Treasure Hunt
1973-1977, 1981-1982 versions.
Host: Geoff Edwards
Announcer: Johnny Jacobs, Tony McClay
Security Agent: Emile Autouri
Premise: Contestants pick boxes they hope contain big prizes or the jackpot check.
Rules, 70s version: In each half of the game, ten audience members were each given a balloon and pin. On a cue from Geoff, the balloon holders popped their balloons, and those who had a 1, 2, or 3 on a piece of paper in the balloon would come downstage to play the game.
Three jack-in-the-boxes were on the table, and the person who got the "1" would get first pick. Whoever got "2" would pick next, and "3" would get the leftover. On another cue from Geoff, everyone opened their boxes, and whoever had the box with a jack inside won and went on a Treasure Hunt. The losers sat down with their parting gifts.
In the Treasure Hunt, the winner selected one box from 30/33 onstage
Each box came with a cash award in an envelope, between $500-$1,500. The contestant was given the choice of keeping the money in the envelope, or the unknown contents of the package. After the break, the contestant would make the choice, and Geoff and the cast members would reveal the contents of the package through skits meant to drag out the suspense, stringing along the contestant for as long as the director would let it go. Sometimes the prizes were good, like cars, trips and furs, and sometimes they were "klunks": worthless gifts like a mousetrap, or an ice-cream bar. Several times, a contestant would be shown a klunk, then given their actual prize, worth several thousand dollars. In the 1970s, some boxes held checks worth between $5,000 and $15,000; but one always had the jackpot check, and it was worth $25,000 in cash. After the contents were revealed, the second half would begin with three new players.
If the contestant were lucky enough to pick the magic box, and turn down the sure thing; the presentation would go a bit differently. Geoff would go into some bizarre spiel, going down several different tangents, but it always ended up with "A check for twenty-five thousand dollars!" At this point, sirens would wail, the victory theme would play, and balloons and confetti would fall from the ceiling as the lucky winner usually went into hysterics. On the other hand, if she turned down the check, the whole deal would go much the same way, but the sirens would be turned down to about 20%, and the contestant would be shown in agony at giving up over $24,000. D'oh.
In 1981, the game changed a bit. This time, a "returning champion" would face one challenger chosen from ten who had balloons. The incoming player would pick one of two boxes, and whomever got the one with the "pop-up surprise" would be the winner, and got to go treasure hunting. The loser would take consolation gifts, or whatever was won in the treasure hunts. The treasure hunter picked from 66 boxes this time, and the cash award was between $500-$1,000. The prizes were notably less expensive this time around; most of the time a "good" prize would be worth between $1,000 and $2,000; although a seven-week cruise worth $18,000 was won once or twice. As always, the players were looking for the big check in one of the boxes. The jackpot began at $20,000, and stayed at that amount for a week; on the sixth day, $1,000 was added each day until the prize was won, or it reached $50,000; it froze at that point. Champions could stay on the show as long as they were given the box with Jack inside, or they found (and kept) the jackpot check. At that point, two new contestants were found, and they hunted for a fresh $20,000 check.
TRAVIS' REVIEW
The Cast
Host:Geoff Edwards is masterful in his role as host on this show. He plays the show straight when dealing with the Treasure Hunt portion, and deciding to go for the money or the box, but throws everything into overdrive when it comes time for the skits. It would be a shame for him to be remembered for only hosting Treasure Hunt, he's done other great work too, but his style fits right in. I thought the way he wore a tuxedo on every show was a nice touch as well.
10
Announcer:Johnny Jacobs is a very effective voice for the show. Listening to him tell us that any player could find a fabulous prize or $50,000 in one of the boxes is one of the best openings in game shows.
9
Model/Assistant:Jan Speck models the prizes and brings the box down from the piles of packages effectively, but doesn't stand out at all.
7
Music
The music package is memorable, appropriate for the program, and the bumpers and beds are fine as well.
8
The Set
The set for the shows I've seen is rather small and cramped, with orange carpeting everywhere. It just screams "Daytime TV" even if it was syndicated for prime access.
5
The Game
The game is really where the show takes a hit. Picking boxes is not very mentally taxing. More credit to Geoff for making the half-hour watchable, but there's not very much game here at all. It's as if Chuck Barris hadn't even bothered to do anything. Even "Newlywed Game" asked a few questions. It does get a couple points for the bucks/box dilemma, but that's all.
2
Final Score: