..and the same voices. Long deceased Casey Kasem is a popular one they often use, which can't be legal btw. Also, the script is clearly written by Chat GPT with a lot of inconsequential info. They just gave the prompt to make a 10 minute or longer video to make more money. Just plain lazy. Those videos are flooding RUclips sending it's brand down the drain. They should really crack down on it.
Only if you truly knew how much I agree with you. Using a chatbot only shows laziness. I am tired of when someone calls 9-1-1 and the bot says the person called nine-hundred and eleven. A human shows emotion while the script is being read.
Gosh I remember when Chuck Woolery was the host. He is one of my favorite game show hosts along with Peter Marshall and Gene Rayburn. I remember when people would win the game, they got to go shopping and put the rest on a gift certificate. I totally remember that.
I grew up in the 1980s with Pat Sajak, Alex Trebek, and Bob Barker. Now, in 2024, two of them have left us and third has retired. The times be a-changing.
@@QueenAlexis556I grew up with Bob Barker's "The Price Is Right" and I could recite the ticket address, until recently when I have forgotten it… but I don't mind Drew Carey hosting, but I don't like much else of its changes… it's the only show I knew I could go get a car for $1… but I don't think I can without going to California…
That was a good piece. My brother won a car on Wheel with the bonus round word Armchair. He'd previously won a car on Hollywood Squares in 1971. I was on the show Greed and Chuck Wollery was the host. He and I share the same birthday. My brother and I were separately on Sale of the Century in the 1980s. In 1978 I met Merv Griffin and Ava Gabor at the Grand Hotel in Taiwan! Small world.
I always remember as a kid, before my family bought a VCR, I would shout out " Buy the VCR !" Lol. And that ceramic dalmatian became a joke, lol. Once the contestant got down to around $200, we would say " The dog, they're gonna buy that stupid dog!" Lol.
The only thing about my appearance on #WheelOfFortune that I missed out on (it aired on Thursday, December 19th, 2019) was meeting #PatSajak. We taped our episodes on Friday, November 8th, which was the day after Pat was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery and #VannaWhite stepped in as host for "Disney Secret Santa. As I've said many times since being a contestant (it took 36 years and 27 contestant auditions before making it on the show), Vanna was an absolute sweetheart, so nice and kind, as was everyone associated with the show.
I've heard so many nice things about Vanna White -- words and phrases like "gracious," and "someone you'd want to sit down and have a drink with." I always envied her ability to stand for so long in those _heels!_ And maintaining a friendly smile the entire time. She earned every penny she got from _WoF._
I was born on December 3, 1982 so Pat and Vanna have pretty much been the faces of "Wheel" for as long as I have been alive. It's definitely the end of an era
I agree. I'm old enough to remember Chuck Woolery hosting, but it's a pretty faint memory. Pat and Vanna will be missed. I know Vanna may stick around for awhile, but she will probably feel like Susan Stafford after Chuck left, it just won't be the same. I feel sad as the show was a wholesome staple in some dark times.
My mom watched Pat and Vanna all the way until her passing in 2015. She also watched Chuck Woolery when he was doing love connection. Will be back in two and 2 indeed.
My grandparents watched WofF from its original format until they died, and my mom started watching after she had a spinal cord injury in 2002 until her death in 2017 with her nighttime caregiver. My sister and I weren’t fond of the show and made fun of the opening to each other, still do. We never could figure out how people couldn’t guess obvious puzzle answers or what the clues had to do with the answer. (We’re both Jeopardy people).
Wow - really well done! I think the best thing they ever did was getting rid of the shopping part of the show, although now you've explained why they used it in the first place. Fantastic documentary!
I remembered watching Wheel of Fortune daytime version on NBC as a young 8 year old kid at home (missing school ) with my mom in 1979 during the Chuck Woolery and Susan Stafford era. My hats off to Pat Sajak for his great 43 year run as host of Wheel of Fortune and thanks for posting this video!
There was a podcast I used to listen to was the Saturday Supercast hosted by Jerzy Drozd. The show is no longer running. It had a great theme song. At the end of every episode, he used to say, "Ok, bye!" The first time I started listening to the show, the ending would leave me puzzled. "Ok, bye!" Huh? I think he's a comic book writer.
23:41 That dalmation statue is quintessential 1980s Wheel of Fortune for me. As a kid watching, it was very rare that someone didnt pick it as a prize during shopping, it was priced in a way that it was more or less the last buyable option before you could claim the rest on a gift certificate... You could usually tell the contestants were less than thrilled to take it home. I drive by a house everyday for work that has a concrete dalmation statue in their yard, and for years secretly think in my head when i see it, somebody there must of won big on Wheel once upon a time Haha
I don't know what was more frustrating, contestants buying the ceramic dalmatian, the announcer (Jack Clark or Charlie O'Donnell) reading the script describing the prize, or seeing it happen on a daily basis.
@@higgy04 It was the dalmation or the pink flamingo. I would do math in my head as a kid to pick a 2nd to last prize to go below those almost forced consolation prizes. Just practicing for if I ever got on the show I guess, even though I was like 9 or 10.
Back in 1985-86 while living in Hollywood I was a poor student and couldn't really afford an air conditioner, so I'd walk over to the Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. and sign up to go to the Wheel of Fortune or whatever other game show. I was always guaranteed 3-4 hours of air conditioning! Went to WOF twice. I remember Vanna White just turned 27 and she'd come out and talk to the audience between shows. They had to upload the show to the affiliate stations via satellite and it took 15 minutes between each of the three episodes.
Anyone else old enough to remember the late, great Art Fleming? Original host of Jeopardy from 1964-79. They briefly showed him in a pic. Trebek was great too, but Fleming was a classic!
I always thought Art Fleming was better than Alex Trebek. Fleming was warm and enthusiastic. Trebek always seemed a bit cold and aloof. He got better as he got more experience but Fleming was a natural.
Thanks for this rundown. I remember Chuck Woolery and Susan Stafford, but didn't know the story behind their leaving, nor the shift from network TV to syndication.
I remember both of them as well. Woolery left in a contract dispute, later admitting it was a mistake. Stafford wanted to do other things and walked away. She did come back for one week in 1986 to fill in for Vanna when she had to miss the show because of the death of her then-boyfriend.
