"The Joker's Wild" Game Show Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1972

The original pilot for "The Joker's Wild" was taped in 1969, with Allen Ludden of "Password" fame as the host. The original format had both civilian contestants and celebrities involved in gameplay. By the time the show debuted on September 4, 1972, with producer Jack Barry as the host, it was completely reworked into the game "Joker" purists are familiar with. Ironically, "Joker" debuted the same day that "The Price Is Right" returned to television.

Answer: $500

The categories on "The Joker's Wild" covered a wide variety of topics, including history, entertainment and sports. If a contestant spun three different categories on the giant slot machine, a question from the category selected would be worth $50. Getting a Joker or two cards with the same category doubled the amount to $100. Getting a category card and two Jokers meant the question was worth $200.

Answer: A player who hit the Devil got to keep half of the money they had already earned

The winner of the main game got to play "Face the Devil" to win a package of prizes, usually comprised of housewares, luggage, and a vacation. The three machine windows had dollar amounts and devils in them. Spinning a total $1,000 without hitting the Devil over multiple spins, or a natural triple (three cards of the same dollar amount) on a single spin, meant victory.

A date with the Devil, though, and everything earned up to that point was lost. The Devil, by the way, bears a striking resemblance to Jack Barry.

Answer: A new car

The new car rule wasn't just in effect on "The Joker's Wild". Its equally popular sister show, "Tic Tac Dough", also gave away cars to five-time undefeated champions. There was no limit as to how many cars a player could win.

Answer: Answering a question in a category not available on the game board

In the main game, spinning a Joker in one or more of the board windows allowed a contestant to select a question from a category not in play during that particular game. The question would only be worth half the value, though, of a question from a category already in play.

Answer: Dan Enright

During the quiz show scandals of the 1950s, Dan Enright was singled out for feeding questions to contestants on the popular quiz show "Twenty-One", which Barry hosted. After the scandals, Barry was out of game shows, while Enright went to work for the Screen Gems division of Columbia Pictures to develop other game shows overseas.

Answer: True

The success of several kid-themed stints of "The Joker's Wild" prompted Barry and Enright to create "Joker! Joker! Joker!", which was typically seen on the weekends. Barry also hosted this show, with longtime "Let's Make A Deal" announcer Jay Stewart on board.

Answer: Jim Peck

A versatile and durable personality, Jim Peck is best known for falling down the stairs as he made his way onto the set of another classic game show, "The Big Showdown". Peck served as a substitute host during Barry's last two years on "Joker", and had Jack's blessing to be the new host.

But executive producer Dan Enright decided to bring on the aging but better-known Bill Cullen, a move that many "Joker" fans saw as a shark-jumping move. Cullen remained until the show was canceled in 1986, but Peck was still used as a substitute host during that time.

Answer: Pat Finn

A radio talk show host and TV weatherman who grew up in Pennsylvania, Pat Finn is better known for hosting the Lifetime/Family Channel game show "Shop Till You Drop". Many "Joker" purists believe that Finn's work on the show, and the updated format of the main and bonus games, contributed to a major shark-jump for this classic series.

The other three men listed here also hosted game shows. Al DuBois presided over "Bumper Stumpers", a word puzzle game seen on USA Network in the 1980s; Art James was an announcer and host of numerous quizzers, including "Catch Phrase" and "Concentration"; and Joe Farago took over from the venerable Gene Rayburn as host of the 1980s incarnation of "Break the Bank".

Answer: A cash jackpot was awarded for a natural triple in the main game

"Joker" purists still cringe when this incarnation of the game is mentioned, and not just because of its host. There were numerous changes in gameplay, obstensibly designed to make the game more exciting to attract new viewers. Even when more classic elements were added later in the run, it was too late to stem the tide of disaster. "The Joker's Wild" and a new incarnation of "Tic Tac Dough" left the air after only one season.

"The Joker's Wild" does live on, however, on the great website FlashGames2 (http://www.flashgameshows.com/). On the site is the "Face the Devil" bonus game, faithfully recreated with graphics and sound effects from the first syndicated version of the series.

A number of sources were used for this quiz, including "The Encyclopedia of Game Shows" (Schwartz, Ryan and Wostbrock), "Total Television" (Alex McNeil), TVTome.com and the Internet Movie Database.