Mark, & Sandy; first deal involves Monty's Safe, containing a trip to Puerto Rico; taped from GSN, first segment and brief pre-Big Deal clip only)
 * [Uses the animated version of the logo that would later be used with the animated and clip-montage intros.]

Hollywood, wood paneling in back (1974-76)

Animated intro (Moog-esque theme), Curtains add numbers, Doors add lights (debuted 1975)
 * Early 1975 (#187/S: First trader is Mardita; first deal involves a box of Chuckles candy {Big Deal: $10,684}, and Milton Berle is a guest trader!; taped from GSN on 1/1/09)
 * 1975 (First trader is Bonnie {Part 3}; first deal is a choice between $500, Monty's pocket, and a Curtain {Big Deal: $12,242}, and Red Buttons is a guest trader!; taped from GSN)
 * [Intro has a different Moog-esque theme.]

Super Deal era (1975-76 season)
 * Taped 10/1/75 (First traders are Shirley & Beverly; first deal is pricing a product for $500 {Big Deal: $10,000}; taped from GSN {alternate copy, with pop-up info})
 * [By this point, the animated intro now has a seemingly orchestrated theme.]


 * 1975? (First traders are Kathy & Larry; first deal is a choice between a wallet/purse and something else {Big Deal: $9,211}; taped from GSN)


 * Taped 11/29/75 (First traders are Ruth, Irma, & Troy; first deal involves a gift certificate, York peppermint patties, and $500 {Big Deal: $9,923}; taped from GSN in March-April 2002, with two debut promos for Whammy!)
 * [Second deal involves large checks dated "Nov. 29 1975", meaning the Spiegel catalog shown at 10:13 is the Fall/Winter 1975 one. This said, a Box is decorated for "the Spirit of '76".]
 * 1976 (First traders are Teresa, John, & Frances {who puts a hat on Monty!}; first deal involves Monty buying several items for $500 {Big Deal: $9,509}; taped from GSN)
 * [Teresa and the first Box are decorated for "the Spirit of '76".]

Intro changes to clip montage, including a $29,795 Super Deal win
 * 1976 (First traders are Al, Marlene, & Ann {Part 3}; first deal involves an item for each player {Big Deal: $9,410}, plus some very fun quick deals; taped from GSN)
 * Taped 5/76 (Season/Hollywood Finale: First traders are Stuart & Nancy; first deal is "Safe or Speculate?", beginning with a choice between $1,000 or a Small Box {Big Deal: $10,000}; taped from GSN in November 2001, with three commercials)

Las Vegas (1976-77 season)

I think the earliest Vegas episodes still had the Super Deal. None of the below do, though.


 * Taped 1976 (First traders are Shirley, Dustin, & Margie {Part 3}; first deal involves a chuck-a-luck {Big Deal: $12,432}; taped from GSN)
 * Taped 1976 (First traders are Carol, Jo Anne, & Lanna; first deal starts with three wallets {Big Deal: $15,795}; taped from GSN circa 2007, intro, first deal, and Big Deal only)
 * [Per the uploader, "I recorded this from a GSN New Year's Day LMAD marathon, and I believe this was the final episode of the marathon."]
 * Taped 1976 (First traders are Janice, Lucreesha, & Brenda; first deal involves choosing between two things, beginning with $500 or a Small Box {Big Deal: $11,234}, and Jay takes a pie to the face!; WPIX repeat from 11/10/78, with commercials)
 * Taped 1976 (First traders are Cassandra, Becky, & Bernice; first deal is a "Follow the Leader" game {Big Deal: $11,816}; CBN repeat from about 1984, with commercials)


 * April-May 1977 (#274/S: First traders are Erni & Diane {taped 1976}; first deal involves a deck of nine cards, one of which is an Ace {Big Deal: $11,227}; taped from GSN)

Canada (1980-81)
Syndicated, Daily: September 22, 1980 - September 11?, 1981 (taped in Canada)

The first revival was low-budget, but still fun. Notably, the money awarded was "fake cash" with Monty's picture on them, since players could choose whether they wanted their cash winnings in Canadian or American dollars.

