Hello and welcome to the second instalment of our seven-part guest post from quiz show champ Barry Lee. And this week finds us at the start of the groovy 1970s! Over to you, Barry…

=============================================================== The First Temptation =

Tony Barber, who first became widely known as the “Cambridge Whistler” in TV adverts for a now-forgotten brand of cigarettes, had popped up again in 1970 as the host of Temptation – another show sponsored by (supermarket chain) Coles. That Temptation ran in an early afternoon timeslot Monday to Friday for one hour, consisting of two contests per episode, utilising what later became the essence of Great Temptation and Sale of the Century format – three contestants, with buzzers, competing to earn play dollars which could be used to make purchases from the Gift Shop and from the big shop at the end of the game. Contestants were chosen from the large studio audience and it was strictly ladies only – no blokes allowed. From recollection, the show went out live, or with a short delay, on the day of recording – so it was five days a week of recording at the old Channel 7 studios in Epping. I occasionally made it to the weekday recordings – Tony was at his best in that milieu. He had a wonderful line of cheeky chappie patter which helped to kick things along in the recording breaks, including naughty old sayings such as the one that begins “no matter how much you jiggle and dance…”. The waves of laughter probably brought back memories of the Tivoli for some in the audience.

When Pick a Box and the Coles $7,000 Question (as it then was) ended, an evening version of the show, called Great Temptation, was ready to take over, with the E-type Jag driving Barbie Rogers as hostess and the mellifluous Max Rowley as announcer.

Tony Barber and Barbara “Barbie” Rogers – hosts of ‘Great Temptation’

Pick a Box champ George Black, who had graduated to the role of question writer/adjudicator in the latter years of that show, filled the same role for Great Temptation, and it was through getting to know George that I took my first serious steps into the world of TV quiz shows. Great Temptation was recorded on Sundays and I, along with my mother – who thought it was great fun, was a regular in the studio audience. Eventually, I plucked up the courage to talk to George Black during recording breaks – his desk was just off set, in the shadows – and we quickly developed a friendly rapport. Before long, I was writing questions for the show – originally $2.00 for a hundred (yes, two bucks) and later $5.00 for a hundred. I was too young to appear on the show, so having the thrill of hearing some of my questions occasionally making the cut, and getting a bit of pocket money for the effort, was not too bad a consolation prize, and invaluable preparation for what came later. Even if I hadn’t got to know George Black, the experience of attending recording sessions was still useful and interesting. It takes you a few steps closer to what it feels like to be a contestant – although nothing quite prepares you for the first blast of those dazzling lights (and even, as happened to me on my first appearance, hearing my own heart beating without benefit of a stethoscope). If time and geography permit, I would recommend it for all aspirants.

The ratings success of Great Temptation saw it extended to a five-day-a-week offering, with the recordings still all done on Sundays. In a small way, it introduced the concept of a mounting jackpot in the form of a diamond and ruby ring, which would have a small stone, worth about $100, added to it each night until it was won – after some long stretches, squeezing in all those stones tested the jeweller’s skills and produced some serious knuckle-dusters! The success of Great Temptation continued until the fateful decision to test it against the Ten network’s ratings juggernaut Number 96 in a mid-evening timeslot. Sadly, GT came off second best and it came to an end in 1975. The daytime show ended around the same time and for the next few years, until the ABC kicked off a local version of Mastermind (in 1978), with Huw Evans as host, it was something of a drought for fans of general knowledge quiz shows.

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And that’s where we’ll leave it for this week. Be sure to check back in here again next Tuesday, when Barry introduces us to some new moneymakers from a show named – coincidentally enough – The New Moneymakers!   

And if you have a hankering to contribute your own guest post, don’t be shy; just shoot me an email at Stephen@HowToWinGameShows.com, and let’s chat. See you next week!