Say When!!
Two contestants compete to get closest to a dollar goal without going over.
via Wikipedia: Say When!! · see source
Say When!! is an American game show hosted by Art James that aired on NBC television from January 2, 1961, to March 26, 1965. The show was a Mark Goodson-Bill Todman production and James' only game show for them. Wayne Howell was the announcer, with occasional substitution by Roger Tuttle, Mel Brandt, and Fred Collins. The models alternatingly consisted of Ruth Halsey, Emily Banks, Gunilla Knutson, Carolyn White, Kristan Johnson, and Elizabeth Ames. Carmen Mastren was the show's music director. The series aired live in black and white (switching to color in mid-1964) from NBC Studio 6A at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York.
Quick Facts
- Runtime
- approx. 22-26 Minutes
- Creator
- Mark Goodson; Bill Todman
- Presenter
- Art James
- Starring
- Ruth Halsey
- Emily Banks
- Gunilla Knutson
- Carolyn Whit
- Kristan Johnson
- Elizabeth Ames
- Announcer
- Wayne Howell
- Producer
- S. Robert Rowe
- Director
- Dick Schneider, Don Bohl
- Location
- NBC Studios; New York, New York
Facts from the source article.
Game play
Two players faced off each round, one of them the reigning champion. A target dollar amount appeared, alongside four prizes. They alternated choosing one prize at a time, with a new prize replacing each selection. The chosen prize's dollar value was added to that player's running total. The goal was to land closer to the target than the opponent without surpassing it. Whenever a player got within $250 of the target, they could call "Say When" to freeze their score, forcing the opponent to keep picking until they either beat that frozen total or busted by going over. A special prize, the "Blank Check," often featured a grocery item; the player who picked it could select a quantity of that item, then its individual price was revealed and multiplied, and that total was added to their score. The match was a best-of-three series, and contestants kept every prize they won.
Episode status
Only two regular episodes of "Say When!!" survive due to wiping: a December 1960 run-through and a 1961 episode discovered in 2014 and later posted to YouTube. The 1960 run-through featured two games with a $2,000 goal, followed by a head-to-head match between winners. Both episodes were preserved as kinescopes. A third episode, from January 6, 1961, surfaced on YouTube in July 2023. The Peter Pan incident, a clip under two minutes, exists online in full; portions aired on NBC's Most Outrageous Game Show Moments and VH1's Game Show Moments Gone Bananas. Buzzr broadcast an early episode during its 5th annual "Lostnfun" marathon on September 27, 2020.
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