MovieChat Forums > Classic TV: The 80s > Favourite game shows of the 1980s?

Favourite game shows of the 1980s?

posted 9 years ago by Thor-Delta
8 replies | jump to latest

I'm not very familiar with 1980s game shows. I've only seen a limited number, including an episode of British series Family Fortunes (1980) (the infamous "turkey" episode, which truly has to seen to be believed), and a few episodes of the U.S. daytime version of Wheel of Fortune (1975) (shockingly, the production company erased the master tapes of the episodes up to 1985, but luckily some episodes from prior to this have managed to survive. This is very unusual, as "wiping" is generally considered to have ended in the U.S. around 1978).

But anyway, I am wondering what your favourite 1980s game shows are.

EDIT: I should perhaps note I am Australian, yet have seen an absurd number of US and UK series that were never shown in my country. I've even seen DuMont Network shows.

EDIT: I have now seen two more US series: the excellent "Super Password" and the mediocre "Blackout".

This is the DuMont Television Network

[–] blaque108 9 years ago

I was born in 1982 I don't remember to much of the game shows around that time.

[–] BrooklynNellie 9 years ago

I am American. I do enjoy watching the Les Dennis era of Family Fortunes on YouTube.

As for 1980s American game shows, I can recommend Body Language, which is basically celebrity charades. Fun!

[–] Patricia91 9 years ago

Jeopardy

[–] lgreatoreau 9 years ago

A British gameshow (yes, I'm British) called The Interceptor.
basically two members of the public come on the show as contestants, are blindfolded, taken in a helicopter, dropped off, take the blindfold off, and describe to the showhost via a radiopack their surroundings. The showhost has a map of the area and has to work out where the contestants are on the map and guide them via the radio, to the prize.

At the same time this is going on, The Intercepter, a guy in a helicopter is doing an aerial search for them, and if he locates them he has a special army-issue laser to detonate a pack on the contestants backpacks.

Yes, I know it sounsds like it's made up, but no, this did actually happen.
I saw it originally and it is on YOUTUBE.

Some of the places the contestants had to go wouldn't pass health and safety standards today. Some of the things were absurdly dangerous.

[–] Liburnius 9 years ago

The early 1980s gameshow Starcade was good, from what I've seen. I have only seen the episode involving the Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro spin-off arcade game called Cliff Hanger, episode 103, Garcia VS. Walsh.

http://www.starcade.tv/starcade/tv/starcadetv-shows.asp

"A New Kind of Man" (John Foxx, 1980):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt4oi-PRbN4

[–] Fluke_Skywalker 9 years ago

My two favorites were Press Your Luck (No Whammies! No Whammies!) and Double Dare (a kids game show on Nickelodeon).

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A journey into the realm of the obscure: http://saturdayshowcase.blogspot.com/

[–] lindaring1973 9 years ago

321, Krypton Factor & Treasure Hunt think they were all around in the 1980's.

[–] MisterCheeks 9 years ago

Press Your Luck