| It Takes Two | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Ralph Andrews |
| Presented by | Vin Scully (1969-1970) Dick Clark (1997) |
| Narrated by | John Harlan (1969-1970) Burton Richardson (1997) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 345 (1969-1970) 60 (1997) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | Ralph Andrews Productions (1969-1970) Mark Phillips Philms & Telephision MTM Enterprises (1997) |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC (1969–1970) The Family Channel (1997) |
| Release | March 31, 1969 – July 31, 1970 March 10, 1997 – May 30, 1997 |
It Takes Two is a game show in which contestants gave numerical answers to questions (which usually entail stunts and/or demonstrations). The original program was created and produced by Ralph Andrews and aired on NBC from March 31, 1969, to July 31, 1970, at 10:00 AM Eastern. A second version, produced by Mark Phillips Philms & Telephision, aired on The Family Channel (now Freeform) in 1997.
Vin Scully hosted the NBC version with John Harlan as announcer and on-camera assistant. The 1997 version was hosted by Dick Clark.
Three celebrity couples competed in this version. For each question, both spouses of each celebrity couple gave individual numerical answers which were averaged into their combined answer. After the celebrity couples gave their answers, a studio audience member guessed which couple was the closest. A correct answer won $100 for the audience member. By the fall of 1969, each win awarded a prize instead of cash. In 1970, audience members who won four prizes in a row also won a new car.
Gameplay remained similar in this version with three teams each with two civilian contestants competing. Once again, both players on each team gave individual numerical answers to make one averaged answer. However, each question was worth money for the team who was the closest, and the second-closest team won a smaller amount of money.
| Round | Closest team | Second-closest team |
|---|---|---|
| Question #1 | $100 | $75 |
| Question #2 | $200 | $100 |
| Question #3 | $300 | $150 |
| Question #4 | $400 | $200 |
| Question #5 | $1,000 | $500 |
The second-place prize for question one was originally $50. If a two-way tie occurred, both teams received the first or second place money. If a three-way tie occurred, all three teams received the first-place money. If at any point a team member gave an exact answer they also won a prize in addition to the first place money.
The team with the most money won the game, bonus prizes and played one last question called the "Brainteaser". All teams keep their money. In case if two or all three players tied for the lead, they automatically go to the "Brainteaser".
A question based upon an act or demonstration that was already used during the show was presented to the team and each member gave a verbal response. If the correct answer was within a predetermined range based upon the team's response, the team won a grand prize (usually a trip).
The winning range varied between episodes. At times the correct answer had to be within twenty high or low of their averaged guess. At other times the winning range had to be within the two individual guesses or within a different varied range.
If the game ended in a tie, the tied teams both competed in the Brainteaser with the winners of that question receiving the grand prize.
Many episodes featured a guest celebrity that came on to either perform a task related to a question or for a question related to their work.
The original series replaced the Ed McMahon game show Snap Judgment and ran against sitcom reruns on CBS. Numerous NBC affiliates tape-delayed or preempted the show in favor of local homemaker's shows or syndicated programming, although the series ran over a full year due to its popularity. On Monday, August 3, 1970, the show was replaced by Dinah's Place, a women's talk/variety/homemaker's half-hour hosted by entertainer Dinah Shore.
The revival ran on The Family Channel from March 10 to May 30, 1997, and was hosted by Dick Clark (who appeared on the NBC series with his wife) with Burton Richardson announcing.
The series was produced by Mark Phillips Philms & Telephision with Phillips serving as Executive Producer. Rich de Michele was producer while Gary Jonke was the writer.
The status of the NBC version is unknown and largely believed to have been destroyed due to network practices of the era, with the videotapes wiped and re-used. However, three episodes are held by private collectors, and the October 27, 1968, pilot is held by the UCLA Film and Television Archive.[1] The circulating episodes are also available for viewing on YouTube.