User:Daniel Benfield/Unsold Pilot Theatre

Given the ever-changing landscape of radio and TV, it's no surprise that various game shows have gone unsold. Even those that do sell tend to not air their pilots, and in some rare cases the pilot is all that gets aired (Grill Me and What Are My True Colors? come immediately to mind). This page will also cover rehearsals, pitchfilms, and generally-unaired footage.

LEGAL STUFF SO I DON'T GET SUED: I'm only linking to these videos, none of which (barring a single exception) were uploaded by me, for the purposes of research and as a public record. All footage is copyrighted by their respective copyright holders (because there's way too many of them to list here).

Aired
Pilots that aired during their respective shows' runs, typically first but in some cases (such as You Don't Know Jack, You Deserve It, and Take the Money & Run) last.

Unaired
For pilots and such that didn't air, despite the show itself selling. This could be due to a format change, a host change, or the pilot itself not being too good. Occasionally, though, pilot footage gets aired by the show or in a special (or, in one odd instance, as a semi-gag in a film).

Blackout
Taped November 1986 at Television City; series aired January 4 - April 1, 1988

Hosted by Robb Weller, with a slightly different set.


 * November 1986 (Partial intro, spotted during the opening of the 1994 ABC-TV movie The Stand)

Chain Reaction
Taped October 28, 1979; series aired January 14 - June 20, 1980

Married couples played, the front-game board looked different (no Eggcrate displays), and Instant Reaction offered up to $100,000!


 * October 28, 1979 (Instant Reaction playing that didn't make it into the finished pilot, for good reason!)

Family Feud
Taped 1975; series aired July 12, 1976 - June 14, 1985

A goofy-looking set, different Strike symbols, and a lot of other oddities. Clips appeared in the opening and Finale of CBS' Gameshow Marathon in 2006.


 * 1975 (Speir vs. Madvig)

Taped August 1987 at Television City; series aired September 19, 1988 - May 26, 1995

Yes, the syndicated version was developed first. The set's clearly a "halfway point" between how it was in 1985 and what it became when the CBS version began taping in June 1988. Oh, and Fast Money has a little wrinkle that should be on the show now: losing awards $10 per point.


 * August 1987 (Pilot A: Perry vs. Mandic; montage including open, Fast Money, and credits)
 * 1987? ("Spotlight" profile of host Ray Combs, with clips of other pilots {which have a slightly different set than Pilot A})

The Great Getaway Game
Taped 1989 in New York City; series aired June 1 - July 25, 1990

Hosted by Jim Caldwell, with a different logo and slightly different set.


 * 1989 (Cary vs. Dan)

Hollywood Squares
Taped April 21, 1965 at Television City; series aired October 17, 1966 - June 20, 1980

Hosted by Bert Parks, with a pretty different contestant area and celebrity nameplates. In fact, the whole show feels as if it was from the 1950s.

Taped December 12, 1985; series aired September 15, 1986 - September 8, 1989

A slightly different format, with blue nameplates.

Monopoly
Taped September 28, 1987/1989; series aired June 16 - September 1, 1990

Talk about shooting yourself in the foot! Sure, Pilot #1 wasn't the greatest (although props for the game board and idea of randomly getting a set of properties from one of several envelopes), while Pilot #2 had a better host and format than what eventually aired but got shot down due to the presence of Patty Maloney as Rich Uncle Pennybags.

In the end, what we got was a 12-episode flop hosted by Mike Reilly that managed to do very slightly better as a regional show in the UK.


 * 1987 (Pilot #1: Claire/Larry/Isie; hosted by Marc Summers with Don Morrow announcing...and is that Harry Friedman as the male assistant?!)
 * 1989 (Pilot #2: MIKE REILLY! {Day 4 - $22,570}/Jennifer/Richard; hosted by Peter Tomarken)

Unsold
The pilots that didn't make it, for one reason or another.

Caught in the Act (1979)
Taped April 29, 1979; hosted by Jack Clark

Interesting fill-the-list game with some goofy prizes...as well as a clear sign that they didn't think anybody would give all the correct answers on a said list.


 * April 29, 1979 (Chris/Meme/Holly)

Oddball
Taped February 1, 1986; hosted by Jamie Farr

Well, since 1960s long-runner Match Game worked so well by being supersized in 1973, why not try to supersize 1960s obscurity Get the Message in 1986?


 * February 1, 1986 (Pilot #1: slate and opening)

Top Secret
Taped March 4, 1988; hosted by Wink Martindale

A clue-filled game of hidden identities that was so close to making CBS' schedule, they released a board game tie-in that got pulled shortly afterward!


 * March 4, 1988 (Pilot #3, "Short Version": Sharon/Mike/Wendy)

Rehearsal Games
Even with shows that sell, there's things typically not meant to air.

The Great Getaway Game


 * 1990 (Jim vs. Howard, neither of whom even buzz in for any questions...but there's a good reason, as Wink soon discovers; montage including open and most of gameplay)