Wheel of Fortune timeline (network)/1978

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January 1978

Sure it is, Wheel.

• Wheel does not air on January 2 due to the Tournament of Roses parade.
• The January 18 show (#785; Ed/Sharon/Tricia) is held by the Paley Center for Media. The first nine seconds are aired much later on the ceremonial 3,000th and 4,000th nighttime shows, the latter dating it to 1983.
• By January 18:
  • Susan begins entering through the center of the curtain, a tradition that with rare exception continues for the rest of the shopping era. (This may have changed by July 5, 1977, but this is uncertain.)
  • The contestant arrows are redesigned: they are now brighter and come to a point with the flipper in the center of the point.
  • Some contestant nametags begin using a thicker font and have varying lengths based on the length of each player's name. The old fixed-length nametags continue to appear on an increasingly sporadic basis through the end of the shopping era.
  • The Wheel layouts change a bit:
    • Round 2: The sole $175 is again increased to $200, which carries over into subsequent rounds.
    • Rounds 3+: The red $375 is decreased to $350. (These changes likely took place when the Round 1 layout was altered in 1977, but this is uncertain.)

      

  • The eligibility disclaimer now reads "CONTESTANTS WERE FURNISHED WITH COMPLETE RULES, MUST MEET ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS AND WIN ONLY ANNOUNCED PRIZES". It uses the same font as the category display, albeit in small caps.
  • By no later than this point, Augustus begins providing Chuck's wardrobe.
  • The copyright byline of the Merv Griffin Productions graphic is changed to "Califon Productions, Inc., [year]". It otherwise looks the same as it did in January 1976.

• On January 18:
  • The applause machine is not used.
  • The category displays are purple/magenta, matching Susan's outfit.
  • Round 1 is the first known appearance of Quotation: SING A SONG OF SIXPENCE.
  • After Round 1, Ed places all of his $1,775 on account without buying a prize. He ends up losing it to Bankrupt in Round 3 (along with $2,450 from that round). Later, Chuck tells him that $1,775 is a new record for money put on account.
  • Round 2 is the first known instance outside of the Second Edition game of a "plural" category: in this case, People.
  • After Tricia buys a Ford Fairmont station wagon following Round 2, Susan gets in the wagon and drives it to in front of the prize platforms, presumably during Charlie's plug for it.
  • During Round 3, Ed uses his Free Spin to call a repeated S. Although the buzzer sounds and Chuck does not acknowledge it as a repeat, Susan can be seen pointing to the Used Letter Board and saying "It's been called!"

February 1978

• Sometime this year, contestant Robbie Goldstein (or Goldstein Diamond) plays on at least two episodes. Her daughter, Erin, appears as a contestant on April 21, 2011 and relates the aforementioned.
• February 6 is Brides Week, presumably played like the 1977 one. Roselon Industries, specifically including R. R. Adams (company president) and Tom Dove (Vice President of Merchandising), commends the show's staff "on the excellence of their fashion presentation" in a Variety advert on the 2nd.
• As of February 10, Jeff Goldstein is still director. Sometime afterward, possibly by April 6, he is replaced by Dick Carson.

March 1978

Sheldon's cousin?

Gordon MacRae stops by.

• On an episode sometime this month, likely before the 15th (Barbara/Herb/Pat, taped in February):
  • The show's logo is present at the end of the opening, and the end of Charlie's intro is "And now, here's your host: Chuck Woolery!"
  • The category displays are purple, matching Susan's outfit.
  • Lose a Turn has a white stripe down the left side and a thick black line down the right.
  • Pat puts $15 on account after Round 1.
  • During Round 3, Chuck mistakes the Final Spin chimes for the "only vowels remain" beeps, and is corrected from offstage.
  • Barbara purchases a 1978 Camaro for $6,125 after Round 3.

