get ready for a game of skill and strategy wonder friends: summer fun and games just not vs the hexagon part 3! and here is the host of blockbusters JACKSON WATSON
Dedicated to the memory of both William Rafferty (June 17, 1944 - August 11, 2012) & Jefferson Ray Richards better known as Rich Jeffries (September 1, 1938 - March 30, 2012) God Bless You Both and you have now entered the Land of Parting Gifts up in the Great Big Sky and you have reached a Dual Implication
Bill Rafferty was an underrated host and Bill Cullen will forever be remembered as The Dean Now I didn't mind the gameboard having the red played with the advantage in Game 1, white player in Game 2 and the tiebreaker board as an even steven, however, there were some problems with this version: 1st off, the set, while Dennis Roof designed the sets to both NBC Versions, the NEW version of the set wasn't all that spectacular and nothing like the original, 2nd, the gameplay was 1 on 1 instead of 2 on 1, 3rd, the cheap payoffs, instead of paying off $500 for each successful game ($1000 for winning the match), they divided that by 5 and made it $100 for each game won ($200 for winning the match) may have worked for Card Sharks (which I will get to in a little bit), but not for The NEW Blockbusters 4th, the gameboard, while the original had a great gameboard, the new version was computerized and it slowed the gameplay down, especially in the Gold Run Game with a lot of money at stake. 5th, there were no question cards, in the original version, Uncle Bill would read the questions from his cards and sometimes he would pocket them to send to his beautiful wife Ann Narz Cullen (God Rest Their Souls) Rafferty would have to read from his podium with a monitor on there which was not such a great idea, and finally....competition against Card Sharks, after NBC cancelled Search for Tomorrow with Wordplay, a week later in the 1st week of 1987, NBC Entertainment President Brandon Tartikoff decided to cancel sitcom reruns and show 3 hours of Game Shows which was a good thing, however, The NEW Blockbusters was sandwiched in between 2 of NBC's Longest Running Game Shows in $ale of the Century with Jim Perry & Summer Bartholomew and Wheel of Fortune with Pat & Vanna and with $ale competing against The NEW $25,000 Pyramid with Bandstand KING Dick Clark, The NEW Blockbusters went up against Jim Perry's Former Game Show Card Sharks with Longtime Newlywed Game Host Bob Eubanks and Card Dealers Lacey Pemberton and Susanna Williams and it spelled disaster for The NEW Blockbusters from the beginning and ironically, Bill Rafferty also competed against Bob Eubanks on syndication with Rafferty hosting Card Sharks on syndication (although I like him and Jim Perry over Eubanks as host when it comes to CS) and Bob Eubanks was in his 2nd season as host of The All New Newlywed Game (with the Gold Set designed by the late Ed Flesh) Looks like Eubanks had Rafferty's # in both Daytime and Syndication after NBC cancelled The NEW Blockbusters, in came Classic Concentration and the rest was history Concentration with Alex Trebek and Models Diana Taylor and later Marjorie Goodson would compete against Card Sharks, The NEW Now You See It with Chuck Henry and The NEW Daytime Wheel of Fortune with Bob Goen and Vanna White and in 1991, competed against Family Feud with the late Ray Combs
Opening spiel for a revival (if any): "This is the battlefield for our game of speed and strategy. These are the letters which lead to victory on... BLOCKBUSTERS!" Ladies and gentlemen, Chris Hardwick!" Closing spiel for the revival: "This is your announcer Randy West saying tune in next time for more Blockbusters! Take care! Blockbusters is a Fremantle production."
Prepare yourselves for a game of speed & strategy on the battlefield of letters that will ultimately lead to victory… ON BLOCKBUSTERS! And… now… please welcome… Teshawn LeVarr Edmonds! From me, (name above repeated) speaking for Blockbusters, a Fremantle Worldwide presentation. Stay tuned for your local news on all CBS Television stations.
