"Break the Bank" (1976) TV series 1976-1977

Director:

Richard S. Kline

Seasons:

1 | unknown

Release Date:

12 April 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Game-Show

Plot:

Very different in format from the 1945-1957 version hosted by Bert Parks, this show was primarily based...

Plot Keywords:

Non Fiction

Cast

 (Series Cast Summary - 13 of 16)

Jaye P. Morgan	...	Herself (7 episodes, 1976-1977)
Joey Bishop	...	Himself (5 episodes, 1976-1977)
Abe Vigoda	...	Himself (5 episodes, 1976-1977)
Barbara Eden	...	Herself (5 episodes, 1977)
Jack Barry	...	Himself - Host (4 episodes, 1976-1977)
William Conrad	...	Himself (4 episodes, 1977)
Bob Crane	...	Himself (4 episodes, 1977)
Bill Cullen	...	Himself (4 episodes, 1977)
Lee Meriwether	...	Herself (4 episodes, 1977)
Anson Williams	...	Himself (4 episodes, 1977)
Elke Sommer	...	Herself (2 episodes, 1976-1977)
Lonnie Schorr	...	Himself (2 episodes, 1976)
Liz Torres	...	Herself (2 episodes, 1976)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

ABC Television Center - 4151 Prospect Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Soundtrack:

Hustle The Bank

ABC Didn't Give This Show a Chance

I remember watching the mid 70s revival of Break the Bank and it was one of the funniest game shows along with Hollywood Squares and Match Game. It was a simple game with nine stars and an outstanding host in Tom Kennedy as two contestants won money by determining which star gave the correct answer to a question.

However, ABC never gave the show a chance, lasting only 15 weeks because they wanted to expand their long-running soaps One Life to Live and General Hospital. Break the Bank had high ratings and the network squandered a potential hit with its premature cancellation. Why couldn't ABC move the show to an earlier time period such as 11 AM EST where they aired Happy Days reruns? Also, this was the first show since the quiz show scandals from Jack Barry and Dan Enright and paved the way for revivals of The Joker's Wild and Tic Tac Dough. They should have considered moving the show to another network.

The Break the Bank theme was also used years later on The Joker's Wild's Million Dollar Touranment and or a short-lived syndicated show Soapworld. A great game show theme from Stu Levin. I should also point out that on the syndicated version hosted by Barry, he wore dark glasses due to the bright studio lights. Break the Bank was a show that should have had a longer run.