Spin-Off (game show)

Infobox Television
show_name = Spin-Off


caption =
format = Game show
camera =
picture_format =
runtime = 30 minutes
executive producer = Nick Nicholson
E. Roger Muir
Barbara Horn
producer = Willie Stein
director = Bob Schwarz
creator = Nick Nicholson
E. Roger Muir
starring = Jim Lange
announcer = Johnny Jacobs
country = USA
network = CBS
first_aired = June 16, 1975
last_aired = September 5, 1975
number_of_episodes = 60

Spin-Off was a short-lived American game show produced by Nick Nicholson and E. Roger Muir for CBS in 1975 that was based on the dice game Yahtzee as well an earlier Nicholson-Muir syndicated game, Pay Cards!. It starred Jim Lange as host, with Johnny Jacobs announcing.

Game play

Two couples, one a returning champion, competed, answering questions to spin a series of five "spinners" and build a Yahtzee-type hand. The spinners had the numbers 1-6 on them.

With each correct answer, each spinner randomly flashed the numbers rapidly and were stopped by pressing a button. The couple could keep the hand shown, or reject some or all of the numbers and earn up to two opportunities to improve the hand (but must gain control with a correct answer). If the couple kept the hand, the opposing couple had one chance to better the hand. The couple with the top hand received one of the following payoffs:

* $50 for a pair
* $75 for 2 pairs
* $100 for three of a kind
* $125 for a straight
* $150 for a full house (three of a kind plus a pair)
* $175 for four of a kind
* $200 plus a bonus prize for five of a kind

The first couple to amass $250 won the game and advanced to the Super Spin-Off bonus round.

uper Spin-Off bonus round

In the Super Spin-Off, the couple had up to three tries to build the best hand possible. Rewards were paid for higher hands:

• One Pair – $250
• Two Pair – $500
• Three of a Kind – $1,000
• Straight – $1,250
• Full House – $1,500
• Four of a Kind – $2,500
• Five of a Kind – $5,000
• Any straight that goes 1-5 or 2-6, no matter what the order - $10,000

Broadcast History

The original but unaired pilot episodes of "Spin-Off" were actually videotaped at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City on Sunday, April 13, 1975. Its set and stage layout was created by Jim Ryan, who also was responsible for the scenic designs of such other game shows as "The $10,000 Pyramid", the summer 1976 version of "I've Got A Secret", and "Pass The Buck". When CBS decided to place the program on its daytime schedule beginning on Monday, June 16, 1975, the series was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles.

"Spin-Off" aired at 10:00am Eastern/9:00am Pacific, replacing "The Joker's Wild", but was cancelled after just twelve weeks on the air due to low ratings. The final episode aired Friday, September 5, 1975; however, host Jim Lange returned the following Monday with a new game show, "Give-n-Take".

Episode Status

The entire run of "Spin-Off" was once considered lost, until it was announced that all of the master tapes were suddenly discovered intact, along with those from the original CBS network edition of "Joker", inside a tape storage room at WCBS-TV sometime in 2000. CBS was far less prone to wiping than its competitors, thus likely saving the series from destruction.

External links

* [http://dpjohnson1.tripod.com/spinoff.html "Spin-Off": The Most Underrated Daytime Game Show of 1975] - by David P.Johnson.