Tic Tac Dough 1990

[Ian Wallis]

The Dragon Slayer when found would automatically win the 1990 bonus game, and sometimes the only way to win the bonus game was by finding the Slayer. The 1978 CBS version guaranteed a three-in-a-row on the board in that bonus round.

All the episodes I ever saw there was a guaranteed three-in-a-row on the board.  However, a contestant was asked which they wanted to play with - the X or the O.  If they chose the wrong one, then the only way to win was with the Dragon Slayer.

[Ian Wallis]

I may get roasted for this, but I remember watching the USA reruns of this show in the early '90s, and not minding it too badly.  OK - it pales in comparison to the Wink version, and there were things about it that were annoying (like the reset pot after tie games), but I actually found myself enjoying it just a little (hiding my head in shame).  However, I only have two episodes on tape - and that's ALL I want!

Given a choice between the two, I'd take the Wink version any day.

Still, I wonder why they picked Patrick Wayne to host - was he the only one who auditioned for the job?

[gsgalaxy82]

And the "shuffling" wasn't all that great, either. I recently saw an episode through a tape trade, and three times in close succession, when the shuffled board was stopped, the categories were all in the same positions.

HAHA! I did that once! (That's a joke only me and Scott would understand)

All in all, it wasn't SUCH a bad show, but it wasn't that great either. The gameplay was good, but it's execution was way off. The theme SUCKED, to say the least, and the graphics were kinda corny.

David

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'gsgalaxy82\' date=\'Jan 21 2004, 11:19 AM\']

And the "shuffling" wasn't all that great, either. I recently saw an episode through a tape trade, and three times in close succession, when the shuffled board was stopped, the categories were all in the same positions.

HAHA! I did that once! (That's a joke only me and Scott would understand)

All in all, it wasn't SUCH a bad show, but it wasn't that great either. The gameplay was good, but it's execution was way off. The theme SUCKED, to say the least, and the graphics were kinda corny.

David [/quote]
 I haven't seen the show in 10 years (except for my "visits" to the TTD90 room), but from what I remember, it wasn't as bad as everyone made it out to be. The two things I really did not like were the theme and lack of a set. I somewhat remember Patrick Wayne, and how he'd always yell "Let's play Tic-Tac-Dough!" at the beginning of a game. I think the show probably had potential, but they definitely rushed to get this one on the air.

Looking at Patrick on Celebrity Bullseye, I could see where Jim got the notion that he could host a show....seemed very mature.  But from what I remember on TTD, he seemed too stereotypical, like a game show host you'd see in a sitcom, more like a "parody" of a game show host.

[uncamark]

It's mostly Patrick Wayne and the attachments to the end game for me, too.  Actually, the end game here was better, but it was still an all-dumb-luck-beat-the-bad-guy end game, like almost all B&E.

Also, despite the fact that the return of "J!" had raised the bar back up for Q&As, the questions were just as dump-the-answer-into-your-lap simple as the Wink days.

"TTD" was also saddled with a lackluster station lineup and time slots and the disadvantage of being with a syndicator (ITC) who had ceased being a force in the industry when Lord Grade retired after he lost the ITV franchise in Britain that was the backbone of his company.

Ultimately, there were just too many Q&A shows dumped on the market in 1990, and they all had some flaws--"TTD" host and production, "TJW" the flaw of putting a new format on an old title (and the host didn't help on that one, either), "Quiz Kids Challenge" was too dry, "Challengers" made too many tweaks and "Trump Card" had the baggage of overexposed Donald Trump to deal with.  (As for "The Apprentice," he fits and he frankly isn't all over the media today like he was in 1990.)  Combine that with the rise of the same-or-cheaper-to-produce, demo-friendly relationship talk show genre, and that's why game shows began their industry tailspin.

[brianhenke]

Let's not forget the fact that Cincinnati aired TTD90 in the wee hours on the weekend, too...

   Brian

   Wary blue waters?

   We want some more pro wrestling (STILL) and NASCAR questions!

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'brianhenke\' date=\'Jan 21 2004, 01:52 PM\'] Let's not forget the fact that Cincinnati aired TTD90 in the wee hours on the weekend, too...
 [/quote]
 Contrary to popular belief, what time a show aired in the Cincinnati market (clocking in at #32, BTW) is NO INDICATION WHATSOEVER of national success, or program quality.

[HYHYBT]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jan 20 2004, 10:24 PM\'] [quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Jan 20 2004, 07:41 PM\'] [quote name=\'gameshowguy2000\' date=\'Jan 20 2004, 09:30 PM\'] And here's another good point about the show:

The contestants stop the category shuffling on their own.

In this move, if you badly want to block or win, you can pick the category YOU think you know the most about. That's what I like. If I were to block or win, I'd pick the category I know the most about. And if I miss the question, well, I learn from it. [/quote]
IIRC the categories shuffled too fast for someone to stop the shuffle on a given category [/quote]
Much too fast. [/quote]
 And, just in case "much too fast" wasn't fast enough, they also kept going a couple of shuffles past when the button was hit.

I liked the theme, and didn't object to the set too much (except the game board being one big screen). What really stuck out at me, other than the host, was stuff like the sound of the dragon's "roar". That dragon had a roar like the new Pyramid has a cookoo. It's no wonder he took up rapping. He and the slayer didn't look right either.

Oh, and making "the 90's" a frequent category when it's still 1990 just doesn't work.

Actually, I have the bonus round prize music in my head right now. It does get annoying after ten minutes or so Belongs in the circus.

[itiparanoid13]

Are there clips of TTD 90s out there on the net?  I have yet to see it, and i have heard its really bad.  I just want to see if i could voice an opinion.

[Mark McNeil]

This may sound kinda kooky, but I liked the three-ding sound effect from stopping the shuffle.

[TonicBH]

The 1990 version was the first version I saw. Patrick Wayne is a competant but annoying host. I did like Mancini's theme, the set was a little barren, though. The show's opening was a nice effect, however.

Thankfully the two eps I have were before the "Rapping Dragon" phase.

[gameshowguy2000]

I also liked the opening, where the X's and O's and the little ball that holds the gameboard, all rise into place.

Even the effect of the X's and O's shuffling on the gameboard at the open and close was also neat.

And the theme, by the late Mancini, who died in 1994, the same time I started watching the show: An OK theme.

The 90's version was the first version of the show I saw as well.

[Jamey Greek]

I watched Reruns of TTD90 on USA.  I did not even realize that Patrick Wayne was a bad host but as I got older I noticed it.  Listen, For TTD90 Why did'nt thry pick Wink Martindale who was availible at the time?!  (Well, He was hosting the Great Getaway Game on Travel Channel.)  The same goes for the 1990 Gambit Revival Pilot, I think it would have sold if Wink was host.  


Larry Van Nuys who was a KTLA Voiceover then.  (He now announces Paramount Teleplex) was the first announcer.  then he was replaced with veteran Game Show announcer and host, Art James, who Ironically announced TTD in 1980 for a short while.

[CarShark]

I never thought of Patrick Wayne as a bad host. He was probably one of the first ones I saw, and I prefer him to Wink Martindale.

[zachhoran]

[quote name=\'Jamey Greek\' date=\'Feb 7 2004, 04:50 PM\'] The same goes for the 1990 Gambit Revival Pilot, I think it would have sold if Wink was host.  
 [/quote]
 We reported on Usenet that the bankruptcy of Orion around that time hurt Gambit's chance of getting sold. Putting Wink on the pilot instead of the equally-competent Eubanks would have made no difference. Was Merrill Heatter hired to produce the pilot as he was hired to produce Wink's run of High Rollers?