History Series / Password

* CrossOver: On an episode of ''Series/IveGotASecret'', the panel of Bill Cullen, Betsy Palmer, Henry Morgan and Bess Myerson introduced "the great new CBS series ''Password''" by playing a few rounds. All four of them (as well as ''Secret'' host Garry Moore) would ultimately wind up appearing on the actual show in individual episodes.

** More blatant is Goodson-Todman's ''Snap Judgment'' (one of the only Goodson-Todman games that has been entirely wiped), which debuted on April 11, 1967. For most of its run, ''Snap'' was a contrived word-association game of its own, but for the last three months (December 23, 1968 to March 28, 1969) it was {{Re Tool}}ed as a 100% clone of original-recipe ''Password''...complete with the same exact desk.

* PressXToDie: Anyone who ever gave the password as a clue, which may or may not be justified as a case of IgnoreTheDisability, as the word is right in front of them. Probably the same reason that Bert Convy himself did it more than once.
* ReplacedTheThemeTune: The ABC version changed its set and theme tune for the transition to ''Password All-Stars''. Robert Israel's synthesized theme was replaced by Bob Cobert's "Bicentennial Funk".

* UrbanLegend: It has been rumored for many years that an African-American contestant (or sometimes, an African-American celebrity such as Nipsey Russell), given the clue of "Doe" (for the word "Deer"), answered with "Knob". According to ''Website/{{Snopes}}'', there is [[http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/password.asp no record of this]] having ever happened; further, if it '''did''' happen and it was on ''CBS'' (daytime) or ''ABC'', there's [[MissingEpisode a pretty good reason]] why there's no record.[[note]]Although often debunked as a case of racist humor {ridiculing the speech patterns of African-Americans}, there ''is'' a plausible, non-racist explanation: the African-American contestant or celebrity simply misheard the clue-giver, and in a moment of absentmindedness thought (s)he had heard "Door" (in which case "Knob" would be a very logical guess).[[/note]]

* BonusRound: Many.

*** It more or less happened again on [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4vyU8qTMIY this one with Michael Dorn (skip to 11:45)]]. He didn't give it away but even with 26 seconds, his partner missed that last word.

*** Bert had to haul out that chalkboard [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nPjTP_2kwk as well at least once, over gerund/guarant (skip to 3:00)]].

* NintendoHard: The words used in the ''Password All-Stars'' and the short-lived version of ''Password'' that came immediately after it. Words in the ''All-Star'' championship game included "Chlorophyll", "Artillery", "Emancipate", "Ferocious", "Budget", and "Abracadabra". [[spoiler: '''ALL''' of these words were solved, the latter three '''with one clue.''']]

* NonStandardGameOver: The end game of ''Password Plus'' & ''Super Password'' (Alphabetics on ''Plus'' and the eponymous segment on ''Super'', but both were the same format) could finish before the time expires without the grand prize being won. If an illegal clue (or a password of part of one) is given, the password is put out of play and the jackpot is forfeited. The round does go on if any passwords are left at $100 per apiece, leading to this if the remaining are guessed. The standard game over is either getting all ten words or time running out.

*** On April 23, 1979, ''Plus'' made antonyms illegal clues. Sure, some words are very hard to convey using one-word clues that ''aren't'' the opposite, but making antonyms illegal meant that brains were exercised by requiring more thought to convey words (much later, on ''Million-Dollar'', contestants kept passing on words that didn't have a clear opposite).
*** Similarly, ''Plus'' changed its Alphabetics jackpot in 1981 to increase by $5,000 until claimed, with illegal clues deducting $1,000 (later 20% of the current total being played for).

* ADayInTheLimelight: Several.

** The last episode of ''Super'' in 1989 featured the infamous "Magic Toaster II" incident described at the FunnyMoments page. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CrnK8dJfZw Here's the first part of the episode, from its original broadcast.]]

** ''Million-Dollar''. Six levels, each involving five words in 1:30. First level had ten total, then nine and so forth down to five for the final level. The money is progressive ($10K/$25K/$50K/$100K/$250K/$1M), with $25K (and later $250K) as safe levels. The giver is only allowed three clues per word, and once reaching $250K, is shown the words for that level in order to help the player decide whether to go for it or not. Most won was $100,000.

