Hubbry Logo
Whew!Whew!Main
Open search
Whew!
Community hub
Whew!
logo
7 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Whew!
Whew!
Whew!
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia

Whew!
Created byJay Wolpert[1]
Directed byBill Carruthers
Chris Darley
Tom Trbovich[1]
Presented byTom Kennedy
AnnouncerRod Roddy
Theme music composerAlan Thicke
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes273
Production
Executive producersBud Austin
Burt Sugarman[1]
ProducerJay Wolpert[1]
Production locationsCBS Television City
Hollywood, California
Running timeApprox. 25 minutes (with commercials)
Production companiesThe Bud Austin Company
Jay Wolpert Productions
Burt Sugarman Inc.
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseApril 23, 1979 (1979-04-23) –
May 30, 1980 (1980-05-30)

Whew! is an American television game show that aired on CBS from April 23,1979, until May 30,1980. It was hosted by Tom Kennedy and announced by Rod Roddy. Contestants competed to correct "bloopers," factual statements in which one word has been changed on a game board to win cash.

The game was created by Jay Wolpert. Production was initially credited to the Bud Austin Company, then later changed to Jay Wolpert Productions in association with Burt Sugarman Inc. The animated opening sequence, featuring a woman named Bridget evading an array of villains, was produced by Hanna-Barbera. In September 2021, TV network Buzzr began reruns of Whew!

Gameplay

[edit]

Main game

[edit]

The gameboard consisted of five rows ("levels") of five squares each, with values from $10 to $50 in $10 increments, and a sixth level of three squares with values of $200, $350, and $500. Levels were numbered from the bottom of the board, working upward. Two contestants (or during the later half of the run, two teams of a celebrity and a civilian) were told the categories for the first two rounds of play at the start of the match. The current challenger (or the winner of a coin toss, if there was no returning champion) decided whether to play as the charger or the blocker for the first round, and the champion took the other role. The charger was led offstage to a soundproof booth, and the blocker then placed six blocks on the board. Up to three blocks could be placed on any of the first five levels, and no more than one on the sixth.

The charger was brought back onstage and given 60 seconds to advance through all six levels by correcting "bloopers," or factual statements in which one word had been changed (Example: "The B&O was the first American passenger smell," with "railroad" as the correct answer.) The charger started on level one by choosing one of its squares. If a blooper was hidden there, it was revealed on that space's trilon and read out. The incorrect word was marked with an underline, and was the only part that the charger needed to correct. A correct answer added the value to the charger's score for the match and allowed him/her to move to the next level, while a miss or failure to respond within three seconds required him/her to choose another square. Uncovering a block added the amount to the blocker's score and incurred a five-second penalty before the charger could continue. If the charger revealed all the squares on a level without a correct answer, the level was "exhausted" and the charger was allowed to advance.

If the charger believed that he/she was running short on time, and had not yet reached level six, he/she could call a "Longshot." The clock was stopped, the charger immediately advanced to level six, and the blocker hid one secret block on that level in addition to the one that may have already been placed there. The charger then selected one square and attempted to correct its blooper if one was hidden there. The charger won the round by either clearing all six levels or successfully completing a Longshot. If the charger ran out of time, or either hit a block or failed to correct a blooper after calling a Longshot, the blocker won the round. The charger could not call a Longshot after reaching level six or during the five-second penalty for hitting a block, but could do so at any other time, even while a blooper was read.

The contestants traded positions for the second round. If a third round was needed, Kennedy revealed its category at that time and the champion decided who played which role. The first contestant to win two rounds won the money accumulated from charging and blocking and advanced to the Gauntlet of Villains. The runner-up received consolation prizes.

The Gauntlet of Villains

[edit]

The contestant stood at the beginning of a path lined with 10 cardboard caricatures of stereotypical villains, each with one arm raised as a barrier. He/she had 60 seconds, plus one extra second for every $100 earned in the main game, to reach the end of the path by correcting bloopers.[2] If the contestant either responded incorrectly or failed to respond within two seconds, the correct answer was shown on a small screen embedded in the current villain's chest and Kennedy read a new blooper. A correct response led to the villain's arm being lowered so that the contestant could advance to the next one.

