How to Become a Fan of the Press Your Luck TV Game Show. If you've never watched the game show called Press Your Luck, you don't know what you're missing. This article will explain how to become a fan of this show. Watch several Press Your.
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The Whammy is a fictional character from the 1980s game show and its 2002 GSN remake Whammy!: The All-New Press Your Luck that would usually steal cash and prizes from unlucky contestants after landing on a wrong square. Contestants who hit four Whammies will be eliminated for the rest of the game. Contestants who would hit a Double Whammy in round 3 of Whammy! not only lose their money and prizes, but said Whammy does real things to you. If you hit a Whammy while taking the spins passed by somebody else (but did not hit a fourth Whammy), those spins end up in your earned column.When a player lands on a Whammy, a foghorn-like sound will play on Press Your Luck (during the pilot, a “BOING!” sounded when a contestant landed on a Whammy); a timpani boom would be heard on Whammy!, with a more ominous downward note when hitting a Double Whammy. An animation will play in front of the contestant.
In the pilot, there was only one where the Whammy came in laughing and jumping, using his hammer to wipe out the contestant's money. After the animation, a Whammy marker will pop up in front of the player with a 'BOING!' Sound (during the Whammy! Pilot, it instead had light up indicators on the side of their scoreboard rather than the Whammy marker popping up).Early in the 1980s series, especially in 1983, due to the limited number of Whammy animations used during that period, some Whammy animations were shown more than once on a single episode.
At least one episode in 1983 had a certain Whammy animation shown three times! Duplication of Whammy animation appearances became less prevalent sometime in 1984 due to the broader variety of animations.A former staffer who worked on series from 1983 to 1986 did mention that when contestants hit a Whammy with zero dollars, or a very low total, a quick Whammy animation would be played, whereas a larger amount being lost would mean a longer Whammy animation. There is also speculation that quicker Whammy animations may have been used despite a large amount being lost because of a prolonged round due to a lot of spins being used; and longer Whammy animations may have been shown regardless of the total if the total number of spins earned for a round was quite low - this may have been done as a time-filler.According to a now defunct PYL fan-page, the animator (Savage Steve Holland) did the animations on a laser pen. He was paid $10 for each frame.During the 1980s series, on some occasions, a Whammy animation would be played as a 'callback' to a question about a specific person or thing asked in the most recent question round (i.e. The Bicycle Whammy being played in response to a question about bicycles; the Ben Franklin Whammy being played in response to a question about Benjamin Franklin; and the Beatles Whammy in response to a question about The Beatles or the Volkswagen Beetle) - this was most likely intentional on the show's part.During most of the 1980s series, the Whammy was known for having a high-pitched voice, but by June 1986, the final set of new Whammy animations that were launched had the Whammy speaking in a lower-pitched voice. Some speculated that the lower-pitched voice may be due to the Whammy's voice actor, Bill Carruthers, getting up there in age (he was 55 years old at that time). The same lower-pitched voice was heard in the Whammy board meeting skit seen after some episodes in Republic Pictures' syndication package of 1985 episodes in the late-1980s.
Contents Animations In Press Your Luck Quick Whammy AnimationsThese Whammy animations are usually used when a player hits a Whammy with $0 or a very minimal score.Ali Baba Whammy: This Whammy was only seen for some months in 1984. A whammy comes in on a flying carpet, saying '1,001 pardons for taking your money', then falls off and the carpet flies away. At least the Whammy apologized.Boxing Whammy: The Whammy came ready to fight.
He's in trunks and boxing gloves punching away while yelling, 'I'm ready! Bring on Rocky! Bring on Rocky! However, a giant boxing glove with a spring sends him plunging back accompanied by the sound of the boxing ring bell. Guess he wasn't ready.:-)Pogo Stick Whammy: The first Whammy animation shown on CBS he bounces up and down on a pogo stick many times, laughing evilly, then disappearing in a puff of smoke accompanied by the word WHAM!Whammy walking Fang: The Whammy's yellow dog, Fang, made his 1st appearance on the 1st episode.
Whammy walked the chomping dog saying, 'Get 'em Fang. Get 'em, get 'em Fang.