It puzzled me when they would celebrate anniversaries of Wheel of Fortune, starting with the Pat and Vanna era because I knew that the show had existed for a few years before that with Chuck Woolery.
I remember Chuck Woolery and Susan Stafford on the show.Thought the were really good on Wheel.I was surprised when I seen a commercial for Wheel with Pat and Vanna.I didn’t know why Chuck and Susan had been replaced.Thanks for showing us the origins of the show.Very surprising how different it was starting out.
When I was younger than I want to admit (but I'm Gen X, so we know I'm of a certain age), I actually went with my family TO a taping of Wheel of Fortune (I thought it was summer). We saw at least two, possibly three games. I think we went because they would accept me as an audience member despite how young I was. Chuck Woolery and Susan Stafford were the hosts. Chuck played some video of him fishing (and sleeping) on a boat in between episodes. BUT, Pat Sajack made an appearance on the set (off air) WHILE we were there. The thrust was that he was going to step in for Chuck, but I was young and confused as to why they were both there. I'm sure I thought of him as a substitute, like a teacher. But there was CLEARLY some tension, and Susan Stafford said to Pat, smiling all the while, which I will never forget, "Break a leg . . . I mean it."
Wow that is excellent. I never even knew of the older versions and I don't recall ever seeing any Wheel of Fortune without Pat. Excellent history review. New sub and I absolutely love your channel so please keep up the good work.
That's because, for some reason, they want to ignore the first 7 years of the show...the Woolery/Stafford years. Thus, those too young to have watched it don't even know it existed. I'm almost 58 so I AM old enough to have watched it in the mid-70s. It's akin to ABC: it was around for a decade BEFORE the "anniversary" that they celebrate. Edward Noble bought the "NBC Blue" network in 1943, but ABC observes 1953 as the beginning as that's the year that United Paramount Theaters bought it and poured HEAVY money into it. It struggled until that point. The UPT merger pretty much ensured ABC's future.
Sometimes RUclips recommendations are awesome. Since I'm GenX, and this type of content is my jam, I subscribed. Great episode! Looking forward to more.
Thank you for posting this video. For years, my kids have thought I was crazy when I said they didn't win prize money. They had to buy overpriced prizes from the show, but now I have video proof. Thank you very much
I was born in 1988 and watched Wheel from the time I was old enough to sit up and pay attention to the TV. I learned to read my the time I was a year and half. Thanks, Vanna.
Lol! I remember when Pat & Vanna started, I was 13. Pat came before Vanna. She was so nervous at her first appearance. You couldn't tell back then but watching the RUclips video, you can see how she was very new & awkward. It's called Vanna's first audition, I think
i was still a kid but in 1984 we moved from a tv desert to a large metro area with at least a dozen non-cable channels. it was just in time for the big announcement that jeopardy was "returning" and would air right after wheel. i didn't know what either of them were. so alex's first night on jeopardy i was also introduced to wheel. like most everyone else that watched, we played along at home. i don't remember when i made the connection between wheel and hangman, but it was obvious to a 9yo even if the puzzles weren't. does anyone remember that time pat and alex traded places for an april fool's joke? i don't remember if it was the same year or a different year the announcers traded places. anyway, for a lot of us, we don't really remember much if any time when these two shows didn't exist. now their hosts are no longer hosting. in similar fashion, tom brokaw, peter jennings, and dan rather are no longer reading us the news, and many products, brands, and even retail chains we took for granted are gone. growing old sucks. at least we still have our music. now if only i could find a working cassette deck.
I was really little during that era of Wheel, and watched it with my grandmother, who kept me while my parents were at work. When I heard that theme song just now, I instantly remembered it! I agree that it's a better theme than the current one they've been using for decades now.
I didn't care for the show in the 70's and 80's. I hated that they had to buy ugly furniture and silly merch. I always wished they could keep the money. Then when they switched to that, I was hooked. I'm glad that Vanna is staying on, but I have a real dislike for Ryan Seacrest. I'm not sure if I'll continue watching. oh well, it was fun for many years.
I agree…I will not watch Ryan Seacrest can’t stand him!!! I’m thinking Vanna will retire next year as I feel they asked her to stay on just to hopefully keep the ratings up for Ryan’s first season🤷♀️
@@ADRCATS I was thinking the same thing about Vanna. Both of them leaving at the same time I think would be a severe loss in the ratings. I imagine they offered her a huge wage increase to stay on a little longer to make the change of host easier for the viewer. Seacrest has some big shoes to fill, I personally don't think he has the wit or charm to carry the show. I could be very wrong. We'll see.
I loved Chuck Wolery as a host, he had a great personality! He hosted that dating show after and it was always fun because of his responses, not to mention how handsome he was! Pay and Vanna have carried the torch for so long now, good for them, they've last longer than a lot of marriages!
They wanted to show a nighttime and daytime show. They didn't want to pay double royalties to Alan Thicke so Merv Griffin created his own song for the show
Yes, I almost included that in the video! But it just didn’t fit in with the flow of my script. So that means something fun to talk about in the comments 😊 thanks for watching!
There was a series called "Before They Were Stars" in which it showed celebrities before the fame and fortune and the clip of Vanna on The Price Is Right was shown. That's how I knew of her being on it.
Imagine how different TV history would have been had NBC cancelled Wheel in 1980 as originally planned. I think the show they cancelled instead was the short-lived "Chain Reaction" with Bill Cullen. The other two shows sacrificed to make way for "The David Letterman Show" were the long-running "Hollywood Squares" with Peter Marshall and "High Rollers" with Alex Trebek.
@@jasonbeard4713 I'm guessing someone at NBC thought the same. When "The David Letterman Show" was removed from the daytime schedule, one of the shows that replaced it was "Blockbusters".
What I like about the initial concept is the search for a “fresh face” to host the program. I wish they were doing that with Sajak’s replacement but instead, Seacrest has to insert himself into everything.
Ryan Seacrest was the host of Click, the last game show Merv Griffin created and premiered during his lifetime. I highly doubt Merv would snub Ryan if the former were still alive.
Unfortunately, that’s the same problem “American Top 40” has had on the radio-Seacrest as the successor to Casey Kasem. Granted, the overall quality of the music has plummeted over the years. But, at least Casey was able to tell the stories behind some of the songs to keep the program interesting. All Seacrest wants to do is push audio excrement to the top of the hit parade. And we’re supposed to think that the payola scandal ended decades ago! It seems to me that Seacrest has the proverbial Midas touch in reverse-whatever he touches turns to mold.
