Concentration: clip from July 23rd, 1971 episode

Proud to present this to you!! A sadly all too brief clip from the July 23rd, 1971 episode of Concentration on NBC. I'm just glad that it's long enough that we even get to see some gameplay!!
As far as I know, this is the first publicly available color videotape (I know the finale exists from a color kinescope) footage from this series that has made its way anywhere. Enjoy this look back at what will probably be the cleanest footage of this show that we'll possibly ever see. Gotta love Bob Clayton!! And again, sadly this all too brief clip cuts out before we can get really deep into the game. Unfortunately, this is all I've got, but be glad we've finally got something now!!
Special thanks to Greg Brobeck for help in locating the airdate of this clip.

[@ceejay960]

Loved watching this show when I was a kid. The sound of the number boxes rotating is forever burned into my memory.

[@shoredude2]

NBC's Concentration was the longest running game show on TV until passed by The Price Is Right in 1987. But yet no version of it has aired in almost 30 years.

[@christopherdunne7848]

Even if just part of the show, seeing the original Concentration on VIDEOTAPE is da bomb! My all time favorite game show. I was practically raised on this show.

[@therealbrentrolland]

THANK YOU! Such a treat. This is “CLASSIC” Concentration. So cool to see this in color. Going to rack my brain on what the solution is!

[@joellafargue9882]

I figured it out when Number 9's puzzle part was revealed.

[@5star555555555]

@@joellafargue9882 What do you think it was?

[@Ron-d2s]

1:37 you should post just the Apollo 15 coverage commercial as a separate clip that is an amazing piece of history!

[@HoofinOG]

I like how the network is so casual about it. "Oh, we're going to the Moon again. Stay tuned to NBC."

[@ericsamuelson5656]

This is the first time in everyone's life born after 1973 seeing raw videotape (not kinescope) of the original Concentration. This is amazing!

[@ronflatter1235]

Interesting to see the quad banding on the playback. That is the distortion of the screen by fourths because of the array of the playback heads on the 2” tapes. It looked like someone was adjusting those, particularly during the NBC News promo.

[@eddiecharlie77]

The original NBC TV Concentration from 1958 until March 1973 with Hugh Downs the original host until 1969, then Bob Clayton took over until its end run.

[@jehobden]

Ed McMahon hosted for 6 months from late March to late September 1969, displacing Bob Clayton as host until Clayton moved back to host (from announcer).

[@eddiecharlie77]

@@jehobden I guess Hugh Downs had a busy schedule every week hosting The Today Show and taping 5 shows of Concentration over a 2 or 3 day span.

[@jehobden]

Thanks very much for posting a fond childhood memory, and on color videotape too. My family only had B&W tvs until the late 1970s, so that's how I usually saw this game. WNBC-TV NYC had the same 4 logo in the 1960s, as I've seen it on a few YT videos. I'd just turned 6 years old when this episode was aired. Bob Clayton was already the host by the first time I remember seeing this game. I've seen a full color episode of CONCENTRATION from this year, maybe this episode, at the NYC Paley Museum. I learned the number of every letter in the alphabet (A=1...M=13...etc.) because of the bonus game which tied the prize won to the first letter of the last name of the person whose postcard was selected from the drum. (The codes are briefly visible behind Bob Clayton's left hand when he has his right hand on the podium.) As an example if Bob selected Jane Smith's postcard, she'd have won whatever prize was behind number 19.

[@jehobden]

This version of the game moved more slowly than the later versions for a few reasons: 1) 30 puzzle pieces per game instead of 25 2) Not awarding the natural match to pieces won in Wild Cards, leaving "orphaned matches" that were not revealed until the puzzle was solved 3) The Forfeits probably slowed down the game too, if a player had only good prizes so far and no "joke" prizes (like the tent peg) The 1968 Christmas game didn't finish a single puzzle, a lot having to do w/ hard matches to make (like $669.99 to $699.99) and Victor Borge's goofing around.

[@KCGeno]

@@jehobden -- I prefer the original 30 square board, but they probably should have eliminated the orphaned matches. I liked the Forfeits, because they added some risk to the game that was missing in later versions.

[@eddiecharlie77]

@@jehobden The mid 70s version with Jack Narz had the 30 squares with the winning contestant can win a new car primarily a Chevy Vega or Chevette.

[@psalm37v4]

@@eddiecharlie77 they ended that in 1977. They had a numbered mini board with prizes you could select until you made a match.

[@psalm37v4]

@@KCGeno I prefer the 30 square board too.

[@dan1701a]

This looks like part of a discarded 2" quad tape, because of the banding - probably wrinkled on the reel and cuts off at the end because someone needed to use it for a spot reel or whatever. At any rate, it's a real archaeological find and makes me think there are more of these hiding in someone's garage or some station's basement somewhere.

[@epaddon]

This more likely is from the National Archives collection of Nixon White House recordings and in all likelihood the Nixon WH was taping the Mike Douglas Show which was on before Concentration in Washington because of a politically oriented guest and the taper didn't stop until the first minutes of Concentration had been on.

[@mbvideoselection]

Seems to be low band quad too (4 head revs per field instead of 16).

[@georgemaster9979]

An episode from 1971? Sweet!

[@MitchellHang]

This is so surreal to see surface after many years.

[@facebook51ify]

I hope you have more episodes of concentration soon.

[@KCGeno]

They are pretty hard to come by.

[@ericsamuelson5656]

Someone might possibly have a recording in Los Angeles from KNBC Ch 4 and/or Chicago from WMAQ Ch 5 somewhere. Talk about a hidden treasure.

[@thetalkingarchive4795]

@@ericsamuelson5656 www.youtube.com/@obsoletevideo6048 might have it one day. They have local recordings of TV programs from the 1970s and even found a thought lost forever episode of The New Treasure Hunt.

