Movie Plot |
Sale of the Century was the American game show that, after its network cancellation in the United States, became a phenomenal hit on Australia's Nine Network. 3 contestants, 1 a returning champion, competed to answer general knowledge questions (asked rapid-fire style). Each contestant was given an initial score of $25; correct answers were worth $5, wrong answers deducted $5 from the score. The game was interrupted at certain intervals for Instant Bargains, which allowed the player in the lead to buy a prize at a heavily-discounted take-it-or-leave-it prize (e.g., a $1,175 color TV/stereo console for $14) always at the risk of later losing the game at times, the host offered cash or reduced the asking price as an additional incentive to buy the prize. Toward the end of the front game, the questions were increased to $10 added or subtracted appropriately. After an undefined time limit had expired, the contestant with the highest cash score was the day's champion and earned the right to shop in the Sale of the Century; the losers received their cash score and any Instant Bargain prizes. In the Sale of the Century, the champion could use his cash score winnings to buy specially-discounted luxury items (e.g., a $2800 dining room suite for $85) or bank the cash and return on the next show and accumulate more by winning future games and having access to more expensive prizes including a luxury car and a cash jackpot that began at $25,000 and increased by $1000 per show until claimed; a champion who earned enough cash could elect to take home all the prizes offered in the Sale of the Century, which together was often worth more than $50,000. Late in the NBC run, the format was altered so that 2 male/female couples competed with late-game questions worth $20 and the winning couple going shopping; the original format was used in the one-season syndicated version. Though a modest hit in the U.S. (in both the 1969 and 1983 versions), the show became a huge hit on Australia's Nine Network; the Australian version was the brainchild of Reg Grundy, who purchased the rights to the show shortly after its network cancellation in 1973. |
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