Pitfall: The Game Show That Stiffed Alex Trebek!

[@GameShowMike]

Alex mentioned in his bestselling book “The Answer Is…” about how the production company wouldn’t let him host because they were not a signatory to the Canadian union contract. That put Alex in a tough dilemma. If he hosted, he would be in trouble with the union; if not he would be sued by the production company for breach of contract. Eventually an 11th hour deal was reached and Alex got set to work. They did 13 weeks and he got his paycheck. After another 13 weeks of episodes, Alex tried to deposit his check, but it bounced. He reached out to the union for help, but to no avail. That bounced check ended up being framed and hung in his home office.

[@Angie2343]

I miss him.

[@ed_deeizmaname4795]

It's 2020 and technology is very different today. Surely the cost to create an all new Pitfall is not that expensive. I'd gladly watch!

[@jprogman]

I remembered a happy contestant on Jeopardy mentioning watching Alex host Pitfall at the time. Alex gave a serious look at the camera and said something like "those weren't good times."

[@CanadasGameShows]

They definitely weren't! 😂

[@rodney1279TheFlip]

I remember you, he was serious with you. Alex Trebek does not never want to talk about Pitfall. Great game show but no pay.

[@jwavada]

A contestant (maybe the same one) said that he enjoyed PitFall; whereas Alex replied “I didn’t!”

[@WarioBarker]

Coming back to this because I did some digging and Pitfall's history is even stranger than what's documented here: The print ad seen quickly at 1:52, which shows a glimpse of the pilots (hosted by John Barton in 1978), mentions that the show "is currently in production of 65 daily episodes for Fall 1979 delivery". This is supported by the contestant call displayed at 3:13, which I've found comes from December '78. Which brings me to the removal of celebs from the format. That copy of the advert, which touts celebs as being part of the show, comes from a March 1979 printing - which would presumably be partway through production. Did the finger incident happen in Spring '79 and Catalena just scrapped the whole production? Newspaper articles from October 1980 mention John Barton as host and that 65 episodes would be taped. The latter is supported by the November 26, 1980 Weekly issue of "Variety", which states on Page 73 that 25 episodes were produced before Bill Armstrong was brought on as creative consultant (which suggests that the circulating episodes without his credit are from that initial period) and that "During the current production period, 65 "Pitfall" segments are scheduled to go before the cameras at Panorama. Another 65 will be made between New Year's and Spring." - which just raises a bunch of questions. If John was touted as host in October, was Alex hired at practically the last minute? Did production start with John hosting and Alex replaced him during the initial 25 shows? Are these 1980(-81) tapings even the ones that aired in the 1981-82 season? I genuinely have no idea about any of this. It's clear that Catalena wasn't handling things properly, in any case.

[@ChuckD79]

Excellent research there, and the theory about the later episodes actually being produced first makes more sense, in hindsight...on one of the circulating episodes which had no EP credit (indicating it was among the initial batch taped in fall 80), there's a question about what country Anwar el-Sadat was the head of, and Sadat was assassinated in October 1981, only a few weeks after Pitfall premiered.

[@marcpower4167]

I heard a story (i think from the same interview with Alex featured here) about how they had hired a mechanic to keep the elevators running smoothly, but realizing there would be no show without the elevators he negotiated a ridiculous salary and when his cheques started bouncing he filed a lien against the show keeping it from going to air until he got paid in full that hurt the budget big time.

[@CanadasGameShows]

That wouldn't surprise us at all. What a mess!

[@essentialeugene]

Marc the documentary also said a contestant was injured when he went down the elevator.

[@ronlevovitz7088]

For a while in the early 1980's Pitfall aired on Channel 9 in New York City on weekday afternoons. I loved watching it on Fridays when I would get out of school early.

[@jasonacg]

Same here, also Channel 9. I was disappointed when it went off the air. 1981 or 1982...can't remember. We had a new (at the time) independent station on Long Island, that brought back the reruns in 1985.

[@georgemaster689]

@@jasonacg The bridge was my favorite part of the show.100 seconds was enough time to answer enough questions to win the prize package.Saw it on WWOR-TV 9 as well.Alex's fro was fizzling.

[@meyerj75]

I will always remember Alex for his work on two shows: High Rollers and Jeopardy. Pitfall should definately be at the bottom of the list.

[@thewipsportstalkfan3160]

If Alex were still here he'd say it would'nt be on the list!

[@nicka727]

WJBK TV 2 in Detroit had Let’s Make A Deal 1980 at 7:30. it came on right after Tic Tac Dough. But for Pitfall never made it to Detroit. All I remember for Pitfall was on the New York City WOR channel 9 and arched it via cable.

[@jaydabrown7012]

I have been searching for more information about this game show and its eventual cancellation for years but with little success, this documentary gives good info in a short amount of time.

[@wifferstess2824]

Blair Murdoch would go on to establish his own production company for gameshows - KidStreet which ran from 1989-1992 was produced in Calgary, and the Liars Club and The Next Line which were Vancouver based.

