"Split Second" (1972/I) TV series 1972-1975

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Kip Walton

Writer:

Adam Hill Gilbert (writer)

Release Date:

20 March 1972 (USA)

Plot:

Fast-paced quiz show, where contestants were rewarded not only on their ability to answer correctly, but on how many others were also correct on questions in that same category.

Cast

Tom Kennedy	...	Host / Self (1972)
Jack Clark	...	Announcer (1972-1975)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Floyd Bradley	...	Contestant

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Trivia:

As in the original "Jeopardy", all three contestants on "Split Second" were allowed to keep their cash earnings, but only the winner was allowed to play the bonus round to win a car, returning for the next installment if he or she didn't win the car.

Split Second Contestant

It's been nearly two years since anyone (and only one) posted something about Split Second. I just found this site today, so here goes. I was a contestant on the show. My 'show' was taped in July '74 and aired in Sept. '74. I won the first day but lost the second day. That appearance was a pleasant memory. It all happened very quickly. I saw the show only once (live, at that!) and applied. Passed the preliminary test; was called back for live test at the production offices (on Hollywood Bl.) with two others and passed. Told I was on the eligible contestant list and was called two days later to come to the ABC studio to be in the eligible contestants pool. They actually had two taping sessions, morning and afternoon. I was chosen for the afternoon session. During that time, you had to go through a producers' round, right on the set, to see how you react under actual playing conditions. If you didn't make it through that, you were automatically cut. I was a college student at the time. If I won a car, I would sell it and live off that for one school year. The first day I won. I went for the Chevy station wagon, figuring it would bring me the most money. I turned the key but it didn't start. (The Vega started.) I looked at Tom Kennedy and almost apologetically said 'It didn't start.' During the next show I missed two or three easy questions and let my mind wander. I finished in second place and needed four answers to win. I got one question in the first set and need three more to win. The next set was movie monsters and listed Dracula, THE WOLFMAN, and THE INVISIBLE MAN. We had to name the actor who portrayed them. I correctly named Bela Lugosi as Dracula and then Claude Rains as The Invisible Man (the toughest to identify of the three). With each answer, Kennedy got more and more excited (and louder). On the third, The Wolfman, I remembered there were two Lon Chaneys, Jr. and Sr. I said 'Lon Chaney', paused for a 'split-second' and added 'Senior.' Kennedy took a deep breath, readying to congratulate me, looked at his answer card and said, loudly and almost sorrowfully, 'Wrong answer!' The lady contestant sitting next to me, needing only one answer, rang in and quizzically said 'Lon Chaney Jr.?' Kennedy screamed 'Congratulations! You've won!' My reign ended. After the show, Kennedy and the producer said 'Lon Chaney' alone would have been sufficient. Because I said it, they had to count it as an incorrect answer. I had to wait until the program aired (about a month later) to get my prize(s). I think I won about $800, a weekend for two at some chain hotel, and three pairs of Farrah slacks. I used the weekend-for-two the for a honeymoon in San Francisco the following summer and have long since outgrown those slacks. I still watch Jeopardy, and every time I hear a contestant add something to their answer, I think 'Don't do that!' And, of course, anytime I hear the name Lon Chaney, my mind instantly goes back to the 'split-second' and mentally kick myself. It was considered a real honor to be a contestant on Split Second, as you had to have a certain degree of intelligence, like Jeopardy today. (I tried out for Jeopardy twice since then and, obviously, didn't make it. I'm still very proud to just have been on Split Second. It was a terrific show.