That's funny. Seacrest couldn't insert himself into Wheel of Fortune. Sony has to hire him. If they don't want him, there's not a thing he can do about it.
Absolutely. She found out about the audition because she was friends with actress Janet Jones, who had an agent and got an audition call but she wasn’t interested.
Great job on this. Such history of the great show most people don’t know. I am 59 and remember Chuck’s version. I will sure miss Pat! Not going to be the same. I like Ryan and will give him a chance. Time will tell.
[Thank You] VERY much.. Now I have the 'Ace of Base' song Wheel of Fortune stuck in my head for the night. lol I'm from the UK so we didn't get WoF until MUCH later than the US. And it never felt as good without Vanna White. (The UK version. The US one didn't air in the UK that I'm aware of.) I put many many many hours into the US SNES game 'Wheel of Fortune' back when that console ruled the roost. Loved every second of it. And still go back to it even now for a bit of nostalgia. Fantastic video. So a genuine [Thank You] for that.
Wheel succeeded in early evening syndication because it was a stress free simple mind exercise for people to unwind with after a hectic day. Jeopardy, by contrast, fired up the viewer’s intellect and competitive juices. My father had a law degree, had worked as a journalist, and was a published author, and he preferred relaxing with the Wheel to putting his considerable knowledge to the test with Jeopardy.
Excellent. I have so many memories of the ludicrous prizes. In Game Show Network's early years this was a call in trivia question (Who hosted before Pat Sajack?) and I called in and won a T-Shirt "live" on air.
I remember watching WOF in college back in the 70s when Woolery and Stafford were the hosts. They were quite touchy-feely at show's end, arm-in-arm and hugging. Sajak and White were the total opposite. There was far less physical contact. Vanna is actually my age! She's three months younger than me.
The Wheel of Fortune concept was stolen from a 1967 Elvis Presley movie (Easy Come, Easy Go) where he played a navy frogman. His buddy (Pat Harrington, later Schneider of One Day at a Time) unveiled the wheel he made that would aid in partying with hot babes. Years later, Merv Griffin would try to claim that his wife came up with the idea, but no - the writer of that original Elvis film was the real genius behind it.
Some facts about Vanna White 1) She said in an interview that she did pose for Playboy and was afraid that she would not get the job if someone saw her layout 2) She recently said that she has not received a raise in approximately 15 years 3) She was in the final episode of season 6 of Married With Children. Her character was still totally in love with Al from their High School years. 4) She was once a contestant on The Price is Right 5) She had a cameo with "Weird Al" Yankovic in the iconic slap-stick movie The Naked Gun 33 1/3 The Final Insult 6) Weird Al wrote an original song on his album Even Worse titled "Stuck in a Closet with Vanna White. Please don't ask me why I know all this. As for the facts regarding Vanna with Weird Al, I am just a huge fan of Al.
Yes! That was so random. I considered mentioning some of the music in each version because a lot was so iconic. But there was so much of it that I decided to just drop it completely.
@@mysocalledgenxlife The Price Is Right, in my book, had some of the finest music composed and recorded for a game show, in the timeframe of 1972 to 1983. Smart choice that Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions made choosing Score Productions, Inc. to produce and record the music cue packages for the show. I've got a petition running to get it all officially released to a compact disc box set.
Funny, just watched this and realized I was humming Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and and backed up the video, then watched the rest and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was a later puzzle answer!
Personally, I can't imagine growing up in the 80's & 90's without Pat Sajax & Vanna White. To me, they are a big part of Wheel of Fortunes success. I remember Pat & Vanna making me laugh each and every week, along with their antic practical prank jokes. The chemistry between Vanna & Pat was unbeatable. They're both down to earth & they both come from humble beginnings. Thank you Pat for 41 seasons of love, laughter and unconditional fun. My life is better for having you & Vanna in it. I Love You Pat & I'm going to miss you dearly. ❤❤❤❤
Thanks for this. As a child, I remember Chuck and Susan. I remember when I, a first grader, first saw Pat, I was wondering who this guy was and where was Chuck? It's also funny that while Vicki was great on the eyes, and Pat & Vicki may have had better personal chemistry, Pat and Vanna had better chemistry overall. Merv made the right choice.
There was an episode on Fox's Greed where Chuck gave a question on what show he didn't host. Unfortunately, they picked Wheel of Fortune and you can see the frustration by Chuck himself.
Omg…I actually read about this in my research and meant to add that clip…but then didn’t do it! I had planned a section about where chuck and Susan are now, but I didn’t record it. Dang it! Thanks so much for your comment 😊
@higgy04 It's gets better. I believe there's a Greed college special where the contestant had to pick the game show version of hangman. The captain shouted, "Give me Wheel of Fortune, Pat!" And Chuck, trying to keep composure, knew what he was up to.
I remember when Chuck Woolery was host. Too young to remember Shopper's Bazaar. I watched Wheel of Fortune heavily in the late 80's. One time, there was a final puzzle where I guessed it correctly before any letters were turned. Just once. I do remember noticing back then that during the final puzzle where the final contestant picks the letters, the same letters were basically picked by the contestants every episode. It was eventually changed where they automatically give those very same letters. Not sure when that change happened as I stopped watching decades ago now.
I used to shout at the contestants who clearly knew the puzzles but would waste their money buying up all the vowels just for the sake of filling in all the letters!!!
I remember being at my parents one night. Of course they were watching Wheel. To my surprise one of the contestants was a former neighbor . He did alright . Won a car.
I don't recall hearing of anyone I knew being on a game show (although as a professor one or more of my students had to have been on one as I probably had over 10,000 students in my tenure) but I did know someone that appeared on Montel Williams' talk show many years ago (I won't embarrass the person by mentioning his/her name or the subject matter of the episode). I would rather had been on Jerry Springer but I guess Montel is a decent consolation prize for the person I knew.
At 16:38 - Pat Sajak was a radio DJ and TV weatherman from NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE. I listened to him on 650 WSM-AM radio and watched him do the weather on WSMV-TV in NASHVILLE!! He came to Nashville from Kentucky and left Nashville for California for Wheel of Fortune and then the late-night TV talk show with his WSMV-TV news anchor Dan Miller, and back to Wheel.
