Hit Man (American game show)
| Hit Man | |
|---|---|
 Promotional photo featuring the Hit Man set. | |
| Created by | Jay Wolpert |
| Directed by | John "The Fox" Dorsey |
| Presented by | Peter Tomarken |
| Narrated by | Rod Roddy |
| Theme music composer | Paul Epstein for Score Productions |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 65 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Jay Wolpert |
| Producers | Roger Speakman Randy Neece |
| Production locations | NBC Studios Burbank, California |
| Running time | 22 minutes (without commercials) |
| Production companies | Jay Wolpert Productions Metromedia Video Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | January 3 – April 1, 1983 |
Hit Man is an American television game show. The show aired on NBC from January 3 to April 1, 1983, and was hosted by Peter Tomarken.[1] Rod Roddy was the announcer, and the program was produced by Jay Wolpert Productions in association with Metromedia Video Productions.
Game play[edit]
Four contestants competed on each episode of Hit Man in a quiz based on memory and instant recall.[2] One was either a returning champion or champion-designate, with the other three were challengers who competed for the right to face him/her in the second round. The winner of each game played the bonus round, known as the Triple Crown, for a top prize of $10,000.
Round 1[edit]
The three challengers watched a short film narrated by Tomarken. Film topics varied widely and included biographies, behind-the-scenes features about specific movies, professions, hobbies, etc. The film was also shown to the returning champion offstage, since the subject matter would also be used for the Triple Crown.
After the film ended, Tomarken asked the challengers a series of toss-up questions about its content. Each correct answer moved the challenger one step up a five-step ladder behind him/her, while a miss put the question out of play and froze him/her out of the next one. The first challenger to give five correct answers won $300 and sat out the rest of the round, and the second to do so won $200. These two challengers advanced to the second round; the third one was eliminated from the game and received parting gifts.
Round 2[edit]
The champion joined the two remaining challengers onstage, and all three contestants were shown a second film and asked a series of toss-up questions about it. The object this time for all three contestants was to defend a series of hit men assigned to them. The champion was given seven hit men, with the first place challenger from the first round receiving four and the second place challenger receiving three.
The round started with the champion and the first place challenger playing against each other. Buzzing in with a correct answer would result in the opposing contestant losing one hit man, but answering incorrectly resulted in the contestant losing a hit man from his/her side; for the challengers, losing a hit man also meant losing their turn.
If the champion managed to eliminate both challengers' hit men before losing all of his/hers, he/she won the match. If not, the challenger who eliminated the champion's seventh and last hit man won and became champion.
Triple Crown[edit]
The champion faced a board of eight columns that contained varying numbers of circles and was given sixty seconds to fill three of them with green "money men". One column had one spot to fill, one had five spots, and the other six consisted of pairs of columns with two, three, and four spots.
To start the round, the champion was positioned with his/her back to the board as the columns were shuffled into place behind him/her. Once the shuffle was complete, the champion selected a column, and each correct answer placed a money man in the column. Answering incorrectly locked the column out and the champion would select another; since contestants never saw the results of the shuffle, the host would inform them when they filled a column.
Filling one column won the champion $1,000, and filling a second added $1,000 to the total. If three columns were filled before time ran out, the champion won $10,000.
Champions would remain until they either were defeated in the front game or until they won five times.
Broadcast history[edit]
Hit Man premiered on January 3, 1983, as one of three new game shows on NBC's daytime schedule, along with the new Just Men! and a revival of Sale of the Century, that the network commissioned to replace the cancelled serials Texas and The Doctors. Hit Man and its lead-in program, Wheel of Fortune, were moved to the slot Texas had occupied, with Hit Man airing at 11:30 AM Eastern.
Although NBC was drawing better ratings in the hour, Hit Man suffered from ratings trouble against the second half of The Price Is Right on CBS and reruns of The Love Boat on ABC and the network did not renew the series beyond its original sixty-five episode commitment, with the final episode airing on April 1. On the final episode, instead of doing the usual request for contestants during the final segment, announcer Rod Roddy told the home audience, "If you would like to be a contestant on Hit Man, forget it!" The show was replaced by Dream House hosted by Bob Eubanks. Hit Man and Just Men! both ended their runs on the same day, but Sale continued for another six years, ending in 1989.
Peter Tomarken later hosted Press Your Luck, which debuted in September 1983 (five months after Hit Man ended) and ran for three years on CBS. Rod Roddy reunited with Tomarken as the announcer of Press Your Luck, and later became Johnny Olson's permanent replacement in 1986 as announcer on The Price Is Right after the latter's death the previous year. Roddy held this position until his death in 2003.
International versions[edit]
| Country | Name | Host | Network | Date premiered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Italy[3][4]
|
Babilonia | Umberto Smaila | Canale 5 | September 18, 1989 – December 30, 1990 |
 United Kingdom[5]
|
Hitman | Nick Owen | ITV | February 21 – May 30, 1989 |
References[edit]
- ^ Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 213. ISBN 978-0823083152. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- ^ Baber, David (2009). Television Game Show Hosts: Biographies of 32 Stars. McFarland & Co. p. 251. ISBN 9780786445738. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
- ^ Pino Corrias (1989). "Fininvest, la tv è quiz". La Stampa. p. 7. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- ^ Laura Delli Colli (1990). "Un '91 con Giuliano Ferrara". la Repubblica. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- ^ "Book Nick Owen, Event Host and Facilitator".