Get 'em, sick 'em, sick 'em.' Laughing all the way off screen, the Whammy was originally - but rarely - heard saying 'No! Help, he's got me! He's got me!' There were two versions of this Whammy animation:. Version 1.0 was a smaller size and used until sometime in 1984. Version 2.0 had enlarged frames and first appeared sometime late in 1984 or early 1985.Jackhammer Whammy: One of the most commonly seen animations in the series, he has a heart tattoo on his shoulder as he operates a jackhammer moving from left to right, eliminating the player's total digit by digit, uttering 'Yes!
Then laughing multiple times as he heads off screen.Whammy on Surfboard: The Whammy, in swimming trunks on a surfboard, rides a wave which falls by the time it reaches the end of the screen. There were. Version 1.0 had the original dialogue 'Surf's up! I got your money! It's a wipeout!' And was used until sometime early in 1984. Version 2.0 had updated dialogue 'Surf's up!
I'm in the curl and I got your money! Ha ha ha ha ha!' Which was used for a short period in 1984 before reverting back to Version 1.0 by May 1984 and was used from that point onward.Roller Skating Whammy: The Whammy loses control on his roller skates, saying 'Look out! , then falls and lands on his back, and slid off screen with dead X's in his eyes, and the score is wiped out completely as he thuds.Skateboarding Whammy: The Whammy comes speeding in out of control on a skateboard laughing. He fails to see the smiling tree in front of him, and he crashes into it to the sound of crashing and birdies.Jumping Whammy: The Whammy appears out of nowhere in a WHAM! Cloud, jumps up and down multiple times, then pulls a disappearing act, along with the player's score.Whammy in UFO: The Whammy comes flying in, then gets zapped and rises out of sight.
This Whammy animation was shown when Michael Larson hit his only Whammy during his run on his very first spin.Native American Whammy: The Whammy is dressed as a Native American, paddling across the water on a canoe, trying to speak like the NA's. Midway across the water, the canoe springs a leak and capsizes with the Whammy. Overall, the Whammy's impersonation through the whole thing sounds like this: 'Mo-ney mo-ney, aye yi yi yi, mo-ney mo-ney, oh no.' You get the picture.Credit Card Whammy: A Whammy, donned in a grey business suit, holds an 'American Excess' credit card, using the slogan 'Hello, do you know me?'
'WHAMMY' is typed onto the card and then a cash register sound was heard, the exact moment where the contestant's score is deleted.NOTE: In late-1985, American Express company filed a lawsuit against the show for using the company's likeliness without their consent, thus prompting the animation to be dropped, and the flashback intros with said animation be edited out for future first-run broadcasts. The animation was last shown sometime in January 1986.Basketball Player Whammy: A slim Whammy moves across the screen dribbling a basketball, saying 'Look out', name-dropping Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird, then once off screen, though, the sound of him crashing into the lockers was heard.Whammy on Skis: A buggy-eyed Whammy comes flying in on skis, laughing while saying 'woo hoo' multiple times (Presumably, he came off a ski jump.), then failed to see the snowman in his path, though. And the snowman wasn't too thrilled about it, either. This was an early Whammy animation, as can be told by the giant ugly eyes and smile the whammy has.Whammy operating Snowblower: Whammy pushes a snowblower coming in, then slips and falls on some ice and causing the snowblower to be set free, and a pile of snow falls falls from the sky onto him. This may be a callback to the Lawn Mower Whammy, one of the original animations seen in the series.Tarzan Whammy: The Whammy, dressed in loincloth, swings on a vine and yells like Tarzan as the score is erased digit by digit, then after flying across the screen, however, he hits an elephant who is none too happy.George Washington Whammy on Dollar Bill: See Celebrity Whammies section.Whammy Cheerleaders: 2 Whammies, female and male, are leading the cheers of the football crowd. The Whammies cheer together, 'Give me a W-H-A!
Give me an M-M-Y!' However, the megaphone that the female Whammy is carrying slams on the male one's head when they say 'Y!'
