This is the version of "Jeopardy!" I REALLY remember and enjoy.
When I was 6 years old in 1968, I would run home from school at lunchtime just to watch "Jeopardy!" And, for some strange reason, I would always applaud whenever a contestant found a Daily Double (maybe because the audience did?). Sometimes I would also hum the "think" music, and my younger sister made up her own nonsensical lyrics. (The theme of the original "Jeopardy!" was an instrumental, not the "think" music, which featured a muted trumpet solo.)
Another big difference between the original and current versions, in addition to adjusting for inflation in the dollar amounts of the clues and technological advancements, is that during the contestant interviews in the original, there weren't any smart-assed jokers who thought they were funny (e.g. doing idiotic impressions, playing body parts as "musical instruments," or making up stupid puns, which were most likely scripted; that kind of, to rephrase the title of one of George Carlin's monologues, "goofy crap" seems better suited for "The Gong Show" or if John Waters decides to make a "Polyester, Part 2" in Odorama - get it about the latter reference?). In the original "Jeopardy!," they were mostly ordinary people who acted and played like adults, which is more than can be said for some of today's contestants.
If Sony was smart, they should have put THIS original version of "Jeopardy!" on DVD; after having seen a snippet of it on "American Dreams" last year, that only whetted my appetite even more. When Game Show Network reran the original "Jeopardy!" in 2001, my landlady did not have the tier that had GSN added on her satellite. Now that she since has, GSN recently told me in an e-mail they have no plans to show the original "Jeopardy!" again anytime soon, sadly.
But, for those of us who WOULD like to see the original late 60's - early 70's version of "Jeopardy!" released on DVD, be sure to go to TV Shows on DVD.com and vote for it; the original version was added to their list three weeks ago.
Who wants to see a DVD mostly full of Ken ("The Cheater") Jennings? I sure WOULDN'T waste my hard-earned $20 on that one! (And since they currently own the rights to the track, as well as now being a part of Sony's corporate family by virtue of Sony's purchase of BMG Music, perhaps Arista Records should re-release pop group Bob Kuban and the In-Men's 1966 Top 40 hit "The Cheater" as a CD single, put Jennings' face on the CD label, and include it as a bonus with that forthcoming DVD of "Jeopardy!" Or better yet, maybe Arista should make a music video using snippets of Jennings' "Jeopardy!" appearances with "The Cheater" as music and release that as a bonus DVD single with the DVD of "Jeopardy!" L.A. Reid, if you're reading this, and since you're now Arista's president, be aware - you're sitting on a potential goldmine!)
However, Sony, PLEASE do all of us who would like to see the ORIGINAL late 60's - early 70's version of "Jeopardy!" with Art Fleming again a BIG favor - PUT IT ON DVD SOON!!!!
In the meantime, anyone who would like for that to happen please be sure to go to TV Shows on DVD.com and vote for it; thus far, the original "Jeopardy!" netted only 31 paltry votes. Let's turn that number into 100 or more votes and tell Sony we want the ORIGINAL "Jeopardy!" to be released on DVD!
