Trivia / Card Sharks

---

• Artistic License:
  • The Perry/Eubanks/Rafferty era decks redesigned two of the Kings:
    • The King of Hearts has his sword to the side instead of how he is usually pictured having it in his playing card (through his head, giving him the name "Suicide King").
    • The King of Diamonds is pictured with a sword, instead of his usual weapon (an axe, giving him the name "Man With the Axe").
  • The McHale decks seem to use a uniform King/Queen/Jack for all their suits (in this case what would normally be the court cards for the Spades suit), not unlike Gambit, which also used a uniform King/Queen/Jack for their court card designs, too).
• Dueling Shows: The CBS version found itself the case of two unusual instances of this in its early run; initially being scheduled opposite NBC's Sale of the Century (hosted by original Sharks host Jim Perry) until early 1987; after which it was moved to face off against the short-lived Blockbusters (whose host, Bill Rafferty, also hosted the short-lived syndicated version of Sharks at the time).
• Franchise Killer: The 2001 revival. Until 2019, no plans were made to revive the series since its cancellation, obviously because it wasn't what everybody was expecting it to be (i.e., good).
• In Memoriam: A 1987 episode ended with a dedication to Carole Costello, who passed away earlier that year. She received another tribute in the CBS finale, when Bob Eubanks dedicated his run to Carole.
• Missing Episode: The five shows recorded during the first taping day of the 2001 version, which appear to have used the (much better) format of the 2000 pilot with a more game show-esque set, "were found to be un-airable", resulting in Pearson building a new set and replacing the director. Whether it was actually due to poor directing or some other reason (such as "these players won too much money") is unknown.
• Promoted Fanboy: Tami Anderson, the dealer for the 2001 revival, was a huge fan of the Jim Perry version.
• Prop Recycling:
  • The Eubanks/Rafferty versions used the same cards as the Perry version.
  • Most Young People's Weeks in the Eubanks/Rafferty era offered a trip to Hawaii instead of a car; a trip skin from The Price Is Right was placed where the car would be on the set.
• Recycled Set: The 2001 version's set was recycled for use on Whammy!, as was announcer Gary Kroeger.
• Saved from Development Hell: Before being bought out by Pearson, All-American Television had been trying to revive the show since 1996. Fans would have preferred it stayed that way after seeing the final product come out five years later.
• Schedule Slip: The CBS version was preempted eight times during Summer 1987 due to the Iran-Contra Hearings.
• Screwed by the Network:
  • The NBC version aired at 10:00 a.m. and was pulling in commendable ratings for its slot. To accommodate David Letterman's morning talk show (more on that below), Fred Silverman moved it to Noon, where many local affiliates chose to pre-empt it for newscasts. Card Sharks was cancelled 15 months later.
  • The Rafferty run was just one of many other syndicated games in the mid-to-late 1980s that got trampled on by the Wheel of Fortune-Jeopardy! combo. Ironically, in New York, the show initially aired alongside the latter at 4:30 p.m., but The Oprah Winfrey Show came along. After WABC shaved 30 minutes off its 6PM Eyewitness News (moving ABC World News Tonight to 6:30), Jeopardy! got the juicy 7:00 p.m. slot (Wheel would join it on WABC in 1990) while Card Sharks got demoted to late nights.
  • The Bullard run was cancelled after one season, though not because of low ratings or negative fan reaction. After Pearson got rebranded as Fremantle, its distribution arm changed to Tribune. As part of the deal, Card Sharks and To Tell the Truth got cancelled.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Tom Kennedy was reportedly offered to host an unknown version. He declined because he thought the show was too luck-based, and he didn't like the "doubles lose" rule.
  • The NBC version, along with Wheel of Fortune and Password Plus, was nearly cancelled in 1980 to make room for David Letterman's morning talk show (Chain Reaction, High Rollers and The Hollywood Squares ended up being the victims of that mess). Would we have eventually seen Bob Eubanks, Bill Rafferty or even Pat Bullard if its run ended a year sooner?
  • When Card Sharks was slated for a revival in 1986, among the possible candidates for the hosting position was Bruce Forsyth, who had by that point been at the helm of Card Sharks' Transatlantic Equivalent, Play Your Cards Right, for several years. The position ultimately went to Bob Eubanks and Bill Rafferty. Brucie would briefly host a show for Reg Grundy and ABC called Hot Streak in 1986, but it was quickly cancelled.
  • Original host Jim Perry was also considered for the revival efforts, but was unavailable due to his commitments to both daytime and nighttime versions of Sale of the Century, as well as his (by then decade-long) gig on Definition in Canada.
  • Eubanks also mentioned that Patrick Wayne was considered to host the CBS revival. Yeah, that Patrick Wayne.
  • Rich Fields, who would later go on to announce The Price Is Right, also auditioned in 1986. He would announce the Gameshow Marathon version 20 years later.
  • Tom Bergeron was offered to host the 2001 revival, but turned it down. He was already emceeing The Hollywood Squares and had just signed onto America's Funniest Home Videos at the time.

---