This causes his voice to echo 'Y.Y.Y.' Whammy Court Judge: The Whammy, dressed in his black robe, pounds his gavel twice, saying 'Order! I sentence you to poverty!' Then on his ultimate pound of the gavel, the judge's podium collapses, revealing that the Whammy is in his underwear with red polka dots. He sighs.Longer Whammy animationsUsually shown when a player loses a higher amount.Whammy as Football Quarterback: Whammy runs down a field, eager to receive a football, uttering 'I'm open!
Throw me the bomb! Throw me the.' And literally he gets thrown a bomb, which blows up as he can only mutter an 'Oh no.' Talk about a flag on the play!NOTE: This Whammy animation was used when a contestant hit his fourth Whammy in a January 1986 episode, instead of the usual Whammy-out animation.
This marked the only post-September 14, 1984 episode this anamoly occurred.Airplane Pilot Whammy: The Whammy takes a nose dive in a WW1 biplane while shooting and laughing like crazy, then crashes off-screen with a WHAM! Smoke cloud, wiping out the player's score. This animation was usually played when a contestant utters the words 'One more time!' Peter was once heard in an outtake early in the show's run saying 'Duck! Better duck, Dave.' When this animation showed up.NOTE: A one-time only second version was used in early in May 1984, only instead of the nose dive, the plane is seen traveling from left to right, bobbing up and down, positioned horizontally, then crashing off-screen.Doctor Whammy: One of the final set of new Whammy animations of the series.
The Whammy asked the player to read what's on the eye chart. It says 'U LOSE'. Then the Whammy pulls the string and gets caught in the chart and rolled up with it.Baseball Player Whammy: The Whammy is up to bat waiting on the pitch. While waiting, he taunts the pitcher.
Normally, you heard, 'Gimme everything you got or I'll knock it out of the park.' Occasionally, you heard an extended version where he said, 'Gimme a fastball. Gimme a screwball.
Gimme a knuckleball. Gimme everything you got or I'll knock it out of the park.' Either way, the result is the same. The pitch comes rocketing in, pounds the Whammy in the stomach, and sends him flying.Whammy with Dynamite: The Whammy is set to activate a detonator, saying 'Hee hee hee, this ought do it!' Then upon the blast, the player's score is wiped out, and the Whammy's red skin has apparently dissolved. Early in the series, the animation frames would continue through the end of the audio, but by sometime in 1984 (definitely by May 23, 1984), the animation disappeared prematurely before the Whammy starts to say 'Oh no.
Sherlock Holmes Whammy: The detective, accompanied by Fang, holds a magnifying glass to his eye, saying 'elementary, my dear Fang' and declares 'it was greed that got 'em', as if the player wanted more money and lost it all.Whammy with Big Buck: A whammy is apparently tired of players chanting 'Big Bucks', and claims 'All I hear is Big Bucks, Big Bucks!' And confirmed 'I got your Big Buck!'
, which is actually a buck deer on a leash, which snorted as the Whammy laughed, then walked off screen.Whammy with Firecracker: One of the final four new Whammy animations of the series, the Whammy is seen driving a funny but small car to circus music while holding a firecracker. The Whammy then places the firecracker on the ground, uttering the four words 'Fire in the hole!' . The car stalls, and in a matter of seconds, the firecracker is detonated and the Whammy is killed along with the car.Movie Star Whammy: The Whammy is sitting in a director's chair with his name on it. Looking over it to the screen, he says, 'Now that I'm a star, I need makeup. As he calls for makeup, a giant powder puff comes flying in, smacking him in the face.Whammy Cat Chase: A cat runs across screen while trying to escape from an aggressive Fang, and Whammy is holding Fang on his leash telling the dog 'Hold it, Fang, hold it! Don't forget the money!'
Whammy Riding Bicycle: The Whammy was showing off with his hands in the air while pedaling a bicycle, saying 'Look, ma! No hands and no bucks!' Unfortunately, the bike must've hit something because he starts to wheelie out of control. He crashes off screen, and afterward, he would say, 'Whoops.'
