The Name of the Game (TV series)

infobox television
show_name = The Name of the Game


caption =
format = Adventure
runtime = 90 min.
creator =
starring = Tony Franciosa
Gene Barry
Robert Stack
Peter Falk
Robert Wagner
Darren McGavin
Susan Saint James
Mark Miller
Ben Murphy
Cliff Potts
country = USA
executive_producer = Richard Irving
network = NBC
music =
camera =
first_aired = September 20 1968
last_aired = March 19 1971
num_episodes = 76
num_seasons = 3
tv_com_id = 638
imdb_id = 0062591
website =

"The Name of the Game" was an American television series that ran from 1968 to 1971 on NBC, totaling 76 episodes of 90 minutes — an unusual length for a U.S. series, which generally runs 30 or 60 minutes. The series rotated between three characters working at a large magazine company: a crusading reporter with "People Magazine" (Tony Franciosa) -- before there was a real-life "People Magazine" -- the sophisticated publisher of a family of magazines (Gene Barry), and the editor of "Crime Magazine" (Robert Stack).

The series was based on a 1966 TV movie called "Fame Is the Name of the Game" directed by Stuart Rosenberg and starring Franciosa. The show had a relatively large budget for a television series. [http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/N/htmlN/nameoftheg/nameoftheg.htm] Franciosa left the series during the third season of the show's run, and his rotation taken by various characters played by actors including Peter Falk, Robert Culp, Robert Wagner, and Darren McGavin. Serving as a common theme was newcomer Susan Saint James as Peggy Maxwell, the editorial assistant for each. As well, Franciosa, Barry, and Stack occasionally crossed over into each others' shows, though all three leads never appeared onscreen simultaneously.

Director Steven Spielberg, later known for such science fiction hits as "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial", and such futuristic sci-fi films as "A.I." and "The Minority Report", directed a dystopic episode, "L.A. 2017", written by Philip Wylie. In the episode, Barry's character, Glenn Howard, is hunted down in a lethally polluted Los Angeles of the future, where the fascist government is ruled by psychiatrists and the populace has been driven to live in underground bunkers to survive the pollution.

Cast

* Tony Franciosa as Jeff Dillon (first and second seasons; 3 episodes in 3rd season.)
* Gene Barry as Glenn Howard
* Robert Stack as Dan Farrell
* Robert Culp as Paul Tyler (third season)
* Peter Falk as Lewis Corbett (third season)
* Robert Wagner as David Corey (third season)
* Darren McGavin as Sam Hardy (2nd season, 1 episode only)
* Susan Saint James as Peggy Maxwell
* Ben Murphy as Joe Sample (supporting role)
* Mark Miller as Ross Craig (supporting role)
* Cliff Potts as Sandy Hill (first season; supporting role)

External links

*
* [http://www.xmission.com/~emailbox/barry.htm Gene Barry Fan Page]