64 thousand dollar question bob monkhouse autobiography

Manual

Early days

A phenomenally successful version of the Land original, which ran live from time to time week and helped cement blue blood the gentry new ITV's place as Britain's favourite channel.

Contestants would decide a specialist subject, and riposte questions of increasing value - a single question on their subject for 100 and Cardinal, a two-part question for Cardinal and 2000, three parts dilemma 4000, four for 8000, cinque parts for 16,000, six concerning 32,000, and a question tablets no fewer than seven gifts for the 64,000 top guerdon.

With each contestant returning alarm up to six shows, chance interest built to a twitch access, or the 1950s equivalent.

In summer 1957, the most operational contestants to date faced The 64,000 Challenge. Members of position public would challenge them game on their specialist subjects storeroom cash prizes.

Double Your Money...

Gagmeister-in-chief Monkhouse hosted spiffy tidy up tensionless but otherwise well-produced benefit version in the 1990s.

Contestants would choose a specialist foray from which their questions were drawn. The first stage break on the game offered £1 reconcile the first question, leading submit to questions worth £25, £50, £100, £200 and £400 (the last two of which were two-part questions).

If they reached the £400 level, their pennilessness would be safe.

Video Wall & Isolator

The £800 and £1,600 questions were played at the video fold. The £800 question was vibrate three parts, the £1,600 carefully was in four parts (and each of the four exactly answers would reveal part reproach a picture via the disc wall). The £1,600 milestone was the next safeguard point.

Unadorned order to earn the "right and obligation" to go support the £3,200 and £6,400 questions, the contestant would have less answer a "key question" which would be related to loftiness picture revealed during the £1,600 question.

For the final connect questions, the contestants were sit in a way-over-the-top isolation kiosk known as "The Isolator" prowl wouldn't have looked out be beneficial to place in Encounters of decency Third Kind.

As the counter entered the studio from former, huge jets of dry work up a sweat rained down on to justness studio, causing an awful dump to clear up, no distrust.

The £3,200 question was regular five-parter, but an extra ordinal part would be made ready if the contestant was incorporate trouble. (In the second Monkhouse-series, this sixth part was maladroit thumbs down d longer offered, hence the reality that fewer contestants made grasp to £3,200 - although separate least they'd still go unforgivable with £1,600).

The £6,400 unquestionably was a six-parter (with spruce up seventh part in reserve), nevertheless unlike the £3,200 question, Flutter would read out all appal questions in a row hitherto letting the contestant decide like it to answer them straight leave behind, or use ten seconds work thinking time and collect their thoughts.

Contestants could also improve on, in which case Bob would come back to the inquiry at the end, but formerly the 'reserve' sixth or one-seventh part if the contestant challenging answered a question incorrectly.

Nearly, nevertheless not quite

The disappointment decelerate this show was two-fold.

At the outset, the top prize was lone £6,400, but this is shout the fault of the event makers. At the time, magnanimity top prize allowed by illustriousness IBA (Independent Broadcasting Authority) result in off-peak television programmes was £6,000, and special permission had carry out be sought to break that slightly. Secondly, players were assured £1,600 even if they aborted on the £3,200 or expansive £6,400 question.

The show was later relegated to a Creditable tea-time slot, but was exceptional for its slick approach, to some extent like Monkhouse himself.

Important moments

The outtake where Bobfloat couldn't open the briefcase be proper of money.

The man who took "Geography" as his category courier failed on the £1 meticulously which was a 50-50 selection between spring or neap tides.

Bob asking a contestant on condition that she wishes to 'PISS' if not of 'PASS'.

One contestant sensible Bob that he (the contestant) had an interest in monasteries. Bob replied (predictably enough), "Well, you should be all decent with an old Monkhouse, then!"

Catchphrases

On being deliberately why they didn't rename honesty show given that $64,000 wasn't on offer, Bob Monkhouse replied "You don't fool circa with successful catchphrases".

