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 (as it turns out, pretty sexist) sales pitch:

"This is television's only trading floor, where every day the individuals who control the finances of America – the women, of course – come to make deals. And what's more exciting to a woman 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!"

NBC/ABC (1963-76)
NBC Daytime: December 30, 1963 - December 27, 1968; ABC Daytime: December 30, 1968 - July 9, 1976

NBC Primetime: May 21 - September 3, 1967; ABC Primetime: February 7, 1969 - August 30, 1971

NBC Daytime (1963-68)
 * Taped 5/25/63 (Pilot, with the above-quoted sales pitch: First trader is Maggie {Big Deal: $2,005}; taped from GSN in 2003, with bumpers featuring Monty)
 * 1966 (Brief clips of Norma, including her being offered $200 or a Curtain; no audio)

ABC Daytime (1968-76)
 * 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, ends during credits)
 * 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, letter-covered 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 (1969-71)
 * 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)
 * December 26, 1970 (First traders are Mr. & Mrs. Lacey {taped 12/1/70}; first deal involves a $10,000 check! {Big Deal: $10,258}; 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. Several 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 Big Deal doors had flashing lights added; later in Season 5, the intro changed to a clip montage.

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)
 * Early 1972? (First traders are Diane & Kay?; first deal is a choice between $400 or a product containing something else {Big Deal: $8,011}; taped from GSN, really low audio)
 * [Spiegel cover at 21:27 is the Fall/Winter 1971 catalog.]


 * 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, based on GSN's advance schedule PDFs.]
 * 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 open and Big Deal)

® symbol added to logo
 * 1973? (First trader is Laurie?; first deal is Monty's Cash Box {Big Deal: $9,547}; taped from GSN, begins as Monty walks out, pretty low audio with hissing throughout)
 * [Spiegel catalog at 12:49 appears to be the Fall/Winter 1973 one. Still has the smooth walls in front of audience/traders.]

Hollywood, wood paneling in back (1974-76; by about this point, the wall in front of the audience adds some lettering and the walls in front of the trading area become "ribbed")
 * 1974 (First traders are Pat & Margaret; first deal is taking one prize and leaving the other {Big Deal: $9,481}; taped from GSN, begins at logo, really low audio at times {audio issues make it even lower with loud hissing for most of the first 11 minutes})

Animated opening (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 January 1, 2009)
 * 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)
 * Late 1975 (First traders are Shirley & Beverly {Part 4}; first deal is pricing a product for $500 {Big Deal: $10,000}; taped from GSN)
 * [By this point, the animated opening 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)
 * 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)

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)

Las Vegas (September 1976-May 28, 1977)
 * Taped 8/9/76 (First trader is Vicki; first deal involves a Blackjack game that starts with a box of 5th Avenue {Big Deal: $11,695}; taped from GSN)
 * [I think the early Vegas episodes still had the Super Deal. This doesn't, and neither do any of the below.]


 * Taped 1976 (First traders are Shirley, Dustin, & Margie; first deal involves a chuck-a-luck {Big Deal: $12,432}; taped from GSN)
 * Taped 1976 (First trader is Amelia; first deal involves a choice between $600 and a Monopoly game {Big Deal: $11,531}; taped from GSN)
 * 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)


 * May 28, 1977 (#281/S {Finale}: First traders are Trudy, Cliff, & Diana {taped 12/21/76}; first deal involves three wallets {Big Deal: $12,000}, and Monty's daughter Joanna Gleason appears!; taped from GSN {alternate copy, low audio})

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

A low-budget revival where 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.


 * 1980 (WANX promo)

Original opening montage (partly recycled from the early-1976 intro, including a $29,795 Super Deal win)
 * Late 1980 (First traders are Helen, George, & Karen; first deal is trading a Curtain for something else {Big Deal: $5,863}; taped from Global, pixelation on bottom half of screen nearly throughout, first segment repeated five minutes in for some reason {link is timecoded to skip it})
 * Late 1980 (First traders are Rose, Terri, & Lorraine; first deal involves a different item for each lady {Big Deal: $4,235})

Second opening montage (all clips from this version)
 * Early 1981 (First traders are Chris & Patricia; first deal is a stack of nine bills that starts and ends with $50; taped from CKVU, first segment only)
 * Early 1981 (First traders are Suzanne, Bob, & Kay; first deal involves trading money for a Curtain {Big Deal: $4,187}; taped from Global, audio cuts out just before the 3:00 point)

Mid-1980s (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 once, during 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 $1-$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 it said spin was a lesser amount, no money was won. Hitting Double Deal doubled the winnings up to $10,000, as did hitting it 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)
 * September 17, 1984 (Premiere: first trader is Carmen; first deal is the "Money or the Curtain" deal {Big Deal: $9,515}; taped from GSN)


 * 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)
 * [Monty announces the Big Deal value before he goes looking for participants.]


 * 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 Feast of Favorites)
 * [Monty announces the Big Deal value, but only because Brian isn't at his podium!]

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)
 * [By this episode, Brian announces the Big Deal value before Monty goes looking for participants.]

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)

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 {Big Deal: $9,350}; taped from GSN)
 * [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 three mystery curtains {Big Deal: $9,234})


 * 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 {2008 logo}, lots of noticeable edits {not sure if that's the show or GSN})
 * [Possibly #142, based on the advance schedules.]

Season 2 (1985-86; Dean Goss becomes announcer)
 * Late 1985 (First traders are Robin, Karen, & Sandra; first deal is Beat the Dealer {Big Deal: $10,600}; Fam broadcast)


 * 1986? (Dean Goss hosts a deal!)
 * 1986? (Dean Goss hosts another deal!)


 * Early 1986 (First traders are Sandy & Lori; first deal involves a Gitano gift certificate {Big Deal: $9,714}; Fam broadcast, with some commercials)
 * 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 open, no audio for most of second video)

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 {Part 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)

NBC (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. Not even Monty liked it.


 * March 4, 2003 (Premiere: First traders are Stella, B.J., & Erica {Part 5, Part 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 (#2: First trader is Steven; first deal involves trading a hard-boiled egg for a door {Big Deal: $50,992})
 * March 18, 2003 (#3/Unannounced Finale: First trader is Kimberly; first deal involves picking between $500 or a mystery envelope {Big Deal: $51,099}, and Monty comes back to make a deal with a woman who was Zonked in '76!)