History Series / NameThatTune

!!GameShow Tropes in use:

** Later in the '50s, it was 10-20-30 under George [=DeWitt=]. Winning the first two tunes always got you into the [[BonusRound Golden Medley]], since if it was 30-30, both players played as a team. (Then again, so did winning the last tune.)

''For the trope that used to be called NameThatTune, see ThemeTuneCameo.''

* BonusRound: The Golden Medley, in which the contestant had to identify seven tunes in 30 seconds. Oh, by the way, [[OneHitPointWonder one miss ends the game]]. Also the Mystery Tune, which was played up in a suspenseful (and [[DealOrNoDeal not-cutting-to-commercial-halfway-through-the-big-reveal]]) manner.

* SpinOff: ''Name That Video'', on Creator/VH1. Although a decent idea (albeit not an original one; a similar idea was used as the bonus round of MTV's ''Series/RemoteControl''), it ran for just three months in 2001 before being pulled.

Red Benson was the original host from 1952, replaced by BillCullen in 1954. Cullen was replaced in 1955 by George [=DeWitt=], who hosted until the end of the run in 1959. A short-lived revival was hosted by Richard Hayes from 1970 to 1971, followed by Tom Kennedy hosting a nighttime version from 1974 to 1981. Jim Lange helmed a 1984-85 revival.

** GameShowHost: Red Benson, BillCullen, George [=DeWitt=], Richard Hayes, Dennis James, Tom Kennedy and Jim Lange.

* SpinOff: ''Name That Video'', on {{VH-1}}. Although a decent idea (albeit not an original one; a similar idea was used as the bonus round of MTV's ''Series/RemoteControl''), it ran for just three months in 2001 before being pulled.

* SpinOff: ''Name That Video'', on {{VH-1}}. Although a decent idea (albeit not an original one; a similar idea was used as the bonus round of MTV's ''RemoteControl''), it ran for just three months in 2001 before being pulled.

* UnexpectedlyObscureAnswer: And '''how'''. The Golden Medley usually featured at least two songs that only a true musicologist would be able to get. This is understandable, given that often there was $15,000 at stake, but it'd be kind of jarring to hear "Summer Nights" or "Seventy-Six Trombones" followed by some obscure Cole Porter composition.

Notably, ''Tune'' was very rare among game shows in that its seven-year {{syndicat|ion}}ed run flourished in comparison to a pair of concurrent daytime runs on {{NBC}}; Dennis James hosted the first one from 1974 to 1975 (which began prior to the nighttime debut), and Kennedy hosted a short-lived one in 1977.

** The episode begins with Irma Crotch returning from "last time" to try for $100,000, and promptly gets locked in an isolation booth for the rest of the show; the day's two contestants are introduced — Tommy Schmucker (bandleader Tommy Oliver; musicologist Harvey Bacal led the band) and Teresa Tushie (show model Jerri Fiala); Kennedy tries to begin the Money Tree round.

* MinigameGame: The 1970s-80s versions turned the main game into one, with games such as Melody Roulette (where a two-part wheel was spun to determine a dollar amount and potential bonus), Bid-a-Note (the game ''everyone'' remembers), and the Money Tree ($100 in bills on a fake tree, the opponent plucked money off it while the player tried to guess, whoever had more left won the round. Discontinued mainly because Kennedy thought it felt too greedy)
* SelfDeprecation: After wrapping production on the 1976-77 season (the first with the $100,000 top prize), the staff produced an extra, 40-minute episode for showing at the annual Christmas party — either a very disturbing look at a television classic, or one of the most magnificent "gag reels" ever. Using the show's set and props, Kennedy and the staff poked fun at the quiz show scandals, made tons of [[RefugeInAudacity bawdy]] and [[CrossesTheLineTwice line-crossing jokes]], gave away wildly-fluctuating amounts of cash, and had men in drag modeling crappy prizes. Notable among the rampant anarchy are the Money Trees — this spoof was the absolute final time ''Tune'' used them, as they were removed from the format when tapings began for the 1977-78 season. The Dennis Hames daytime version also had a game emulating the format of the original 50's version, where players raced to ring a bell to get a chance to guess.

