Press Your Luck

CBS, Daytime, Mid 80s. An exciting game show is played on the television screen. That game is called "Press Your Luck!!!!!" It's a show where, at first, three contestants HAVE to go through and answer trivia questions. After commercial, the fun begins: a giant, blooping, colorful video board (looks like a board game) has prizes, cash, and WHAMMIES switching places while lights flash on the squares, hoping NOT to get whammied!!!!!

And yes, I've seen that ice cream man two-parter, on "The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time" on GSN. It was exciting, seeing how all the cash and three prizes went to him. It might ruin the excitement for some, but it's still good.

This was an exciting show, and I can see this on 11:30 on GSN.

10 stars

The first time I saw this show I was instantly drawn to it. I loved everything about this show; The bad poetry people would send in about the show or Peter Tomarken, Rod Roddy (this was the first time I saw him), the excitement when the contestants played for prizes and "big money" as well as their greed. Also I liked the contestant's banter when they pressed their luck; "No Whammies, No Whammies, No Whammies" and the best was one guy who would scream, "BIG MONEY, BIG MONEY, BIG MONEY, AND NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMIESSSSSSSSSS!!. He still sticks out in my mind.

And of course, who could forget those wonderful Whammies?? I can still see the "Boy George" Whammy singing, "Who would want to hurt a Whammy?" to the tune of Culture Club's "Do you want to hurt me?" The pizza making Whammy and The construction worker Whammy as they would take away your winnings when you got them.

One of my all time game shows that I will never forget.

Press your luck is so great to watch I love it when the contestants spin the big board it keeps me on the edge of my seat, and the whammies are very funny. I read gameshow network is planning to make a new press your luck I can't wait to see it!

While many will snort "Chance! Nothing but chance!" when asked about the game show "Press Your Luck", the rules of the game turned the big board bonus round into a true exercise in strategy.

To refresh your memory, after the 3 contestants earned spins by answering 4 general knowledge questions, it was time to face the 18-square big board, with its changing prize values, score-zeroing Whammies and flying cursor. In motion, the big board was possibly one of the most hypnotic devices ever created for a game show. The contestants stopped the cursor on one of the squares by mashing an over-sized button (the same button used to buzz in and answer a question to earn 3 spins instead of answering it as a multiple-choice question for 1). It was also customary to chant "No Whammies. . .big bucks. . .no Whammies. . .big bucks" before shouting "STOP!" and hitting the button.

After the contestants earned a few thousand dollars in cash and prizes, strategy came into play. If you're in the lead, do you pass your spins and hope the second-place contender can be wiped off the board? If you're trailing, do you give your spins to the leader, hoping to topple his or her empire? The four-Whammies-and-you're-out rule forced one to make even shrewder decisions. Two players who had Whammied their scores to zero passed their spins to the only one with any prizes, and since she, too, had hit a Whammy, all three were eligible to return to play again.

It isn't until you've experienced the game yourself that the strategy angle really becomes apparent. Short of trying out for "WHAMMY: The All New Press Your Luck" on Game Show Network, you can download a remarkably accurate computer simulation of the original "Press Your Luck" at:

http://www.crossbearer.com/software/press/pyl.html

In 1983, CBS debuted a new game show called Press Your Luck, and that involves winning big bucks and avoiding the dreaded red creatures known as the whammies! The gameplay may be simple and basic, but it executed well!

The late Peter Tomarken, while not the first thing to pop into mind as a great game show host, did do a solid job as the host of the show.

An underrated favorite of mine, if you haven't seen it yet, check it out for yourself!