BREAK THE BANK

“Three of these boxes will break the bank, worth $x,x00 in cash. Is this one of them? Or is it this one? Or this one? Find out in our game as these nine celebrities (intros) join us in playing Break the Bank!”

Tom hosted this short-lived but popular knockoff of “The Hollywood Squares.”

Two contestants, always man vs. woman, compete. The challenger goes first and selects one of 20 numbered boxes, and the two celebrities who represent the box (the celebrity above the box in the horizontal row and the celebrity next to it in the vertical row) are asked the same question. One gives a true answer, the other gives a bluff, and the contestant decides which celebrity to believe. A correct choice wins the box and another turn, a wrong decision returns the box to its neutral position and gives the turn to the opponent. Later in the run, to move the games along faster, the opponent won the box on a wrong answer unless it would give a default win. The owner of the box was represented by one of two symbols, a moustache for the male contestant and a pair of lips for the female.

So how do you win? There are three of each dollar amount, and observe that each set of dollar amounts touches its “brothers” on at least one side. A game is won when a contestant claims all three of a dollar amount (their prize is the combined total, i.e., all three $200 boxes wins the game and $600). To make things easier, there is also a wild box (the rainbow box with the “W”) that can be used for any amount the claimant wants. There are also five blank spaces spread across the board that cost the contestant their turn.

To make things interesting, there are money bags spread all over the board, and when one is uncovered, the contestant can either (a) return the box to its neutral position and select again, or (b) take the box without having to answer a question and lose their turn. Claiming three money bags breaks the bank, which starts at $5,000 and goes up by $500 after each game it isn't won.

Judging from the show's 15-week run, you'd never know it was the #3 game show on television. Well, at the time, ABC's head of daytime programming, Fred Silverman, was expanding the network soaps from 45 minutes to a full hour, and, despite its popularity, “Break the Bank” was only being used as a stopgap during the expansion period. The premature cancellation didn't sit well with packagers Jack Barry and Dan Enright, who immediately relaunched the show in primetime syndication, hosted by Barry (since contractually, Kennedy wasn't allowed). Because of the hasty launch, not enough affiliates signed on, and the show died after one season.

Tom said in an interview that he was most relaxed on shows with celebrities, and it shows here in his easy-going manner and interaction with the panel. He's great at keeping the simple-yet-complex game in line, making sure the celebs and contestants all understand exactly what's going on. He's sort of equivalent to the scene in the middle of “Back to the Future Part II” where Doc explains everything to Marty to point out how all the complicated stuff really makes perfect sense. Well, Tom acheives that rather easily here, and he doesn't slow down or hurt the game in the process. No small feat, but then Tom is no small emcee.