Bill Cullen seems like a really nice person.

Nice to see this! Thanks, Wink! I like the blue “shutters” of the game board that open to reveal the Gold Rush board. Very clever! I actually like the multiple amounts of the Gold Rush. I don’t think the broadcast version offered more than $5K, so a chance to win $10,000 is pretty good for 1980. Once again, Bill Cullen does excellent work! Just a kind, friendly, supportive host!

My junior-high self watching this in the day wondered about the technology that switched the letters to colors on the board.

Shortcut to victory should have been the tiebreaker.

Wow, this was pretty different. Finally got to see those original podiums that I've only seen in B&W stills. I wish they'd kept those, they looked so awesome (especially the red one, was nice to see the whole podium match in color). That shortcut game? Weird! It makes the game move faster, but still weird. All in all, very awesome to look at this after all these years.

This show needs a comeback! In the UK, it became in institution lasting a total 14 seasons across all hosts, (Bob Holness hosting 11 of them), but barely lasted a total 3 on its home turf. How? Hopefully, Blockbusters can make a US return someday. I wonder if it'd be too much to ask they use the UK theme if they do? That was a pretty cool theme!

Thank you for sharing these gems from your vault, Wink. It is an absolute treat to see these shows!

Who wants to bet that CNR on the first Gold Rush board would be "Name of Match Game regular?"

Hey, Wink. Rohan here again. Thanks for sharing this from your vault. I enjoy these pilots. I also enjoyed this game show by Bill Cullen.

I definitely prefer the set design/colors here. Looks more modern than what they used for the final show. I also like the Shortcut to Victory mini game. A clever risk/reward element and would have been a good way to make sure that every episode has time for at least one bonus round.

Wow, I never knew there was a pilot for this version of Blockbusters!!

I think the Shortcut to Victory game would have made more sense as a tiebreaker rather than round 2 as it wasn't bad in and of itself. Also interesting with the different dollar amounts in the Gold Rush though I'm glad they went with a flat amount in the end.

I wish this would get a remake.

That was interesting to watch. I'm glad they changed the lettering on the gold run board and you finally get to see them change the board for gold run.

5 days after I was born, 6 days premiere & Allen Ludden's last ep. of Password Plus.

Other than a few cosmetic differences and that shortcut, basically the same game. Great find, Winker.

Wow. This Blockbusters episode is a bit different compared to the others.

Always wondered what was protruding from the sides of the gameboard and here it was mechanical shutters all along. I always thought stagehands rotated the board off camera in between regular play and the gold rush ...

Happy belated birthday Wink!!!

Hi Wink, thanks for posting this pilot. Good to see Bill Cullen do a pilot of a show he hosted, I agree with everyone else that said the “shortcut to victory” was a distraction, maybe the Gold Run would work better for a chance to win $10K if the lower amounts were raised, because the show appeared on NBC it wasn’t a limit for the contestants to win before they retire (unlike CBS which had a $25K maximum).

Glad they dropped the Shortcut game and the varying dollars amounts in Gold Rush. It just seems so awkward.

Wink, you have done it again, pal!

I kinda like this set

It took a while for Blockbusters format to find its format. When the regular series started six days after this pilot was taped, every game won allowed the champions to play the Gold Rush for $2,500 and every second win allowed the champs to play the Super Gold Rush for $5,000, with the champion retiring after playing the Super Gold Rush eight times (for a maximum of $60,000, as nothing was won for winning a game). After a month, matches became best two-out-of-three worth $500/game, and each Gold Rush was worth only $5,000, with a match limit of ten (again, a maximum of $60,000). Eventually, the number of wins allowed was doubled to twenty (maximum of $120,000), and previous 10-time champions were invited back to continue their runs.

Glad I finally got to see this pilot, although Bruce's constant coughing was distracting.

Very interesting.

It really wasn't fair to accept "Greg Morrison" as the correct answer when it was "Greg Morris".

Now I know why there were odd rectangular areas on top of the contestant podiums. They covered up the egg-crate displays from the pilot.

Glad that Short Cut to Victory was removed.

It's part of BUZZR's "Lost & Fun"!!

I'm kind of glad they disposed of the shortcut to victory part before this became a series. It seems to be more of a distraction than anything else.

