ABC Carnival '74
Across the Board
Baloney
Bamboozle
Be What You Want
Beat The Genius
Beat The Odds (1962)
Beat The Odds (1975)
Bedtime Stories
The Better Sex
The Big Money
The Big Payoff
Big Spenders
Blank Check
Body Language
Body Talk
The Buck Stops Here
Bullseye
Call My Bluff
Card Sharks (1996)
Casino
Caught in the Act
Celebrity Billiards
Celebrity Doubletalk
Celebrity Secrets
Celebrity Sweepstakes
Chain Letter (1964)
The Challengers (1974)
Change Partners
Child's Play
The Choice Is Yours
Combination Lock (1996)
Comedy Club
Concentration (1985)
The Confidence Game
Cop Out
Countdown (1974)
Countdown (1990)
The Couples Race
Crossword
Decisions, Decisions
Dollar a Second
Duel in the Daytime
The Fashion Show
Fast Friends
$50,000 a Minute
Finish Line (1975)
Finish Line (1990)
Get Rich Quick
Going, Going, Gone!
Head of the Class
High Rollers
Hollywood Squares (1965)
Hollywood Squares (1985)
The Honeymoon Game
Hot Numbers
Hot Potato
House to House
How Do You Like Your Eggs?
Jackpot (1984)
Jeopardy (1977)
Jokers Wild
Jumble
Key Witness
Keynotes (1986)
King of the Hill
Let's Make a Deal (1963)
Let's Make a Deal (1990)
The Love Experts
M'ama Non M'ama
Match Game (1962)
Match Game (1973)
Match Game (1990)
Match Game (1996)
MatchGame (2008)
Mindreaders
Missing Links
Monday Night QB
Money Words
Money in the Blank
Moneymaze
Monopoly (1987)
Nothing But the Truth
Now You See It (1986)
Oddball
100%
PDQ
Party Line
People On TV
Play For Keeps
Play Your Hunch
The Plot Thickens
Pot O' Gold
Pressure Point
The Price Is Right (1972)
Pyramid (1996)
Pyramid (1997)
A Question of Scruples
Quick as a Flash
Razzle Dazzle
Riddlers
Run For The Money
Says Who?
Scrabble (1990)
Second Guessers
Second Honeymoon
Sharaize
Shoot for the Stars
Shoot the Works
Shopping Spree
Show Me
Showoffs
Simon Says
$64,000 Question (2000)
Smart Alecks
Smart Money
Spellbinders
Spin-Off
Split Decision
Star Cluster
Star Play
Strictly Confidential
TKO
Talking Pictures (1968)
Talking Pictures (1976)
Tell It to Groucho
Temptation (1981)
$10,000 Sweep
Three of a Kind
Tic Tac Dough
Tie-Up
Top Secret
Twenty One (1982)
Twenty Questions
Twisters
Up and Over
The Waiting Game
We've Got Your Number
What Do You Want?
What's On Your Mind
Wheel of Fortune
Whew!
Whodunit
Whose Baby
Wipeout
Word Grabbers
Write Your Own Ticket
You Bet Your Life (1988)
You Bet Your Life (1991)
You're Putting Me On
Show a Random Pilot
Show Unreviewed Pilots
Bob Stewart Flow Chart
The Smart Alecks
Producer: Ivie-Hill
Host: Allen Ludden
Consultant: Howard Marylander
Celebrities: Don Meredith, Pat Carroll, David Letterman
Taping Info: Either 1976 or 1977
Other Pilots: There are two different versions floating around of the same taping session, one with titled bumpers and one without.
Made it to Air: No
Availability: The non-bumper version is on the circuit
It always seemed Allen Ludden looked for any job whenever an incarnation of Password was canceled. He did such "classics" as Win With the Stars, Stumpers and non-game show work such as Pet Set. Smart Alecks, which barely qualifies as a game show, was definitely in one of those down periods. Along to help was unknown for the time David Letterman, game show mainstay Pat Carroll and the not-on-Monday Night Football-this-year "Dandy" Don Meredith.
The show had three "contestants", who were actually inventors who had some invention they wanted to show off and get to the market. On this episode, the inventions included a "husband caller", recipes for crickets and a snoring reduction device. Since Invention Submission Corporation was not advertising on The Price is Right in the mid-70s, they would have to settle for this. The inventor would be questioned by each of the celebrities, after which the celebrities then gave a small speech of their opinions to "the people panel", a panel of ten people from the audience.
This panel determined the "score" for the contestants. Each member gave a score between 0 and 50 based on three categories � necessity, practicality, marketability. The cumulative scores were then read by a marketing executive, Howard Marylander, who really had no purpose on the show. This cumulative score (usually in the high three digits), was then converted to dollars on a one-to-one basis and given to the contestant. And that's the show.
Of course, this pilot had the usual wackiness, the people panel was obviously using non-functioning scoring devices and the graphics were sparse. Although I don't have credits on my copy of the episode, I've been told that it was produced by Ivie-Hill production, the Hill part being Michael Hill, who produced other forgettable fare with Bob Eubanks such as All-Star Secrets and the Buddy Hackett version of You Bet Your Life. However, I'm surprised this didn't make it. The panel was hilarious and the inventors definitely had losers all the way around, which made for easy pickings by the three celebrities. However, Allen wasn't out of work for long, as he was given the job on Liars Club. Plus I think that Letterman guy did something too.
A Pilot Light Bonus:
Howard Marylander's marketing company is still in existence at www.marylander.com
 Taped, from some studio in California in the mid-70s, it is The Smart Alecks. |
 David Letterman, Pat Carroll and Don Meredith. Not shown: A can of Lipton tea. |
 Those are some cool shades there, Dave. Borrow them from Harry Caray? |
 Host Allen Ludden with cricket lady Barbara Carter |
 Here is part of the People Panel. Notice that one of them is about 11 years old? |
This pilot has been viewed 11768 times since October 6, 2008 and was last modified on Dec 12, 2009 14:46 ET
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