Originally, the intro montage was partly recycled from the early-'76 montage one, including a $29,795 Super Deal win. Later in the run, this was replaced by a montage of clips solely from this version.

This version was replaced by Pitfall, backed by the same company and hosted by another Canadian who had made a name for himself in the States.


 * 1980 (WANX promo)

Second opening montage (all clips from this version)
 * 1981 (First traders are Chris & Patricia; first deal is a stack of nine bills that starts and ends with $50 {Big Deal: unknown}; taped from CKVU, first segment only)

The All-New Era (1984-86)
Syndicated, Daily: September 17, 1984 - May 23 [June 6?], 1986 (170 episodes in at least Season 1)

A fan favorite, probably due to its bouncy atmosphere, and I can't disagree. Especially Door #4, which was introduced early on and went through several changes during Season 1.

Originally, Monty gave the value of the Big Deal just before going around to ask who wanted to participate; beginning about halfway through Season 1, he had the announcer do it instead.

GSN has aired all of Season 1 at least a few times, including the 2008-09 rotation (thanks, advance schedule PDFs!). Season 2, to my knowledge, hasn't been seen since the Family Channel stopped airing the show in 1995.


 * September 1984 (WCBS promo for this and Anything For Money)
 * 1985 (KIRO promo)

Door #4 Formats
 * Original: The player was offered the choice of a displayed prize or a mystery amount (between $100-$5,000) behind Door #4.
 * Dealer Wheel #1: Values ranging from $100-$5,000. The player spun and could keep the amount won, or spin again in hopes of winning a higher amount...but if said spin was a lower amount than the first, no money was won. Hitting Double Deal doubled the winnings up to $10,000, which was also awarded for hitting said space on both spins.
 * Dealer Wheel #2: The player was now given $750 and could spend it on a spin, with the wheel now having DOUBLE, TRIPLE, two CAR spaces, various amounts from $100-$500, a single $3,000, and ZONK. In this format, the car was always a Chevy Chevette and, rather than being displayed behind a Curtain, a film clip was shown.
 * After a few playings, the $400 and $3,000 next to CAR were swapped. As such, the best way to distinguish between the two layouts of this format is whether $3,000 is next to or two spaces away from CAR.
 * Dealer Wheel #3: Introduced around the start of 1985, the player was now given $1,000 to keep or risk, with the money amounts now limited to $100, $200, and a single $4,000.
 * After a few playings, a $100 and a $200 became two more DOUBLE spaces. As such, the best way to distinguish between the two layouts of this format is whether the wheel has two or four DOUBLE spaces.

Season 1 (1984-85; Brian Cummings announces)
 * 1984 (#001/first taped: First trader is Jennie; first deal involves a South African coin {Big Deal: $8,289}; taped from GSN, presumably on 6/9/08)
 * September 17, 1984 (Premiere: First trader is Carmen; first deal is the "Money or the Curtain" deal {Big Deal: $9,515}; taped from GSN circa 2003)


 * Taped? 10/15/84 (First trader is Sandy; first deal involves a Cutex gift certificate and the three Curtains {Big Deal: $7,893}, a contestant in the second deal haggles with Monty, and I'm pretty sure a Big Deal cue is the It's Anybody's Guess theme; taped from GSN circa 2005, slightly fuzzy video, ends just as credit crunch begins)
 * [Monty announces the Big Deal value before he goes looking for participants. Third deal involves large-size checks, dated "OCTOBER 15 1984"; might be #021 (per the advance schedules), or could be the intended airdate.]
 * 1984-85 (First traders are Cathy, Bob, & Emma; first deal involves three $1 bills and a "wringer" that turns them into something larger {Big Deal: $9,518}; taped from GSN in June-November 2008)
 * [Monty announces the Big Deal value before he goes looking for participants.]


 * 1984? (First traders are Linda & Bruce; first deal is a wallet containing some billfolds {Big Deal: $9,433}; taped from GSN circa 2003)
 * [Brian announces the Big Deal value before Monty goes looking for participants, which also applies to the episodes below. Might be #060, based on the advance schedules.]
 * 1984-85 (First traders are Mabel, Ann, & Nancy; first deal involves Monty's Shopping Bag {Big Deal: $8,823}; taped from GSN's "Deal Tuesdays", circa 2003)


 * 1985 (First trader is Mary Ann {very excitable lady!}; first deal is a choice of Clorets gum or a Curtain {Big Deal: $8,765}; taped from GSN's "Deal Tuesdays" block in September-October 2002 with commercials {including a Season Premiere promo for Russian Roulette!}, ends shortly into quick deals)
 * [Monty announces the Big Deal value, but only because Brian isn't at his podium! Might be #096, per the advance schedules.]
 * 1985 (First traders are Erin & Brando; first deal involves a box of Mazola margarine {Big Deal: $9,268}; taped from GSN's "Deal Tuesdays" circa 2003)
 * [Might be #118, based on the advance schedules.]
 * 1985 (First traders are Refinest & Nancy; first deal involves a gift certificate {Big Deal: $9,850}; taped from GSN's "Deal Tuesdays" circa 2003)

Original Door #4
 * 1984 (First traders are Dan & Linda; first deal involves several billfolds {Big Deal: $8,456}, and Door #4 is played; taped from GSN in November 2003, really low audio)
 * [Monty notes that Brian's "only been with me a few weeks". Graphical promo is for a new season of Lingo, beginning December 1. Might be #028.]

First Dealer Wheel format
 * 1984 (First traders are Mike & Joanne; first deal is guessing prices to win $9,000! {Big Deal: $8,039}, and Door #4 is played; taped from GSN in November 2003, really low audio, begins just before first price reveal of first deal)
 * [Monty still announces the Big Deal value before he goes looking for participants. Graphical promo is for a new season of Lingo, beginning December 1. Might be #039.]

Second Dealer Wheel format, first layout ($3,000 next to a CAR)
 * Late 1984-March 1985 (First traders are Tommi & Lori; first deal is an Os-Cal gift certificate {Big Deal: $8,763}, and Door #4 is played; taped from GSN circa 2003)
 * [By this episode, Brian announces the Big Deal value before Monty goes looking for participants. Might be #052.]

Second Dealer Wheel format, second and final layout ($3,000 two spaces from a CAR)
 * 1984-85 (First traders are Dave & Carol; first deal is buying a car for $7! {Big Deal: $9,211}, and Door #4 is played; taped from GSN circa 2003, slightly low audio)

Third and final Dealer Wheel format, first layout (with two DOUBLE spaces)
 * February-March 1985 (First trader is Connie; first deal is Monty's Money Machine {Big Deal: $8,673}, Door #4 is played, and Monty accidentally calls Brian "Jay"!; taped from GSN circa 2003)
 * 1985 (First traders are Maxine, John, & Sonya; first deal involves three handbags {Big Deal: $9,908}, with a rare outcome at Door #4; taped from GSN circa 2003)
 * [Might be #100, per the advance schedules.]

Third and final Dealer Wheel format, second and final layout (with four DOUBLE spaces)
 * Taped 5/3/85 (#132/Geoff Edwards fills in, Day 3: First traders are Robin, John, & Mary; first deal is a set of "majority rules" choices {Big Deal: $9,350}; taped from GSN in 12/9/08)
 * [Tapedate per Ryan Rinkerman's collection. While show #132 should be March 19, 1985 (since 170 episodes goes from September 17, 1984 - May 10, 1985 assuming there were no repeat weeks midseason), these might have been taped near the end of the season and were simply renumbered; this wouldn't be too odd or unusual, especially if Geoff's week was the last taping day of Season 1.]
 * Taped 5/3/85 (#133/Geoff Edwards fills in, Day 4: first traders are Tina & Louie; first deal involves a Snack Pack and the three Curtains {Big Deal: $9,234}; taped from GSN on 12/10/08, no audio)
 * Taped 5/3/85 (Clip of a couple of deals with Geoff hosting, including Door #4; taped from GSN on 12/11?/08)
 * [#134?]


