"The Magnificent Marble Machine" (1975) TV series 1975-1976

Director:

Jerome Shaw

Seasons:

unknown

Release Date:

7 July 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Game-Show

Plot:

One of TV game show's legendary flops, a celebrity-contestant team answered questions and played a giant pinball game for cash and prizes.

Plot Keywords:

Partially Lost TV Series | Non Fiction

Cast

Florence Henderson	...	Herself (2 episodes, 1975-1976)
Earl Holliman	...	Himself (2 episodes, 1975)
Roddy McDowall	...	Himself (2 episodes, 1975)
Joan Rivers	...	Herself (2 episodes, 1975)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Stage 4, Stage 1, Stage 1, NBC Studios - 3000 W. Alameda Avenue, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Merrill Heatter-Bob Quigley Productions

Trivia:

Only two episodes are known to survive of this series. Please check your attic.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The China Syndrome (1979)

A Major 70s Flop

Merrill Heatter and Bob Quigley created and produced game shows with larger than life sets such as Video Village, Gambit, High Rollers, the kids game show Runaround and their biggest hit Hollywood Squares. But the duo was also involved with the major 70s flop The Magnificent Marble Machine. The machine itself was very large and fragile and suffered from numerous technical problems. Also, the format and scoring system changed several times throughout the show's run, usually a sign of a bad show. A good show has a consistent format viewers identify and play along with but this one probably left viewers confused with the changes. Even worse, the show went to an all-celebrity format, another case of a show's death knell (for those who remember the 70s version of Password).

There were only two things good about the show. The first was host Art James, who guided the show smoothly through all the confusion and the main game that featured clues on an electronic marquee. Also Mort Garson's electronic theme was outstanding and carnival-like. But for the rest of the show---TILT!