Concentration (game show)

Concentration
Also known asClassic Concentration
Created byJack Barry
Dan Enright
Robert Noah
Buddy Piper
Directed byVan Fox
Ted Nathanson
Gertrude Rosenstein
Lynwood King
Bob Hultgren
Ira Skutch
Marc Breslow[1]
Presented byHugh Downs
Jack Barry
Bob Clayton
Ed McMahon
Jack Narz
Alex Trebek
StarringPaola Diva
Diana Taylor
Marjorie Goodson-Cutt
AnnouncerBill McCord
Art James
Jim Lucas
Bob Clayton
Wayne Howell
Johnny Olson
Gene Wood
Ending theme"Concentration Theme" by Paul Taubman (1958–1967)
"Fast-Break" by Edd Kalehoff for Score Productions (1973–1978)
"Classic Concentration Theme" by Paul Epstein for Score Productions (1987–1991)
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons15 (1958–1973)
5 (1973–1978)
4 (1987–1991)
No. of episodes3,770 (1958–1973)
975 (1973–1978)
1,020 (1987–1991)
Production
Executive producersNorm Blumenthal
Chester Feldman
Howard Felsher
Production locationsNBC Studios
New York City (1958–1973)
Metromedia Square
Hollywood, California (1973–1978)
NBC Studios
Burbank, California (1987–1991)
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time22–26 minutes
Production companiesJack Barry-Dan Enright Productions (1958)
NBC (1958–1973)
Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions (1973–1978)
Mark Goodson Productions (1987–1991)
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseAugust 25, 1958 (1958-08-25)[2] –
March 23, 1973 (1973-03-23)
NetworkSyndication
ReleaseSeptember 10, 1973 (1973-09-10) –
September 8, 1978 (1978-09-08)
NetworkNBC
ReleaseMay 4, 1987 (1987-05-04) –
September 20, 1991 (1991-09-20)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Concentration is an American television game show based on the children's memory game of the same name. It was created by Jack Barry and Dan Enright. Contestants matched prizes hidden behind spaces on a game board, which would then reveal portions of a rebus puzzle underneath for the contestants to solve.

The show was broadcast on and off from 1958 to 1991, presented by various hosts, and has been made in several different versions. The original network daytime series, Concentration, appeared on NBC for 14 years, 7 months, and 3,770 telecasts (August 25, 1958 – March 23, 1973), the longest continuous run of any game show on that network. This series was hosted by Hugh Downs and later by Bob Clayton, but for a six-month period in 1969, Ed McMahon hosted the series. The series began at 11:30 am Eastern, then moved to 11:00 and finally to 10:30. Nearly all episodes of the NBC daytime version were produced at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York City.

A weekly nighttime version appeared in two separate broadcast runs: the first aired from October 30 to November 20, 1958, with Jack Barry as host, while the second ran from April 24 to September 18, 1961, with Downs as host. The second version of Concentration, the first to be made in Southern California, ran in syndication from September 10, 1973, to September 8, 1978, with Jack Narz as host and Paola Diva as model. The last version of the show to air was Classic Concentration, which ran on NBC from May 4, 1987 to September 20, 1991. Alex Trebek was the host of this version, with Diana Taylor and Marjorie Goodson-Cutt as models.

  1. ^ Schwartz, David; Ryan, Steve; Wostbrock, Fred (1999). The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows (3 ed.). Facts on File, Inc. pp. 43, 48, 49. ISBN 0-8160-3846-5.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Torre was invoked but never defined (see the help page).