Big Game

Host

Tom Kennedy

Announcers

Wendell Niles Johnny Jacobs

Broadcast

NBC: 6/13/58-9/19/58

Packager

Jackson Stanley Productions

From Hollywood, the following program is brought to you in living color on NBC. (insert what happened last episode)in just a moment, they'll clash in a game worth more than (insert prize money). Welcome to television's most exciting game show in which our guests go hunting not with gun or camera but with quick wits and intuition for big money and BIG GAME! And here's the man who calls our shots, our Jungle Meister the star of our show, Tom Kennedy!

The Big Game (or simply Big Game) was a short-lived primetime game show that based on the classic Milton Bradley board game Battleship but with an African Safari theme.

Gameplay

Two contestants are each equipped with a game board of 25 spots out of sight from each other's opponent. At the start of each game, each player placed three animals on their boards on the wall. Each animal can take a certain number of hits to be captured by the opponent. Here are the three animals, and their required hits:

• Hippopotamus - 2 hits
• Tiger - 3 hits
• Alligator - 4 hits

Now each player in turn was asked a two part question from the same category in each round. Giving one of the correct answers earned three shots, but answering both parts correctly earned six shots. Now when taking shots, the player in control took the earned number of shots out of a chute in front of their podium. He/she then placed the shots into a 25-space pegboard. For each shot placed, the spot on the opponent's board corresponding the shot placed lit up. Each time a spot lit up was occupied by an animal, it was called a "direct hit"; placing the appropriate number of shots on any one animal captured the animal. For each animal captured, the contestant won money deducted from his/her opponent. Capturing one animal won $100, and capturing two animals won the contestant an extra $400. The first player to capture all three animals won the game, and an additional $1,500 for a grand total of $2,000. The winner of each game became The Big Game champion, and the right to face another player.

Music

Ivan Ditmars

Inventor

Based on the board game "Battleship" by Milton Bradley

Trivia

This was Tom Kennedy's first ever game show.

Links

The Big Game @ Game Show Utopia