Showoffs (partially lost unaired pilots of ABC game show; 1975)
The logo from the pilots.
Status: Partially Lost
Showoffs was an American game show that aired from June 30th to December 26th, 1975, on ABC. It was hosted by actor Bobby Van and was created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. The show would be revived for a short time under the name "Body Language" between 1984 and 1986 on CBS. This show was also the last game show hosted by Larry Blyden before his death two weeks after filming the pilots.
Format
The show's format is two teams of two celebrities, and one contestant competes in a game of charades. One person is guessing what his/her teammates are acting out in 60 seconds, one point per subject, while the other team is in an isolation booth. If the guesser is stuck on a word, they can pass on that word. When the current team runs out of time, the other team comes out of the booth and try and act out the same words the other team got. This happens twice, and the first team with the most points at the end of the two rounds wins the game and goes on to the payoff round.
The payoff is similar to the regular game. Only all four celebrities participate. All four celebrities alternate turns to act out a series of words that the winning contestant has to guess in 60 seconds. Each correct guess is worth $1. When time expires, one celebrity is chosen to act out three words in 30 seconds. Each word added a zero to the winning contestant's score from the previous rounds. Guessing one word correctly is worth ten times the amount of the money, two words are 100 times, and all three words are 1,000 times the money earned. A maximum cash prize that could be won is $10,000.
Blyden's Death
The show was originally hosted by actor Larry Blyden (who host another Goodson-Todman game show, What's My Line?), and he hosted the pilots that were taped on May 25th, 1975 (originally thought to be May 24th) and the show was picked up by ABC for their daytime lineup.
Sadly just one week after filming the pilots on May 31, 1975, Blyden was involved in a single-vehicle car crash in Morocco and sustained injuries to his chest, head and abdomen[1], his family was not reached at the time of the crash since Blyden didn't have any identification with him at the time of the crash. Despite undergoing surgery, he died on June 6th, 1975, as a result of his injuries, he was 49.[2] After his death, the show premiered on ABC with actor Bobby Van hosting.
Availability
Pilot 1
In the production slate of the available pilot, it states the pilot as "Show #2", meaning that this pilot is only the second pilot used to pitch the show to ABC. The clips used in the ABC daytime promo may actually be from the first pilot due to different contestants between tapings. However, it's unknown when the first pilot was taped and the whereabouts of the first pilot is unknown.
Pilot 2
Out of all the pilots Goodson-Todman made over the years, the Showoffs pilot is the most sought after and for the longest time, it has never been seen by the public, most likely due to Blyden's death. The only footage from the pilot to be released was in an ABC daytime promo for the show that edited out Blyden.
In 2005 as part of VH1's Game Show Moments Gone Bananas, a snippet from the pilot was shown. It was the infamous Honeymoon round.
On December 27th, 2012, 55 never-before-seen seconds of the pilot was uploaded to YouTube by YouTuber Kookah.
On January 19th, 2021, entertainment veteran Wink Martindale announced on Facebook that the pilot had been found and will be uploaded to YouTube in 13 hours.[3] The pilot was uploaded as promised and is still up for viewing.
Gallery
External Links
- U.S. Game Shows Wiki page on the unaired Showoffs pilot. Retrieved 19 Jan '21
See Also
Pilots
- Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour (lost unaired pilot of NBC game show; 1983)
- The Price Is Right (partially found unaired pilot for syndicated game show; 1993)
- The New Price Is Right (lost unaired pilot of Goodson-Todman game show; 1972)
- Family Feud (partially found unaired pilot of Pearson game show; 1998-1999)
- Rock Feud (lost unaired pilot of cancelled spin-off of Pearson game show; 2001)
- To Tell The Truth (lost unreleased pilot of Pearson remake of Goodson-Todman panel show; 1999)
- Card Sharks (partially lost pilots of syndicated revival of Goodson-Todman game show; 1996-2000)
Television
- The Price Is Right (partially lost Dennis James episodes of game show; 1972-1977)
- Tattletales (partially found syndicated version of CBS game show; 1977-1978)
- To Tell The Truth (partially found first season of syndicated panel show; 1969-1970)
- The Price Is Right (partially found Australian adaptation of Mark Goodson game show; 1973-1974)
- Snap Judgement (partially found NBC game show; 1967-1969)
- Call My Bluff (partially found NBC game show; 1965)
- Match Game (partially lost Mark Goodson Bill Todman game show; 1973-1982)
- Family Feud - Popular Vs Freaks & Geeks (found episodes of Pearson game show; 2000)
- Family Fortunes (partially lost British version of Goodson-Todman game show; 1980-2002)
- The Price Is Right (partially found Doug Davidson version of Goodson-Todman game show; 1994-1995)
- Match Game (found ABC revival of Goodson-Todman game show; 1990-1991)
- Champion Blockbusters (partially found spin-off of British game show, 1987-1990)
- Släktslaget (lost Swedish adaptation of "Family Feud" game show; 2000)
- Password Plus (found unaired George Peppard episode of Goodson-Todman game show; 1979)
- The Price Is Right (partially lost episodes of CBS game show; 1972-2007)
- Distraction (partially found American adaptation of British game show; 2005-2006)
- I've Got A Secret (partially lost syndicated revival of Goodson-Todman panel show; 1972-1973)
- Press Your Luck (lost British adaptation of American game show; 1991-1992)
- Match Game (partially found revival of Goodson-Todman game show; 1998-1999)
- Showoffs (partially found Goodson-Todman game show; 1975)
- Password (partially found ABC revival of Goodson-Todman game show; 1971-1975)
- Mindreaders (partially found Goodson-Todman game show; 1979-1980)
- Sale Of The Century (partially found Reg Grundy revival of Al Howard game show; 1983-1989)
Miscellaneous
- Super Password (lost builds of unreleased NES port of word game; 1980s)
- To Tell the Truth (lost unreleased DVD game based on panel show; 2005)