Sale of the Century (1983)

Sale of the Century (1983)
Premiere	January 3, 1983
Finale	March 24, 1989
Creator	Al Howard
Host	Jim Perry
Network/Provider	NBC, Syndication
Style	30-minute game show
Company	Reg Grundy Productions
Episodes	1,578
Origin	USA

Sale of the Century was a revival of the Sale of the Century game show that previously aired on NBC from 1969 to 1973. This version was developed by Reg Grundy, who first developed it for Australian television.

The game play is identical to the original series--answer questions and use money to buy prizes at discounted prices--except some new elements are added. The Fame Game has the contestants posited a question about a figure or famous places or things. Answering correctly allows the player to select one of nine windows with a celebrity's picture on it (later simply numbers). Behind it is either cash added to their score or prizes. Other new elements included "Instant Cash" (replacing the "Instant Bargains"), "Who Am I?" and "Mystery Money or Pick Again."

The shopping format at the end for the winner was modified into a contest that included cash prizes. The first contest had the winner trying to match a prize on a board of twenty numbered squares. Clearing the board (upon successful game wins) awarded a $50,000 jackpot. The second contest had the winner trying to solve four word puzzles in 20 seconds.

A syndicated edition ran concurrently in the 1985-86 season. The show was revived in 2007 for syndication as Temptation: The All-New Sale of the Century.

In-Depth

• At a Glance: Additional information about the series