Split Decision 1985 Pilot - Jim McKrell 

Jim McKrell probably got his biggest exposure playing a game show host in the Golden Girls episode “Grab That Dough”

This is my favorite unsold pilot. Everything about it is fantastic - the format is exciting and original, Jim McKrell did a great job hosting it, the set looks great, the music and sound are good... this is a game that absolutely should have sold. I dream of it somehow making a comeback to try again.

And my apologies for being remiss in my last post. I want to thank you kindly Dontryl for sharing this video with those of us who are long time game show fans, such as myself.

Never seen this until now. So many good game shows back in the 80's and 90's.

That set was fantastic! Hard to believe the amount of bulbs that were on these games as this was way before the advent of LED technology. Really enjoy this game!!

The music that played during the taking a break segments was SAY YOU'RE WRONG by Julian Lennon.

McKrell was incredibly unlucky with game shows. After his big success with Celebrity Sweepstakes, all he did was the short lived Quiz Kids game and nothing else but a bunch of unsold pilots.

Thank you for uploading this!

This would have been a great game show and the host was wonderful so charismatic. He also played on an episode of The Golden Girls as a game show host

I want this show to come back!

About time we see this!! Thank You!!

This is 1st of only two pilot episodes (both aired in July '85) of the American "Split Decision" program; the two contestants competing on this pilot are Bob & Miriam. 🇺🇲 🇺🇲

Bob Must've Been Excited When that Deuce Came Up

OMG!!! YOU KNOW HOW MANY YEARS I'VE BEEN SEARCHING FOR THIS PILOT. YOU ROCK!!!

Jim McKrell's a good host; but clearly few network executives felt the same, they rejected almost every pilot he was in. Jack Clark had the same problem.

The theme song to this pilot was “Sunset People” by Donna Summer from her album “Bad Girls”.

I was in school, back in 1985.

This show would work in prime time for NBC as a challenge to ABC's Summer of Games block. Pair it with the forthcoming Password revival and you have a winning combination for Monday nights.

I didn’t know Jim McKrell was a game show host. He was great in the movie Teen Wolf.

Nice Game!!

I absolutely love the main, but the bonus game practically gives money away which is why I think this never got sold.

Richard Reid Productions (who produced this pilot) are better known for various academic quiz bowl programs.

Aces are High, and Deuces are Low, Just Like on CARD SHARKS.

Check out those closing credits: Fred Wostbrock was one of the production assistants.

The opening theme, I believe, was Sunset People by Donna Summer, from her "Bad Girls" CD...

I believe that there was a Price is Right pricing game with the same name as this pilot

good format

Nice set!

The background music for the Paris prize plug sounds like "San Ysidro" by Lee Ritenour and Dave Grusin.

That was great game show. I wish they would have more of the classic old game shows on gsn instead of the horrible new ones.

Charlie O'Donnell was a available good announcer.

Love the theme song to this game show: Sunset People by Donna Summer

Interesting they use “Sunset People” as the theme.

That theme is Sunset Fever sung by Donna Summer.

Once Celebrity Sweepstakes was cancelled, I don't believe Jim hosted a game show, other than the Golden Girls, Grab the Dough.

I WAS A LITTLE KID JIM MCKRELL HOSTED CELEBRITY SWEEP STAKES BACK IN THE LATE 1975-1976 SEASON ON NBC NETWORK.

Good format, but the prizes would've had to be cut in value substantially if it sold for series--even for NBC, no way they could afford to give away $21K Lincolns every day...

I went to Medford, Oregon. I might want to Klamath Falls, Oregon.

SPLIT DECISION is Based on RED DOG GAME.

VERY good format, should've sold.

GREAT AUDIENCE

And I know another clue that would have Maine and Oregon as correct answers-- "The largest city is named 'Portland'."

Bob won three prizes.

I think this should've ended with the same "in association with" NBC Entertainment logo from SNL seasons 10 (84-85) and 11 (85-86).

Big bet!

Definitely a few tweaks required here and there, but if Card Sharks worked so well, surely a TV version of the Red Dog kind of Acey-Deucey could've gotten some traction.

The way the cards fall in this game makes me think the deck was fixed.

I think this is the only card game show in which the HOST hands the cards, and not the hostess.

12:01, The "Pot Limit" Bonus Game

All-in! The result of this was another card-based game show "Card Sharks".

Ignore the trolls and haters, they don't get it.

Too bad the show didn't pick up in favor of Your Number's Up!

Yep. Charlie O'Donnell voice.

Do not remember this one. Pretty cool, quick moving

Perhaps They decided to go with Your NUmber's Up(whose pilot was hosted by Geoff Edwards and not Nipsey Russell) instead for the 10AM slot, which is probably the slot it would have gone in given the time frame. It's also possible the game resembled Card Sharks a smidge in some people's opinions, which wasn't far away from coming back on the air on CBS daytime. This pilot taped on 7/11/85, as per CHuck DOnegan's tape trading page. The song going into the commercial breaks is the instrumental part of Julian Lennon's then recent hit Say You're Wrong.

Too bad for the contestant. If a game show is not bought by a network, there are no payouts.

This should be on the air, and automatically retire the car winners; with the one car per player rule.

Thought this might've come from Goodson/Todman Productions.

7 made Bob Freeman a winner.

Good game, Great prizes, great set and Jim was a good host. I wonder why this pilot didn't sell?

Wow

NBC had this show?

21k is now 51k (Canadian)

Some of the game shows, have toss-up questions.

No it's called Sunset People

It's A Joker!!!!

Is Jim McKrell still living?

The Acey-Deucey thing reminded me of "Card Sharks".

I'm sorry, but I found this to be strange more than anything else. I'm not surprised that this went nowhere.

That I know.

Not bad, but the bonus game seemed a bit too easy to win, given the player could place a card in the middle. Based on the game Acey-Deucey, it usually is required to establish a high and low card first, then try to fit one in the middle. The end game gave the player the option to keep the 5 in the middle which made it too easy I thought to win. This is a hybrid of "Card Sharks". I liked the main game, the questions were interesting, and liked that it was a best 3 out of 5 hands to win. What I didn't like was winning the game didn't win anything except the chance to play the bonus game. $500 for winning the game seems fair, and perhaps $100 per hand won to the runner-up, plus consolation prizes. The chips in the bonus game were completely unnecessary I thought, but I understand they wanted to have a "casino" theme. I suppose the final hand in Pot Limit allowed any amount to be bet because they didn't want to be too much like Card Sharks. To me, the player should have to risk at least half. Say he got another joker and ended up with $5,600 as his final amount. Obviously he'd bet no more than $600 to guarantee himself the car, which would be quite anti-climactic. Player should have to risk at least half, especially with having 8 deuces and 8 aces in the deck. Also it would have been better had the players been given the chance to cut the cards while on the air, like they did with Gambit. Card Sharks never showed the decks being cut, but we were always assured that they were cut by the players before going on the air. Not a bad game here, but I kept being reminded of Card Sharks which had much more excitement and tension in its bonus game.

He is probably in his 80s.

16:50

The Game Game is among one of my least favorite game shows of all time--it made no sense.

Too easy to win in the bonus round. No need to stack the deck with extra aces and deuces. And ties should go to the house.

No wrong answer buzzers heard here...if anyone answered wrong in the main game, I think a buzzer would have sounded!

Bonus round is way too easy. I would dump the extra 2s and aces, force the player to put the cards on each side, and a duplicate card is a loss. The exception would be if a pair shows up, you can win by getting another duplicate (and with a much higher payout). If say a 7 and 8 show up, it is a push since there is no way to win. A push does count as one of the three hands.

Too blurry.

Nope--his game show of note is The Game Game (How ???? are you?)

If it is a pilot, how do you have a returning champ?

(as Jim McKrell on an epsiode of "Golden Girls") Why don't you both shut up and answer this question....😅😅😅

Richard Dawson kissed alot of women, on "Family Feud".

Would the game had been over if he'd busted out?, our gave him $1000

GSN is a great network that produces great game shows, anyone who says otherwise is invalid and doesn't belong anywhere.

Seems like a card game mixed with Jeopardy, and The Price is Right.

Im confused. if this is a Pilot and the show never was sold how the hell do you have a "Returning Champion"? Champion of what? air? some imaginary game they played?

The

I'm sorry but this show is a snoozer. Plus the end game is way too easy. Even the explanation of the rules were a bit unclear. Can't see this as a show that would have made it to air or even syndication.

Card Sharks ripoff

Great stuff, but it's easy to see why game shows are a thing of the past. Rubbish, brain dead puff pieces for low IT'S.

16:31