4 ms·
This is amazing, I had never even connected the two points of data in such a way as to realize that someone alive when Lincoln was president would still be aliv
by JangoSteve 15y ago
This is amazing, I had never even connected the two points of data in such a way as to realize that someone alive when Lincoln was president would still be alive when TV is on the market.
Aside from the intense tobacco ads (the big banner and the participation gift), I find it interesting that they were playing for the amount of $80.
Accounting for inflation, that's around $650 in today's dollars. Meanwhile these days, game shows play for a top prize usually around $10k to $1mil per episode. I guess in 1956, TV itself was enough to keep people entertained and tuned in. I wonder if 50 years from now, they'll be playing for people's lives or something equally crazy to keep jaded video audiences tuned in.
- deleted 15y ago[deleted]
- burgerbrain 15y agoActually, there are still plenty of gameshows around where people play for (generally) sub-thousand dollar prizes. Cash Cab (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cash_Cab http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cash_Cab) comes to mind. $50 payouts on that show are actually surprisingly common, although that is considered doing poorly. I suspect that the perception of the cash prize size is related to the perceived commitment the contestant has to put forward. So they are fairly large on shows the contestant has to go out of their way to be a part of, but low on shows where the contestant just happens to "stumble upon" the contest.
- JangoSteve 15y agoThat's a very good point, and Cash Cab is sweet. Also, I was under the impression that the people guessing in that gameshow were celebrities. Are there any game-shows today that play for sub-thousand-dollar prizes with celebrities?