I always loved (and still love) in the opening when Rod says "From television city in Hollywood...", the music has that ascending low base sound, and the board starts to light up....that was the sign that the fun was about to begin!! PYL and The Pyramid were my absolute favorites as a child in the 80s!

My favorite 80’s game show I used to watch this every weekday morning on USA network as a child during summer break before I’d go outside on my bicycle or swing set for the day. This The Jokers Wild, Tic Tac Dough, and Scrabble was the block. I had a crush on Peter Tomarken too. I’m extremely excited this show is coming back on the air. 😬😬😬

I don't think they ever speed up PYL anymore. I remember when they used to do that in '04 that drove EVERYONE mad crazy. Kudos to GSN for getting the '83 eps and airing them in GREAT quality.

At the beginning, the Whammy space in slide #5 is backwards. Also, when Peter spins the board, space #17 has two $2000 spaces with one being in B&W. In the first board round, the slides don't change until Peter mentions that the board is constantly changing. The light pattern occasionally "hiccups" and quickly cuts to another slide and space #1 goes dark constantly. Some of the slides keep turning B&W (could also be light blue but aged from film) and projectors dont stop when buzzer is pressed sometimes. There is also no fog horns for the Whammy either here, and the Whammy symbol sometmes goes up early (while the cartoon is still playing). The Spins buzzer constantly hiccups as well and the font for the answers is slightly changed. The spins neon light keeps lagging also, it stays on for the person that buzzed in unless they get it wrong, then it shuts off. If the person with a multiple choice gets it right, the neon only lights up when they get spins and shuts off when the next question is given.

Two iconic sounds are absent in these early episodes--the Whammy foghorn and the contestants hollering "Big bucks! No Whammies!" as they play the big board. However, we get to see multiple Whammy animations here, whereas only one (the "hammer Whammy") was used in the pilot.

My Favorite Game Show!! Loads of Fun!!To everyone who worked on the show, Thank you and those who have died Thanks also, and May you all Rest In Peace!

Happy 40th Anniversary PYL!!

Happy 30th Anniversary PYL!

That was the first time I got to see the first episode of press your luck. I think that was a great amount of money and prizes back then. (1983). I was only 20 years old back then. Also someone getting 4 whammys first episode. Thanks for posting the first episode.

