Line #17 Series/MusicalChairs1975


1	[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/musical_chairs.jpg]]
2
3	->''"Let's play a game of '''Musical Chairs''' / and give ourselves a round of applause!"''
4
5	Short-lived GameShow hosted by singer Adam Wade that ran on Creator/{{CBS}} in 1975. Four contestants competed to guess the next line (from three choices) of a song performed by Wade or one of several guest vocalists; alternately, the players had to name the film it was composed for or who sang a particular version of a song, again from three choices. Much like ''Series/SplitSecond1972'', the players locked in their answers and were called on in the order they did so.
6
7	Three songs were played in each round, and the contestants scored money for correct answers...but there was a limit: the money ($50 in Round 1, $75 in Round 2, and $100 in Round 3) was awarded to the first three correct answers, then the first two, and finally the first. Round 3 was the elimination round, where the lowest-scoring player after each song was eliminated from play, and the winner (who ''had'' to give a correct answer when there were only two players remaining)...well, see below. It got a bit confusing.
8
9	In September or October, the rules were altered to use the aforementioned payout structure for the three songs of each round ($50/first three, $75/first two, $100/first), and the player with the lowest score after each round was eliminated. The redistribution of money didn't make any real difference, though, since $675 was still the maximum.
10
11	''Musical Chairs'' debuted June 16 at 4:00 PM (the "death slot") against the ailing ''Somerset'' on Creator/{{NBC}} and the insanely-expensive ''The Money Maze'' on Creator/{{ABC}}. ''Maze'' went into repeats on June 30 and was replaced on July 7 by the return of ''Series/YouDontSay''. These and frequent pre-emptions resulted in ''Chairs'' ending on October 31, and CBS shoved the ailing ''Series/GiveNTake'' to the slot.
12
13	Regardless of this and its relative obscurity today, it holds a notable place in the genre as being the first game show hosted by an African-American. It is also notable for having a lot of high-quality musical guests, though that's probably because the show was co-produced by Don Kirshner.
14	----
15	!!GameShowTropes in use:
16	* BonusRound: Three were done. Or rather, two and a cop-out.
17	** The first gave the winner 60 seconds to name a certain number of songs that were sung, with the singer humming any instance of the title being used in-song, for a prize.
18	** Later on, the winner simply got their winnings doubled. Given that nine songs were played with a $50/$75/$100 payout structure (in both formats; the money was just shuffled around later on), this meant a player could win a [[SarcasmMode staggering]] $1,350 for one episode, which paled in comparison to most other shows that were on the air in '75.
19	** By about September 8, the bonus changed again to have the winner pick one of three categories, then hear the melody of a song. The lyrics of that portion were then shown, and the player had 30 seconds to put them in their right places. A correct placement won $100, and getting all ten won $2,000.
20	* ConsolationPrize: Other than the standard parting gifts, players who were eliminated in the front game kept any money they accumulated.
21	* Personnel:
22	** TheAnnouncer: Pat Hernon.
23	** GameShowHost: Adam Wade.
24	----
25	!!This show provides examples of:
26	* CouchGag: At least once per show, the third choice in the front game would be an obviously-wrong answer created by songwriters that were on the show's staff.
27	* VisualPun: The "h" in the show's logo resembled the side of a chair.

Context Series / MusicalChairs1975