In the last entry written about game shows, HSGN did a story about the short-lived 70s version of Break the Bank that was cancelled due to ABC expanding their soap operas One Life to Live and General Hospital from 30 to 45 minutes. This week, HSGN looks back at the mid 80s incarnation of another show that used the title Break the Bank.
When Richard Kline, who directed many episodes of the Barry-Enright game shows such as The Joker's Wild and Tic Tac Dough, he left the company after the death of Jack Barry in 1984 to form his own production company Kline & Friends. The first show the new company came up with was another version of Break the Bank that debuted in the fall of 1985 with Gene Rayburn, best known for hosting Match Game as the host.
This version of Break the Bank was much different from the Tom Kennedy hosted version. The game was played by two couples, some married, some boyfriend/girlfriend who earned seconds to use in the Prize Vault. Rayburn asked a question and the first couple to hit their buzzer got to answer the question. If they answered correctly, they earned seconds that increased with each question. Each correct answer was a clue to the identity of a person place or thing like Super Password. Up to six clues were played in each puzzle and the first couple to solve two puzzles won the game and took the seconds accumulated in the main game to the Prize Vault.
The main game was executed well because the home viewer could try and solve the puzzle, an important aspect of a successful game show. But Break the Bank's downfall came in the Prize Vault round. In came the show's assistant, former Miss USA Julie Hayek and she opened the vault that featured several stunts for the couple to attempt using the time they earned.
Among the numerous stunts used on the show were the couple trying to identify voices from impressionist Louise DuArt, reciting a tongue twister or doing aerobics. Each completed stunt earned a bank card. When time ran out, the couple took their cards to the vault and insert one in the code reader. The readout would display one of two messages. "Wrong Code" or Break Bank." Break bank meant that they would break the bank which could be worth more than $20,000.
This hodgepodge of a mess resulted in low ratings and Rayburn was fired after 13 weeks. He was replaced by Joe Farago and the format was changed. The two couples no longer played for seconds. Instead they earned money and bonus prizes by solving puzzles. Each correct answer was still a clue to the puzzle's identity. The first couple to earn $2000 or more won the game and went to the Prize Vault.
The Prize Vault round was also changed. A Master Puzzle was played and a couple could earn up to 10 bank cards. The longer it took to solve the puzzle, the fewer the cards they earned. After the couple solved the puzzle, they went to the vault where they picked from 40 bank cards. Thirty eight of them had cash or prizes. One card broke the bank while the last one would read "Bankrupt" that lost their winnings. The couple insert the cards they won into the reader. If it was cash or a prize they kept the prize. They could stop at anytime, but if the bankrupt card came up, the game was over.
The one bright spot for the show was announcer Michael Hanks. a prolific voice over artist, he was a very good announcer in his first game show stint. It was unfortunate that no other packager used him on any other game show. According to imdb.com, he was the announcer for the short-lived talk show Dr. Laura.
Farago and the format change did little good for the ratings and after 39 weeks of original episodes, Break the Bank went bust.
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