 * Spring 1985 (First traders are Patty, Jim, & Erlenda? {adorable girl!}; first deal involves Monty's Cash Box {Big Deal: $9,333}, and Door #4 is played; taped from GSN in November 2008-February 2009, lots of noticeable edits {not sure if that's the show or GSN})
 * [Possibly #142, based on the advance schedules (which would put its repeat at 12/23/08).]
 * April 17, 1985 (#152: First traders are Michelle, Walt, & Lolita?; first deal involves a choice of the three Curtains {Big Deal: $9,340}; taped from GSN on 1/13/09)
 * [During a deal involving a girl named April, Monty says "Not a bad day, for April, in May." This may suggest the episode airing out-of-order, or having at least two repeat weeks midseason (which would put this show right at May 1).]


 * May 1, 1985 (#163: First traders are Anthony & Susan; first deal involves a stack of money revealed one bill at a time {Big Deal: $9,389}, Door #4 is played, and Monty screws up a deal!; taped from GSN on 1/28/09)
 * May 6, 1985 (#166: First traders are Sylvie & Sharon; first deal is Monty's Safe, containing a cruise to Mexico {Big Deal: $9,676}; taped from GSN on 2/2/09)

Season 2 (1985-86; Dean Goss becomes announcer)

1985
 * September 1985 (Promo for KXAS' "Winstakes" promotion, with Monty on the show's set)


 * Taped 1985 (First trader is Martha; first deal involves a Krackel bar {Big Deal: $9,760}, and Door #4 is played; Family Channel repeat with most commercials, including a Trivial Pursuit Playbreak!)
 * [Door #4 looks slightly different, mainly the People Picker display; Monty notes that the car's been won at Door #4 three times in the last 10 days.]
 * Taped 1985 (First trader is Sydney; first deal is Monty's Cash Box {Big Deal: $9,761}, with an elderly trader zinging Monty and a deal that's Check-Out with a $10 range!; Family Channel repeat, begins during intro, ends at Hatos-Hall logo)
 * Taped 1985 (First traders are Robin, Karen, & Sandra; first deal is Beat the Dealer {Big Deal: $10,600}, and a man kisses Monty!; Family Channel repeat)

Uncertain placement
 * 1986? (Dean Goss hosts a deal!: Traders are Barbara, Craig, & Cindy; deal involves the first two choosing between $300 or something else, giving Cindy whatever isn't picked; video gradually dims to black after last decision)
 * 1986? (Dean Goss hosts another deal!: Traders are Ken, Nancy, & Yvonne; deal involves Ken making decisions for the ladies)
 * [Per Dean himself, who uploaded these two segments, these were tests of his abilities – had this version gotten a third season, the Season Premiere would've opened with Monty passing the torch to Dean permanently. (Dean later hosted pilots of I Predict and The Home Shopping Game, and has at least the former.)]

1986
 * Early 1986 (First traders are Sandy & Lori; first deal involves a Gitano gift certificate {Big Deal: $9,714}, with a rare event at Door #4; Family Channel repeat, with some commercials and a Trivial Pursuit Playbreak!)
 * [Monty notes that they've given two cars in the past week at Door #4.]
 * May-June 1986 (#4,600 {overall}/Finale: First trader is Denise; first deal involves Clorets gum {Big Deal: $12,836}, and Jay Stewart and Carol Merrill make an appearance!; no intro)
 * 1986 (Coca-Cola "Hot Tops" Sweepstakes advert with Monty, some of the set, and Jay Stewart! {alternate copy})

Return To NBC (1990-91)
NBC Daytime: July 9, 1990 - January 4 [11], 1991

I thought it was pretty good, even with Bob Hilton hosting, although in October (sometime between the 8th and 29th) he was replaced by "special guest host" Monty, who in turn had planned to hand the reins off to a succession of on-air tryout emcees before choosing one to take on the show permanently.