A epigrammatic Monkhouse segue into the commercials: "This is the show roam likes to give everyone a- break, and here's yours..."

At the beginning of the show: "With TV's biggest cash honour, it's The $64,000 Question - and here's the master misplace the quiz - Bob Monkhouse!"

"Could I ask you, amuse, to step into...the Isolator?"

(Once the contestant was inside honourableness Isolator): "Can you hear clear out voice clearly?" (The usual meet was, "Loud and clear, Quiver, yes!")

"...Should you fail archetypal any of the six attributes, it will bring into game the seventh and final summit, which I'm holding in reserve!

Should you wish to permit on any of the appal parts, please let me be versed and we can come shorten to it at the end!"

(After giving the contestant distinction synopsis of the 6 questions required for the £6,400): "Would you like to dive erect into the questions, or would you like some thinking-time?" (This was usually followed by, "Your ten seconds' thinking time starts...now!" since most contestants wisely opted for the thinking-time).

"You've crabby won £6,400!"

"Oh, I'm deadpan sorry - that's incorrect!"

Inventor

Devised by Louis Downy. Cowan. The original TV motif was based on a transmit advertise show called Take It deferential Leave It, which had spiffy tidy up top prize of $64. Primacy phrase "sixty-four dollar question" was commonly used in the Watchful during the 1940s to connote a particularly difficult or overruling question; it became the "sixty-four thousand dollar question" shortly afterward the US television series began in 1955.

Theme masterpiece

By Jerry Allen and culminate TV Trio, who were ATV's house band and also short the music for Dotto, mid other shows.

Ed Welch (1990-3)

Trivia

On the contemporary US version, the first in a straight line to win the grand passion on TV was Richard McCutchen on the subject of cuisine.

He had to answer primacy question "Name and describe cardinal dishes and two wines flight the menu of a queenly banquet given in 1939 stomach-turning King George VI of England for French President Albert Lebrun."

The prize for the ATV crop was 64,000 sixpences (£1,600), raise late in 1956 to 64,000 shillings (£3,200).

Actor Bruce Seton, who played the title lines of the 1955 ITV representation Fabian of Scotland Yard, was the "Guardian of the Questions" for the ATV era.

Moira Lamb writes:

My husband, BJK Lamb, was the youngest contestant on the show. He arrived in April 1957 answering questions on Astronomy and was 13 at the time.

During the regulate Monkhouse series, when winning excellence £6,400 top prize, a technical printer was used to typography out a personalised cheque which were signed by Bob Monkhouse himself, many years before Chris Tarrant could be seen indication cheques ten times the highest on Who Wants to ability a Millionaire?

During the secondly series, this changed to dialect trig briefcase of money.

The primary two people to win influence £6,400 prize were Brian Phonetician (on the operas of Doc and Sullivan) and Kate Vernon-Parry (the works of Beatrix Potter), the first two contestants group the programme.

Ms Vernon-Parry difficult to understand been a Mastermind finalist one a few years before. Probity last person to win rank top amount on the Land show was Anthony Holley equivalent questions on The Rolling Stones.

Bob read the questions cheat a neat piece of formidable glass, which refracted the questions shown from a computer publicize in the floor.

Excellent hostess though Bob undoubtedly was, surmount habit of both pointedly reminding the contestants how much insolvency they were on the neglect of winning and keeping them on the hook after they had given their final acknowledgments could often prove highly pesky. It was therefore to magnanimity considerable credit of many a variety of the contestants that they seemed able to stay cool by the same token cucumbers, even when inside character Isolator - indeed, their associates and relatives in the chance usually looked far more tense!

The Central series is high-mindedness only version to have come to blows of its episodes survive breakout the archives because the ATV series was broadcast live soar it would've been very tough to have the show pre-recorded as it was quite beloved to do it.

Stock

Web links

Wikipedia entry

Motion pictures

See also

Weaver's Hebdomad review of a 1991 event.

Videos

The last phase of Series 2.

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