* AndTheAdventureContinues: During the goodbyes on the final episode of ''Super'' Betty White compared the show to a Phoenix that will surely rise again.

* {{Expy}}: ''Series/YouDontSay'', a word-association game which debuted in 1963, began with a virtually-identical set but moved the host's podium from the center to the far left in 1964 or '65.

** NBC's most recent prime time game show, ''Hollywood Game Night,'' has a segment called "Take A Hint," in which the three celebrity players on each side each give one-word clues to their civilian partner for him/her to identify words.

* GrandFinale: The last episode of ''ABC'' in 1975 featured a final game played by four Goodson-Todman staffers. Neither team got to the normal format's 50-point goal.

* LeaveTheCameraRunning: Several.

* ObviousRulePatch: Several.

* RunningGag: It was common on ''Super'' for someone to throw a roll of tape at Bert if they thought he was on the verge of blurting out the answer.

* ShoutOut: Every once in a while the writers included a password that had a meaning for one of the celebs, such as "[[Series/IveGotASecret Secret]]" for Betsy Palmer, "Crane" for Bob Crane, "Ukulele" for Arthur Godfrey, "Court" for ''ComicBook/TheDefenders''' E.G. Marshall, "Huddle" for Frank Gifford — and, perhaps most famously, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAyJPpjqujw "Skipper"]] for Bob Denver.

* UrbanLegend: It has been rumored for many years that an African-American contestant (or sometimes, an African-American celebrity such as Nipsey Russell), given the clue of "Doe" (for the word "Deer"), answered with "Knob". According to ''Website/{{Snopes}}'', there is [[http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/password.asp no record of this]] having ever happened; further, if it '''did''' happen and it was on ''CBS'' (daytime) or ''ABC'', there's [[MissingEpisode a pretty good reason]] why there's no record.
** Although often debunked as a case of racist humor {ridiculing the speech patterns of African-Americans}, there ''is'' a plausible, non-racist explanation: the African-American contestant or celebrity simply misheard the clue-giver, and in a moment of absentmindedness thought s/he had heard "Door" (in which case "Knob" would be a very logical guess).

** Tom Kennedy once played as a celebrity partner on ''Plus'' in March 1982, with his brother [[{{Series/Concentration}} Jack]] [[NowYouSeeIt Narz]] hosting. It was the last time most of the country saw Narz hosting a game show; viewers of KDOC in Anaheim, California got to see him host the NoBudget ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv8CrRt4_Yk You've Got To Be Kidding]]'' in late 1987.

* FanRemake: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Xixi5W0pgE Done by Greggo, and frequently taken to conventions, using the Super Password graphics]].

* InAndOutOfCharacter: Carol Burnett and Vicki Lawrence were the celebs for one early week on ''Plus''. At one point, Allen suggested they come back at a later date as their characters Eunice and Mama. They did just that a few weeks later, playing in character against [=McLean=] Stevenson and Joanna Gleason's ''HelloLarry'' characters Larry and Morgan.

* [[TitleDrop Opening Narration Drop]]: As seen in one of the early GSN ads for ''Plus'', while talking with Allen, DavidLetterman slips in the Opening Narration while Allen discribes the new gameplay.

** The title character of the [[ShortRunners short lived]] GameShowNetwork [[GameShowNetwork Original ''Burt Luddens Love Buffet'']] was a ShoutOut to the hosts of 'Plus' and 'Super' (albeit spelled Burt instead of Bert).

* UrbanLegend: It has been rumored for many years that an African-American contestant (or sometimes, an African-American celebrity such as Nipsey Russell), given the clue of "Doe" (for the word "Deer"), answered with "Knob". According to ''{{WebSite/Snopes}}'', there is [[http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/password.asp no record of this]] having ever happened; further, if it '''did''' happen and it was on ''CBS'' (daytime) or ''ABC'', there's [[MissingEpisode a pretty good reason]] why there's no record.

-->''"Allen Ludden saying the Password for today is "TvTropes". TV Tropes collects and expands on conventions and devices in creative works, such as '''Password''', and we think it's a pretty nice place. See you next time, I hope."''

* NonStandardGameOver: The end game of ''Super Password'' could finish before the time expires without the grand prize being won. If an illegal clue is given, the password is put out of play and the jackpot is forfeited. The round does go on if any passwords are left at $100 per apiece, leading to this if the remaining are guessed. The standard game over is either getting all ten words or time running out.