@mysocalledgenxlife Natalie, wonderful presentation. You're correct, the show's producers really do want the public to forget how about the show's first decade.
Whoa. I had no idea that the catch phrase "...because once you buy a prize, it's yours to keep" has been locked in the recesses of my memory for 40+ years. 9:40
Even in Malaysia, we had a licensed show from NBC called Roda Impian (Dream Wheel), which aired from the mid-90s until 2009. We also had the original Wheel of Fortune before that, and I learned a lot from that show. Knowing that Pat is leaving makes me shed a tear... Thank you, Pat and Vanna.
I remember Pat Sajack and Vanna White the most. As far as the early 80s is concerned. My mom used to watch Wheel of Fortune. When she made dinner, she would always have it on Wheel of Fortune.
I just discovered your channel earlier today. I'm a Xennial (born 1982) so I can relate to both Gen X and the elder Millennials. I like your channel a lot! You should do something on the OG true crime show - Unsolved Mysteries.
I’m so glad you found me! Us Xennials are a special group. Our life experience is insanely unique. I like your idea for Unsolved Mysteries! I will put it on my topic list.
I did watch Chuck & Susan when I was at least 2 & 3 years old. Ive watched Pat & Vanna from 4 years old until now. I loved wheel of fortune so much I even had the home game
I didn't think I'd be into this video but I was wrong. Excellent editing and narration. Even though I never really watched the show, with the exception of the South Park version, I'm glad I watched the history of it
Vanna White was a contestant on The Price is Right in 1980. She didn't win anything on TPIR. Bob Barker jokingly asked, "Whatever happened to Vanna White?"
(I was born in 79 to give an idea of the time frame). My father's parents religiously watched Wheel Of Fortune. When I'd be over, I'd sit next to my grandmum on a foot stool. 😆 It was truly a sight to see, total product of the 60s or 70s. In 2018, I found the same stool at an antique store. I cried and told the tale to my husband. He immediately purchased it. It sits next to the recliner in the living room, just like my grandmum's setup. 😊
Thanks for a real human narrator. I am sick of hearing a computer miss pronounce words.
Same here!
..and the same voices. Long deceased Casey Kasem is a popular one they often use, which can't be legal btw.
Also, the script is clearly written by Chat GPT with a lot of inconsequential info. They just gave the prompt to make a 10 minute or longer video to make more money. Just plain lazy. Those videos are flooding RUclips sending it's brand down the drain. They should really crack down on it.
Only if you truly knew how much I agree with you. Using a chatbot only shows laziness. I am tired of when someone calls 9-1-1 and the bot says the person called nine-hundred and eleven. A human shows emotion while the script is being read.
No kidding, so many shit videos on here.
“Miss pronounce”? Oh, the irony. However I do agree, the AI vids are the worst.
Gosh I remember when Chuck Woolery was the host. He is one of my favorite game show hosts along with Peter Marshall and Gene Rayburn. I remember when people would win the game, they got to go shopping and put the rest on a gift certificate. I totally remember that.
I also remember when Chuck hosted Love Connection in the '80's. My grandmother never missed an episode lol! 😂
I forgot about the gift certificate thing! The three you listed were all great fun!
My all time favorite was Chuck & my next favorite was Bob on The Newlywed game. They both has charm & knew how to use it. 😀
@sandraoaks7887 Bob Eubanks was fun too! There were some great gamr show hosts back then.
TIL Chuck Woolery had once been a country music star….? Who knew.
I grew up in the 1980s with Pat Sajak, Alex Trebek, and Bob Barker.
Now, in 2024, two of them have left us and third has retired.
The times be a-changing.
I have been thinking about this myself. I’ve got some 80s game show content in the works! Thanks for your comment.
@@mysocalledgenxlife you're very welcome!
I stopped watching The Price Is Right when Barker retired 😞
@@QueenAlexis556Once Bob retired they butchered the theme song.
@@QueenAlexis556I grew up with Bob Barker's "The Price Is Right" and I could recite the ticket address, until recently when I have forgotten it… but I don't mind Drew Carey hosting, but I don't like much else of its changes… it's the only show I knew I could go get a car for $1… but I don't think I can without going to California…
That was a good piece. My brother won a car on Wheel with the bonus round word Armchair. He'd previously won a car on Hollywood Squares in 1971. I was on the show Greed and Chuck Wollery was the host. He and I share the same birthday. My brother and I were separately on Sale of the Century in the 1980s. In 1978 I met Merv Griffin and Ava Gabor at the Grand Hotel in Taiwan! Small world.
Eva Gabor
Wow sounds exciting.
Several more shows and your brother could have opened his own car lot! 🙂😄
How do you get to be on so many game shows? Seriously curious.
Did "Eva Gabor " intrduce herself as "AVA" that day?
I always remember as a kid, before my family bought a VCR, I would shout out " Buy the VCR !" Lol. And that ceramic dalmatian became a joke, lol. Once the contestant got down to around $200, we would say " The dog, they're gonna buy that stupid dog!" Lol.
Who wants a ceramic dog?
But, in the end, Joey Tribiani bought it… and it got repossessed, but then Ross bought it back for Joey… wow. What goes around….
*they’re
@@CreachterZNo doubt 😂
Ya and the tobleroner chocolate
You have some awesome rare snippets in this. Brings back a lot of memories.
The only thing about my appearance on #WheelOfFortune that I missed out on (it aired on Thursday, December 19th, 2019) was meeting #PatSajak. We taped our episodes on Friday, November 8th, which was the day after Pat was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery and #VannaWhite stepped in as host for "Disney Secret Santa. As I've said many times since being a contestant (it took 36 years and 27 contestant auditions before making it on the show), Vanna was an absolute sweetheart, so nice and kind, as was everyone associated with the show.
I've heard so many nice things about Vanna White -- words and phrases like "gracious," and "someone you'd want to sit down and have a drink with." I always envied her ability to stand for so long in those _heels!_ And maintaining a friendly smile the entire time. She earned every penny she got from _WoF._
I was born on December 3, 1982 so Pat and Vanna have pretty much been the faces of "Wheel" for as long as I have been alive. It's definitely the end of an era
I agree.
I'm old enough to remember Chuck Woolery hosting, but it's a pretty faint memory.
