The Name of the Game 

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:

Gene Barry, Susan Saint James, Robert Stack

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

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Gene Barry	...	Glenn Howard / ... 41 episodes, 1968-1971
Susan Saint James	...	Peggy Maxwell 34 episodes, 1968-1971
Robert Stack	...	Dan Farrell 26 episodes, 1968-1971
Anthony Franciosa	...	Jeff Dillon 17 episodes, 1968-1970

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.

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Plot Keywords:

biosphere | editorial assistant | organized crime | retired fbi agent | investigative reporter | 

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Taglines:

What is the name of the game? Excitement! The stars are Gene Barry, Tony Franciosa and Robert Stack. (season 2)

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Genres:

Adventure | Sci-Fi

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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 Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min (76 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The pilot for this episode was a two-hour TV-movie produced by Universal for N.B.C. called Fame Is the Name of the Game (1966). Universal and N.B.C. were the same entities that pioneered the made-for-TV movie (with 1964's See How They Run (1964), the first full-length film produced especially for home television). "Fame is the Name of the Game", aired in 1966, starring Anthony Franciosa as 'Jeff Dillon' and was the first tele-film produced as a pilot that was picked up for a regular TV series. The Later 'Gene Barry' TV series role as publisher 'Glenn Howard' was played in an elderly version by George Macready.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Ann-Margret/Flip Wilson/George Carlin/Susan Saint James (1972)

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Soundtracks

The Name of The Game Theme
by Dave Grusin

User Reviews

Definitely a cut above, but . . .

I saw most of the episodes in the late '60s and in syndication the following decade. Ambitious and not bad on the whole, especially in view of the 90 minute mini-movie running time. One was supposed to get, and at least I did at times, a "bigger than TV" fell from THE NAME OF THE GAME. I recall especially a fine early episode inspired by the "Prague Spring." Some of the camera work was so good that I recall discussing it with a photography buff friend at the time.

That said, I did get tired of Gene Barry playing himself. Far worse, the series seemed to come apart after the second season perhaps from writing, perhaps from budget cuts. Robert Culp added nothing, and I think his coming on board signified deeper problems.

Anyway, THE NAME OF THE GAME was American television at its most studiously spectacular thirty years ago.