The contestant won $100 for each villain passed, or $25,000 for completing the Gauntlet. Since CBS had a $25,000 winnings limit in effect for its game shows at the time, any contestant who won this bonus round immediately retired from the show. Unsuccessful champions played the main game again. Later, an additional rule forced the champion to retire after five attempts at the bonus round.

The villains in the Gauntlet were, from start to finish:

  1. Alphonse the Gangster
  2. Bruno the Headsman
  3. Mr. Van Louse the Landlord
  4. Nero the Fiddler
  5. Count Nibbleneck the Vampire
  6. Frank and his little friend Stein
  7. Kid Rotten the Gunslinger
  8. Jeremy Swash the Pirate
  9. Dr. Deranged the Mad Scientist
  10. Lucretia the Witch

Production information

[edit]

Whew! was taped in Hollywood, California at CBS Television City, with production alternating between Studios 31 and 33.[3]

Broadcast history

[edit]

Whew!'s debut was part of a shakeup of the overall CBS Daytime schedule. The show was given the spot on the schedule that had previously belonged to Match Game 79. At the time, the long-running Match Game 79 had been airing at 4:00 pm Eastern in the last network-programmed daytime slot of the day.[a]

CBS’s morning lineup featured All in the Family reruns at 10:00 am, the hour-long game show The Price Is Right at 10:30 am, and the veteran soap opera Love of Life at 11:30 am. The network added Whew! to its morning lineup and placed it at 10:30 am, following reruns of All in the Family. The Price Is Right moved thirty minutes later to 11:00 am (which it still occupies today) and relegated Love of Life to the 4:00 pm slot for Match Game 79, which resulted in the soap's cancellation months later.[5] Whew!'s actual run time, with commercials, was 25 minutes. The remaining time (in between the show and The Price Is Right) was taken up by the five-minute CBS Mid-Morning News with Douglas Edwards.

Its network competition was restricted to NBC’s daytime lineup, as ABC did not program the 10:00 AM hour at the time (ABC affiliates chose their own programs). From its premiere, Whew! went up against All Star Secrets until that series was cancelled. NBC then relocated Hollywood Squares, which it had been shuffling around the schedule for some time by 1979 (where it aired in three separate time slots that year alone). Both programs faced each other head to head for the remainder of the run of Whew!. Incidentally, Hollywood Squares was cancelled shortly after Whew! aired its finale.

After the final episode of Whew! aired, the series was replaced the following Monday by reruns of Alice, which remained in the 10:30 am timeslot until September 1982 (when Child's Play premiered).

Celebrity Whew!

[edit]

On November 5, 1979, in an attempt to increase the show's ratings,[1] Whew! changed its format to accommodate the addition of celebrities to the game. Originally conceived as a three-week special series of episodes, the change instead became permanent on December 5 and the show adopted the title Celebrity Whew! to reflect it.

Each contestant was paired with one of the two celebrities. One member from the charging team played at a time, passing control to his/her partner after either clearing or exhausting the current level. The two shared blocking duties, with one member placing the first three blocks and the other one placing the last three. The rules were otherwise unchanged except that, toward the end of the series, any team that won the first two rounds of a match could play the third one unopposed for additional money and time with a randomly generated set of blocks.

In the Gauntlet of Villains, one member of the team took the first half and the other took the second half. As before, each $100 earned in the front game was worth one additional second on top of the base 60-second time, and completing the Gauntlet won $25,000 which retired the player immediately upon winning it.

Theme Music

[edit]

The theme song was composed by Alan Thicke. Original recordings of the theme[6] were presumed to have been lost until 2012, when they were discovered by the Museum of Television Production Music.[7]

Episode status

[edit]

All episodes exist in the possession of Burt Sugarman, the current copyright holder of the Whew! program and format.[8][2]

On August 10, 2021, it was announced that Whew! would air on Buzzr beginning September 5, 2021, with previously unaired episodes set to air weekdays beginning the following day. The show's return to TV marks the end of a 41-year absence after CBS canceled the series in 1980.[2] Wink Martindale and game show producer John Ricci Jr. both played a role in bringing the show to Buzzr.[2]

Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Whew!

