SEPTEMBER 10, 1973

[AaronHandy3]

$ale Of The Century, the William Jones-Al Howard-produced Game Of Incredible Bargains, made a comeback to TV in syndication, having completed a sensational 4-year run on NBC Daytime (September 29, 1969-July 13, 1973). By this time, original host Jack Kelly was out, new emcee Joe Garagiola was in, and the game, picking up where the network daytime edition left off, took on a new format wherein 2 couples took place in 2 rapid-fire rounds worth $5 and $10 and a 5-question Celebrity Round worth $20, with the couple with the most money won a shopping spree @ $ale Of The Century.

The syndicated version kept the show alive on local stations for one more year. In January 1985, $ale Of The Century returned to syndication in a new edition which was spun off from the 1980s NBC Daytime hit revival, produced at a new company, Reg Grundy Productions, and hosted by Jim Perry (Card Sharks). (Al Howard, executive producer of the original $OTC and co-composer of its music cues [with Irwin Bazelon], previously developed the original 1965-67 ABC Daytime edition of Supermarket Sweep.)