The Reel Game

Host
Jack Barry
Announcer
Jack Clark
Broadcast
ABC Pilot: 1970 ABC Primetime: 1/18/1971 – 5/3/1971
Packager
Jack Barry Productions Four Star Television

"From the headlines and headliners of the past and present, comes television's most fascinating new show, The Reel Game! And now, here's the host of our show, Jack Barry!"

The Reel Game was a short-lived primetime game show where three contestants competed, featuring film clips to illustrate the answers.

Gameplay[]

Three contestants competed in a quiz game in which the answers came from film clips.

The contestants were given $250 to start, then they were given a subject after which they wagered any part of their current score (all bets had to be made in $25 increments). Once the bets were placed, host Barry posed a question, after which the contestants wrote down their answers. When the answers were written down, a film clip was shown to reveal the correct answer. When the clip was finished, the contestants then showed their answers. A correct answer won the contestant the amount wagered whereas an incorrect answer deducted the wager.

$25 Toss-Up Round[]

Four film clips were played and after each one, host Barry read three toss-up questions (with no clips) in which players buzz-in to answer. A correct answer added $25 to the player's score, while an incorrect answer incurred no penalty, but gave the other players a chance to answer.

Celebrity Toss-Up[]

After the fourth clip was played, a celebrity from that clip came in to ask the three toss-up questions. Correct answers were still worth $25.

Grand Finale[]

In the Grand Finale one last film clip was played but without toss-ups. For this round, the bets were written in secret by the players before writing down their answers, after the final question was asked. Then the film clip was shown with the correct answer to the question. When the clip was finished, the players showed their bets & answers.

All players kept their cash, but the player with the most money won the game and returned the following week to play again. Players who went broke at the end of the game still received $25.

The highest possible amount one could win in a single episode was $10,250.

Episode Status[]

Copies of three episodes are known to exist: the 1970 pilot, the March 8 episode, and the Finale. All three are held by the UCLA Film and Television Archive; however, the Finale has also been found among private collectors.