| Host | |
| Jack Barry | |
| Announcer | |
| Jack Clark | |
| Broadcast | |
 ABC Primetime: 1/18/1971 - 5/3/1971 | |
| Packager | |
| Jack Barry Productions Four Star Television | |
"From the headlines and headliners of the past and present comes television's most fascinating new show "The Reel Game"! And now, here's the host of our show, Jack Barry!"
The Reel Game was a short-lived primetime game show where three contestants competed, featuring film clips to illustrate the answers.
Gameplay
Three contestants competed in a quiz game in which the answers come from film clips.
To start, the contestants were given $250 to start, then they were given a subject afterwhich they wagered any part of their current score. Once the bets were placed, host Barry posed a question, afterwhich the contestants wrote down their answers. When the answers were written down, a film clip was shown to reveal the correct answer. When the clip was finished, the contestants then showed their answers. A correct answer added the wager while an incorrect answer deducted the wager.
$25 Toss-Up Round
Four film clips were played and after each one, host Barry read three toss-up questions in which players buzz-in to answer. A correct answer adds $25 to the player's score, while an incorrect answer incurs no penalty but gives the other players a chance to answer.
Celebrity Toss-Up
After the fourth clip was played, a celebrity from that clip came in to ask the three toss-up questions. Correct answers were still worth $25.
Grand Finale
In the Grand Finale, one last film clip was played but without toss-ups. What makes this round different is that the bets were written in secret by the players before writing down their answers after the final question was asked. Then the film clip was shown with the correct answer to the question. When the clip was finished, the players showed their bets & answers.
All players keep their cash, but the player with the most money wins the game and returns next week to play again. Players whom gone broke at the end of the game still go home with $25.
Episode Status
Three episodes exist at the UCLA archive.
Notes
- This show marked Jack Barry's return to television production after his 13-year hiatus from television after the quiz show scandals of the 1950s.
- On the last episode, Jack announced that ABC had given the show a 16-week contract, and that this was indeed the last show of that contract.
External Links
Intro of the series finale
The Reel Game @ The Game Show Vault