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Whew! is an American daytime television game show that aired on from April 23, 1979, to May 30, 1980. Hosted by Tom Kennedy and announced by , the program pitted two contestants against each other in a fast-paced competition involving the correction of intentional "bloopers"—humorous misspellings or grammatical errors—in phrases on a six-level game board. The winning contestant advanced to the bonus round, known as the "Gauntlet of Villains," where they attempted to answer ten bloopers within a time limit to win up to $25,000 in cash. In the main game, one player served as the "charger," who had 60 seconds to select and correctly answer bloopers on the board, progressing from level to level with increasing cash values ranging from $10 to $500. The opposing "blocker" strategically placed up to six blocks on the board to impede progress, forcing the charger to waste time or incur penalties if a blocked spot was chosen. A special "Longshot!" option allowed the charger to skip directly to the highest level but froze the clock during the answer. The first contestant to win two games proceeded to the Gauntlet, where time allowances were extended by one second for every $100 earned in the main rounds, and successful players received $100 per defeated even if they fell short of the grand prize. The show originated from pilots taped in December 1978 and premiered in a shortened 18-minute format without commercials before expanding to a full half-hour. Midway through its run, due to declining ratings, introduced "Celebrity Whew!" episodes featuring celebrity partners to boost viewership, though the series was ultimately canceled on May 30, 1980. Notable elements included a rule requiring contestants to retire after five Gauntlet attempts or a $25,000 win, and standout performances such as champion Wilson's total winnings exceeding $35,000 across multiple appearances.

Gameplay

Main game

The main game of Whew! featured a six-level game board consisting of 28 squares in total, with levels 1 through 5 each containing five squares and level 6 having three squares; each square concealed a "," a deliberately altered factual statement or phrase with one word changed to create an error, such as grammatical, factual, or issues. Two contestants alternated roles as the "charger" and "blocker," determined by a coin flip or challenger selection at the start of each round; the charger attempted to progress up the board by correctly identifying and correcting the error in each to advance levels, while the blocker sought to impede progress by strategically placing up to six hidden "blocks" on the board beforehand, with a maximum of three blocks per level on levels 1–5 and only one on level 6. The blocker earned $5 for each block hit by the charger. The charger had 60 seconds per round to navigate the board, starting from level 1 and needing to solve one blooper per level to advance; each successful correction earned escalating cash prizes—$10 for level 1, $20 for level 2, $30 for level 3, $40 for level 4, $50 for level 5, and $200, $350, or $500 for the three squares on level 6—while encountering a block imposed a five-second time penalty, effectively resetting progress on that level and costing additional time. After completing level 3, the charger could invoke the "Longshot" option to attempt a direct jump to level 6, halting the clock temporarily while the blocker placed an additional block on one of the three top squares; if the charger then correctly solved the selected level 6 blooper without hitting a block, they won the round immediately, but failure resulted in the blocker claiming the victory. Rounds alternated roles between contestants until one secured two victories, qualifying them as the match winner to proceed to the Gauntlet of Villains bonus round to attempt additional prizes, while retaining main game earnings; both contestants retained money earned in the main game from correct bloopers as charger and $5 per block hit as blocker, with the loser also receiving parting gifts. Bloopers often involved subtle word substitutions for humorous or erroneous effect, exemplified by phrases like "The B&O was the first American passenger smell" (correcting to "railroad") or "America entered World War II when the Japanese bombed Pearl Bailey" (correcting to "Pearl Harbor"), requiring contestants to spot the precise alteration.