[@bluebear1985]

The show of his I'm most familiar with is the Vancouver-based "Acting Crazy", which ran for a couple of years in the mid-90s.

[@dansmith6748]

The celebrity who had his fingers crushed was Sid Ceaser, although they were squished, never crushed

[@juicyfartsofjimcornette1154]

Good! Man was a insubordinate idiot!

[@WarioBarker]

As Alex has noted, the only time he got stiffed on a paycheck...and it was by his fellow Canadians. Repeats of both Pitfall and Let's Make A Deal ('80) aired on Global in Canada until about 1986 or so, though neither has been reshown anywhere since. A shame, too, since both shows were very good and I'd love to see GameTV (and/or Buzzr in the United States since Fremantle owns LMAD) get ahold of 'em.

[@CanadasGameShows]

Count us in - we'd love to see more Pitfall! Maybe it could get Alex paid... 🤔

[@ChuckD79]

@@CanadasGameShows - I actually suggested on GameTV's FB page awhile back that they should add Pitfall to their schedule...unfortunately, all I got was a generic "thanks for your feedback, we'll take it into consideration" reply.

[@meyerj75]

Yeah but who wants to see a game show where contestants who won prizes and cash didn't get them afterwards and still haven't?

[@johnnyballenatl]

While MGM currently owns Pitfall here in the States as it was syndicated by Rhodes Productions (they also own Love Me, Love Me Not, also produced in Vancouver and aired on USA Network).

[@kevinhoward9593]

I love how the founder doesnt take the blame for his company's downfall.

[@ChuckD79]

Yeah, was shocked by how cavalier Ian McLennan seemed re: Alex and the crew/contestants never getting what they earned!

[@ferox965]

I watched Pitfall when I was a kid...damn, I'm old.

[@robertdennett1617]

This man brightened the lives of so many others. Who was Alex Trebek? RIP

[@markjones5624]

John Barton is the eventual announcer and is shown in promo black and white with Nipsey Russell

[@ChuckD79]

And per the trade ad that the pic was taken from, it appears that Barton was originally going to be the show's host when the series was initially pitched for fall 1979...Catalena clearly did a good deal of revamping both the set and format for the eventual 1981 series.

[@StudioZ7]

I saw Pitfall a couple of times. It was actually carried on defunct UHF station KXLI Channel 41 in St. Cloud, MN. I enjoyed watching it. Alex Trebek sure has changed. (KXLI had similar financial problems, I might add.)

[@ChuckD79]

Good stuff...nice to get the backstory on why the celebrity format was abandoned (the trade ad in question says it was originally pitched for the 1979-80 season), and that "Stump the Stars" quip made me LOL! Also didn't know that Blair Murdoch started out as marketing VP for Catalena before forming his own production company a few years later.

[@calebmartin4929]

The delivery on that Stump the Stars line was just... [chef's kiss]

[@porkpiejohnny3062]

I loved "Pitfall" and would have been a fan for the next 50 years.........it was super cool and fun! Alex was a great host......I will never forget.

[@jwgreek8606]

Love Adam's shirt

[@johnnyballenatl]

The 1980 Let’s Make A Deal cleared Atlanta (on then-independent WANX 46 (now CBS affiliate WANF)), Pitfall didn’t. As a matter of fact...despite hooking up with distributor Rhodes Productions, both Catalena game shows got very poor syndication clearances here in the States.

[@ChuckD79]

LMaD actually got considerably more clearance (likely due to its name value) than Pitfall, which is believed to have only aired on a dozen or so stations in the US!

[@johnnyballenatl]

@@ChuckD79 But I looked through various 1980 issues of Broadcasting (& Cable) magazine for any sales ads from Rhodes Productions touting LMAD and/or Pitfall; there were none.

[@Loogaroo1]

Even viewers at home could probably notice the future was murky for Pitfall because partway through the series, the $5000 grand prize offered for winning the bonus round suddenly got cut to $2500.

[@WarioBarker]

There was also the $100/zone award being replaced with a prize for making it halfway across, as well as Bill Armstrong replacing John Barton as announcer.

[@ChuckD79]

@@WarioBarker - Actually, pretty sure Barton remained announcer for the entire run...Armstrong was the EP, but his name was mysteriously removed from the credits of later episodes.

[@roddlew3577]

I was fortunate to be a contestant on pitfalls with Alex Trebek hosting.He had a genuine sincere vibe about him classy and helpful as he encouraged and spoke to me personally in the elevator .Never did receive $1600 winnings.Rest in peace Mr.Trebek

[@ChuckD79]

I think one of your episodes is currently circulating among collectors...did you defeat a champion named Vonnie in your first game??

[@roddlew3577]

@@ChuckD79 Hi Chuck Thanx for responding.I just saw this today 3/12/22.I don't remember the other contestants but I did win a few rounds.Could you please let me know where you might have seen me ?I d like to have a look at me then... Thank you for your time and consideration Rodd

[@ChuckD79]

@@roddlew3577 This is the episode I was referring to (skip ahead to the second game): kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZOudJpubth0hLc

[@jwgreek8606]

Pitfall premiered in 1981. The same day Entertainment Tonight premiered. And by the way, TBE Last Word came after Second Honeymoon.

