A Kin to Win
Encyclopedia
A Kin to Win was a Canadian
television game show
initially produced in Montreal in 1961 then aired on the CTV network in 1962. Jimmy Tapp
was the programme's host.
, led by Nick Nicholson and E. Roger Muir
. Episodes were recorded in Montreal
in the studios of CTV affiliate CFCF-TV
at a cost of $2500 apiece.
in Cornwall, Ontario
.
Distribution through the full CTV network began from January 14, 1962 and continued until July 1962. Episodes were seen on weekday afternoons at varying times depending on the market (e.g. 1:30 p.m. in Toronto, 4:00 p.m. in Ottawa and Montreal). A weekly Sunday evening episode was also broadcast, typically at 7:30 p.m.
CTV did not renew the series for the 1962-1963 national schedule although episodes continued to be broadcast locally on CFCF-TV at least until May 1964.
According to Ross Bagwell, an NBC programme developer who worked on A Kin to Win, the series was a forerunner of the American-based game show Family Feud
.
, deemed the debut on CTV to be "boring, trite, badly paced, lacking in suspense and incredibly bland."
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
television game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
initially produced in Montreal in 1961 then aired on the CTV network in 1962. Jimmy Tapp
Jimmy Tapp
James Anthony "Jimmy" Tapp was a Canadian broadcaster.Born in Ottawa, Ontario, he began his career with closed-circuit radio broadcasts aboard the HMS Wasaga in World War II. He later became a radio announcer in Montreal. He went on to host a number of early CBC television shows, including...
was the programme's host.
Production
The series was produced by a Canadian subsidiary of NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, led by Nick Nicholson and E. Roger Muir
E. Roger Muir
E. Roger Muir was a television producer who created several television programs and game shows. He was the creator and executive producer of children's program The Howdy Doody Show which ran from 1947 until 1960....
. Episodes were recorded in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
in the studios of CTV affiliate CFCF-TV
CFCF-TV
CFCF-DT is a CTV-owned and operated station located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
at a cost of $2500 apiece.
Premise
Each round of the game consisted of a competition between two families. Fathers of each family acted as team leaders, coaching the other family members. Quiz questions were posed to the players. When answered correctly, they earned a symbol to be added to a square board. A family won after successfully placing four symbols in a row, receiving a designated Prize Chest and proceeding to a bonus prize round known as the Big Plus. The winning family proceeded to a new round, competing against another family.Broadcast
Initially, the series was broadcast locally in Montreal on CFCF-TV in the early evenings (6:00 p.m.) starting on October 2, 1961. The series was also broadcast on CJSS-TVCJSS-TV
CJSS-TV was a television station in Cornwall, Ontario. In operation from 1959 to 1963 as a private affiliate of CBC Television, the station was later converted to a rebroadcaster of Ottawa's CJOH-TV....
in Cornwall, Ontario
Cornwall, Ontario
Cornwall is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada and the seat of the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, Ontario. Cornwall is Ontario's easternmost city, located on the St...
.
Distribution through the full CTV network began from January 14, 1962 and continued until July 1962. Episodes were seen on weekday afternoons at varying times depending on the market (e.g. 1:30 p.m. in Toronto, 4:00 p.m. in Ottawa and Montreal). A weekly Sunday evening episode was also broadcast, typically at 7:30 p.m.
CTV did not renew the series for the 1962-1963 national schedule although episodes continued to be broadcast locally on CFCF-TV at least until May 1964.
According to Ross Bagwell, an NBC programme developer who worked on A Kin to Win, the series was a forerunner of the American-based game show Family Feud
Family Feud
Family Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
.
Reception
Jeremy Brown, television critic for the Toronto StarToronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
, deemed the debut on CTV to be "boring, trite, badly paced, lacking in suspense and incredibly bland."