I kinda like the “shortcut” idea, but I guess it was determined to be a bit clunky. I also like the mystery cash jackpot in the Gold Rush, although I think it might have worked better to know those amounts while they were playing. They could aim for an amount, whether or not successful in the end.

"Greg Morrison" is good enough for "Greg Morris?" Man, the rules were lax here.

That’s the fastest Gold Run I’ve seen

I am so glad the eliminated the mini game, where they had to get 3 initials right in order to win the game. I always wondered why they had those hexagons within the contestant's podiums. Now I know, to keep the score. Other than that, thanks Wink for this.

Wow this is wild!

Still no clue why the left side of Bill’s podium (his right) extends out for the bonus round. BUT - it is interesting to see the board flaps move; I’d always wondered if they did that.

That bonus payoff was good, should've lasted.

They should receive this show!

Taped October 21, 1980

The end game board is up before Shortcut to Victory is played. Whoops. :) Good old pilots

I just watched a 2nd season episode of Blockbusters on Buzzr and this brother and sister family pair were contestants. It seems strange because I always thought that the “contestants” on game show pilots were just people portraying contestants. And if they are a real brother and sister pair, why did it take so long for them to actually be on a real show?

The “shortcut to victory” and the differing winning values at the end were unneeded complexities for what should have been a simple game. Obviously G/T came to the same conclusion.

Didn't anyone notice that their using the same game Board for the game instead of randomly changing?

Interesting pilot.

the 'Quick Win' round was later used as a main game tactic on a pilot of TKO

Where's Bob Holness and the Central Independent Television Logo!

Another lost gem, Wink! Do you have the pilot of Hot Potato by any chance?

Though highly unlikely, what if a particularly fast and/or smart Gold Run player who just happens to hit a couple of blocks in the wrong places eventually gets to the right side with a path that is 11 hexagons in length only to reveal the $1000 amount next to his/her final hexagon? Seems like the minimum should have been $2000, though obviously this would never become an issue

That turnaround from pilot to episode 1 was QUICK

Thank u very much wink!!!!

Hey, this pilot was taped six years before the show actually premiered! :D Thanks once again, Wink. Cheers. However, the first game with three clues threw off from the rest of the game; thankfully, the maingame was simplified when it made to a series.

reminded me of the "longshot" option on "Whew!"

3:41 - everything wrong with the pilot: you lose to your opponents on a cheap side-game AND you get a seizure for the same price. Thankfully, they fixed that up!

This "shortcut" is an interesting mechanic,maybe a bit too favorable to the family pair, unless of course the questions are specifically harder than the normal board. I prefer the regular format of up to three normal rounds, but this could work as well.

BILL WAS F**KIN COOL ! I wonder if this is really WINK ... If its you ... I met your son years ago in the valley ... When he asked if I had ever heard of WINK MARTINDALE ... I lost my mind ! Big cheers Wink ...And the best to WINK jr . !!!

really didn't like that "shortcut to victory" It makes game 1 virtually meaningless. one side could win the game in a shutout, bottom out in the shortcut and yet the other side gets handed $250. Glad they dropped it. also weird that they started a pilot show on that shortcut instead of the beginning of the match it's about 7 minutes until we get to see how the main game works.

Why in this format on contestans don't have a game indicator, like in Card Sharks? Because in series I don't know, who win a game?

May I request "Puzzle Roulette" and "The Puzzle Game", Please?

I just noticed they reused the the game one board for game two lol

Last Night (the mar keys) theme song

Wow $10,000

I'm guessing on the opening slate, Director "Skutch" would refer to Ira Skutch of Match Game fame.

That Shortcut to Victory round, was resurfaced on a G-T pilot called TKO.

Bill said Greg and Marcia

Get Bruce a cough drop

what did he say for grl?

Taped the day the Phillies won their first World Championship.

Whenever I see this game, I always feel bad for the individual player for being double-teamed. Cindy was quite a player, though. Contestant Julie reminds me of actress Christina Applegate.

"William lawrence francis cullen the first host of the price is right the legendary game show host & panelist professor yes n no himself bill cullen" 🇮🇪🇺🇸📻🎙️📺🎬🎤🤔🎤🤔🎤🤔🎥💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵.