Video Village

One of Monty Hall's earliest game show hosting duties, "Video Village" was among the first game shows to combine chance and luck with skill and strategy. Two contestants, each accompanied by a "second" (a friend, relative or spouse), competed in this life-sized board game. The game itself was laid out in three streets, each described later: Money Street, Bridge Street and Magic Mile. The contestant's second rolled a "chuck-a-luck" cage containing a die; Williams, the "town crier," called out each move. On the Money Street, contestants won cash by landing on ordinary spaces and answering a question; other spaces included "Lose-A-Turn," "Free Turn," "Go to Jail" (the contestant was escorted to an on-stage jail and had to answer a question correctly to get out) and "Do it Yourself" (where successfully completing a stunt won the player a prize worth up to $150). On Bridge Street, contestants had to perform stunts to win cash prizes, with no special spaces here. Magic Mile was similar to Money Street, except with bigger stakes and different spaces, including "$100 Free Cash," "1-2-3 Go, 4-5-6 No" (only by rolling 1, 2 or 3 could the player advance) and "Switch Places" (which required that contestant to switch places with his/her opponent, sometimes to his/her advantage and other times not). The first contestant to cross the Finish Line won the game and received a bonus prize (usually worth more than $2,000). The losers kept their prizes. On both Money Street and Magic Mile were "Ask the Council" spaces. Contestants landing on this space were posed a humorous open-ended question; the contestant won $50 if the "council" agreed with what he/she opined. A Saturday morning series, entitled "Video Village Jr.," was played similarly with contestants ages 5 to 10 years, with a few tweaks: 1. A family member, usually a parent, served as the "second," and 2. The child's cash winnings were placed into a special savings bond, which matured on their 18th birthday. —Brian Rathjen <briguy_52732@yahoo.com>