NBC had other plans, though, and canned the show to bring Wheel of Fortune back to the schedule.


 * 1990-91 (Compilation of moments from the Live!-esque show done at the Disney/MGM Studios when the regular show wasn't taping)

Bob Hilton (July 9-October)
 * July 10, 1990 (#2: First traders are Leeann & Carla {Parts 3, 4, and 5}; first deal involves 10 mystery bills {Big Deal: $13,269})
 * July-October 1990 (First trader is Paula; first deal involves the "Deal City Yellow Pages" {Big Deal: $12,850}; first segment and parts of Big Deal only)

Monty Hall (October-January 4)
 * Late 1990 (First trader is Becky; first deal involves a tissue box full of money...which doesn't work! {Big Deal: $12,288}; has most commercials)
 * [According to one comment on the upload, this is December 20.]
 * December 1990 (First traders are Blondie, Edna, & Glenn; first deal is a follow-the-leader game {Big Deal: $10,103}; taped from WTVJ, with commercials)

Let's Make A 1-900 Call (1990-92?)
Syndicated: 1990 - 1992?

An oddity that had issues with paying out its winners, and from what I can tell was pretty much a scam (although that's definitely not Monty's fault). Originally offered a variety of prizes, which became cash by the end of '91; still didn't help matters, though.

At least two half-hour infomercials were done in 1992, both starring Monty.

Prizes offered
 * 1990 (Promo with Monty and clips of the 1984-86 series)
 * [Apparently, these were airing while Bob Hilton was hosting the NBC revival.]

Cash offered
 * 1991 (Brief promo with Monty and some female, bookended by some loud-by-comparison clips of a 1970s blooper from TV's Funniest Game Show Moments {link is timecoded to skip the first section})
 * 1992 (Promo with Monty and clips of the 1970s and mid-1980s versions)
 * December 1992 (Christmas-themed advert with Monty, as well as somebody playing Santa Claus {and pretty frickin' poorly, at that})

FOX (1996)
FOX Primetime: September 1 - October 6, 1996 (6 episodes)

Big Deal, hosted by Mark DeCarlo. The Big Deal itself is still present, as are the Curtains and Boxes, but the focus now seems to be on Truth or Consequences-esque stunts for prizes – dressing in drag, destroying your own car, throwing rocks to break your home's windows, undressing (based on the below promo, limited to guys who ladies wouldn't mind seeing naked), etc. The fact it's FOX (in their first attempt at having a game show on the schedule) really shouldn't be surprising at this point.

Thanks to NFL games, only three of the six episodes actually got shown in their entirety: the premiere, September 15, and the finale.

And this isn't really related to anything, but calling your Let's Make A Deal revival Big Deal (or, really, anything except Let's Make A Deal) probably wasn't the best idea. "The Big Deal", sure, but "Big Deal" evidently got just that response from viewers; plans for a half-hour timeslot in Spring 1997 were shelved as a result, and a 1999 attempt at a more traditional syndicated revival hosted by Gordon Elliott (see advert at right) failed to sell despite gaining quite a bit of traction.


 * September-October 1996 (Promo focusing solely on the "What would you do for great prizes?" element)
 * September-October 1996 (Segment with Harris smashing up his car to win a much better one, uploaded by the insurance adjuster who assessed the damage to said car {yes, really!})
 * September-October 1996 (Segment with Emmy Collins and Jacque Lawson campaigning for – and I swear I'm not joking with this – the Presidential nomination for the Big Deal Party for the 1996 elections)
 * [As for the candidate? Wikipedia isn't exactly a 100% reliable source (although they've tried), but it doesn't list anything like this.]


 * September 22, 1996 (#4: Joins in progress with a couple getting married on the show! {Big Deal: $14,517}; has commercials, first half or so missing due in part to an NFL game running overtime)
 * September 29, 1996 (#5: Joins in progress with ?, choosing between a screen and money {Big Deal: unknown}; taped from KJLB with commercials, first segment or so missing due to an NFL game running overtime, ends just after returning from a commercial break)
 * [One deal in the available footage is...a pretty obvious grab for the lowest common denominator.]