Gauntlet of Villains

The Gauntlet of Villains served as the bonus round on Whew!, reserved for the contestant who won two main games. In this solo challenge, the player attempted to navigate past ten stationary villain cutouts arranged in a line, each blocking the path to the $25,000 top prize. The time limit started at 60 seconds, extended by one second for every $100 earned during the main game (rounded down). Host Tom Kennedy read a ""—a deliberately altered phrase or sentence with grammatical, factual, or wording errors—from a screen embedded in the villain's chest. The contestant had two seconds to provide the correct version; a right answer raised the villain's mechanical arm barrier and awarded $100, advancing the player to the next. An incorrect response displayed the solution on the screen, reset the two-second timer, and prompted a new from the same villain until corrected. Bloopers grew progressively harder, often involving word substitutions, misphrased idioms, or historical inaccuracies—for example, correcting "The B&O was the first American passenger smell" to "railroad." If time expired before all ten were cleared, the contestant received $100 per villain passed and returned for another main game showdown. The villains, depicted as life-size plywood figures with animated arms, were:
  • Alphonse the
  • Bruno the Headsman
  • Mr. Van the Landlord
  • the Fiddler
  • Count Nibbleneck the Vampire
  • Frank and his little friend Stein
  • Kid Rotten the Gunslinger
  • Jeremy Swash the Pirate
  • Dr. Deranged the
  • the Witch
Successfully completing the Gauntlet awarded $25,000, but under CBS's prevailing policy, this capped a contestant's total winnings on the show, leading to immediate retirement as an undefeated champion. Starting in August 1979, a rule change permitted champions up to five consecutive wins (and thus five Gauntlet attempts) before retirement, even without claiming the grand prize; in such cases, the runner-up from the fifth game took the bonus round.

Production

Development and creation

Whew! was created by Jay Wolpert, a former contestant who won the 1969 Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, as one of his initial projects following his departure from Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions in 1978. After leaving the company where he had contributed to shows like Card Sharks, Family Feud, Match Game, and Double Dare, Wolpert founded Jay Wolpert Productions that same year, with Whew! serving as the new company's debut production. The series premiered on CBS daytime television on April 23, 1979, airing weekdays in a 10:30 a.m. ET slot immediately before The Price Is Right. The show's format centered on contestants competing to correct "bloopers"—factual trivia statements deliberately altered by changing one key word—to build time for a high-stakes bonus round known as the Gauntlet of Villains, which incorporated adventure-themed elements through a series of rapid-fire challenges against animated opponents. Wolpert designed the villains himself, with animation provided by Hanna-Barbera, blending Jeopardy!-style trivia accuracy with fast-paced, physical decision-making reminiscent of football strategies. Production was handled by Jay Wolpert Productions in association with The Bud Austin Company and Burt Sugarman Inc., reflecting a collaborative effort among established figures in television production. Initially planned for 273 episodes, Whew! ran for approximately 25 minutes per installment, including commercials, to fit CBS's daytime schedule constraints. A key creative decision limited cumulative winnings to $25,000 per champion, aligning with CBS's network policy on daytime prizes at the time, after which a player would retire undefeated. This cap underscored the show's emphasis on escalating tension through the Gauntlet, where success could secure the maximum payout in a single bonus round attempt.

Filming and crew

The game show Whew! was hosted by Tom Kennedy, whose engaging and enthusiastic delivery helped emphasize the humor in the blooper corrections during gameplay. Announcer provided offstage voiceovers, marking his first major role on the series. Episodes were taped at CBS Television City in Hollywood, , primarily in Studio 33 but alternating with Studios 31 and 41 as needed. A total of 273 episodes were produced over the show's run, following a typical schedule of multiple tapings per session to meet weekly broadcast demands. The set design centered on a multi-level game board divided into six rows, with life-size villain cutouts positioned to integrate the challenge elements directly into the studio environment for the main game and Gauntlet rounds. Key production personnel included executive producers Bud Austin and , producer Jay Wolpert—who also created the format—and director Chris Darley, who helmed the majority of episodes.

