TV by the Decade :: December 24•30

Stefan Hatos-Monty Hall Productions

As we close out the year that ends in 3, only one daytime series made its debut this week, a classic game show — not The Price Is Right — that has had a long life across three different networks and in Syndication, and still airs today in daytime and nighttime editions. Read on to learn some interesting facts about the show, enjoy the rest of the holiday week and have a very safe and happy New Year!

1953

No new series premiered this week in 1953.

1963

December 30 – Let’s Make a Deal (NBC/ABC, Eight seasons, 3,784 episodes)

Let’s Make a Deal was created by Stefan Hatos and Monty Hall, with Hall serving as host for various incarnations of the show over a 30 year period. The show originated on NBC in 1963 and moved to ABC in 1968, where it remained until 1976. NBC revived the series during the 1990-1991 season and again in 2003. A weekly, nighttime Syndicated edition aired from 1971-1977. A Syndicated revival with Hall was taped in Hall’s native Canada and launched in 1980 for one season. The show ended in 1981 because Hall had not been paid by the new production company, which then filed for bankruptcy. The show returned again to Syndication in 1984 as The All-New Let’s Make a Deal and ran for two seasons. NBC revived the series for daytime in 1990, but was not produced or hosted by Hall. Bob Hilton hosted until the network dismissed him due to the show’s low ratings and Hall took over as a ‘guest host’ until the show was cancelled. A new primetime edition aired in 2003, hosted by Billy Bush, but was so poorly received that only three of the five produced episodes were broadcast. A remake of the show titled Big Deal, hosted by Mark DeCarlo, aired on FOX in 1996 for six weeks. The show was one of several included in CBS’ summer Gameshow Marathon in 2006 hosted by Ricki Lake. CBS revived the show for daytime again in 2009 with Wayne Brady as host, and that along with The Price is Right are currently the only two game shows airing weekdays on a major broadcast network. Several special editions of the show have been produced for primetime on CBS since 2020. Monty Hall hosted nearly every episode of the show from 1963 to 1986, with Dennis James filling in for a time in 1971 during an illness, and Geoff Edwards hosted for a week in 1985 while Hall recovered from a bout of laryngitis.

A signature feature of the show is the wacky costumes worn by the audience members in hopes of drawing the attention of the host. Monty Hall has said in interviews that when the show premiered, audience members were not in costume and were just picked randomly to participate in a deal. One day a woman showed up with a sign that read ‘Roses are red, violets are blue, why can’t I make a deal with you?’ After she was picked to play, audiences members started showing up with signs, and then in costume. When more people arrived in costume, the producers asked Hall what he was going to do about it and he said, ‘Absolutely nothing,’ as it made the show unique among the other game shows on the air at the time. The tradition continues to this day.

The original series announcer was Wendell Niles, and he was replaced with Jay Stewart in 1964. Stewart remained with the show through the end of the Syndicated run in 1977. The announcers were often considered co-hosts as they appeared on camera with various props, games and prizes. Other announcers include Brian Cummings (1984), Dean Goss (1985), Dean Muccio (1990), Vance DeGeneres (2003), Jonathan Mangum (2009). Mangum is the announcer on the current edition of the series but co-executive producer Chris Ahearn serves as a back-up, such as the time Mangum was not cleared to participate in tapings during Season 14 due to illness. Carol Merrill was the prize model on the original version of the series from 1963-1977 serving 14 seasons, a mark which current model Tiffany Coyne is expected to surpass during the tapings of the 15th season in 2023. Monty Hall and Carol Merrill both made one-week guest appearances on the current version of the series, Hall in 2010 and 2013, and Merrill in 2013. The 2013 appearances were timed to celebrate the show’s 50th anniversary, and marked the last time Hall would appear on the show before his death although he did appear in a 2017 photo with Wayne Brady as part of CBS Daytime’s celebration of the daytime ratings. Hall was a consultant on the current version from 2009 until his death on September 30, 2017, with a later 2018 episode (episodes tape well in advance of broadcast) repurposed and aired earlier as a memorial episode. Hall’s daughter Sharon then became a consultant to the show.