Dream House (game show)
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| Dream House | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Format | Game Show |
| Created by | Don Reid |
| Starring | Mike Darrow (1968–1970), Bob Eubanks (1983-1984) |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 Minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC (1968-1970)[1], ABC (Primetime, 1968)[1], NBC (1983-1984)[1] |
| Original run | 1968 – 1984 |
Dream House was an American game show whose grand prize was a brand new house.[1] The show had two versions on network television – from 1968 to 1970 on ABC[1], and on NBC from April 4, 1983 to June 29, 1984[1].
The first version was hosted by Mike Darrow[1] with Chet Gould[1] providing the voiceover, while the 1980s version was hosted by Bob Eubanks[1], with Johnny Gilbert[1] as announcer. The ABC version was recorded in New York City[1], while the NBC run was staged at the network's studios in Burbank, California[1].
Contents |
[edit] 1968-70 version
The first version aired in a daytime slot on ABC from April 1, 1968 to January 2, 1970[1]; and a nighttime slot from March 27 to September 19, 1968[1]. Two (later three) couples competed in a game of quick recall; questions were worth five points apiece. The first player to buzz in got to answer, but if s/he was wrong, the other couple(s) could try to answer for ten points. When a player gave a correct answer, s/he was locked out of the next question.[1]
Two minutes before the end of the game, the point values doubled,[1] and at the end was the "Catch-Up Round," in which the team that was trailing could choose one last question from 10 to 50 points (if they answered correctly, the other couple got one last shot).[1] Winners received one room of furniture; it took seven rooms of furniture to win the house (worth over $40,000) on the daytime show[1], four on the nighttime[1]. In the summer of 1969 TV Guide reported that none of the houses won up to that point had been completed, and that some couples were having to borrow considerably more than the $7,500 the show awarded for the purchase of land. The show began offering the option of a cash prize in lieu of the house, but that article may have been the beginning of the show's decline in the ratings.
[edit] 1983-84 version
[edit] Rules of the game
Two teams of two (usually married couples), one of them a returning champion, competed to win a house worth approximately $100,000.
The host would read a true-false toss-up question, with a correct answer giving that couple $50 and control of the question board of four categories. Each category had a multiple-choice question. After the couple gave their answer, the opposing team could challenge and give their own answer. The couple with the right answer won $100 (plus additional cash for the team on an unsuccessful challenge).
The game was played in two rounds, with the leader after the first round winning a prize. The second round was played the same as round one, except that each team had an opportunity to double the value of the question before the question was asked. The couple leading after two rounds was the champion, received a room of furniture and advanced to the bonus round. Couples kept whatever they earned, win or lose.
During the show's 15-month NBC run, special weeks were set aside for siblings, single couples with children and engaged couples. There was also a week where the cast of Diff'rent Strokes played for a designated couple, as well as one in which two different celebrity teams played for charity each day (during that week, winning the bonus round was worth a mere $5,000).
[edit] Front game rules changes
In early 1984, the rules changed somewhat, with the couple having to hit their plunger to determine the value of the question via a "Money Machine" (a random light, which stopped at $50, $100, $150 and "Prize").
The Money Machine also had a "Turnover" space, which gave control to the other team; and "Number Off," which upon a correct answer knocked an extra number off in the bonus round. Also, if a team lead by $500 - $950 after two rounds, they originally received a prize, but this was later changed to a $500 bonus; winning by $1,000 or more was worth a new car.
[edit] Bonus Round
In the bonus round, the couple tried to unlock a set of "Golden Doors" on the stage by correctly guessing the door's three-number combination. Each row of numbers had four possibilities, as this example illustrates:
2459
1823
5170
Originally, every day they made it to the endgame, a number was automatically removed from the lock (starting with one from the top row, then one on the middle row, and so on). Later on, no numbers were eliminated at the start of a couple's first trip to the endgame. When the second maingame format began in 1984, numbers could also be removed at the start if a couple correctly answered a question when the "Money Machine" landed on "No. Off".
Three categories were then shown to the couple, and they chose one. Three questions with two choices for each were asked. Each correct answer eliminated one more incorrect number. A correct answer on the first question knocked off a number from the top row; answering the second question eliminated a number from the second row; and answering the last question eliminated a number from the bottom row.
After the questions (and any additional numbers), the couple entered their combination. Once entered, it cannot be altered.
The lights surrounding the door lit up to suspenseful music, and, if the combination was correct, the "Golden Doors" opened and the couple won the house. Otherwise, Eubanks revealed the correct combination and the couple returned to play again on the next show. If a couple remained champions for a certain number of days, they automatically won the house (all the couple had to do was hit a plunger that popped out of Eubanks' podium, which acted as a "circuit breaker" and/or "hotline switch" to automatically open the doors); it was originally seven shows, later reduced to five, and then increased to six.
[edit] Music
There were two versions of theme music used during the run.
[edit] Pilot
Rod Roddy announced the pilot episode of Dream House which had a slightly different bonus round format and borrowed music from The Price Is Right and the "Pyramid Clock Sound" from The $25,000 Pyramid.
[edit] Scheduling History
[edit] ABC
Replacing reruns of the cult crime drama The Fugitive (an unusual offering on daytime television), Dream House began on April 1 (April Fools' Day), 1968, spending its entire 21-month run at 1 p.m./12 Noon Central, where both the other networks went down for a half-hour in order for their affiliates to run newscasts, homemakers' or farm shows, or syndicated programming. Thus, Dream House's performance in any one market usually depended on the strength of a competitor's news operation, especially in the Central time zone. Such competition did not do in the show, however; it was rather the controversies and bad publicity resulting from houses that remained unbuilt for various reasons. Probably viewing the whole situation as a headache, ABC pulled the program on the second day of the new decade in favor of a show still running today: All My Children.
[edit] NBC
With memories of the minor scandal having faded after over a dozen years, Don Reid, with the backing of Westinghouse's Group W division, approached NBC about a revival. The network, stimulated by the success of another old game it had recently revived, Sale of the Century, agreed and gave Dream House the 11:30 a.m./10:30 Central slot, vacated by Peter Tomarken's Hit Man. Even with Wheel of Fortune as a lead-in, CBS' Price Is Right ruled, then as now, that hour, and Dream House only managed to run even with the new ABC soap Loving. Beginning on April 4, 1983, the show lasted 15 months before NBC introduced in its place the more successful board game adaptation Scrabble, in July 1984.
[edit] Episode Status
All but one episode of the 1968-70 version are believed to be erased. The 1983-84 version still exists in its entirety.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Schwartz, David; Steve Ryan, and Fred Wostbrock (1999). "Dream House". The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows (3rd edition). Facts on File. 64. ISBN 0-8160-3847-3.