Pat and Vanna will be missed. I know Vanna may stick around for awhile, but she will probably feel like Susan Stafford after Chuck left, it just won't be the same.
I feel sad as the show was a wholesome staple in some dark times.
@@pattyo4703I'm 55 now and I definitely remember Chuck being host around 1975-76. I thought he was a real cutie even though I was a young kid lol!!
My mom watched Pat and Vanna all the way until her passing in 2015. She also watched Chuck Woolery when he was doing love connection. Will be back in two and 2 indeed.
My grandmother never missed Love Connection. She got me watching it. They had some hilarious couples on there lol! We'll be back in 2&2 😊
My grandparents watched WofF from its original format until they died, and my mom started watching after she had a spinal cord injury in 2002 until her death in 2017 with her nighttime caregiver. My sister and I weren’t fond of the show and made fun of the opening to each other, still do. We never could figure out how people couldn’t guess obvious puzzle answers or what the clues had to do with the answer. (We’re both Jeopardy people).
Wow - really well done! I think the best thing they ever did was getting rid of the shopping part of the show, although now you've explained why they used it in the first place. Fantastic documentary!
Back in the late 1970’s I used to come home for lunch during school and watch Wheel… with my grandmother. Chuck Woolley was the host.
I watched it with my grandmother also😊 I thought Chuck was freaking fine! 😂
I remembered watching Wheel of Fortune daytime version on NBC as a young 8 year old kid at home (missing school ) with my mom in 1979 during the Chuck Woolery and Susan Stafford era. My hats off to Pat Sajak for his great 43 year run as host of Wheel of Fortune and thanks for posting this video!
26:38 😂 love the abrupt "okay, bye!" , at the end. That made me chuckle.
There was a podcast I used to listen to was the Saturday Supercast hosted by Jerzy Drozd. The show is no longer running. It had a great theme song. At the end of every episode, he used to say, "Ok, bye!" The first time I started listening to the show, the ending would leave me puzzled. "Ok, bye!" Huh? I think he's a comic book writer.
All the episodes are now have been deleted, but I had found the episodes on the Internet Archive. The website is down at the moment.
23:41 That dalmation statue is quintessential 1980s Wheel of Fortune for me.
As a kid watching, it was very rare that someone didnt pick it as a prize during shopping, it was priced in a way that it was more or less the last buyable option before you could claim the rest on a gift certificate... You could usually tell the contestants were less than thrilled to take it home.
I drive by a house everyday for work that has a concrete dalmation statue in their yard, and for years secretly think in my head when i see it, somebody there must of won big on Wheel once upon a time
Haha
I don't know what was more frustrating, contestants buying the ceramic dalmatian, the announcer (Jack Clark or Charlie O'Donnell) reading the script describing the prize, or seeing it happen on a daily basis.
@@higgy04 It was the dalmation or the pink flamingo. I would do math in my head as a kid to pick a 2nd to last prize to go below those almost forced consolation prizes.
Just practicing for if I ever got on the show I guess, even though I was like 9 or 10.
Joey Tribiani has the dog, now.
Everytime they shop for prizes, they always this junty happy music.
The dalmatian is still on the Wheel of Fortune set, before you go inside the studio to watch a taping.
Back in 1985-86 while living in Hollywood I was a poor student and couldn't really afford an air conditioner, so I'd walk over to the Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. and sign up to go to the Wheel of Fortune or whatever other game show. I was always guaranteed 3-4 hours of air conditioning! Went to WOF twice. I remember Vanna White just turned 27 and she'd come out and talk to the audience between shows. They had to upload the show to the affiliate stations via satellite and it took 15 minutes between each of the three episodes.
Anyone else old enough to remember the late, great Art Fleming? Original host of Jeopardy from 1964-79. They briefly showed him in a pic. Trebek was great too, but Fleming was a classic!
❤
I remember Art Fleming very well. Started watching Jeopardy early on, from around 1965.
I always thought Art Fleming was better than Alex Trebek. Fleming was warm and enthusiastic. Trebek always seemed a bit cold and aloof. He got better as he got more experience but Fleming was a natural.
Art Fleming was, is, and always will be Jeopardy!, he is the STAR of Jeopardy!
Thanks for this rundown. I remember Chuck Woolery and Susan Stafford, but didn't know the story behind their leaving, nor the shift from network TV to syndication.
Susan Stafford later moved to Houston to work as a registered nurse in the Texas Medical Center.
I remember both of them as well. Woolery left in a contract dispute, later admitting it was a mistake. Stafford wanted to do other things and walked away. She did come back for one week in 1986 to fill in for Vanna when she had to miss the show because of the death of her then-boyfriend.
It puzzled me when they would celebrate anniversaries of Wheel of Fortune, starting with the Pat and Vanna era because I knew that the show had existed for a few years before that with Chuck Woolery.
@@yvetteking7749As explained in the video, for some nonsensical reason, they decided to count only the syndicated version.
I remember the early days with Pat and Vanna when they had all the merchandise on stage. Losing the clutter was a great improvement.
I liked the shopping as a kid🙂
I remember Chuck Woolery and Susan Stafford on the show.Thought the were really good on Wheel.I was surprised when I seen a commercial for Wheel with Pat and Vanna.I didn’t know why Chuck and Susan had been replaced.Thanks for showing us the origins of the show.Very surprising how different it was starting out.
When I was younger than I want to admit (but I'm Gen X, so we know I'm of a certain age), I actually went with my family TO a taping of Wheel of Fortune (I thought it was summer). We saw at least two, possibly three games. I think we went because they would accept me as an audience member despite how young I was. Chuck Woolery and Susan Stafford were the hosts. Chuck played some video of him fishing (and sleeping) on a boat in between episodes. BUT, Pat Sajack made an appearance on the set (off air) WHILE we were there. The thrust was that he was going to step in for Chuck, but I was young and confused as to why they were both there. I'm sure I thought of him as a substitute, like a teacher. But there was CLEARLY some tension, and Susan Stafford said to Pat, smiling all the while, which I will never forget, "Break a leg . . . I mean it."
Oh wow! That is so cool. Even if you didn’t understand what was going on. What an awesome memory. Must have been the summer of 1981.