Once More With...Feeling? (2003)
NBC Primetime: March 4 - 18, 2003 (5 episodes taped, 3 aired)

Nearly 40 years after the original pilot was taped, the show returned to its original network...and promptly got scorn from some fans for, to some extent, missing the point of the show about as much as Big Deal did. Not even Monty liked it.

This version taped a pilot in 2002, and I know at least one trader has it.


 * March 4, 2003 (Premiere/3rd taped: First traders are Stella, B.J., & Erica {Parts 3, 4, 5, and 6}; first deal involves three men in skirts, each hiding something underneath, which might be a record for "quickest grab for the lowest common denominator" {Big Deal: $56,739})
 * March 11, 2003 (First trader is Steven; first deal involves trading a hard-boiled egg for a door {Big Deal: $50,992})
 * March 18, 2003 (Unannounced Finale: First trader is Kimberly; first deal is a choice of $500 or a mystery envelope {Big Deal: $51,099}, and Monty comes back to make a deal with a lady who was Zonked in early '76!)

The Marathon One-Off (2006)
CBS Primetime: June 1, 2006

The second episode of Gameshow Marathon, hosted by Ricki Lake (I guess Todd Newton pissed somebody off since he got relegated to prize delivery). The set recreation and logo are very nice, and Gilbert Gottfried as the Zonk is a welcome sight, but...

Much like the British Marathon, celebs play the games for charity...but could CBS/Fremantle have at least found celebs that were still relevant and actually fun to watch like, oh I don't know, the ones they had on the Match Game panel? (Then again, Paige Davis seemed to be enjoying herself quite a bit, unlike most of the other five; poor Leslie Nielsen...)

One major problem with this episode is that Ricki starts each deal by looking for a specific costume, rather than picking out the celebs at (pesudo-)random. Another is that Kathy Najimy's deal is missing entirely, which from what I've read was because she ended up with $200 and never factored into Big Deal player selection.

Oh, and some guy named "Rusty" brings out the trays, probably because (according to Randy West) Rich Fields wasn't even in the studio for this episode! Randy's wording suggests that he was announcing instead, and frankly that would've been far better.

Still, this was the last time the American Deal franchise used a price-based game and the standard two-player Big Deal, so it's kinda bittersweet in that respect. The current series uses neither, the latter for budgetary reasons and the former under a "we don't want people thinking we're stealing from Price" reasoning...even though both have Fremantle and Mike Richards in charge, plus the current Price swiped the "various ways to have prices involved" thing from Deal after the latter had swiped the general "price stuff" idea from the Cullen version.


 * June 1, 2006 (First deal is Ricki's Money Machine; Big Deal: $87,044.99 {Parts 2, 3, 4, and 5})

Australia (1968-69/1976-77/1991)
Nine Network: 1968 - 1969/1976 - 1977

Network Ten: Early 1991 (about a month)

Given how Aussie games tend to copy America's pretty closely, it's a shame the first two runs appear to be gone. The original series was hosted by Mike Dyer in '68 and John Laws in '69, with the 1970s revival hosted by Jimmy Hannah and Garry Meadows (the latter having hosted the 1973-74 version of The Price Is Right).

The 1990s revival, hosted by Vince Sorrenti, is a pretty close copy of the 1990s NBC revival...although I didn't expect Vince's entrance to be through Door #2. :P

Network Ten (1991)
 * 1991 (Debut promo, with a few clips of the American version)
 * February 1991 (Intro)


 * Early 1991 (First trader is Carolyn; first deal is...a Wizard of Oz parody?! {Big Deal: $4,564}; begins during intro, two small portions missing, ends after first deal)

Univision (2005)
Univision, Twice-Daily: January 10 - December 9, 2005

Trato Hecho, hosted by Guillermo Huesca, which seems to keep closer to the pre-1996 versions. (This section will probably be a bit slower-going, as I know only a bit of Spanish.)