Whammy operating Lawn Mower: The Whammy must think the money is grass, because he comes in with his lawnmower and mows it away laughing while the player's total is erased digit by digit (though the total was reset to $0 during the first few episodes). One occurrence of said animation in the first couple of weeks of the series experienced chroma-key problems and the Whammy appeared to be pushing an 'invisible' lawn mower.Magician Whammy: The Whammy, wearing a top hat and magician's jacket, appears with a 'WHAM!' Smoke cloud, and places a giant red cape over the contestant's score, which is erased while it's covered. Thus, when he pulls the cape back, the scoreboard is blank. Then the Whammy himself disappears in a 'WHAM!' Smoke cloud, laughing.
The history of game shows dates back to the invention of television as a medium. The first regularly airing television show, according to the Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows, was, which premiered July 2, 1941.In the 1940s and 1950s, a variety of games appeared on various networks, including ABC, CBS, Dumont, and NBC. The 1950s saw the development of panel shows, such as. However, the biggest development of the 1950s was the creation of the big money show. Shows such as and were pioneers in that field, giving away more money then ever before imagined. The big money drew high ratings for such shows, and by the late 1950s, many big money shows were on the air.However, the edifice began to crash, as allegations arose that the big money shows produced by and were scripted, and that contestants were being fed the answers (and in some extreme cases, told exactly how to act). A contestant on had mailed herself a notebook with all the questions of a future game.
On Twenty One, a disgruntled Herb Stempel claimed that he was told to lose to Charles Van Doren. When the allegations proved true, the public lost confidence in game shows, and the genre almost became extinct.
However, there were several results of the scandals. First, it became a federal crime to rig a game show. Second, many networks began having Standards and Practices monitor all the action on the stage nonstop, to ensure that no cheating could possibly occur. Finally, many networks established low winnings limits for contestants, the theory being that no producer would want to rig such a low-stakes show.In the 1960s, many venerable shows aired. The long-running premiered in 1961, and, which had premiered in 1958, ran through the 1960s, only finally leaving NBC daytime in 1973 after a then-record 15 consecutive years of airing. With premiered in 1964, and has become a staple of television since its revivals in 1978 and then again in 1984 with current host; with spin-offs including (also hosted by ), with, with future host, and with sportscaster.The 1970s saw game shows being played for significantly higher stakes than before. Previously, players could expect to win a couple hundred dollars on shows like.
The premieres of, where $10,000 was up for grabs twice each show, and, where $5,000 could be won by simply matching a celebrity, caused the inflation of almost all game show payouts. The payouts would increase again in the late 1970s to partially combat the rampant inflation of those years.(now known as The Price Is Right) began airing on September 4, 1972, and holds the record for the longest continuously airing national game show in the United States, now in its 44th season. Premiered January 6, 1975, and has been on the air, first-run in some form ever since.In the 1980s, cable channels began to air game shows. Shows like (1981 Playboy), (1982 TBS), and (1983 TNN) were pioneer game shows on cable television. However, the most groundbreaking cable game show was Nickelodeon's.
After the show's 1986 premiere, Nickelodeon's ratings skyrocketed, and the show was credited with putting the network on the map.The early 1990s saw the end of daytime network game shows (except for The Price Is Right). ABC's last daytime show was, while was the last NBC daytime game show. The death of the daytime game show is credited to affiliates preferring syndicated programming, such as talk shows (which were at the apex of their popularity in the mid 90s).However, the 1990s on cable television was marked by a swarm of game shows, especially ones for children. Following the success of Double Dare, Nickelodeon continued to create new game shows, culminating in acclaimed and well-known series such as. Other channels then followed suit, including PBS, with, the Family Channel, with. The craze even spread to syndication and networks, with shows such as (1996 CBS), (1997 syndication), and (1997 syndication) gracing the airwaves.By the late 1990s, game shows had a greater place in television, especially on cable.
The, which launched on December 1, 1994, was airing classic series as well as some original, interactive shows. Shows like and became staples for Lifetime (and then PAX). Was an Emmy award-winning show for Comedy Central. ESPN, which had previously gotten into the game show business with shows such as their own version of, got back into the business with. Even Discovery Channel got into the cable game show business with, the first mobile game show; Spike TV soon followed with.In August 1999, the premiere of became a sensation that revived the big money show. The show's success inspired other networks to produce clone shows, such as, (FOX), (CBS), and a revival of (NBC). However, in the early 2000s, over-airing of Millionaire led to low ratings and the show's cancellation from ABC.
