Say When!! (game show)
Encyclopedia
Say When!! is an American game show
emceed by Art James
which aired on NBC
television from January 2, 1961 to March 26, 1965. The show was a Mark Goodson
-Bill Todman
production and James' only game show for them. Wayne Howell
was the announcer, and Ruth Halsey was a model. Carmen Mastren was the show's musical director, with the main theme and prize cues played live on two electric guitars.
The series aired live in black and white (switching to color in mid-1964) from NBC Studio 6A at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York.
The object for the players was to get closer to the goal than their opponent without going over. Once either came within $250 of the goal s/he could "say when" (freeze), forcing the other to continue play until s/he either beat the frozen total (and winning) or exceeded the goal (and losing).
One of the recurring prizes was the "Blank Check", which usually involved a grocery-related item. The contestant who chose it could select up to 100 times the product's individual cost. The individual price would then be revealed and multiplied, with its total then added to the contestant's score.
A best-of-three match was played to determine the champion, with players keeping all prizes won outright.
"Peter Pan
During one episode, James was doing a live commercial for Peter Pan
peanut butter
. The spot went normally until, as he had done several times during rehearsals for the spot, he dropped a table knife into the glass jar as he held it up; on this instance, however, the bottom of the jar broke and the knife fell out of the bottom.
James continued the spot to laughter from the audience, which held as the bottom part of the jar (now a fully visible circle) came "unglued" from the peanut butter. Shortly afterward, James finally lost his composure and stated that "it's great peanut butter – the jar is something else". Following the spot, he stated that "my mother told me there'd be days like this".
, the premiere (which may have also been the pilot, as it had been recorded on December 20, 1960) is the only regular episode in existence. The format was somewhat different, in that two games were played and the winners of those games competed head-to-head; the goal in each game was $2,000.
The Peter Pan incident also exists, as a clip running just under two minutes (the episode of origin is believed to have been destroyed). A portion of this footage was used on both NBC's Most Outrageous Game Show Moments and VH1's Game Show Moments Gone Bananas
; the full version is available for viewing on YouTube
.
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...
emceed by Art James
Art James
Art James was an American game show host, best known for shows such as The Who, What, or Where Game and Pay Cards!. He was also the announcer on the game show Concentration....
which aired on NBC
NBC
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...
television from January 2, 1961 to March 26, 1965. The show was a Mark Goodson
Mark Goodson
Mark Goodson was an American television producer who specialized in game shows.-Life and early career:...
-Bill Todman
Bill Todman
William S. "Bill" Todman was an American television producer born in New York City. He produced many of television's longest running shows with business partner Mark Goodson.-Early life:...
production and James' only game show for them. Wayne Howell
Wayne Howell
Wayne Clay Howell Chappelle , known professionally as Wayne Howell, was a voice-over announcer for the NBC television and radio networks from 1947 through 1986...
was the announcer, and Ruth Halsey was a model. Carmen Mastren was the show's musical director, with the main theme and prize cues played live on two electric guitars.
The series aired live in black and white (switching to color in mid-1964) from NBC Studio 6A at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York.
Game play
Two contestants, one a returning champion, competed. At the beginning of each game, a dollar goal was revealed and four prizes were displayed. The contestants then took turns picking one prize at a time (when a prize was picked, another prize replaced it). Once picked, the dollar value of the prize was added to the contestant's total.The object for the players was to get closer to the goal than their opponent without going over. Once either came within $250 of the goal s/he could "say when" (freeze), forcing the other to continue play until s/he either beat the frozen total (and winning) or exceeded the goal (and losing).
One of the recurring prizes was the "Blank Check", which usually involved a grocery-related item. The contestant who chose it could select up to 100 times the product's individual cost. The individual price would then be revealed and multiplied, with its total then added to the contestant's score.
A best-of-three match was played to determine the champion, with players keeping all prizes won outright.
"Peter PanPeter Pan (peanut butter)Peter Pan is a brand of peanut butter produced by ConAgra Foods and named after the J.M. Barrie character. The product was introduced by Swift & Company in 1920 under the name "E. K. Pond". The product was renamed in 1928...
" incident
During one episode, James was doing a live commercial for Peter PanPeter Pan (peanut butter)
Peter Pan is a brand of peanut butter produced by ConAgra Foods and named after the J.M. Barrie character. The product was introduced by Swift & Company in 1920 under the name "E. K. Pond". The product was renamed in 1928...
peanut butter
Peanut butter
Peanut butter is a food paste made primarily from ground dry roasted peanuts, popular in North America, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and parts of Asia, particularly the Philippines and Indonesia. It is mainly used as a sandwich spread, sometimes in combination as in the peanut butter and jelly...
. The spot went normally until, as he had done several times during rehearsals for the spot, he dropped a table knife into the glass jar as he held it up; on this instance, however, the bottom of the jar broke and the knife fell out of the bottom.
James continued the spot to laughter from the audience, which held as the bottom part of the jar (now a fully visible circle) came "unglued" from the peanut butter. Shortly afterward, James finally lost his composure and stated that "it's great peanut butter – the jar is something else". Following the spot, he stated that "my mother told me there'd be days like this".
Episode status
Due to wipingWiping
Wiping or junking is a colloquial term for action taken by radio and television production and broadcasting companies, in which old audiotapes, videotapes, and telerecordings , are erased, reused, or destroyed after several uses...
, the premiere (which may have also been the pilot, as it had been recorded on December 20, 1960) is the only regular episode in existence. The format was somewhat different, in that two games were played and the winners of those games competed head-to-head; the goal in each game was $2,000.
The Peter Pan incident also exists, as a clip running just under two minutes (the episode of origin is believed to have been destroyed). A portion of this footage was used on both NBC's Most Outrageous Game Show Moments and VH1's Game Show Moments Gone Bananas
Game Show Moments Gone Bananas
Game Show Moments Gone Bananas is a television series on VH1. The first of five hour-long episodes aired on May 21, 2005 with the last first-run episode airing on June 18. Each episode aired for the first time on Saturday mornings at 11:30 ET, but "officially" premiered at 10:00 PM that night.The...
; the full version is available for viewing on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.