Press Your Luck is a revival of an earlier game show format created by producer Bill Carruthers, known as Second Chance. This show was hosted by Jim Peck and aired on ABC in 1977. Like Press Your Luck, it also featured contestants answering trivia questions to assume control of a randomly generated board with cash and prizes. This game board also featured spaces labeled with a devil, who would take away all cash and prizes if the contestant landed on one. Carruthers and Jan McCormack began developing Press Your Luck in 1983. Peter Tomarken, prior to working in television, was an editor for Women's Wear Daily magazine. His first major television role came earlier in 1983 on the NBC game show Hit Man, and he was chosen to host Press Your Luck after the former was canceled. Press Your Luck began both tapings and airings in September 1983. The show premiered on September 19, 1983, on CBS at 10:30 a.m. ET (9:30 CT/MT/PT), replacing Child's Play. Serving as announcer on the show was Rod Roddy, with whom Tomarken had previously worked on Hit Man, and who would later become known for announcing on The Price Is Right. John Harlan and Charlie O'Donnell filled in on a few episodes when Roddy was unavailable. In addition to creating the show, Carruthers served as both director and the voice of the Whammy. The animations featuring this character were created by animator Savage Steve Holland; Carruthers personally selected Holland to design the character, and immediately liked Holland's first concept, which he sketched out on a napkin. Holland animated the character via computer software, thus making Press Your Luck one of the first game shows to use computer-designed graphics. Author David Baber noted that the Whammy animations were "popular with the viewers". Some of the animations featured the Whammy taunting the contestant and becoming injured or harmed in a manner which Baber compared to a Wile E. Coyote cartoon.[verification needed] Others featured satires of then-contemporary pop culture figures such as Boy George or Tina Turner. Ed Flesh designed the show's set, and Lee Ringuette composed the show's music. On January 6, 1986, CBS relocated Press Your Luck in order to make room for a Bob Eubanks-hosted revival of Card Sharks. Press Your Luck replaced Body Language in the network's 4:00 p.m. afternoon time slot. Tomarken stated that by the end of 1985, the contract for The Price Is Right was up for renewal, but CBS was unable to pay Mark Goodson Productions the kind of money they wanted to continue that show on their network. Goodson came up with the solution of taking over the 10:30 a.m. timeslot. The last episode of the CBS version aired on September 26, 1986. The final tapings took place in August of that same year, when its cancellation was first announced. Following the cancellation, Tomarken went on to host a number of other game shows including the syndicated show Wipeout in 1988-89, as well as a number of infomercials. In early 1986, as the show's network fate was becoming clear, Carruthers tried the route again - albeit this time, the show would be moving directly from CBS into daily syndication with 130 new episodes for the 1986-87 season, now distributed by Republic Pictures. Still didn't work. In early 1987, 130 episodes of the show were packaged by Republic Pictures for off-network syndication to a handful of local stations (most in markets that didn't carry the show in its original run on CBS). These episodes originally aired on CBS from February 25 to August 23, 1985, including College Week from April 1985. Those 130 episodes were also the first to be shown on USA Network when the channel picked up the show for its game show block from September 14, 1987 to December 30, 1988. By 1989, USA eventually aired episodes from outside the syndication package, except for episodes that had plugs for the Home Player Sweepstakes, Michael Larson's episodes (which were then banned from airing at the time because CBS claimed it was "an embarrassing experience"), the 1985 Christmas-themed episodes (although the 1983 and 1984 Christmas shows were aired), and other select ranges of episodes. Press Your Luck remained on its schedule until October 13, 1995, when USA dropped its game show block altogether. Game Show Network aired the show from September 1, 2001 to March 2009, airing episodes from February 1984 to November 1985. Another 250 episodes were added to the lineup in June 2003 and were aired as part of the Wednesday morning mini-marathons during the summer of 2003 (1984 episodes were still airing during that time but on weekends only). When the marathons were dropped, the new-to-GSN episodes were moved to weekends only and continued until April 10, 2005. Game Show Network resumed airing the show in October 15, 2012, airing episodes from the September 1983 premiere to February 1984 (including the first two weeks which were never rebroadcast since the original CBS broadcasts), and almost 60 more were added to GSN's schedule on April 1, 2013, covering December 1983 through February 1984 - including the earliest two episodes from GSN's original 2001 lease. From September 29, 2014 to 2016, Game Show Network aired episodes 561 to 696, which originally ran from November 1985 to May 1986, including episodes from Christmas 1985 and February 1986; after this, GSN aired episodes from the 1984 to February 26, 1985 (Jim Hess's episode), until the show was removed from Game Show Network's schedule again in May 2017. From December 2017 to February 2018, Game Show Network aired episodes from some episodes from July 1984 as part of a Saturday night game show block. It is unknown at this point whether or not GSN will air the final three months of the series (many of those particular episodes were last rerun on USA Network in 1995). GSN's run of airing Press Your Luck lasted approximately 14 years, if non-consecutive - which was about twice as long as the USA network's run of about 7 years. Upon the launch of the digital subchannel Buzzr, Press Your Luck began airing on June 2, 2015, starting from the 1983 premiere. Buzzr's decision to air the series never impacted GSN's ability to continue airing the series (upon Buzzr's launch, GSN was airing 1986 episodes). On July 2, 2018, reruns of Press Your Luck started airing on GameTV in Canada. The network's initial lease covers the first 85 episodes of the series, running from September 19, 1983, to January 18, 1984. However, beginning on March 4, 2019, GameTV added fresh episodes covering January to September 1984. Episodes 051 and 182, which GSN had skipped previously, did get rebroadcast on GameTV, and the Michael Larson episodes were first aired on GameTV on September 11 and 12, 2019, but unlike with GSN and Buzzr, there were no promos. Plus, this would be the first time since 1984 that the Larson episodes aired as standalone, without any documentary nor explanation of his gameplay. Peter Tomarken's version ceased airing on GameTV in March 2020, but the Elizabeth Banks version still airs there as of right now. Aside from the aforementioned episodes that were rerun on GSN, Buzzr has played three episodes that GSN didn't: November 30, 1983, May 31, 1984, and June 2, 1986. Theories have varied on why the rest of the episodes after June 2, 1986 haven't been rerun in the 21st century as of right now, including the possibility that it might be due to tape damage, as well as the possibility that GSN never leased for the 700's, and Buzzr has been going by what GSN has leased for in the past. However, the June 17, 1986 episode was shown In VH1's I Love the '80's 3-D in 2005, and the footage looked to be in perfect condition, which seems to point to the entire run existing. One episode from early in the run was destroyed before it could have aired. On September 16, 2023, Rick Stern, the associate director, confirmed on a Facebook fan group that the damaged tapes theory was untrue.

Peter Tomarken in a Plaid Suit; awesome!!! RIP Peter Tomarken

Thanks for posting these episodes of Mark Goodson bill Todman games. These bring back memories. I was almost 5 years old when the show debuted. I'm glad someone is posting the mark Goodson bill Todman game episodes.