(The show has since performed well in syndication.)By the mid 2000s, game shows were in a decline similar to the decline in the mid 1990s. However, the December 2005 premiere of saw the return of big money shows to primetime. Deal or No Deal was then followed by a multitude of big money shows, including, and, a revival of the classic game show.Today, game shows show significant promise. Many new shows are premiering in syndication, in primetime, and on Game Show Network. Even if game shows fall out of popularity, it is clear that they will never completely fade away.Home Viewer Contests.
The Phone Home GameThe Phone Home Game was a special pricing game where the contestant played along with a home viewer who played the game via telephone.Seven products were shown and the phone player gave the price of one of them (from a list), without telling the studio contestant what the product is. In a rare case that this infraction occurs, the turn was dead. In a legal turn, the studio contestant picked the product s/he thought was worth that price.
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A correct answer won a cash award next to the product, but an incorrect answer won nothing for that turn and both the correct and incorrect products were removed.All money won in this game was shared between both the home & studio contestants. The maximum grand total was $15,000.Press Your Luck (Home Player Spin)On three months during the series (20 shows on the first two months & 25 on the third), home viewers got a chance to get in on the fun by playing along with the in-studio contestants. In the weeks prior to the home player month, viewers sent in postcards to the show in hopes to win big bucks or prizes for themselves.On the months the home player shows took place, during round two, all three contestants playing that day drew postcards from the home viewers who sent them in. One of the spins in that round will become the home player spin, the numbered spin was shown to the home viewers only.
When that spin occurred, the player playing that spin read the name of the card he/she drew and whoever it was, that contestant would be spinning for that viewer. Whatever the contestant in control hit on the board was what the home player won; if the contestant hit a Whammy, that player will lose all his/her money as usual (and also be eliminated from the game upon hitting his/her 4th Whammy), but the home viewer still received $500 courtesy of the Whammy and cash amounts plus one spin awarded the home player money only while the contestant got the money and the spin.
At the end of the show, the two contestants read off the names of the home players who didn't get to play the lucky spin that day and, as a consolation prize, those home viewers received Whammy T-shirts.Only once, somebody hit $5,000 + One Spin on a home player spin. It was won by Mrs.
Jessie Greene of East Cleveland, Ohio, and that was on the last home player month.At the end of the final contest, there was a giant Home Sweepstakes Spin, where the board was filled with hundreds of thousands of dollars in cold hard cash (no whammies, prizes or extra spins). All postcards from all periods were mixed into a bowl, and the day's winner drew one of those cards. That player was the winner of the spin, and the champ took one spin at the board, and whatever cash amount was hit was multiplied by the accumulated spin total in round 2. This made possible winnings $100,000 ($5,000 x 20 spins). On that day, Ed Kolzak of Portage, IN, one of the home players who didn't get the lucky spin that day, was chosen to play.
The number of spins earned in that day's rounds 2 was 18 spins. Jon Isean, the day's winner hit $2,000 on the board, giving Ed a grand total of $36,000.The 1-900 CrazeIn the late 80s and early 90s, the 1-900 phenomenon was all-the-rage and game shows were no exception. These mostly feature an opportunity to play along with their favorite shows on their touch-tone phone at home twenty four hours a day, seven days a week in order to win valuable prizes like U.S. Savings Bonds or a $500 daily cash prize.
In addition, the commercials features the host from the said show like:, and (for example), promoting the game for people at home to play. Some of the games were mostly a dollar a minute (while some others add extra for each additional minute) and you must be at least 18 years or older to play.
The lists of shows that had their own 1-900 game at the time includes:, and.Celebrating 75 Years of the TV Game Show (2016)In 2016, a television network called is 'Celebrating 75 Years of the TV Game Show' by adding new episodes of favorable classic game shows, additional promotions and special marathons for the network all year long.
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