[@GeorgeMaster-xg7lg]

​@@ericsamuelson5656Much like The Joker's Wild was or is stored at WCBS-TV NYC.

[@witherblaze]

Nice to see a lively image

[@ScottBecker-c1k]

My favorite game show of all time (Jeopardy is my second favorite). I am 60 years old, and this is still my favorite. I still have the the first edition (1958) of the board game.

[@kennnethtreistman1973]

This guy was the announcer on The $20,000 Pyramid (daytime) and The $25,000 Pyramid (nighttime) that I remember!!

[@tonyrizzo3910]

This is fantastic!

[@matthewbaduria]

This is great.Thank you so much.

[@christopherangel6690]

Awesome clip!

[@patrickfranklin9661]

Love the peacock at the beginning!

[@kingporter67]

Very rare NBC Concentration game show from 1971!!

[@paulnguyen8910]

My 8th week into the world. I was 50 days old.

[@TomCurtis-t2r]

I wish nbc would reboot concentration instead of having a third hour today.

[@tomxconn]

Rumor had it Matt Lauer would’ve hosted. But then Matt ran into a little bit of…trouble 🙄

[@georgemaster9979]

​@@tomxconn Yeah,he would have been a good host.

[@LeroyBright]

@@georgemaster9979 There would have been other great hosts out there.

[@joellafargue9882]

I'd like ANYONE to reboot it!

[@GeorgeMaster-xg7lg]

​@@joellafargue9882Todd Newton would be my host choice.

[@cresentltd]

The Classic Concentration board has nothings on the original board from the original series.

[@joellafargue9882]

I think Classic Concentration was excellent in its own way. Alex Trebek was the perfect choice to host that version, and model Marjorie Goodson Cutt was hilarious.

[@HoofinOG]

This is how sorry assed things are today. Turn on your favorite game show in 1971, and the commercial says, "oh, by the way, we're going to the Moon again. Coverage will start Monday at 7 am, here on NBC."

[@MatchGameProductions]

Wow! This is so cool. Great job!

[@Lupton2000]

AWESOME!!!!

[@mikewswcoast2004]

If it hasn't been said yet, has to come from a U-Matic.

[@banjochris]

I’m fairly certain this is from the episode that the Paley Center has in its archives; I watched it at their LA museum about 25 years ago with my grandmother. The date the Paley Center has is 1/23/71 instead of 7/23/71. Not sure which is correct but I don’t think the close dates are a coincidence and I’m pretty sure I remember the blonde lady. If it is that episode it does exist complete on VT at Paley.

[@GarryMooreFan]

It's not that episode.

[@banjochris]

@@GarryMooreFan Good to know; I thought I thought I recognized the champion, but it’s been a long time!

[@ronflatter1235]

If those two dates are the choices, it had to be July 23, 1971, because Apollo 15 launched July 26, 1971.

[@jehobden]

@@ronflatter1235 Also I checked the movie promoted by the local station, and NBC did run "Return from the Ashes" on "Saturday Night at the Movies" for July 24, 1971. Also Jan. 23, 1971, fell on a Saturday, when CONCENTRATION wasn't aired.

[@JZCRAZY]

Wow..... only 16 years apart from the start of Classic Concentration with Alex Trebek, but looks like 50 years apart.

[@KCGeno]

I love the steampunk (mechanical) board! It had a charm missing from the computerized version.

[@psalm37v4]

@@KCGeno yes, the old board was the best.

[@diheinercirilogonzaga9536]

Concentration debuts in Brazil

[@jamesmoss3424]

I wonder what that puzzle was.

[@russmason1890]

I can help with that. I saw this episode when it was originally broadcast. At the time, I kept a notebook in which I jotted down prizes used, and sketched out the puzzles I saw. Based on the two gag gifts seen in this clip, I located my notebook entries on this. I recreated this puzzle in the late '90's for my homemade PC game. Here's a link to my video, at the point where the entire puzzle is revealed. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZobRoKmflLOIrrc

[@joellafargue9882]

I figured it out early -- "Don't overstay your welcome".

[@jamesmoss3424]

@@joellafargue9882 thanks for telling me about that puzzle. 😀👍

[@mbvideoselection]

01:50 to 02:00 massive Quad head clog!

[@zacharyellis3001]

Is that Art James that announced this episode?

[@kevinfitzmaurice4072]

No, it's Wayne Howell, who was a longtime staff announcer at NBC in New York.

[@cwf1701]

It looks like the same boards (puzzle and Prize boards) that was later used in the Narz/Goodson version in 1973 except for the color of the prizes and larger numbers used in the Narz/Goodson version. For comparison of the boards kzbin.info/www/bejne/bnaUh6SuqcZlnaM from a 1977 Narz show.

[@gordonbeattie4864]

As far as I know the boards and the desks were exactly the same ones on the later series with Jack Narz. I'm amazed they were kept in storage and not destroyed!

[@KCGeno]

@@gordonbeattie4864 -- They moved the old board and the prize doors to L.A., almost as soon as the NBC run ended. The decision to take "Concentration" to syndication, was made pretty quickly. So they refurbished the board with faster motors (and, I think it's been said, a better controller).

[@psalm37v4]

@@KCGeno I’m glad they made the puzzles in color on the Narz version. I think they did a great job of giving the show a new life.

[@christopherdunne7848]

The monochrome puzzles here were a stipulation by Norm Blumenthal, who designed every single puzzle on the show (AND the home board game puzzles too). He didn’t want the puzzles solved too quickly; color would make the games shorter. The show itself, board notwithstanding, didn’t even go to color until Nov. 1966-very late!

[@mbvideoselection]

Why do US gameshows from the 1970s look and sound like a 1950s post-nuclear apocalypse nightmare?