The $128,000 Question

A revival of The $64,000 Question with double the stakes.

Gameplay
Contestants first chose a subject category (such as "Boxing", "Lincoln" or "Jazz"). The contestant would then be asked questions only in the chosen category, earning money which doubled ($64, $128, $256, $512, $1,000, $2,000, $4,000, $8,000, $16,000, $32,000, $64,000) as the questions became more difficult. At the $4,000 level, a contestant would return each week for only one question per week. They could quit at any time and retire with their money, but until they won $512, if they got a question wrong, they were eliminated with $1. Once the contestant won $8,000, if they missed a question they received a consolation prize. Upon reaching the $4,000 level, they were placed in the "isolation booth", where they could hear nothing but the host's words. As long as the contestant kept answering correctly, they could stay on the show until they had won $64,000, at which point, they would be entered in a tournament for another $64,000.

When a player entered the isolation booth, the questions became multi-part, depending on the level:

After a few weeks, they changed the rules a little; you were allowed to miss one part, but had to answer a "makeup" part to win the money. (The first $64,000 question asked only had 6 parts, but no makeup.) In the second season, the $4,000 and up questions were in the isolation booth; also, the "makeup" parts didn't start until $32,000.

Tournaments
Four contestants won $64,000 during the first season. The semifinals consisted of three rounds of questions for each player. Players were asked four questions in each round. If the player answered all four questions correctly, an additional question was asked. Each correct answer scored one point in round one, two points in round two and three points in round three. After three rounds of questions, the two players with the highest scores advanced to the finals, in which the finalists would alternate answering questions. The first player to answer six questions correctly won $64,000. However, each contender would be given an equal number of questions. If both players were tied at six points each, the players continued answering questions until the tie was broken.

Season two featured two $64,000 winners. The playoff game consisted of four rounds of gameplay. In each of the first four rounds, each player was given four questions. Each correct answer scored one point in round one, two points in round two, four points in round three and eight points in round four. After the fourth round, both players took turns answering 16-point questions until one player achieved a total score of at least 128 points, thereby winning an additional $64,000.

Trivia
Originally, Viacom had intended to revive the series with the same title (and top payoff), but when rival series Name That Tune announced plans to add a "$100,000 Mystery Tune" for the 1976-77 season, Viacom did not wish for their series to only have the second-biggest payoff and added an end-of-season $64,000 tournament to the format.

Further hindering the show was that a planned deal with CBS O&O's to carry the show in major markets had to be scrapped because of the network-imposed $25,000 winnings limit for game shows (which, at the time, was also extended to syndicated games airing on the O&O's). While the producers were able to get the Metromedia-owned stations to fill these gaps, ratings proved mediocre and the show was canceled after a two-season run.

Links
Rules for The $128,000 Question

YouTube Videos
A Full Episode from December 1, 1977

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3