* SelfDeprecation: After wrapping production on the 1976-77 season (the first with the $100,000 top prize), the staff produced an extra, 40-minute episode for showing at the annual Christmas party — either a very disturbing look at a television classic, or one of the most magnificent "gag reels" ever. Using the show's set and props, Kennedy and the staff poked fun at the quiz show scandals, made tons of [[RefugeInAudacity bawdy]] and [[CrossesTheLineTwice line-crossing jokes]], gave away wildly-fluctuating amounts of cash, and had men in drag modeling crappy prizes. Notable among the rampant anarchy are the Money Trees — this spoof was the absolute final time ''Tune'' used them, as they were removed from the format when tapings began for the 1977-78 season.

** Also ''FaceTheMusic'', a show that aired in 1980-81 which was also produced by Sandy Frank Productions and featured Tommy Oliver's orchestra. Expanded on the premise of ''Tune'' by requiring contestants to identify people, places or things from a series of songs that were played and guessed in succession.

** TheVanna: Kathie Lee Johnson/Gifford, to an extent, in the 1977-78 season.

* Auction: In "Bid-A-Note" the contestants had to do a reverse auction and bid on how ''few'' notes they needed to identify a tune and its clue, starting at seven notes. It ended when:

* CurbStompBattle: The finals of a 1984 $100,00 Tournament of Champions featured finalists Michael Langmay vs. Hap Trout in a head-to-head Golden Medley Showdown. The final score: 16 to 4! Michael simply destroyed Hap, often naming tunes after just one or two notes had been played. You could see Hap just giving up midway through, waiting for the whole thing to be over with.

* MinigameGame: The 1970's and 80's versions turned the main game into one, with games such as Melody Roulette (where a two-part wheel was spun to determine a dollar amount and potential bonus), Bid-a-Note (the game ''everyone'' remembers), and the Money Tree ($100 in bills on a fake tree, the opponent plucked money off it while the player tried to guess, whoever had more left won the round. Discontinued mainly because Kennedy thought it felt too greedy)
* SelfDeprecation: After wrapping production on the 1976-77 season (the first with the $100,000 top prize), the staff produced an extra, 40-minute episode for showing at the annual Christmas party — either a very disturbing look at a television classic, or one of the most magnificent "gag reels" ever. Using the show's set and props, Kennedy and the staff poked fun at the quiz show scandals, made tons of [[RefugeInAudacity bawdy]] and [[CrossesTheLineTwice line-crossing jokes]], gave away wildly-fluctuating amounts of cash, and had men in drag modeling crappy prizes. Notable among the rampant anarchy are the Money Trees — this spoof was the absolute final time the show used them, as they were removed from the format when tapings began for the 1977-78 season.

* UnexpectedlyObscureAnswer: And HOW! The Golden Medley usually featured at least two songs that only a true musicologist would be able to get. This is understandable, given that often there was $15,000 at stake, but it would be kind of jarring to hear "Summer Nights" or "Seventy-Six Trombones" followed by some obscure Cole Porter composition.

Red Benson was the original host from 1952, replaced by BillCullen in 1954. Cullen was replaced in 1955 by George [=DeWitt=], who hosted until the end of the run in 1959. A short-lived revival was hosted by Richard Hayes from 1970-71, followed by Tom Kennedy hosting a nighttime version from 1974-81. Jim Lange helmed a 1984-85 revival.

Notably, ''Tune'' was very rare among game shows in that its seven-year {{syndicat|ion}}ed run flourished in comparison to a pair of concurrent daytime runs on {{NBC}}; Dennis James hosted the first one from 1974-75 (which began prior to the nighttime debut), and Kennedy hosted a short-lived one in 1977.

** Here's how suspenseful the Mystery Tune was — a manila envelope selected from a lazy-susan placed in a safe backstage (by the producers from 1976-77, by the contestants from 1977-78) was handed to Tom, containing the sheet music (with a piece of tape covering the title) and a smaller envelope containing the general info for the song and with the title. The player was placed in an isolation booth, and could only hear Tom and the piano. The pianist played the song for 20 seconds, then stopped; the player had to guess within the ten seconds that followed. They were then brought out of the booth, and Tom read the background information and any appropriate writing and performing credits for the tune. From there, he announced the title. If the title was an exact match for the contestant's answer, s/he won a huge (for the time) cash prize — $10,000 a year for a decade on the nighttime show, an even $25,000 on the '77 daytime show.

