"Whew!" (1979) TV series 1979-1980

Directors:

Bill Carruthers
Chris Darley

Writer:

Joseph Neustein (writer) (1979-1980)

Release Date:

23 April 1979 (USA)

Tagline:

Close calls! Narrow escapes! Split-second decisions! And $25,000 in cash! A combination guaranteed to make you say... WHEW!

Plot:

Try to win two games in order to get a chance to beat the Gauntlet of Villains for US$25,000 in cash.

Cast

Tom Kennedy	...	Host
Rod Roddy	...	Announcer

Also Known As:

Celebrity Whew! (USA) (new title)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Burt Sugarman Productions

Trivia:

From left to right, the ten villains that made up the Gauntlet of Villains were Alphonse the Gangster, Bruno the Headsman, Mr. Van Louse the Landlord, Nero the Fiddler, Count Nibbleneck the Vampire, Frank and his little friend Stein, Kid Rotten the Gunslinger, Jeremy Swash the Pirate, Dr. Deranged the Mad Professor, and Lucretia the Witch.

Quotes:

[opening sequence: A cartoon of a woman sneaking past the ten villains in the infamous "Gauntlet of Villains"]
[the woman passes Alphonse the Gangster and Bruno the Headsman. Bruno almost hits the woman's foot with his ax]
Rod Roddy: Close Calls!
[the woman passes Mr. Van Louse the Landlord, Nero the Fiddler and Count Nibbleneck the Vampire. Nibbleneck growls and almost grabs the woman]
Rod Roddy: Na-a-a-a-rrow Escapes!
[the woman passes Frank and his little friend Stein and Kid Rotten the Gunslinger, then ducks as she passes Jeremy Swash the Pirate, who almost slays her with his sword]
Rod Roddy: Split-second Decisions!
[Standing up straight again, the woman passes Dr. Deranged the Mad Proffessor and Lucretia the Witch. The black cat on Lucretia's right shoulder points the woman toward a golden pot full of coins]
Rod Roddy: And $25,000 in cash!
[the woman collaspses at the pot of coins and a word balloon flies out of her mouth]
[...]

Good show

"Whew!" was a fast-paced game show that aired on CBS from 1979 until 1980. The game consisted of two contestants. One contestant was the "charger", while the other was the "blocker". It was the charger's responsibility to "charge" up the game board by answering at least one blooper per level within 60 seconds(there were six levels on the board). The first five levels had dollar amounts from $10 to $50, while the sixth level had a $250 spot, a $350 spot, and a $500 spot. The blocker's responsibility was to place strategic blocks on the board. They could place up to 6 blocks, with a maximum of 3 blocks per level on levels 1-5, but only 1 block on level 6. If a charger picks a blocked spot, they get a 5 second penalty, and that money would be credited to the blocker, however the blocker could only win the credited money if the charger lost the round. If the charger successfully completes all 6 levels, they win the round and the money they accumulated. If the charger is not doing good and running short on time, they could yell "Longshot!", which would freeze the clock and move them straight to the 6th level, and the blocker would place a block on one of the level 6 spots (it was possible to have 2 blocked spots on the 6th level if one of the blocker's 6 blocks was placed on the 6th level). In the Longshot, if the charger answers the blooper incorrectly or if they pick a blocked spot, the blocker wins the round automatically, but if the charger answers the blooper correctly, they win the round automatically. In the event of a 1-1 tie, a coin toss decides who blocks and who charges. The first contestant to win 2 rounds wins the championship and goes on to the "Gauntlet Of Villians" bonus round. In the bonus round, they had to answer all 10 bloopers before time runs out. If they do, they win $25,000, and retire (this show was during CBS' $25,000 winnings limit). The contestant had 60 seconds plus 1 second per $100 they won in the main game, so if they won $1,430 in the main game, they would have 74 seconds to "run the Gauntlet" (60 seconds plus 14 seconds). In the Gauntlet, Tom Kennedy read the blooper (unlike the main game where the blooper was seen on the trilons, the bloopers were only heard in the Gauntlet). The contestant had to answer the blooper correctly (and in time) to advance to the next villian. If they were incorrect or fail to answer, a buzzer would sound and the blooper would appear on the villian's "Telly Belly" (the TV monitor on the villian). If the contestant failed to win the $25,000, they would win $100 for every villian they beat. After the seven day run by Howard Wilson where he eventually beat the gauntlet for total winnings of over $35,000, CBS instituted a new rule which stated that contestants had to retire after running the gauntlet 5 times, whether or not they won the $25,000. After several months due to dismal ratings, celebrity partners were added, and shortly after that, "Whew!" was cancelled. Randy Amasia's own site has a much more detailed description of the show, along with his adventure on the show (Randy was a contestant on the show and defeated the Gauntlet on his first try for total winnings of $26,100).