** It once [[HilariousInHindsight happened in reverse]] — Florence Henderson got the word "Bunch" about three years before she became Mrs. Brady.

* SelectiveEnforcement:
** In all versions, hand gestures were forbidden but the judges haphazardly enforced this rule. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9yVgD3XifM Here]] is a pretty bad example of a gesture slipping by the judges.

** It once [[HilariousHindsight happened in reverse]] — Florence Henderson got the word "Bunch" about three years before she became Mrs. Brady.

** It once happened in reverse — Florence Henderson got the word "Bunch" about three years before she became Mrs. Brady.

Interestingly, the show returned as a segment on ''LateNight with Creator/JimmyFallon'' on January 18, 2011, hosted by Steve Higgins. The segment is, essentially, a simpler version of the later-era CBS style: the game now has words beginning at six points and no Lightning Round, and there's no stated prizes. Its first celebs were Fallon and ''Password'' stalwart Creator/BettyWhite. The game was also played during White's ''90th Birthday: A Tribute to America's Golden Girl'' on NBC in January 2012.

* CrossOver: On an episode of ''IveGotASecret'', the panel of Bill Cullen, Betsy Palmer, Henry Morgan and Bess Myerson introduced "the great new CBS series ''Password''" by playing a few rounds. All four of them (as well as ''Secret'' host Garry Moore) would ultimately wind up appearing on the actual show in individual episodes.

** For three weeks in 1974 (July 15–26 and September 23–27) during ''ABC''[='s=] gimmickfest, Allen played as a celebrity guest while [[LetsMakeADeal Monty Hall]] guest-hosted.

* ShoutOut: Every once in a while the writers included a password that had a meaning for one of the celebs, such as "[[IveGotASecret Secret]]" for Betsy Palmer, "Crane" for Bob Crane, "Ukulele" for Arthur Godfrey, "Court" for ''ComicBook/TheDefenders''' E.G. Marshall, "Huddle" for Frank Gifford — and, perhaps most famously, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAyJPpjqujw "Skipper"]] for Bob Denver.

** ''Super'' reversed the ''Plus'' antonym rule (making them legal again), the BonusRound rules (once again denying the ability to gain the jackpot if an illegal clue was given), and removed the play-or-pass option.

* NintendoHard: The time limits and/or word difficulty on ''Million-Dollar'', coupled with the inane "clue-response-clue" rule (see below) and forcing each half-hour to be self-contained, meant there was no way anybody was going to win the Million. Also, the Ca$hword in ''Plus'' tended to be towards this.

* UrbanLegend: It has been rumored for many years that an African-American contestant (or sometimes, an African-American celebrity such as Nipsey Russell), given the clue of "Doe" (for the word "Deer"), answered with "Knob". According to Snopes, there is [[http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/password.asp no record of this]] having ever happened; further, if it '''did''' happen and it was on ''CBS'' (daytime) or ''ABC'', there's [[MissingEpisode a pretty good reason]] why there's no record.

** Tom Kennedy once played as a celebrity partner on ''Plus'' in March 1982, with his brother [[{{Concentration}} Jack]] [[NowYouSeeIt Narz]] hosting. It was the last time most of the country saw Narz hosting a game show; viewers of KDOC in Anaheim, California got to see him host the NoBudget ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv8CrRt4_Yk You've Got To Be Kidding]]'' in late 1987.

GameShow created by BobStewart for Creator/MarkGoodson-Bill Todman Productions in 1961, after the company searched for parlor games that could be played for modest stakes in the wake of the quiz show scandals. Stewart suggested a game whose players asked themselves a simple question: "How well can I communicate with just one word?"

** GameShowHost: Allen Ludden was the first and most popular, holding the position from 1961-80. BillCullen filled in for four weeks in 1980, and Tom Kennedy hosted from late 1980 to 1982. Bert Convy hosted ''Super'', and Regis Philbin hosted ''Million-Dollar''.

* [[TitleDrop Opening Narration Drop]]: As seen in one of the early GSN ads for ''Plus'', while talking with Allan, DavidLetterman slips in the Opening Narration while Allan discribes the new gameplay.

-->'''Allan Ludden''' "It's ''Password Plus''!"