I really enjoyed this video. You did a good job and offered a lot of information. 😊
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. 😊
Wow that is excellent. I never even knew of the older versions and I don't recall ever seeing any Wheel of Fortune without Pat. Excellent history review. New sub and I absolutely love your channel so please keep up the good work.
Thank you!
That's because, for some reason, they want to ignore the first 7 years of the show...the Woolery/Stafford years. Thus, those too young to have watched it don't even know it existed. I'm almost 58 so I AM old enough to have watched it in the mid-70s. It's akin to ABC: it was around for a decade BEFORE the "anniversary" that they celebrate. Edward Noble bought the "NBC Blue" network in 1943, but ABC observes 1953 as the beginning as that's the year that United Paramount Theaters bought it and poured HEAVY money into it. It struggled until that point. The UPT merger pretty much ensured ABC's future.
Look at this studio. Filled with glamorous prizes.
Pat sajak was the weatherman on our local Nashville station for awhile. Chuck Woolery is a great guy!
That was a goood comprehensive run down ! Goood job whoever did this!
Thank you!
Sometimes RUclips recommendations are awesome. Since I'm GenX, and this type of content is my jam, I subscribed. Great episode! Looking forward to more.
So glad you found me! Thanks for the sub and comment 😊
Thank you for posting this video. For years, my kids have thought I was crazy when I said they didn't win prize money. They had to buy overpriced prizes from the show, but now I have video proof. Thank you very much
I was born in 1988 and watched Wheel from the time I was old enough to sit up and pay attention to the TV. I learned to read my the time I was a year and half. Thanks, Vanna.
The same with my son. I taught him the alphabet, and he would sound out the letters on the board and learned to put them together to make the words.😊
I was born in 1988, too. July 24th.
Wild to think that Sajack and White started hosting the show together while I was still in the hospital after being born! That's longevity!
Lol! I remember when Pat & Vanna started, I was 13. Pat came before Vanna. She was so nervous at her first appearance. You couldn't tell back then but watching the RUclips video, you can see how she was very new & awkward. It's called Vanna's first audition, I think
i was still a kid but in 1984 we moved from a tv desert to a large metro area with at least a dozen non-cable channels. it was just in time for the big announcement that jeopardy was "returning" and would air right after wheel. i didn't know what either of them were. so alex's first night on jeopardy i was also introduced to wheel. like most everyone else that watched, we played along at home. i don't remember when i made the connection between wheel and hangman, but it was obvious to a 9yo even if the puzzles weren't.
does anyone remember that time pat and alex traded places for an april fool's joke? i don't remember if it was the same year or a different year the announcers traded places.
anyway, for a lot of us, we don't really remember much if any time when these two shows didn't exist. now their hosts are no longer hosting. in similar fashion, tom brokaw, peter jennings, and dan rather are no longer reading us the news, and many products, brands, and even retail chains we took for granted are gone. growing old sucks. at least we still have our music. now if only i could find a working cassette deck.
Same!
Great production bravo! Great narration too, the "okay bye!" closing was cute too. I watched the whole video!
Thank you!!
The original bongo drum music used from the Woolery era was the best. I remember it even as a kid.
If I'm thinking what you're thinking, that theme music was composed by Alan Thicke.
@@higgy04Yes it was.
I think it was called "Big Wheels."
I was really little during that era of Wheel, and watched it with my grandmother, who kept me while my parents were at work. When I heard that theme song just now, I instantly remembered it! I agree that it's a better theme than the current one they've been using for decades now.
I didn't care for the show in the 70's and 80's. I hated that they had to buy ugly furniture and silly merch. I always wished they could keep the money. Then when they switched to that, I was hooked. I'm glad that Vanna is staying on, but I have a real dislike for Ryan Seacrest. I'm not sure if I'll continue watching. oh well, it was fun for many years.
Yup I felt the same way, you win money then forced to buy crap, followed by a gift certificate, ruined the original game show.
I agree…I will not watch Ryan Seacrest can’t stand him!!! I’m thinking Vanna will retire next year as I feel they asked her to stay on just to hopefully keep the ratings up for Ryan’s first season🤷♀️
@@ADRCATS I was thinking the same thing about Vanna. Both of them leaving at the same time I think would be a severe loss in the ratings. I imagine they offered her a huge wage increase to stay on a little longer to make the change of host easier for the viewer. Seacrest has some big shoes to fill, I personally don't think he has the wit or charm to carry the show. I could be very wrong. We'll see.
@@ADRCATSWhy do you hate Ryan Seacrest? What did he do?
I thought “going shopping” was fun.
I loved Chuck Wolery as a host, he had a great personality! He hosted that dating show after and it was always fun because of his responses, not to mention how handsome he was! Pay and Vanna have carried the torch for so long now, good for them, they've last longer than a lot of marriages!
The original theme song was the best. I don't know why they changed it. It was written by Alan Thicke.
They wanted to show a nighttime and daytime show. They didn't want to pay double royalties to Alan Thicke so Merv Griffin created his own song for the show
...Vanna White appeared on TPIR as a legitimate contestant several months before getting the audition.
Yes, I almost included that in the video! But it just didn’t fit in with the flow of my script. So that means something fun to talk about in the comments 😊 thanks for watching!
@mysocalledgenxlife She was wearing that Get Serious t-shirt, and Bob Barker says, "I am. I am.
There was a series called "Before They Were Stars" in which it showed celebrities before the fame and fortune and the clip of Vanna on The Price Is Right was shown. That's how I knew of her being on it.
@jimmymelendez1836 ...it wasn't Bob saying it; he said it was one of the stage hands backstage...right.
Really well done mini-doc!
The clip at the 11:59 mark just made me remember the music for that version of Wheel. I had no idea that was in the recesses of my brain. Wild.
That’s awesome! That original wheel music was written by Alan Thicke…who played Dr Jason Seaver on Growing Pains. 😊
That woman couldn’t figure out it was “Henry Kissinger” after the two “I”s showed up? Damn. It seemed so obvious
Imagine how different TV history would have been had NBC cancelled Wheel in 1980 as originally planned. I think the show they cancelled instead was the short-lived "Chain Reaction" with Bill Cullen. The other two shows sacrificed to make way for "The David Letterman Show" were the long-running "Hollywood Squares" with Peter Marshall and "High Rollers" with Alex Trebek.
And I'm still mad about it. It was a real dumb move
@@ArthurIdis-c7kBut Alex went on to bigger and better things.
Chain Reaction was the far superior program, and Bill Cullen was always welcome.
@@jasonbeard4713 I'm guessing someone at NBC thought the same. When "The David Letterman Show" was removed from the daytime schedule, one of the shows that replaced it was "Blockbusters".
What I like about the initial concept is the search for a “fresh face” to host the program. I wish they were doing that with Sajak’s replacement but instead, Seacrest has to insert himself into everything.
That's because Merv Griffin is dead. If he were still alive there's no way seacrest would get the gig.
Ryan Seacrest was the host of Click, the last game show Merv Griffin created and premiered during his lifetime. I highly doubt Merv would snub Ryan if the former were still alive.
@@joshandallo2170 Oh, I never heard of that show. I stand corrected
Unfortunately, that’s the same problem “American Top 40” has had on the radio-Seacrest as the successor to Casey Kasem. Granted, the overall quality of the music has plummeted over the years. But, at least Casey was able to tell the stories behind some of the songs to keep the program interesting. All Seacrest wants to do is push audio excrement to the top of the hit parade. And we’re supposed to think that the payola scandal ended decades ago! It seems to me that Seacrest has the proverbial Midas touch in reverse-whatever he touches turns to mold.
That's funny.
Seacrest couldn't insert himself into Wheel of Fortune. Sony has to hire him. If they don't want him, there's not a thing he can do about it.
It is so impressive that Vanna got the job without an agent or a manager.
Absolutely. She found out about the audition because she was friends with actress Janet Jones, who had an agent and got an audition call but she wasn’t interested.
Great job on this. Such history of the great show most people don’t know. I am 59 and remember Chuck’s version. I will sure miss Pat! Not going to be the same. I like Ryan and will give him a chance. Time will tell.
[Thank You] VERY much.. Now I have the 'Ace of Base' song Wheel of Fortune stuck in my head for the night. lol
I'm from the UK so we didn't get WoF until MUCH later than the US. And it never felt as good without Vanna White. (The UK version. The US one didn't air in the UK that I'm aware of.) I put many many many hours into the US SNES game 'Wheel of Fortune' back when that console ruled the roost. Loved every second of it. And still go back to it even now for a bit of nostalgia.
Fantastic video. So a genuine [Thank You] for that.
Even as a kid I thought buying the prizes with the fake money they won was a joke....the winners had to pay income tax without winning any cash!
Thank you so much. I learned something new about a game show I've been watching since I was eight years old.
I remember Chuck & Susan. I always thought most of the items they had to buy were a lot of stupid prizes.
I’m gonna miss pat so much! The wheel won’t be the same without Pat!
Wheel succeeded in early evening syndication because it was a stress free simple mind exercise for people to unwind with after a hectic day.
Jeopardy, by contrast, fired up the viewer’s intellect and competitive juices.
My father had a law degree, had worked as a journalist, and was a published author, and he preferred relaxing with the Wheel to putting his considerable knowledge to the test with Jeopardy.
Excellent. I have so many memories of the ludicrous prizes. In Game Show Network's early years this was a call in trivia question (Who hosted before Pat Sajack?) and I called in and won a T-Shirt "live" on air.
I remember watching WOF in college back in the 70s when Woolery and Stafford were the hosts. They were quite touchy-feely at show's end, arm-in-arm and hugging. Sajak and White were the total opposite. There was far less physical contact. Vanna is actually my age! She's three months younger than me.
The Wheel of Fortune concept was stolen from a 1967 Elvis Presley movie (Easy Come, Easy Go) where he played a navy frogman. His buddy (Pat Harrington, later Schneider of One Day at a Time) unveiled the wheel he made that would aid in partying with hot babes. Years later, Merv Griffin would try to claim that his wife came up with the idea, but no - the writer of that original Elvis film was the real genius behind it.
PLEASE KEEP UP THE FANTASTIC WORK ❤❤❤❤❤😊😊😊
Great video. Very interesting. From one Gen X er (born 1970) to another. Thank you
"Now that's a cute little number; I haven't seen that one before." 😂🤣😂
😂😂 loved that clip.
Some facts about Vanna White
1) She said in an interview that she did pose for Playboy and was afraid that she would not get the job if someone saw her layout
2) She recently said that she has not received a raise in approximately 15 years
3) She was in the final episode of season 6 of Married With Children. Her character was still totally in love with Al from their High School years.
4) She was once a contestant on The Price is Right
5) She had a cameo with "Weird Al" Yankovic in the iconic slap-stick movie The Naked Gun 33 1/3 The Final Insult
6) Weird Al wrote an original song on his album Even Worse titled "Stuck in a Closet with Vanna White.
Please don't ask me why I know all this. As for the facts regarding Vanna with Weird Al, I am just a huge fan of Al.
Did anyone else notice that the theme song for the opening segment of the Shopper’s Bazaar pilot was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang..?
Yes! That was so random. I considered mentioning some of the music in each version because a lot was so iconic. But there was so much of it that I decided to just drop it completely.
@@mysocalledgenxlife The Price Is Right, in my book, had some of the finest music composed and recorded for a game show, in the timeframe of 1972 to 1983. Smart choice that Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions made choosing Score Productions, Inc. to produce and record the music cue packages for the show. I've got a petition running to get it all officially released to a compact disc box set.
Funny, just watched this and realized I was humming Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and and backed up the video, then watched the rest and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was a later puzzle answer!
I couldn't help myself from saying, "That's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!"
Isn't it beyond ironic that the original WOF replaced the original Jeopardy, all things considered?
Personally, I can't imagine growing up in the 80's & 90's without Pat Sajax & Vanna White. To me, they are a big part of Wheel of Fortunes success. I remember Pat & Vanna making me laugh each and every week, along with their antic practical prank jokes. The chemistry between Vanna & Pat was unbeatable. They're both down to earth & they both come from humble beginnings. Thank you Pat for 41 seasons of love, laughter and unconditional fun. My life is better for having you & Vanna in it. I Love You Pat & I'm going to miss you dearly. ❤❤❤❤
Thanks for this. As a child, I remember Chuck and Susan. I remember when I, a first grader, first saw Pat, I was wondering who this guy was and where was Chuck? It's also funny that while Vicki was great on the eyes, and Pat & Vicki may have had better personal chemistry, Pat and Vanna had better chemistry overall. Merv made the right choice.
