Jackpot Bowling

Jackpot Bowling, also known as Phillies Jackpot Bowling and Jackpot Bowling Starring Milton Berle, was a professional bowling program that aired on NBC from January 9, 1959, to March 13, 1961. It marked the return of national televised bowling after Bowling Headliners had ended its run in the early days of television (1948–50). Initially, the show aired on Fridays at 10:45 PM, following the Cavalcade of Sports Friday Night Fight, and was broadcast from the T-Bowl in Wayne, New Jersey. Because the preceding boxing matches could end abruptly or go the full fifteen rounds, the show’s start time was unpredictable; it served as a flexible filler to complete the hour. (A similar approach was taken by ABC’s Make That Spare, which debuted a year later and maintained that format throughout its four-year run.)

Leo Durocher hosted the first two episodes but left quickly, replaced by Mel Allen. On April 10, 1959, Bud Palmer took over as the third host. Allen and Palmer alternated hosting duties each October and April, swapping based on their seasonal sports commitments—Allen covered baseball, while Palmer came from basketball. Allen, who had little bowling knowledge, was the least popular of the three. The show went on summer hiatus after June 24, 1960, when its lead-in, Cavalcade of Sports, ended its NBC run.

On September 19, 1960, Jackpot Bowling returned as a standalone half-hour program, airing Mondays at 10:30 PM. Brunswick joined Bayuk’s Phillies Cigars as a co-sponsor, and the show moved to Hollywood Legion Lanes in California. Milton Berle became host, with Chick Hearn providing play-by-play. NBC hired Berle partly to fulfill a long-term contract with the fading star and to inject more comedy into the show, as public interest in high-stakes contests had declined after the quiz show scandals of the 1950s. The format now included a late-night-style monologue from Berle and segments where celebrities were interviewed and bowled a shot for charity. This version lasted only six months, ending on March 13, 1961.

In the game, two players competed to bowl up to nine strikes. After nine turns each, the player with more strikes won $1,000. A bowler who rolled six consecutive strikes earned a jackpot that started at $5,000 and grew by $1,000 each week it went unclaimed. In the final season under Berle, each show featured two matches. A player who rolled six straight strikes in the first match won a flat $5,000. The first-match winner then faced the reigning “king of the hill” for another $1,000 and the chance to return the next week as the new king. Rolling six consecutive strikes in this second match won the jackpot, which began at $25,000 and increased by $5,000 each week it was not won.

The survival of the show’s episodes is unknown. Five Berle-hosted episodes are known to exist, including the January 2, 1961, broadcast where Detroit’s Therm Gibson won a record $75,000 jackpot; the January 16 episode featuring British actress Diana Dors bowling (with her husband Richard Dawson in the audience); and the January 23 episode where comic Harry Ritz slid down the lane and scored a strike.