"The Name of the Game" (1968) TV series 1968-1971

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Writer:

Philip Wylie (writer) (episode)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3

Release Date:

20 September 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure

Plot:

This odd series had three rotating stars, who were featured in independent episodes tied together by a loose common theme...

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 9 nominations

Cast

Gene Barry	...	Glenn Howard (44 episodes, 1968-1971)
Robert Stack	...	Dan Farrell (24 episodes, 1968-1971)
Susan Saint James	...	Peggy Maxwell (21 episodes, 1968-1971)
Anthony Franciosa	...	Jeff Dillon (17 episodes, 1968-1970)

Runtime:

90 min (76 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Universal TV

Trivia:

'Anthony Franciosa' was fired during the show's third season. Instead of being replaced by one actor, he was replaced by a series of actors filling in on his rotation, including Robert Culp, Peter Falk, Darren McGavin and Robert Wagner.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Spielberg on Spielberg (2007) (TV)

In A Class By Itself

This series to me was in a class by itself. The stories were first-rate and the stars were very charming and sophisticated. I always did admire Gene Barry as an actor and his work in this series made me a lifelong fan. I loved the clothes that he wore on the show and hence have tried to emulate his sophisticated style ever since. I feel that there were very few actors at that time other than Craig Stevens and Robert Wagner that had the same aura and screen presence. I also greatly enjoyed the episodes that Tony Franciosa and Robert Stack headlined. This series had the feel of a theatrical motion picture and one could tell that big bucks were being spent to produce it. I have some episodes on tape and still think that they hold up very well as compared to dramatic television today. Like the old saying goes; "They don't make 'em like that anymore".