Broadcast history

Original series

Whew! premiered on on April 23, 1979, airing weekdays at 10:30 a.m. ET as a lead-in to . The half-hour program occupied the slot previously held by Match Game '79, which shifted to 4:00 p.m. ET, pitting Whew! against NBC's in the same time period. This scheduling overhaul was part of a broader refresh aimed at bolstering viewership. The original format featured two civilian contestants competing in a rapid-fire followed by a bonus round called the Gauntlet of Villains, with episodes produced through early November 1979 as part of the series' total of 273 installments. While Whew! garnered strong ratings among children during the summer of 1979—when school was out and young viewers tuned in regularly—overall performance lagged due to stiff competition from syndicated fare like reruns and local programming on affiliates. In some markets, stations preempted the show for extended news blocks or shifted it to less favorable slots such as 4:00 p.m. ET, exacerbating clearance issues and contributing to inconsistent national exposure. Declining viewership prompted to modify the format starting November 5, 1979, introducing celebrity partners to attract broader audiences, though this shift marked the end of the standard two-contestant version. The full series wrapped production after nearly 14 months, airing its final on May 30, 1980, and was immediately succeeded in the time slot by reruns of Alice. The scheduling disruptions from Whew!'s debut also reverberated through 's soap opera lineup, relocating Love of Life to the preempted-prone 4:00 p.m. slot and accelerating its low ratings toward cancellation on February 1, 1980.

Celebrity Whew!

To address declining ratings in the original format, Whew! introduced a celebrity component on November 5, 1979, pairing each civilian contestant with a partner to form teams that competed in the main game. This modification, initially tested as a special series, proved successful enough to become the show's permanent structure by early December, with the program retitled Celebrity Whew! to reflect the emphasis on star involvement. The core elements of the main game and Gauntlet of Villains were retained, but adapted for team play, where each team alternated roles, with one member acting as the charger to correct bloopers and advance levels while the other acted as the blocker, placing up to six blocks on the board. Celebrities often provided hints during charging turns. In the Gauntlet bonus round, the team decided which member would attempt the first five villains and which the last five, typically with the civilian handling the initial ones, under the extended time limit. Prizes remained centered on winnings from the main (ranging from $10 to $500 per level) and up to $25,000 in the Gauntlet, but were now accumulated jointly by the team, with the civilian retaining the primary payout upon victory. This setup preserved the original rules' tension of close calls and narrow escapes while incorporating team dynamics that encouraged interaction between partners. The inclusion of celebrities infused the series with added humor and star power, drawing from popular who brought improvised banter and lighthearted ad-libs to the gameplay, often amplifying the show's quick-witted exchanges during corrections or blocker challenges. Notable participants included paired with , teamed with , and others like from , , , , , and , whose familiarity from sitcoms and variety shows enhanced viewer engagement through recognizable faces and spontaneous humor. This celebrity adaptation provided a measurable ratings boost, gaining moderate popularity amid competition from established daytime staples and extending the show's run through its full season until cancellation on May 30, 1980. Despite the eventual decline, the format's emphasis on team collaboration and entertainment value distinguished it from the solo-contestant original, contributing to 's cult appeal in history.

Music and visuals

Theme music

The theme music for Whew! was composed by , a prolific Canadian-American songwriter and television host who created scores for numerous game shows and sitcoms. Characterized by its upbeat and adventurous tone, the theme captured the show's playful spirit of correcting historical and pop culture bloopers through quick-witted gameplay. Original recordings of the theme and accompanying cues were presumed lost after the series ended production in 1980, with no known copies retained by Thicke or the production company. They were rediscovered in 2012 by the Museum of Television Production Music, an organization dedicated to preserving television-scored audio tracks, after a multi-year search initiated in 2009. Throughout the show's run from 1979 to 1980, the theme served as the primary auditory motif, with variations adapted for the main game rounds, the high-stakes Gauntlet of Villains bonus, and the short-lived Celebrity Whew! specials. Notable musical elements included bold brass fanfares signaling the introduction of villains during the Gauntlet, enhancing the dramatic tension of the segment. Today, the full theme and cues are accessible via fan-preserved uploads and museum archives, allowing modern audiences to experience the original audio that defined the series' energetic identity.

