Gambit 12-10-1976 THE FINALE (For Now) 

Bill and Molly married in 1960 and are still together today! :) And Bill was the first Black quarterback at Southern Illinois University and the first Black pilot at United Airlines-trailblazer! He wrote the book "Cleared For Take Off: A Pilot's Story of Challenges and Trumphs"-Indeed!

It's always a shame to see the last episode of a series. You and Elaine worked well together. There isn't enough of that kindness these days.

Happy 50th birthday to my beloved "Gambit". Today is Sunday, Sept. 4th 2022 as I write this. 50 years ago to the day, this program debuted on CBS. It was cancelled in Dec 1976. It was on for 52 months, very appropriate since the game used a standard deck of 52 playing cards. I am the proud owner of 2 replica Gambit decks!

Elaine Stewart was so classy, and so are you, Wink!

It's amazing to see The Winker go from this amazing show to another instant classic with Tic Tac Dough! Thanks for sharing all these classics, and here's hoping for MORE from "The Man with All the Action", WINK MARTINDALE!

Wink Martindale, Gambit was one of my first memories of you. I got to meet you at taping of The last word in Vancouver. You were very cordial.

I've seen episode of just about every classic game show that ever aired on US TV. And Wink, let me just say, you are one of the best. Not just as a host (and, IMO, the host with the all-time best name), but also for preserving these old game shows for the RU-vid generation. I saw lots of game shows as a kid, but they disappeared from daytime when I grew up. Such a shame; I always thought game shows were better than anything else the networks showed (especially soap operas and talk shows). I think I could win big on just about any game show that's not just a matter of getting lucky. Pity I don't have many opportunities to do so.

I hope all the 1972-1976 “Gambit” episodes could restore by the television time machine.

I'm sure the audience appreciated Mr. Martindale's announcement that the show was coming to an end for the time being. It's always disheartening to become a fan of a program only for it to seemingly disappear without warning.

Funny this is posted just before my birthday, which just happened right now. I'm now another year older.

Time sure has passed. 40 years ago since Gambit left the CBS airwaves. It should have stayed on a couple of more years.

I remember the first episode from Labor Day 1972. It was 2 days before my first day of Kindergarten. I was able to watch this as well as "The Joker's Wild" and "The New Price is Right" on CBS that Monday morning almost half a century ago. I've had a fondness for playing cards from my earliest memories. My one grandmother would allow me to be "Wink" and she would play the role of the contestants for this game. She even made Gambit boards for me out of cardboard. She passed away in March 1976, so it seemed only fitting that Gambit too would go away that very same year, just 9 days before my 10th birthday. One consolation to Wink and to Gambit fans, it was outdone by NBC's "Wheel of Fortune", and Wheel continues to air, albeit now only in syndication, to this very day in 2022. I even own two replica decks of Gambit cards, I've told my Mrs. when I leave this world, I want to take them with me!

Despite what she said at the end, I think this would be the last time Elaine would ever be seen on television. (I wonder why she wasn't the dealer on Las Vegas Gambit.)

After this, _The Price Is Right_ (20:37) became the last of a 90-minute block of new game shows premiering on the CBS-TV Daytime schedule Monday, September 4, 1972 (which also involved _The Joker's Wild_ [1972-5]) to persevere on the network.

I wish this show was still on when I was younger, (Unfortunately, I wasn't born 'til 1976.)

It would have been great to see the full long credits on the last show.

I once wrote to Fremantle asking if I could buy an old production deck of those cards (as the same style was used on TPiR's "Hit Me). No reply. 😥

Darn, I thought I was going to see the intro of Love of Life at the end.

Thanks for posting this one:)

That Sugar Bowl picture looks like it was from the old Tulane Stadium. Of course, by that time, the game had moved into the newer Louisiana Superdome. And for the record, Pittsburgh (then an Independent) would win that particular Sugar Bowl over SEC's Georgia, 27-3.

Ha! A toy for the prize car. Hilarious but I love the show.

Wink Martindale Thank You for showing a Very Rare Classic episode of "(Las Vegas) Gambit" and as always A CLASSIC IS NEVER OUTDATED P.S. can you find a classic episode of "Tic Tac Dough" from 1978 (syn) real soon?

"Good luck and God bless" - - - try saying that today

This is from KNXT Now KCBS-TV CBS2.

On the final telecast of this program on CBS daytime, Friday, December 10, 1976, I did not watch this episode because I was at Pasadena Special Children’s Center at 355 W. Green Street, Pasadena, CA 91105.

No wonder it was the last episode, all those transmission issues!! 🤣

revived again later as catch 21

Dollars to donuts this is from KCBS-TV Channel 2 in L.A.

I can only assume that Heatter and Quigley are responsible for the deletion of these episodes. CBS had started keeping their game shows in the 1970's. Anything from Goodson and Todman has survived.

4:17 The photo of Tulane Stadium, which no longer hosted the Sugar Bowl, was upside down.

Thanks, Wink!

GAMBIT was replaced the following monday Dec.13,1976 by the ill fated, Alex Trebek hosted DOUBLE DARE which ran on CBS until March 29, 1977

show did return in 1980 known as las vegas gambit the problem was somewhere in that shows run they wrecked it by chaging the end game to the high rollers big numbers round sorry but it was a bad idea

One time, (this is true), on The Price is Right, during the "Bullseye" game, a contestant was so far off of that target with a guess that it missed the target so much that Bob Barker said it went in to the next studio and "hit Wink Martindale on Gambit".

"You need a new car?" "Yeah!" Well sorry, you're getting a Chevy Vega. The Bic lighter of automobiles.

Wink Martindale: What show did you liked him hosting?

I REMEMBER THIS SHOW, BUT I WAS IN SCHOOL WHEN IT WAS ON AND IN THE SUMMER I WAS ON VACATION CAMPING, NO TV. GLAD TO SEE IT AGAIN THANK YOU.

I enjoyed watching this! Please post more Gambit or Tic Tac Dough :)

12:37... A decade later, Wilfred Brimley would say, "Quaker Oatmeal... it's the right thing to do."

Thanks Wink

Unfortunately, technical difficulties of Gambit with Wink Martindale had a bluff in the taping. From the cbs archives, Wink, you'll find the final episode of Gambit on the last show for December 10, 1976. can you fix it?

Wink, Thank you...! Fond memories of my youth returning.... And did anyone save that model of the Vega, I wonder....?

@ 1:28 Dinner at McDonald's?? Wow, luxurious! :)

7:50 - ! I didn't even know Cockapoo's existed back then, let alone anyone that owned one!! :-O

YES! YES!! Fitting that a couple won on the last show... was this taped over another Gambit or is there another surprise coming? :)

Unfortunately, that was not the final episode of Gambit. Can you.correct that mistake so we can see the last Gambit game?

dinner at mcdonalds?

I wonder if UCLA Film/TV Archive would let ol' WINK see those five episodes they have....🤔🤔🤔🤔

Hey, how'd that second ending get there?

01:42 Some quiz shows used (printed) encyclopedias for their sources. Does that mean it's OK to use Wikipedia as a source for quiz shows today? Would S & P object?

11:01 - hilarious! "That's you, Grandma! I can tell by the wrinkling on your pantyhose!"

" Collection of Roman Brio. Something for every man in your liv?!?" The announcer goofed! Johnny Olsen never would've done that. Leastways I don't think he ever did. The Sonny and Cher Show. With their son Chas Bono.

If anyone has an off air recording of a WPIX 11 Alive rerun of Gambit, can you guys please post them soon

LOL moment @ 5:20!

Wink shone better at his next show Tic Tac Dough