• On March 15 (Carol/Beth/Maryann):
  • The category displays are red, matching Susan's outfit.
  • The prize cue in Round 2 ends up running out, with the cue used for Round 1 taking its place after a brief pause.
  • Following Round 2, Chuck notes that the show has given away a total of three or four "ceramic dogs" (in this specific instance, a ceramic St. Bernard) and asks the staff whether one of the dogs had puppies.
  • Just prior to the Round 3 segment, a voice (presumably the director) can be heard saying "3, 2, 1, cue the [uncertain word]."
  • Round 4 is played for a gift certificate, since in Chuck's words "we're all shopped out".
  • During Round 4, the trilon with the first "E" in the puzzle EASTER PARADE noticeably squeaks as Susan turns it.
  • The Speed-Up is played until only vowels remain, at which point the "only vowels remain" beeps sound. It is not known if this was normal practice at the time, but it was normal practice not to use them by the time the nighttime show began.
  • Gordon MacRae makes an appearance after the game, presumably because he is a fan of the show, and he was taping a special at the NBC Burbank studios at the time. Gordon spins the Wheel (although the result is not shown or acknowledged), and signs off alongside Chuck and Susan.
• By March 15:
  • Charlie's intro is changed to "Look at these extravagant prizes! Fabulous merchandise, just waiting to be won today on Wheel of Fortune!" followed by the description of three prizes, and then "Total retail value: over [amount]! And now, here's your host: Chuck Woolery!"
  • The beginning of the sponsor list is slightly altered: "PAID" moves up to the first line, "FURNISHED PRIZES" to the second, "NBC FOR PROMOTING" to the third, and "THEIR PRODUCTS:" to the fourth.
  • The credits which use the computerized displays are now standardized: all characters are the same size.
  • The Merv Griffin Productions graphic is noticeably altered: "WHEEL OF FORTUNE Is Produced by" is added above it on two lines, and the logo itself is shrunk down. The copyright byline still looks the same as it did on January 18.
• Likely around this point, and into 1980, many games use a common theme to their puzzles.
• As of March 15 (or Barbara/Herb/Pat, whichever is later), the $400 near Free Spin is still blue.
• As of March 15, the chroma-key closing shot is still in regular use.

  

• The Star Bonus token is introduced sometime between March 16 and April 6, placed on the orange $100 next to Free Spin during Round 1, the gold $100 in Round 2, and $150 in Round 3. The token cannot be lost to Bankrupt nor forfeited by failing to solve the round's puzzle, but is removed from the Wheel following Round 3 to play a fourth round. There are three known Star Bonus Rounds, mentioned below.

April 1978

• On April 5, contestant Karen retires with $16,334.
• Veteran game show contestant Scott Hostetler plays on April 6 and 7 (taped March 18).
• By April 6 (Scott/Glenda/Gail):
  • The blue $400 near Free Spin becomes red, presumably because it sat next to a blue $300.
  • The chroma-key shot of the Wheel at the end of the show is removed.
  • A copyright symbol (©) is added to the front of the Merv Griffin Productions copyright byline.
• On April 6:
  • The category displays are light blue, matching Susan's outfit.
  • The first commercial outro is a closeup of the Star Bonus token, zooming out to a full shot of the Wheel.
  • Round 4 begins as a Speed-Up, although against normal practice, the Final Spin chimes play just after returning from commercial.
  • The category display is not present during the Speed-Up round until the third turn.
  • The buzzer accidentally sounds on a correct letter in Round 4.
  • Chuck and Susan do not sign off, and the final segment begins with the fee plugs.
• As of April 6, the money graphic still looks the same as it did on June 7, 1976.

• On April 7 (Scott/Peggy/Laura):
  • Various shots of Chuck in front of the curtain appear to have been added in post-production due to the Star Bonus, particularly the commercial outro and intro during Round 2.
  • The Round 1 puzzle, LOVEY-DOVEY, is one of the few known puzzles not to contain any of the five most common consonants.
  • During Round 1, the buzzer does not sound after Peggy calls S, and the ding sounds after she calls M. Later, the buzzer sounds just as Scott starts to spin.
  • During the Speed-Up round, there are several errors:
    • The category is displayed on a blue-colored bar.
    • The audience applauds for the first correct letter.
    • After the first turn is lost, the buzzer accidentally sounds twice. A turn later, the buzzer does not sound to signal the end of Laura's turn.
  • After the final shopping segment, Chuck mistakenly offers the "on account" option.
  • Peggy sweeps the game. Afterward, as Chuck mentions that Scott has the Star Bonus, the camera zooms out too far and to the right.
  • The Star Bonus Round is played, which results in the contestant interviews being edited down considerably. The prizes are a trip to Las Vegas (Easy; $675), a sterling-silver tea set (Medium; $2,303), a diamond pendant (Hard; $4,060), and a Porsche 924 (Difficult; $13,586).
    • Per later recollections from Scott, he is the second person to play the Star Bonus Round.
  • Scott plays the Star Bonus Round for the Porsche. He picks B, W, M, S, and A as his letters (with the W displayed after the M), but fails to solve PABLO PICASSO.
  • Charlie's closing spiel about the prizes is overlaid by a different voice saying "Additional prizes furnished by Jockey Club Resort, Bob Smith Porsche Audi", although Charlie is still audible underneath.
• As of April 7, the eligibility disclaimer is still using the same wording as it did in January 1976.
• On April 24, the show moves to 11:30 AM.

May 1978

• According to personal recollections, at least two more Star Bonus Rounds are played during the token's life: another Difficult (KNOCK ON WOOD) and a Medium (TOSSED GREEN SALAD), with R, S, T, N, and E picked for both.

June 1978

• The Star Bonus may still be in use at this point, as a Match Game episode taped on May 26 (specifically, the June 26 debut of the Star Wheel) contains a reference to it.

July 1978

• On an episode from this year, following the retirement of the Star Bonus (Roger/Missy/Carol):
  • All three contestants earn a Free Spin token in Round 1.
  • After Missy calls a wrong letter in the same round, she drops her Free Spin on the floor and is unable to reach it. Chuck asks if she wants to use it anyway, and she does so without ever retrieving it.
  • In Round 3, Chuck is signaled to throw to a commercial break just after Roger turns in his Free Spin. He takes his next turn after the break.
  • The Round 3 puzzle, LONG-DISTANCE RUNNER, is the earliest known use of Person for a non-proper name puzzle.
  • Roger finishes in second place with $5,400.

August 1978

• At the end of this month, as mentioned in the October 16 issue of Broadcasting (Page 38), Wheel holds 15th place among all daytime network shows, tied with the second half of The Price Is Right. At this point, it draws a 6.1 on the Nielsen ratings system with a 27 share; among the then-coveted demographic of women 18-49, it is in 22nd place with a 1.15.