* RealLifeRelative: On the original — Creator/LucilleBall & Garry Morton (and in one instance joined by Lucy's kids), Jimmy & Gloria Stewart, Steve & Carol Lawrence, Jayne Meadows & Steve Allen, Jack & Joan Benny; On ''Plus'', John and Patty Duke Astin. And, of course ... Betty White & Allen Ludden.
** On ''Super'', Mary Ann Mobley & Garry Collins.

** More blatant is Goodson-Todman's ''SnapJudgment'' (one of the only Goodson-Todman games that has been entirely wiped), which debuted on April 11, 1967. For most of its run, ''Snap'' was a contrived word-association game of its own, but for the last three months (December 23, 1968 to March 28, 1969) it was {{Re Tool}}ed as a 100% clone of original-recipe ''Password''...complete with the same exact desk.

* BonusRound: Lightning Round (the TropeMaker) on ''CBS''/''ABC'', 20:20 Password on ''All-Stars'', Alphabetics/Super Password (same game) on ''Plus'' and ''Super'' respectively, and Million-Dollar Password on ''Million-Dollar''.
* BonusSpace: To an extent, the Cashword on ''Super'', which was played in every game after the second puzzle for $1,000 plus $1,000 each game until claimed.

* ProgressiveJackpot: On ''Password Plus'' and ''Super Password'':
** On ''Plus'', late in the series' run, a rolling jackpot was added to the bonus round (then called "Alphabetics"), starting at $5,000 and increasing by $5,000 per playing until won. While the cap was $50,000, the highest it ever got was $35,000.
** On ''Super'', the accruing jackpot was returned; the highest it reached was $55,000. In addition, a new mini-game called "Ca$hword" was added early in the run; a contestant who won the second puzzle was given a chance to guess a difficult password (using a maximum of three clues) for a cash bonus of $1,000 plus $1,000 for each show unclaimed. The top amount the "Ca$hword" reached was $17,000.

Interestingly, the show returned as a segment on ''LateNight with Creator/JimmyFallon'' on January 18, 2011, hosted by Steve Higgins. The segment is, essentially, a simpler version of the later-era CBS style: the game now has words beginning at six points and no Lightning Round, and there's no stated prizes. Its first celebs were Fallon and ''Password'' stalwart Creator/BettyWhite. The game was also played during White's ''90th Birthday Celebration'' on NBC in January 2012.

** ''Late Night'', as mentioned above, keeps the American franchise going in an odd sort of way.

Normally that would be the end, but then a funny thing happened on January 18, 2011: it returned, boiled down to a simpler version of its later-era ''CBS'' style, hosted by Steve Higgins on NBC. The game now has words beginning at six points and no Lightning Round, and there's no stated prizes, but everyone has fun and damn if it isn't good. The new ''Password'' opened on a high note, with its first celebs being Creator/BettyWhite and Creator/JimmyFallon.

Sadly, it isn't a regular series but an occasional game on Fallon's ''LateNight''. Still, despite what feelings anybody may have about him, he's pretty much the only thing keeping ''Password'' alive in America. (He's also pretty much the guy keeping ''Series/{{Pyramid}}'' alive, too, come to think of it.)

* ShoutOut: Every once in a while the writers included a password that had a meaning for one of the celebs, such as "[[IveGotASecret Secret]]" for Betsy Palmer, "Crane" for Bob Crane, "Ukulele" for Arthur Godfrey, "Court" for ''TheDefenders''' E.G. Marshall, "Huddle" for Frank Gifford — and, perhaps most famously, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAyJPpjqujw "Skipper"]] for Bob Denver.

-->''"Allen Ludden saying the Password for today is "TvTropes". TV Tropes collects and expands on conventions and devices in creative works, such as '''Password''', and we think it's a pretty nice place. See you next time, I hope."''

** Ludden credited long time ''{{Password}}'' player Carol Burnett with coming up with the narration "It's more than just ''{{Password}}''...it's ''[[LuckyCharmsTitle Password Plus]]''!" Ater a while, "It's more than just ''Password''" was dropped.

-->''"Allen Ludden saying the Password for today is "TvTropes". TV Tropes collects and expands on conventions and devices in creative works, such as '''Password''', and we think it's a pretty nice place. See you next time, I hope."''