Author Topic: Behind the scenes with Press Your Luck (circa 1983) (Read 13147 times)

Vahan_Nisanian · « **on:** September 19, 2013, 09:59:47 AM »

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1279060_10200751360370717_1271411182_o.jpg\'>https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1279060_10200751360370717_1271411182_o.jpg

It is very rare to find BTS photos of Press Your Luck, especially from the actual shows\' run, as most of them are from the pilot. Now, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the show, here\'s a very rare photo of Rod Roddy preparing the audience for taping in Studio 33 at CBS Television City here in Los Angeles, sometime in 1983. I would like to thank the shows\' former Associate Director Rick Stern for sharing this on Facebook. This photo gives you an idea of how the iconic Big Board looks like when it\'s shut off.

BrandonFG · « **Reply #1 on:** September 19, 2013, 10:09:53 AM »

I had no idea the audience was so close to the set. Even taking into account how TV makes things look larger, the audience is really close. The shots on TV made them look much further away.

Vahan_Nisanian · « **Reply #2 on:** September 19, 2013, 10:13:20 AM »

One thing I noticed in this picture is an extra little runway in the middle. I almost never saw it on a lot of CBS game shows. I take it the runway was something that could be installed or removed anytime.

DoorNumberFour · « **Reply #3 on:** September 19, 2013, 10:34:18 AM »

One thing I noticed in this picture is an extra little runway in the middle. I almost never saw it on a lot of CBS game shows. I take it the runway was something that could be installed or removed anytime.

You can see it here too:

dale_grass · « **Reply #4 on:** September 19, 2013, 11:16:44 AM »

Here it is, sans runway:

http://www.golden-road.net/gg/albums/aroundthestudio/P1010086a.jpg\'>http://www.golden-road.net/gg/albums/aroundthestudio/P1010086a.jpg

Chief-O · « **Reply #5 on:** September 19, 2013, 11:58:31 AM »

Here it is, sans runway:

http://www.golden-road.net/gg/albums/aroundthestudio/P1010086a.jpg\'>http://www.golden-road.net/gg/albums/aroundthestudio/P1010086a.jpg

Note the larger gap between some of those seats. I take it that those are the seats that they\'d remove.

The runway was likely put there to accomodate http://chapman-leonard.com/STAGE%20CRANES/ELECTRA.html\'>one of these. I believe \"Pyramid\" was set up the same way.

Awesome photo----I didn\'t think too many PYL eps. were even done in 33.

tyshaun1 · « **Reply #6 on:** September 19, 2013, 12:08:07 PM »

I had no idea the audience was so close to the set. Even taking into account how TV makes things look larger, the audience is really close. The shots on TV made them look much further away.

That\'s because when they shot in 33, we (the viewing audience) generally only saw the back of the studio. When I got to see the show in \'86, we were MUCH closer than I thought we\'d be. Still, the big board was HUGE.

Tyshaun

Bryce L. · « **Reply #7 on:** September 19, 2013, 01:10:26 PM »

Wow, I\'m impressed. That shot really gives an idea of how huge that board is. If anyone here were to put an estimate on how tall it is, what would you figure?

tyshaun1 · « **Reply #8 on:** September 19, 2013, 02:03:44 PM »

Wow, I\'m impressed. That shot really gives an idea of how huge that board is. If anyone here were to put an estimate on how tall it is, what would you figure?

I\'ve read through various sources that it was about 20 feet tall. I can only imagine the time it took to strike the set....

Tyshaun

Vahan_Nisanian · « **Reply #9 on:** September 19, 2013, 02:05:45 PM »

Most of the time, the show was at Studio 43 (They\'d alternate between the two, before permanently settling into 43 in early 1985). For comparison, here\'s how the backdrops behind the audience looked like in the two studios:

http://imageshack.us/a/img593/4940/icor.png\'>http://imageshack.us/a/img593/4940/icor.png (Studio 33)

http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/9225/bxm4.png\'>http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/9225/bxm4.png (Studio 43)

pianogeek · « **Reply #10 on:** September 19, 2013, 02:10:15 PM »

Wow, I\'m impressed. That shot really gives an idea of how huge that board is. If anyone here were to put an estimate on how tall it is, what would you figure?

I\'ve read through various sources that it was about 20 feet tall. I can only imagine the time it took to strike the set....

Tyshaun

Makes me wonder... For G$M\'s PYL, was the board structure\'s spec the same or scaled-down?

BrandonFG · « **Reply #11 on:** September 19, 2013, 02:16:09 PM »

Interesting...I always thought those blue \"windows\" were simply a part of the studio wall, just obscured by curtains. So I take it Ed Flesh designed that as part of the set?

Bryce L. · « **Reply #12 on:** September 19, 2013, 02:51:55 PM »

Most of the time, the show was at Studio 43 (They\'d alternate between the two, before permanently settling into 43 in early 1985). For comparison, here\'s how the backdrops behind the audience looked like in the two studios:

http://imageshack.us/a/img593/4940/icor.png\'>http://imageshack.us/a/img593/4940/icor.png (Studio 33)

http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/9225/bxm4.png\'>http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/9225/bxm4.png (Studio 43)

I never knew Larson\'s episode was in 33, very neat thing to learn. And I\'m guessing the audience in 43 wasn\'t sunken down into the floor the way it was in 33, that\'s what I\'m getting from the two shots.

dazztardly · « **Reply #13 on:** September 19, 2013, 03:06:13 PM »

Wow, I\'m impressed. That shot really gives an idea of how huge that board is. If anyone here were to put an estimate on how tall it is, what would you figure?

I\'ve read through various sources that it was about 20 feet tall. I can only imagine the time it took to strike the set....

Tyshaun

Makes me wonder... For G$M\'s PYL, was the board structure\'s spec the same or scaled-down?

It was a scaled-down, smaller size. They used the big board computer hardware from Whammy, for the remake. Some of the video screens used in the board, had to be mounted sideways to accommodate the inside top and bottom rows. The show logo didn\'t light up either, it was a welded sign. The inside arches of the logo, were removable to allow cameras to film from behind the game board.

-Dan

Bryce L. · « **Reply #14 on:** September 19, 2013, 03:13:20 PM »

Wow, I\'m impressed. That shot really gives an idea of how huge that board is. If anyone here were to put an estimate on how tall it is, what would you figure?

I\'ve read through various sources that it was about 20 feet tall. I can only imagine the time it took to strike the set....

Tyshaun

Makes me wonder... For G$M\'s PYL, was the board structure\'s spec the same or scaled-down?

It was a scaled-down, smaller size. They used the big board computer hardware from Whammy, for the remake. Some of the video screens used in the board, had to be mounted sideways to accommodate the inside top and bottom rows. The show logo didn\'t light up either, it was a welded sign. The inside arches of the logo, were removable to allow cameras to film from behind the game board.

-Dan

Isn\'t that how some of the camera work on the original series was carried out as well? Cameras inside the board, shooting from inside the arches of the logo?