Break the Bank

When Richard Kline left Barry-Enright Productions to form his own company, Kline & Friends, the first show to hit the airwaves was a revival of Break the Bank. This version was a lot different from the 1976 incarnation that had high ratings, but was canceled after 15 weeks due to ABC expanding their soap operas. Instead of nine celebrities, there were two couples who answered questions to earn seconds in the Prize Vault later in the show. Each answer was a clue to a person, place or thing and the first couple to solve two puzzles won the game and used the accumulated seconds to win prizes and computer cards to help them Break the Bank.

The front game, to me was the best part of the game. It was similar to Password Plus and it involved the home viewer. As for the bonus round, it was too complicated and a lot like a carnival. Some of the stunts included identifying voices by a female impressionist and solving tongue twisters. It just wasn't exciting.

Gene Rayburn was the first host and he wasn't as good as he was on Match Game. He also sounded like he had laryngitis. He was fired after 13 weeks and replaced by Joe Farago, who was a much better host and kept the game moving. Also, the format was changing, eliminating the stunts and concentrating more on the puzzles.

Former Miss USA Julie Hayek also added to the festivities and Michael Hanks did a fine job as the show's announcer. It's a shame that he wasn't used on other game shows. As for this version of a show whose title goes back to radio days, it didn't Break the Bank.