* ConfettiDrop: Confetti, balloons, and streamers were dropped after $100,000 wins on the Lange version. The massive amounts of them that dropped, however, meant that viewers couldn't see much of what was happening onstage.

** TheAnnouncer: Johnny Olson during at least the tail end of the 1950s run, John Harlan from 1974-85.
** GameShowHost: Red Benson, BillCullen, George [=DeWitt=], Richard Hayes, Dennis James, Tom Kennedy, and Jim Lange.

** TheVanna: Kathie Lee Johnson/Gifford, to an extent, from 1977-78.
** And the "Name That Tune Orchestra", led by Tommy Oliver, Stan Worth, and Harry Salter

* Auction: In "Bid-A-Note" the contestants had to do a reverse auction and bid on how FEW notes they needed to identify a tune and it's clue, starting at seven notes. It ended when:
** A contestant was told "Name That Tune" by his opponent, OR,

* CurbStompBattle: The finals of a 1984 $100,00 Tournament of Champions featured finalists Michael Langmay vs. Hap Trout in a head-to-head Golden Medley Showdown. The final score: 16 to 4! Langmay simply destroyed Hap, often naming tunes after just one or two notes had been played. You could see Hap just giving up midway through, waiting for the whole thing to be over with.

** The episode begins with Irma Crotch returning from "last time" to try for $100,000, and promptly gets locked in an isolation booth for the rest of the show; the day's two contestants are introduced — Tommy Schmucker (bandleader Tommy Oliver; musicologist Harvey Bacal led the band) and Teresa Tushie (show model Jerri Fiala); the Money Tree round tries to begin.
** The Money Tree round then begins, heavily skewered toward Teresa; Tom checks up on Irma Crotch ([[WhatHappenedToTheMouse this is the last time she appears]]); Melody Roulette is played (and Tom offers ''himself'' as the prize on the last tune), but quickly runs out of time!

** Teresa then plays an incredibly-rigged Golden Medley for $15,000 in prizes (including an unseen car), then wins; Uncle Sam and Tommy come back out to essentially hump Teresa, and Tom decides to take off his pants — but hikes them right back up because the missus was in the audience.
** The final segment has Tom mentioning that his microphone is actually what's left of Schmucker, then signs-off with "So long for now — and up yours!", after which the credits roll; in a post-credits segment, Tom explains they have been on for three years and he has a small gift for everybody (presumably this episode), then bows a bit before fading to black.

* UnusuallyObscureAnswer: And HOW! The golden medley usually featured at least two songs that only a true musicologist would be able to get. This is understandable, given that often there was $15,000 at stake, but it would be kind of jarring to hear "Summer Nights" or "Seventy-Six Trombones" followed by some obscure Cole Porter composition.

** And the band, led by Tommy Oliver.

* BigWinSirens: A $100,000 win on the Kennedy version was accompanied by ''every single type of siren imaginable''.
* BonusRound: The Golden Medley, in which the contestant had to identify seven tunes in 30 seconds. Oh, by the way, [[OneHitPointWonder one miss ends the game]]. Also the Mystery Tune, which was played up in a suspenseful (and [[DealOrNoDeal not-cutting-to-commercial-halfway-through-the-big-reveal]]) manner.
** Here's how suspenseful the Mystery Tune was — a manila envelope selected from a lazy-susan placed in a safe backstage (by the producers from 1976-77, by the contestants from 1977-78) was handed to Tom, containing the sheet music (with a piece of tape covering the title) and a smaller envelope containing the general info for the song and with the title. The player was placed in an isolation booth, and could only hear Tom and the piano. The pianist played the song for 20 seconds, then stopped; the player had to guess within the ten seconds that followed. They were then brought out of the booth, and Tom read the background information and any appropriate writing and performing credits for the tune. From there, he announced the title. If the title was an exact match for the contestant's answer, s/he won a huge (for the time) cash prize — $10,000 a year for a decade on the nighttime show, an even $25,000 on the '77 daytime show.
* BonusSpace: The DOUBLE and CAR (later PRIZE) spaces on the "outer" Melody Roulette wheel.
* ConfettiDrop: Confetti, balloons, and streamers were dropped after $100,000 wins on the Lange version. The massive amounts of them that dropped, however, meant that viewers couldn't see much of what was happening onstage.
* GoldenSnitch: The 1-1-2 variant. Could become a 1-2-4 (or similar) in the Kennedy era, since in the first two rounds, a tie was possible if one or more tunes were missed by both players, then they split the points.
* Personnel:
** TheAnnouncer: Johnny Olson during at least the tail end of the 1950s run, John Harlan from 1974-85.
** GameShowHost: Red Benson, BillCullen, George [=DeWitt=], Richard Hayes, Dennis James, Tom Kennedy, and Jim Lange.
** StudioAudience
** TheVanna: Kathie Lee Johnson/Gifford, to an extent, from 1977-78.
** And the band, led by Tommy Oliver.