October 1978

• For at least part of this month, pumpkins and gourds are used as decorations on the prize platforms.
• The show's first Armed Forces Week is held sometime this month (likely October 16, and before the 23rd in any case). It features representatives from the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines playing, with the three highest-scoring branches returning for the "all-cash playoffs" on Friday. During this week:
  • The puzzle board has red, white, and blue stars placed above the top row of trilons and below the bottom row.
  • The curtain has the Great Seal of the United States on the portion directly behind Chuck.
  • For reasons unknown, the right-letter ding is replaced with a different ding which is later heard on The $25,000 Pyramid in the 1980s.
  • An instrumental of one of the branch's official songs plays over the credits instead of "Big Wheels".
  • The Star Bonus is not present. While this would normally suggest it was retired by this point, it is also possible that the token was simply not used for special weeks.
• On the Tuesday show of this week (Tom {Navy}/Dan {Air Force}/Stan {Army}):
  • When Chuck introduces Susan, the usual cue for her entrance plays for about a second, stops, then starts again.
  • No vowels are bought in Round 1.
  • It takes nine turns to reveal any letters in the Round 1 puzzle JOHN WAYNE.
  • During Round 2, after Dan spins the Wheel, Chuck stops it in mid-spin because Dan "really didn't put [his] heart and soul into it" (in Chuck's words) and makes him spin again.
  • After Dan buys a pickup truck following Round 2, Susan can be seen getting into the driver's seat of it, as Chuck jokes "we'll see if Susan can drive that!" Once Charlie gets to the truck plug, Chuck can be seen beside the truck, near the driver's side door, helping to push it along as Susan steers it around to in front of the prize platform.
  • As there is a commercial break during Round 3, the Final Spin chimes do not sound when Chuck goes to spin the Wheel coming out of the commercial.
  • Dan sweeps the game.
  • Before signing off, Chuck recaps the branches' totals for the first two days of the week: the Air Force has $12,650, the Army has $2,050, and the Marines and Navy are both at $0.
  • The sign-off uses the chroma-key shot of the Wheel.
  • The ticket/contestant plug is done on a blue background, with a white box around the text, between the fee plugs and sponsor list, the address being "WHEEL OF FORTUNE 1541 No. VINE STREET HOLLYWOOD CA, 90028" on four lines. While the practice of using such a plug was likely in place since the premiere week, it is not known how the plugs were presented prior to this episode.
  • As the sponsor list scrolls, Charlie mentions that due to the answer being inadvertently revealed, one of the puzzles was discarded and the program edited.
• The Wednesday show features the Marines vs. the Navy vs. the Air Force.
• On the Friday episode (Dan {Air Force}/Mary {Marines}/Jerry {Army}):
  • "The Marines' Hymn" (the Marine Corps song/anthem) is played during the opening.
  • Charlie's intro ends with "And now, here's your host and hostess: Chuck Woolery and Susan Stafford!" They are welcomed onstage by the Marine Corps color guard from the Los Angeles Marine Corps recruiting station, which enters through the center of the curtain. This is the first known time that the hosts are introduced together, and the first of only two known instances of such an intro in the Woolery era.
  • For the first known time, a full episode is played for cash (the hour-long shows played for cash in the Head-To-Head round). The prize platforms, which were used on Monday-Thursday, are not present; the curtain remains lowered throughout, only opening for the color guard's entrance and exit during the intro.
  • Each of the finalist teams, comprising three members, selects one player to represent them during the day's "all-cash playoffs", with any money won by those players split among all three members of the teams.
  • Initially, all nine contestants are present at the podiums, with the two non-competing members of each team leaving the stage as Chuck announces which member has been chosen to play.
  • The category displays are white, although Susan is wearing red.
  • Due to the all-cash format, the round structure is altered slightly to retain the Round 2 layout for Round 3, with the standard Round 3 layout (with $1,500 as top value) used for Rounds 4+.
  • Rounds 3 and 4 are played in the same segment, with an obvious edit just before the reveal of the Round 4 puzzle.
  • The Round 5 puzzle GENERAL GEORGE PATTON is the first known instance of a Person puzzle using a descriptive phrase, although this would not become a regular occurrence until about 1989.
  • No vowels are bought in Rounds 3 or 5.
  • For the first known time (and the only known time in the Woolery era), six rounds are played. Likely as a result, there are two sets of repeated categories: Phrase in Rounds 1, 4, and 6, Person in Rounds 3 and 5. This also results in the first known instance of a category being used three times in one game (in this case, Phrase).
  • During the Speed-Up Round, Chuck says "vowels or consonants" approximately 60 seconds into the round, implying that the original limits on calling vowels were still in place at this point.
  • At the end of the episode, Chuck recaps the end-of-week totals as well as the score for the day: The Air Force finish with $15,650 ($3,000 of it in cash), the Marines finish with $8,050 ($4,550 of it in cash), and the Army has $7,300 ($2,650 of it in cash).
• By the above week:
  • The money graphic's dollar sign is now centered next to the numbers.
  • The eligibility disclaimer is slightly altered: "WERE" becomes "ARE", while a comma is added after "REQUIREMENTS".
• As of the Friday show of the above week, the 7's on the Wheel still have a round bottom, and $900 is still next to Bankrupt in Rounds 2+.

November 1978

• Episode #1,000 likely airs in November or December.
• Wheel does not air on November 23 due to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

December 1978

• On December 25, Chuck's wife (Jo Ann Pflug) and daughter (Melissa) make an appearance, as does Charlie in a Santa Claus costume (itself his first known on-camera appearance). The photo at right, showing Chuck, Jo Ann, Melissa, Charlie, and Susan in front of the puzzle board (reading HAPPY HOLIDAYS), is the only known remnant of this episode.