Blockbusters (American game show)

Blockbusters
Created bySteve Ryan
Directed byIra Skutch (1980–82)
Marc Breslow (1987)[1]
Presented byBill Cullen
Bill Rafferty[1]
AnnouncerBob Hilton
Rich Jeffries[1]
Theme music composerBob Cobert (1980–82)
Music Design Group (1987)[1]
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes372 (1980–82)
85 (1987)
Production
Executive producersIra Skutch (1980–82)
Robert Sherman (1987)[1]
ProducersRobert Sherman (1980–1982)
Diane H. Janaver (1987)
Production locationsNBC Studios
Burbank, California
Running time22 minutes
Production companiesMark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions (1980–1982)
Mark Goodson Television Productions (1987)
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseOctober 27, 1980 (1980-10-27) –
April 23, 1982 (1982-04-23)
ReleaseJanuary 5 (1987-01-05) –
May 1, 1987 (1987-05-01)
Related
Blockbusters (United Kingdom)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Blockbusters is an American game show, created by Steve Ryan for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions, which had two separate runs in the 1980s. On this program, contestants answered general-knowledge questions to complete a path across or down a game board composed of hexagons. The first series of the show debuted on NBC on October 27, 1980, and aired until April 23, 1982. In the first series, a team of two family members competed against a solo contestant. Blockbusters was revived on NBC from January 5 to May 1, 1987, but featured only two solo contestants competing. Bill Cullen hosted the 1980–82 version, with Bob Hilton as announcer; Bill Rafferty hosted the 1987 version with Rich Jeffries as announcer. The show is the basis of the British game show of the same name, which aired in various incarnations between 1983 and 2019.

  1. ^ a b c d e Schwartz, David; Ryan, Steve; Wostbrock, Fred (1999). The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows (3 ed.). Facts on File, Inc. p. 23. ISBN 0-8160-3846-5.