* CatchPhrase: "I can [[TitleDrop name that tune]] in ''X'' notes."
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: The show's title tells the contestants exactly what they are supposed to do. In the 1950s, one had to not only know the tune but also be the first to ring a bell at the opposite end of the stage.
* FiveEpisodePilot: The Lange version had this, which ended up airing at some point. The pilots had several notable set differences, and "Tune Countdown" (basically a shortened Golden Medley Showdown) was played instead of "Tune Topics".
* LuckBasedMission: A contestant's success on the show depended on how familiar the tunes were.

* SelfDeprecation: After wrapping production on the 1976-77 season (the first with the $100,000 top prize), the staff produced an extra, 40-minute episode for showing at the annual Christmas party — either a very disturbing look at a television classic, or one of the most magnificent "gag reels" ever. Using the show's set and props, Kennedy and the staff poked fun at the quiz show scandals, made tons of [[RefugeInAudacity bawdy]] and [[CrossesTheLineTwice line-crossing jokes]], gave away wildly-fluctuating amounts of cash, and had men in drag modeling crappy prizes. Notable among the rampant anarchy are the Money Trees — this spoof was the absolute final time the show used them, as they were removed from the format when tapings began for the 1977-78 season.
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZgKN2Bfu9Y Part 1]]: Irma Crotch returns from "last time" to try for $100,000 (and promptly gets locked in an isolation booth for the rest of the show); the day's two contestants are introduced — Tommy Schmucker (bandleader Tommy Oliver; musicologist Harvey Bacal led the band) and Teresa Tushie (show model Jerri Fiala); the Money Tree round [[strike:begins]] tries to begin.
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxube1fboKw Part 2]]: The Money Tree round begins; Tom checks up on Irma Crotch ([[WhatHappenedToTheMouse this is the last time she appears]]); Melody Roulette is played (and Tom offers ''himself'' as the prize on the last tune), but quickly runs out of time!
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lbt7fj8w12A Part 3]]: John Harlan speeds through some prize plugs, after which the contestants (attempt to) play Bid-A-Note; Tommy wins the round, but the judges notify Tom that Teresa is in fact the big winner because she's got the biggest tits; John Harlan describes a ring being worn by a model on "her" '''middle finger''' — "she" then gets humped by Tommy, causing Harlan to laugh while trying to describe a broken watch.
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsz4pwmNgj0 Part 4]]: Teresa plays an incredibly-rigged Golden Medley for $15,000 in prizes (including an unseen car), then wins; Uncle Sam and Tommy come back out to essentially hump Teresa, and Tom decides to take off his pants — but hikes them right back up because the missus was in the audience.
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWgtYntSGGc Part 5]]: Tom reveals that the microphone he's speaking into is actually what's left of Tommy Schmucker, then signs-off with "So long for now — and up yours!", after which the credits roll; in a post-credits segment, Tom explains they have been on for three years and he has a small gift for everybody (presumably this episode), then bows a bit before fading to black.
* SpinOff: ''Name That Video'', on {{VH-1}}. Although it was a decent idea (albeit not an original one; a similar idea was used as the bonus round of MTV's ''RemoteControl''), it ran for just three months in 2001 before being pulled.

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