Wheel of Fortune

Wheel of Fortune Game Show

Wheel of Fortune was another one of the hugely successful game shows that was still in syndication at the time of this writing in the late 2010's.  After a few early 70's pilots, Wheel of Fortune was officially launched in 1975 and has been on the TV since.  Chuck Woolery hosted until 1981, and then Pat Sajak took over and has been in place since.  Susan Satfford was the original hostess, and Vanna White took over the duties in 1982.

Wheel of Fortune was essentially a Hangman type game, where contestants (three) would spin a large wheel with dollar amounts on it, and then try to guess at the letters in a phrase on stage.  If they guessed a letter correctly, the letter square would light up and the hostess would flip the block around, exposing the letter.  If the contestant solved the puzzle, they kept the money they had banked for that round.  The contestant with the most money at the end of the initial rounds went on to the bonus round, where they alone were allowed to pick a handful of letters and try to solve a puzzle in a limited amount of time.  Prizes included such things as money, cars, trips, etc.  Fans of the 80's show will remember that in the older episodes, winners would be allowed to "shop" their prize money by buying items from a showcase.