User:Daniel Benfield/Wordplay Video Archive

NBC Daytime: December 29, 1986 - September 4, 1987

Wordplay was a relatively-short-lived NBC game that brought Tom Kennedy full-circle, as his first show (Big Game) had been done nearly 30 years earlier in the same studio.

The game itself is essentially a reboot of Oh My Word/Take My Word For It! with a "meatier" (as it were) format., which isn't listed here since it'd get kinda confusing. (I do have a Video Archive for said shows, though.)

For the first episode (and possibly the entire week; not sure on that), the bonus round was called "Speedword". Evidently, somebody realized that Reg Grundy's kinda been using that term on Scrabble for the past two years, as it was quickly renamed to "Double Definition".

LEGAL STUFF SO I DON'T GET SUED: I'm only linking to these videos that with one exception are not uploaded by me, for the purposes of research and as a public record. Footage ©1986-87 Scotti-Vinnedge Productions/Fiedler-Berlin Productions/Rick Ambrose Productions and associated entities.

Peter Tomarken
 * Taped 10/12/86 (Pilot: Stuart Pankin, Betty White, PAT SAJAK!; Patrick vs. Luana, with the Bonus Round {not called Speedword} at $5,000; montage including intro and close)
 * [Different announcer (Rod Roddy!) and theme, slightly different set, very different board layout (words are arranged differently, with three "blocks") and bonus round timer. (The bonus round board doesn't seem to have the Eggcrate display denoting the amount it's worth.)]

Tom Kennedy
 * December 29, 1986 (Premiere: Richard Moll, Dorothy Lyman, Dick Shawn; Claudia vs. Jaimi, with Speedword at $5,000; taped from WTHR {alternate copy})


 * January 16, 1987 (Stephen Furst, Roseanne Barr, Ned Beatty; Ayofemi {Day 3 - $15,750!} vs. Mary, with Double Definition at $5,000; first two seconds missing, slightly muffled audio {uploaded by me})
 * January 28-29, 1987 (Marc Price, LeAnne Henley, Christopher Hewitt; GREG NEFF vs. Jeanie?, with Double Definition at $7,500; two brief clips)
 * [Tom says the champ will return "tomorrow".]


 * February 16, 1987 (Bill Rafferty, Abby Dalton, Bert Convy; Diane {Day 2 - $625} vs. Don, with Double Definition at $12,500)
 * March 26, 1987 (Murray Langston, Brenda Vaccaro, Norm Crosby; Amy {Day 2 - $1,250?} vs. Julie, with Double Definition at $10,000; really low audio, pixelation on bottom half of screen during bonus round)


 * May 1, 1987 (Marty Cohen, Kim Fields, Pat Harrington; Mimi vs. Lonnie {champ retired yesterday}, with Double Definition at $7,500; taped from KWWL)
 * [Lonnie was a Mouseketeer on The Mickey Mouse Club (1950s), and was also on The Big Showdown.]

Corey Feldman, Andrea Elson, Curtis Baldwin (Jamie Farr guest-hosts for at least the three shows below)
 * August 20, 1987 (Toni {Day ?} vs. Jennifer, with Double Definition at $5,000 {Part 2})
 * August 21, 1987 (Jennifer vs. David H.)
 * August 24, 1987 (Jennifer vs. David G. {Part 2})
 * [Closing voiceover indicates this was August 24, and I'm guessing the odd airdates are due to the Iran-Contra hearings.]

Jimmy Aleck, Marsha Warfield, Jamie Farr (Finale week)
 * September 2, 1987 (3rd-to-last: Carrie {Day 2 - $2,200} vs. Lori, with Double Definition at $27,500!; taped from WAVE, grainy video)
 * September 4, 1987 (Finale/"There's an audience out there!": John vs. Elizabeth, with a bad move by one player that decides the winner before the final word's even played! {alternate copy})