The Name of the Game (1968–1971)

This groundbreaking series had three rotating stars, who were featured in independent episodes tied together by a loose common theme. The commonality was Howard Publications, the self-made ... See full summary »

Stars:

Budd Albright, Gene Barry, Robert Stack

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Budd Albright	...	Man (68 episodes, 1968-1971)
Gene Barry	...	Glenn Howard (42 episodes, 1968-1971)

Storyline

This groundbreaking series had three rotating stars, who were featured in independent episodes tied together by a loose common theme. The commonality was Howard Publications, the self-made publishing empire of Glenn Howard. Episodes featuring Howard focused on his business and political confrontations and his flamboyant lifestyles. Other episodes featured Jeff Dillon, a crusading investigative reporter, or Dan Farrell. Farrell was a retired FBI agent who used his position as the editor of "Crime Magazine" to wage a literary war against organized crime. The series had several semi-regulars who were featured in one or more of the plot threads, including editorial assistant Peggy Maxwell, and junior reporters Joe Sample, Andy Hill and Ross Craig.

---

Genres:

Adventure

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 September 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Audacia es el juego

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 90 min (76 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Anthony Franciosa was fired during the show's third season. Instead of being replaced by one actor, he was replaced by a series of actors filling in on his rotation, including Robert Culp twice appearing as reporter Paul Tyler. Peter Falk as reporter Lewis Corbett, and Robert Wagner as reporter David Corey, each were billed as 'Guest Starring in...'. Earlier in Season Two both 'Darren McGavin' (as freelance newsman Sam Hardy in 'Goodbye Harry', and 'Vera Miles' as reporter Hilary Vanderman in 'Man of The People', took guest starring roles (both put under the 'Gene Barry' segment as he made cameo appearances in each).

---

Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: San Francisco International (1994)

---

Soundtracks

"The Name of The Game Theme"
by Dave Grusin

User Reviews

Intriguing Series

"The Name Of The Game" was, as I recall, a very interesting and well-done "rotating" series that portrayed various and sundry well-known actors such as Gene Barry and Tony Franciosa as personnel connected with a well-known magazine. The peculiar thing was that this "fictional" magazine later became the real thing in life as we know it. It was a fascinating show to watch -- especially if you'd not seen it before and had caught it in passing later in syndication. It also had a very cool theme song, quite an accomplishment in itself.