Crazy how far this version has come. The pilot episode feels like being in The Twlight zone. Time flies I stg

This was a good show

The passed spin 'ding' sound, I believe, was sampled from 'The Joker's Wild'.

Rip peter.

Phil wasn't saying "big bucks, no whammies"

Apparently, Lana Jones passed away earlier this year in April. :( So sad, she delivered one of the first comical moments of this show. “Chevrolet!”

Notice at 15:41 he stops on his fourth whammy, but the "Move one space" slide is also showing through. The show cuts to a close up of the "Move one space"...but they might as well have given him the fourth whammy, as he got it on his next spin. It was nice that they gave him the "move one space" though, since the board was clearly not working right.

I'm so happy GSN brought Press Your Luck back! ^_^ This saved my birthday... since the NFL decided to try & ruin it!... Nice outfit Peter!

8:03 BANKRUPT the Bankrupt gotcha I’m sorry

I hope the reprised show gives tribute to original host Peter Tomarken. He died in a plane crash in 2006.

Thanks 4 sharing!

@2:54, Peter's already having a ball with PYL, and it's just the 1st show

At the time of the winnings I had to put my computer at mute not to make my neighbours believe that I watch an adult video...

I don't remember this first episode but I started watching this if I started watching this show when I got sick because of the early to mid-80s I worked at the lighthouse for the blind in Seattle but I did take some time out of my schedule to watch the show

Poor Lana didn't know what an ampersand was...

I love this game

Prize music has a saxaphone added that was later taken out.

I'm so surprised for the whole very first Episode, Phil has all 4 whammies, and the rest of the contestants hasn't even got a single whammy.

If i was lana, i would pass my final spin

Same suit he wore in the last Hit Man, six months prior!

30 years since this episode aired........ happy 30th anniversary! :D

Fashion in this time period is very distinctive.

7:04 BANKRUPT oh man! I’m sorry

Jinxed it. (15:00)

Sex awenser in press your luck? EPIC FAIL

Amazing video!

GSN should have no right to skip parts of every PYL episode

There are a few channels that have the original broadcasts of the premiere episode, and they are all sans interviews.

8:06 animation from the pilot though the laugh is different.

15:01 BANKRUPT oh no! I’m so sorry

Lenna and Linda’s total winnings combined were $25,188.

16:20 BANKRUPT 4 Strikes

September 19, 1983

Episode 1: Phil earns a total of 15 spins.......and whammies out. Episode 2: Henry earns a total of 3 spins.......and ends up winning the game. That's the way all game shows should be: "Punish the smart and reward the stupid." PYL.......you're not off to a great start :(

Is it me or do I find this prize cue music better than the ones later on...

I just bought a 2023 Chevrolet Mercedes.

Is it too much to ask for the networks that carry the original Press Your Luck to not cut the contestant interviews at the beginning?

Pick up spin ding is the ding from TPIR

Well, they probably had them, but edited them out to show more gameplay. It took a while to work out the bugs for this show.

I might be a little to generous, but if I created the show I would let the people who didn't win keep the cash and prizes they won at the end. But never mind that. I loved that show.

Me too

And the fact GSN got early eps of PYL...i'm shocked

This was how the gods rewarded me for seeing the Seahawks defeat the Patriots on 10/14; they air this the next morning! Amazing how life works out....

The Buzzr channel just showed this episode today. They only show episodes 1-100.

19:00.

2:25 - 3 button golf shirt and a neck tie?

Seems like the big board wasn't working right.

What is a year?

7:06 First ever Whammy.

happy pyl

why was the prize cue sounds drifenft in the Press your Luck episodes

The 80s had the best game shows today's game shows is okay but not as good back then

Anyone notice something at 15:43????? he stopped at a whammy which would have been his 4th whammy and he should have been eliminated!!!!!!!!!! meanwhile he gets Move A Space instead!! BAD EDITING!! LOL

2024

If Heaven Ever Has Its Own PRESS YOUR LUCK Board, I Don't Want to See One Single Whammy.

Wait a minute. No contestant interviews at the beginning?

People are so shy in this first show. It's good tho

8:01

15:00

7:02-7:12 The Goldbergs used this exact clip in their newest game show episode.

Why haven't they done this show today?

19:24

My favorite 80,s game show todays game shows suck

and

and of or the

Many of the players are as stupid as the day is long.. ....they accumulate a large amount of moner, thousands ahead of the others and they get cocky thinking they can do no wrong and BANG they get the whammy.. ive seen it over and over all they gotta do is pass

Didn't she mean Kaitlyn Jenner?

Whammy big bank count from 9/19/83 (series premiere) 1st whammy:$650 2nd whammy:$1,369 3rd whammy:$5,050 4th whammy:$2,250 Total:$9,319