Vicki?
I remember Vanna White as a contestant on The Price is Right.
Thank you for this! Watching after hearing about Chuck Woolery having been the first host.
Thanks Pat for all the joy you brought to viewers...enjoy retirement.😊😊
I grew up with Chuck on our tv. He was fun.
There was an episode on Fox's Greed where Chuck gave a question on what show he didn't host.
Unfortunately, they picked Wheel of Fortune and you can see the frustration by Chuck himself.
Omg…I actually read about this in my research and meant to add that clip…but then didn’t do it! I had planned a section about where chuck and Susan are now, but I didn’t record it. Dang it! Thanks so much for your comment 😊
@@mysocalledgenxlife I paused the video to watch the Greed clip. Talk about irony I guess.
@higgy04 It's gets better. I believe there's a Greed college special where the contestant had to pick the game show version of hangman.
The captain shouted, "Give me Wheel of Fortune, Pat!"
And Chuck, trying to keep composure, knew what he was up to.
Wheel of fortune...always loved to try to solve the puzzle❤❤❤❤
Thanks for making this video..
I remember when Chuck Woolery was host. Too young to remember Shopper's Bazaar. I watched Wheel of Fortune heavily in the late 80's. One time, there was a final puzzle where I guessed it correctly before any letters were turned. Just once. I do remember noticing back then that during the final puzzle where the final contestant picks the letters, the same letters were basically picked by the contestants every episode. It was eventually changed where they automatically give those very same letters. Not sure when that change happened as I stopped watching decades ago now.
I don't remember Shoppers Bazaar either
Shopper's Bazaar was only the pilot for the show. The concept was improved and renamed as Wheel of Fortune.
Oh wow! Edd Byrnes was Vince Fontaine in Grease. I heard the voice and it was so familiar
Excellent video on one of my favorite shows. Thanks for your great work! Okay, bye. 😂
This is excellent, thank you!
I used to shout at the contestants who clearly knew the puzzles but would waste their money buying up all the vowels just for the sake of filling in all the letters!!!
And the theme from
“Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”
on Shopper’s Bizzare😂
I remember being at my parents one night. Of course they were watching Wheel. To my surprise one of the contestants was a former neighbor . He did alright . Won a car.
I don't recall hearing of anyone I knew being on a game show (although as a professor one or more of my students had to have been on one as I probably had over 10,000 students in my tenure) but I did know someone that appeared on Montel Williams' talk show many years ago (I won't embarrass the person by mentioning his/her name or the subject matter of the episode). I would rather had been on Jerry Springer but I guess Montel is a decent consolation prize for the person I knew.
i remember everyone having to buy the ceramic dalmation when their shopping money ran low lol
At 16:38 - Pat Sajak was a radio DJ and TV weatherman from NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE. I listened to him on 650 WSM-AM radio and watched him do the weather on WSMV-TV in NASHVILLE!! He came to Nashville from Kentucky and left Nashville for California for Wheel of Fortune and then the late-night TV talk show with his WSMV-TV news anchor Dan Miller, and back to Wheel.
I never knew we almost had Edd "Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb)" Byrnes as host.
I used to like it when they purchased the items.
I always liked when contestants took the remaining balance on account instead of a gift certificate.
@mysocalledgenxlife
Natalie, wonderful presentation. You're correct, the show's producers really do want the public to forget how about the show's first decade.
Whoa. I had no idea that the catch phrase "...because once you buy a prize, it's yours to keep" has been locked in the recesses of my memory for 40+ years. 9:40
That’s exactly why I included that clip!
Amazing step back in time. Thank you for this video.
OMG One year younger than you just for reference. What an interesting video!
Even in Malaysia, we had a licensed show from NBC called Roda Impian (Dream Wheel), which aired from the mid-90s until 2009. We also had the original Wheel of Fortune before that, and I learned a lot from that show. Knowing that Pat is leaving makes me shed a tear... Thank you, Pat and Vanna.
12:14 This theme was written by Alan Thicke
I remember Pat Sajack and Vanna White the most. As far as the early 80s is concerned. My mom used to watch Wheel of Fortune. When she made dinner, she would always have it on Wheel of Fortune.
That was great! Thanks for the memories.
Actually, Vanna White was a contestant on, The Price Is Right!! That's how she got in.😅
YES! That video is on RUclips and Bob Barker was very condescending to her
I'm here for Dalmatian statue!
I just discovered your channel earlier today. I'm a Xennial (born 1982) so I can relate to both Gen X and the elder Millennials. I like your channel a lot! You should do something on the OG true crime show - Unsolved Mysteries.
I’m so glad you found me! Us Xennials are a special group. Our life experience is insanely unique. I like your idea for Unsolved Mysteries! I will put it on my topic list.
Now I know what to call myself! Born in 84 and always identified with gen x more.
Chuck and Susan walked so that Pat and Vanna could run.
I did watch Chuck & Susan when I was at least 2 & 3 years old. Ive watched Pat & Vanna from 4 years old until now. I loved wheel of fortune so much I even had the home game
Oh hell, not Ed "Kooky" Burns! Kooky, Kooky, lend me your comb 😂
Subscribed. Thank you!
Loved Vanna but they went from an animated speaking female hostess to quiet Vanna just standing around looking pretty.
Vanna's "spin" after walking onstage was much better than Susan's in my opinion 🤭
"We'll be back in two and two"
That's the FIRST thing I hear in my head any time I hear Chuck's name -- thanks for making me smile !
@@dianeatpeace337 Yep! Me too! 😁
OMG. The theme for “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”.
Love this. Great job.
I didn't think I'd be into this video but I was wrong. Excellent editing and narration. Even though I never really watched the show, with the exception of the South Park version, I'm glad I watched the history of it
Vanna White was a contestant on The Price is Right in 1980. She didn't win anything on TPIR. Bob Barker jokingly asked, "Whatever happened to Vanna White?"
(I was born in 79 to give an idea of the time frame). My father's parents religiously watched Wheel Of Fortune. When I'd be over, I'd sit next to my grandmum on a foot stool. 😆 It was truly a sight to see, total product of the 60s or 70s. In 2018, I found the same stool at an antique store. I cried and told the tale to my husband. He immediately purchased it. It sits next to the recliner in the living room, just like my grandmum's setup. 😊