[@essentialeugene]

I saw ``Pitfall'' online. It was a good show but I wish Catalena Productions had not gone bankrupt. I liked the game play and the music.

[@TellMeMoreTMM]

Really enjoyed this. I posted a link to this video in our recent video about Alex Trebek. Cheers!

[@CanadasGameShows]

Thank you!

[@supergamer7473]

I don't know any game show fan that isn't envious of Bob Boden's game show collection! Probably the only person today who owns a home copy of "The Moment of Truth!" Which, looks to be unopened.......thankfully. XDXDXD

[@ChuckD79]

I actually have a copy of the MoT home game, myself! LOL

[@ChuckD79]

Also love how Sidney Cohen didn't hesitate to throw some shade at Catalena, and he was spot-on...that said, despite Alex and the contestants/crew never getting paid, Pitfall was still a fun and visually dazzling show to watch, plus I even have a T-shirt with the show's logo on it! 😁

[@notundercovercop327]

I don't know if he was referring to Catalena specifically when he said that. I think he was more saying his credo was to keep things on the up and up. Either way, Did a great job with the shows he directed on the east coast. And Murdoch did good with the stuff he made on the west coast.

[@nlpnt]

A commenter on The Autopian just mentioned this show and how the prize cars were "Eastern European crapcans" (Lada or Skoda?)

[@barbarossalewis3338]

This show and the reel picture show were the only game shows the hosts weren't paid!

[@someguy23475]

Possibly Lingo as well (which could be the real reason Michael Reagan left)

[@bluebear1985]

I thought Peter Marshall didn't get paid for Yahtzee, but I could be wrong on that.

[@quincee3376]

RIP Alex. I absolutely loved Pitfall.

[@GeorgeMaster-xg7lg]

Let's Make A Deal was also under Catalena Productions.

[@ChuckD79]

Oh, and the celebrity who nearly lost his fingers was none other than Jack Carter...despite the warnings about not grabbing the overhead cage, he was trying to be funny by holding on for dear life, unaware that those steel clamps used in the cages could take his fingers off (and almost did!).

[@Mullet-ZubazPants]

I saw every episode of this show when I was kid, and I'm pretty sure it was crooked. I say this, because at least two contestants appeared more than once, with different names. And the only reason I noticed this, was they were running the episodes in rerun everyday. This was presumably after it got cancelled, and they needed filler program during the daytime, in the summer. I can't remember if it was CTV, CBC or Global airing the reruns

[@shawnattwells5355]

When you work on a game show, where the guy who paints the set, gets a bigger pay check than the host, you know there's something screwy going on. If they ever do reboot this, let it be done by people who aren't total idiots.

[@codymerryman5605]

Agreed. CBS Television Distribution, Warner Brothers, heck, Maybe Telepictures would do a great reboot of Pitfall. Catalina Productions should've never produced it in the first place.

[@thewipsportstalkfan3160]

@@codymerryman5605 Telepictures is part of WB.......at least for now ( given AT&Ts massive downsizing of WB who knows), but i think if it did have a revival it would be under another name and slightly different format.

[@codymerryman5605]

@@thewipsportstalkfan3160 True. If the format is done well, it could last. I just don't see a revival happening, unless ABC, the king of game shows right now picks it up. If not, a good distributer for local syndication would be either Disney ABC Television Distribution, NBC Universal, or CBS Television Distribution.

[@altfactor]

Didn't "Pitfall" get syndicated on a limited number of TV stations in the United States? If that was the case, maybe the show wasn't broadcast on enough U.S. stations for Catalena Productions to make a profit.

[@Scottwilkie18]

Catalina was one of the worst production companies ever next to til productions

[@foxmccloud7055]

If you are going to bring back "Pitfall," actually pay your host and make sure the contestants get their cash and prizes.

[@digiblader1]

Who's watching this after the news about Lucky 13?

[@jimbaines1108]

So, let's say a company wanted to reboot Pitfall. Whom do they pay for the rights? How can a defunct company own it?

[@brettbousman5070]

a modern remake should include trap doors instead of elevators.

[@jeffreyweaver9854]

Does anyone want to play "Russian Roulette"?

[@supergamer7473]

That would pretty much make it Russian Roulette. Let's revive that instead!

[@ricknibert6417]

Pitfall soon became a popular home video game manufactured by Activision.

[@johnnyballenatl]

Yeah, but it was unrelated to the game show (and that Pitfall game sold millions of copies).

[@jeromehoward1249]

That show actually came in 1981, not the '70s.

[@jeffreyweaver9854]

"Pitfall" suffered a pratfall!

[@Scottwilkie18]

R I p Alex trebek

[@drewconway7135]

The background music is super distracting and unnecessary

[@alexgonzalez-rs8qi]

Call pitfall one of those worst game shows that happened in between a cow and a fake wallet