| Host | |
| Jim McKrell | |
| Announcer | |
| Gary West | |
| Broadcast | |
 | |
| Packagers | |
| Jack Barry Productions Four Star International | |
| Distributor | |
| Metromedia Producers Corporation | |
BARRY: "Hi, I'm Jack Barry. Over the years, I've created, produced and sometimes emceed a great many game and panel shows: Juvenile Jury, Life Begins at 80, Concentration which incidentally is still running on NBC after 11 years, Twenty-One, Tic Tac Dough and many others. None of these shows makes me any prouder than I am of the one which I have just produced for Metromedia, television's first 90-minute game show, I'm so proud of it, in fact, that I do not want to show you the first of the three different games that are played on the show. Why? Well, the second and third games are absolutely superb. By comparison, we found the first game to be relatively weak. So we've decided that, if and when we go into production of the series, we should eliminate that first game from our format and add a few minutes to the second and third strong games, plus some lengthier interviews with the contestants for better identification with them from the home audience. And when you see these attractive young couples, I think you'll see why the home viewers would enjoy getting better acquainted with them. So now, we'd like you to see our pilot. Remembering that in this version, we have simply cut from the opening of the show right into the start of game #2. I think you'll agree after seeing games 2 and 3, bearing in mind the additions I've mentioned, that we really have a chance to sock it to 'em with this new and exciting entertainment form. Thank you!"
WEST: "These six engaged couples will be battling it out in contest of knowledge and skill and the winning couple will receive cash, prizes and a surprise honeymoon all on The Honeymoon Game! Now meet the host of our show, Jim McKrell!"
The Honeymoon Game was a broadcasted pilot spinoff of The Joker's Wild which used nearly the same format and featured couples instead of single players.
This show was intended to be 90 minutes long, but one version of the pilot shown to prospective stations was shortened to just an hour. The first round had been removed due to its weak format and was replaced with a pitchfilm by creator Jack Barry, although some stations later aired the full 90-minute version as a special in 1971.
Celebrity Guests[]
Bob Crane
Jaye P. Morgan
Marc Copage
Don Drysdale
Edmund G. "Pat" Brown
Round 1[]
This was the awful first round in question.
Six couples competed in this round, although three played at a time. In this round, host McKrell gave a category, then asked the first teammate up to six questions under that category in which those questions and the answers were clues to a puzzle. A correct answer gave the spouse a chance to solve the puzzle using the questions asked so far. Solving the puzzle correctly scored one point. Four rounds of questioning & puzzle solving were played with the ladies answering the questions first and the men solving the puzzles, then the process was reversed.
At the end of the round, the two couples with the lowest scores were eliminated from the game, and the highest scoring couples moved on to round two.
Round 2 (Celebrity Round)[]
This was played in similar fashion to the 1968 Joker's Wild pilot. The round featured five celebrities asking questions from their own categories. In this run-through, those celebrities were:
- Bob Crane -- Show Biz (Bob was best known as Colonel Robert Hogan in HOGAN'S HEROES.)
- Jaye P. Morgan -- Music (A well-known nightclub and stage performer, who was also a staple panelist on several other game shows.)
- Edmund G. Brown -- Politics (Brown was a former governor of California.)
- Don Drysdale -- Baseball (Drysdale did the same category in the 1968 pilot for THE JOKER'S WILD.)
- Mark Copage -- Kid Stuff (Copage played Corey Baker, son of Diahann Carroll's title character on the TV series JULIA.)
Two couples played at a time this round. Couples took turns pulling the lever in front of them to activate the celebrity wheels and when they stopped, they picked a category after which the celebrity representing that category asked a question. A correct answer scored points according to how many of that celebrity appeared on the board. A single celebrity was worth 1 point, a double celebrity (two of the same) was worth 2 points, and a triple (three of a kind) made the question worth 3 points. The first couple to score 10 points won the round. (Unlike the 1968 pilot, only one question was asked per spin, instead of the possibility of up to THREE questions.)
Instead of Jokers, there were Bonus slides on the reels. If a Bonus appeared when the wheels stopped, the team in control automatically received a point (two if it appeared twice) in addition to picking a category for the amount based on how many of that celebrity appeared. If a couple spun three Bonus cards, they automatically won the round.
The two couples to win the round advanced to round three.
Round 3 (Take a Chance)[]
In this, the final round, the two surviving couples played another question round with the wheels but without celebrities. Plus the wheels were different: the left wheel held the categories, the right held money amounts from $10-$100, and the center wheel held surprises behind a card marked "Take A Chance". The couple who spun was asked a question, a correct answer won the amount showing on the right wheel and then decided to either keep the money just won or to "Take a Chance" and go for what's behind the "Take A Chance" card. Whatever's behind the card can either add more money to or take away money from the couple’s score, though they never go below zero.
The couple with the most money when time was up wins the game and advance to the prize bonus round.
Bonus Round[]
The prize bonus round was played in two parts.
Part #1[]
This was played exactly the same as the 1960s and 1972 Joker's Wild bonus game: instead of categories, money amounts, etc., there were prizes on all three wheels. The winning couple took up to three spins and on each spin, three prizes came up on the board. On the first two spins if the couple likes those three prizes, they can keep them or give them back for another spin, and if they do take a third spin, whatever prizes came up was automatically theirs to keep.
In this pilot, the winning couple won a sailboat, a bicycle, and a hot dog.
Part #2[]
When the first part was done, the second part came into play. This time the windows were numbered 1, 2, and 3. Each one hid a fabulous honeymoon vacation, and all the couple had to do was to choose a window, and whatever trip was back there, that's where the winning couple will go on their honeymoon.
Related Shows[]
The Joker's Wild
Joker Joker Joker
The Joker's Wild & Tic Tac Dough Special
Gettin' Wild with Snoop Dogg
Music[]
Main - "Shades" by Patrick Williams
Originally the main from Funny You Should Ask!! (1968 version)
Inventors[]
Jack Barry & Dan Enright
Links[]
The Honeymoon Game at The Game Show Vault
The Honeymoon Game at The Game Show Pilot Light