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Concentration: Difference between revisions
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[[NBC]]'s longest-running daytime [[Game Show]] was created in the late 1950s by [[Jack Barry]], Dan Enright, Robert Noah and Buddy Piper, just before the quiz scandals broke. The ''Concentration'' format was simple: Two contestants took turns matching prizes on a board of 30 numbered panels, hoping to solve the underlying rebus puzzle. It ran almost 15 years, from August 25, 1958, to March 23, 1973.
Jack Barry was the original producer of ''Concentration'', as well as ''[[Twenty One]]'' and ''[[Tic
''Concentration'' was the last NBC show to go from monochrome to color (November 1966). Producer Norm Blumenthal agreed to the transition only on the condition that his puzzles remain in two-tone white against a gray background, feeling that color puzzles would give away clues too readily.
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** "Look at these two parts--what does the puzzle say?"
** "...is right!!" (upon a contestant correctly solving the puzzle)
** "Not a match. The board goes back." (now used by [[David Letterman]] in a [[Shout
** "Swell." (upon the matched squares showing no clues)
** "Stay with us. We'll be back in a moment." (mid-show break)
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* [[Catch Phrase|Catch Symbol]]: How many people would know what an awl is without ''Concentration''?
* [[Cats Are Mean]]: One common rebus symbol on ''Classic'' features the face of a very angry cat saying "Hisssssssssssss..."
* [[Christmas Special]]: During the original series, the annual Christmas game had two celebrities dressed as [[Santa Claus]] playing for CARE, the show's designated charity (who had also sent 30 native-costumed children from the countries it serviced). The game involved matching money amounts, typically ones like $66.66 and $99.99. Among the celebs who participated were {{spoiler|Mimi Hines}}, {{spoiler|her husband, Phil Ford}}, {{spoiler|Phyllis Diller}}, {{spoiler|[[The Tonight Show|Johnny Carson]]}}, {{spoiler|1=Ed McMahon}}, and {{spoiler|[[Jeopardy
** 1965: Only one Secret Santa this year (producer [[Word of God|Norm Blumenthal]] says {{spoiler|Hines}} and {{spoiler|Diller}} were the only female Santas), that being {{spoiler|[[Bill Cullen]] (who later appeared in 1971 to plug ''[[Three On a Match]]'')}}; he competed against {{spoiler|[[Betty White]]}}.
** 1968: For [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOKelYk7dD8 Downs' last Christmas show], the Santas were {{spoiler|Bob Clayton}} and {{spoiler|Victor Borge}}. Downs then made an announcement that {{spoiler|Clayton would be the show's new host}}.
** 1969: For [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0AEWlUCa_c Clayton's first Christmas show], the Santas were {{spoiler|Hugh Downs}} and {{spoiler|Joe Garagiola}}.
* [[Colour-Coded for Your Convenience]]: The Red and Green Takes. Yes, they both had to be the same color, or it was not a valid match.
* [[Cowboy Bebop
* [[Epic Fail]]: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYNCAcAmEbY This contestant] on ''Classic'' (August 25, 1987) failed to win the car despite having '''70 seconds''' to do so. {{spoiler|She didn't even make her first match until about 50 seconds in.}}
{{quote| '''Alex''': Next time out, ''seventy-five seconds''. [[Self-Deprecation|That's longer than my first marriage lasted.]]}}
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** ''The Rebus Game'' (ABC, 1965) had contestants drawing out clues to a phrase or person's name.
** ''Fractured Phrases'' (NBC, 1965) had phrases and names broken down phonetically into separate words much like ''Mad Gab''; for example, "Eat Spinner Lotto Phone" would translate into "It's Been a Lot of Fun").
** ''[[
* [[Girls
* [[Grand Finale]]: The original series ended, after 3,770 episodes, with a puzzle reading "YUV; {Bowling Pin}; M + {Oar}; TH + {Hen}; K + {Eye} + ND" (the solution being "You've Been More Than Kind"). [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDkeZCzdvok Clayton thanked the viewers for their loyalty, after which the credits rolled over a rendition of "Auld Lang Syne".]
** The telecast itself is up for viewing. Here's [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t03J96yhIpM&feature=related part one] (the resolution to the puzzle is missing) and here's [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCeEQy_wlh8&feature=BFp&list=WLF7D04FA3D45DF33C&index=1 part two.]
* [[Halloween Special]]: The original series had an annual Halloween episode, where Downs (later Clayton) and the contestants played in costume. This tradition continued on the Trebek version, but only for the contestants.
* [[Jerkass]]/[[Jerk
* [[Leitmotif]]: On the original show, a quick 5-second ditty is played as the prize slide doors (opened to introduce a new player) close.
* [[Long Runner]]: The original version ran for ''14 years and 7 months''.
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** Some rebuses on ''Classic'' included a woman in a fur coat to represent the syllable "fur". In at least one rebus, Steve Ryan attached a "fake" tag to the coat.
* [[Prop Recycling]]: ''Classic''s signature car holding staircase was redressed for a set in a special prime time episode/TV movie of the NBC [[Soap Opera]] ''[[Days of Our Lives]]'' while ''Classic'' was still in production, but on hiatis.
* [[Rearrange the Song]]: The [http://www.gameshowthemesongs.net/sounds/Concentration/CONCEND.mp3 1985-91 theme tune] was a rearrangement of the ticket-plug cue used on ''[[Body Language (TV series)|Body Language]]''.
** From 1969-73, the mid-show camera pan of the audience had Milton Kaye playing the standard "Puppet on a String". When Bob Clayton described the Chevrolet Nova awarded to the player calling two Wild Cards on the same turn, "See The U.S.A. In Your Chevrolet" was played.
* [[She's Got Legs]]: Daytime prize model Paola Diva, [http://wat.midco.net/jvipond/images/aloha.gif as seen here].
* [[Shout
* [[Took a Level In Jerkass]]: A number of ''Classic'' contestants, after having had taken a prize using the "Take!" matches or had a prize taken, would snipe at each other. What hath [[Jerry Springer]] wrought?
* [[Trans Atlantic Equivalent]]: Several.
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