Opening sequence

The opening sequence of Whew! was produced by as an animated segment designed to set the show's adventurous and comedic tone. This cartoon featured a determined young woman navigating a perilous path, evading a series of ten villains in a chase that mirrored the Gauntlet of Villains bonus round. The sequence depicted her sneaking into a cave-like setting, dodging each antagonist through narrow escapes and humorous mishaps, thereby introducing the villains' designs that would later appear as life-size cutouts on the set. The animation ran for approximately 30 seconds and was styled in Hanna-Barbera's signature cartoonish aesthetic, complete with exaggerated expressions and dynamic action to build excitement for the gameplay. The visuals were tightly synchronized with the theme music composed by Alan Thicke, which featured upbeat orchestration and vocal exclamations like "Whew!" to punctuate the close calls. Sound effects, including boings for dodges and whooshes for pursuits, aligned with the blooper corrections in the main game, enhancing the immersive experience. When the show transitioned to the Celebrity Whew! format on November 5, 1979, the opening sequence underwent no significant changes, retaining its original animation to preserve continuity despite the addition of celebrity contestants.

Legacy

Episode status and reruns

The rights to approximately 250 episodes of Whew!, along with unaired pilots, are owned by producers and Jay Wolpert, who have preserved the complete run intact since production ended in 1980. Following its original run from April 23, 1979, to May 30, 1980, the series remained absent from television for over 41 years due to syndication challenges stemming from its relatively low episode count and retained private ownership, limiting opportunities for widespread reruns on local stations or cable networks. This changed when , Game Show Network's digital multicast retro channel, acquired the rights and premiered a preview marathon of six episodes on September 5, 2021, followed by regular reruns beginning September 6, 2021, which included previously unaired material. aired approximately 200 of the episodes. Whew! aired regularly on starting in September 2021, but as of November 2025, it is not in the channel's current regular rotation, maintaining its status as part of the vintage lineup. No releases have been made. Some episodes remain unaired on but are accessible via fan-preserved clips online. Prior to the Buzzr revival, access to episodes was limited to scattered fan-preserved clips available online, such as on , highlighting grassroots archival efforts amid the lack of official distribution.

Cultural impact

Whew! has developed a dedicated among game show aficionados, particularly for its quirky trivia rounds featuring intentional "bloopers"—miswritten statements that contestants had to identify and correct—and the tense, animated Gauntlet of Villains bonus round, which tested players' speed and knowledge against cartoonish foes. Hosted by Tom Kennedy, the series stood out for his affable yet high-energy style, which amplified the thrill of narrow escapes and split-second decisions, endearing it to fans nostalgic for daytime television eccentricity. This niche appeal persisted through decades of obscurity, with enthusiasts on online communities and retro media outlets celebrating its offbeat charm as a hidden gem of the era. A key trivia element of the show was CBS's strict $25,000 winnings limit for daytime game shows, which mandated that any champion reaching that threshold retire immediately as undefeated, adding drama to high-stakes plays like the bonus round's potential $25,000 payout. The program's original 10:30 a.m. ET slot occasionally faced local preemptions by affiliates for or other programming, contributing to inconsistent exposure and its eventual cancellation after just over a year on air. Additionally, Whew! incorporated a Hanna-Barbera-produced animated opening sequence, a uncommon hybrid of live-action hosting and studio animation that highlighted the era's experimental crossovers between television formats. The show drew particularly strong ratings from child viewers during its summer months, appealing to younger audiences with its colorful villains and fast-paced action in an era when daytime TV targeted families. Positioned against competitors like NBC's , Whew! offered a more kinetic, trivia-driven alternative to panel-based formats, carving out a distinct space in the crowded 1979–1980 daytime landscape. Created by producer Jay Wolpert, whose innovative designs shaped early game show experiments, Whew! foreshadowed his later successes, including the word-association series Blackout and the U.S. adaptation of : America's Winnings Edition. Following its cancellation, Whew! remained largely unseen for over four decades until its 2021 premiere on the retro network , which reignited interest among fans and prompted coverage in media like as a "lost" cult worthy of revival. The airing, featuring approximately 250 preserved episodes, underscored the show's enduring trivia legacy and its role in preserving 1970s history for new generations.
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.