Joe Garagiola’s Memory Game

1 9 7 1 (USA)

Broadcast from Studio 8G at NBC Studios in Rockefeller Plaza, New York, the daytime gameshow Memory Game starred former baseball star Joe Garagiola and featured five female contestants.

Contestants began with $50 at the start of the game and before each round, they were each given a booklet containing the questions and answers to be used in that round and limited time to study the material.

Once the study time elapsed, the booklets were collected and Garagiola began asking questions at random from the booklet.

The person seated in the Number 1 position (the returning winner from the previous game) could answer the question or nominate an opponent’s number. That player, in turn, could answer the question or call on any of her opponents to answer.

This continued until a buzzer signified that time was up and whoever was the active player at that time had to answer.

A correct answer was worth $5 in the first round, while a wrong answer lost that amount. The stakes increased to $10 in round 2, $20 in round 3 and the winner at the end of the show won a $1,000 bonus and returned the next day to meet four new challengers.

If a contestant stayed on for three days, she retired undefeated and won a new car.

The show ran from 15 February to 30 July 1971. Three weeks after this show was cancelled, NBC moved Garagiola to Sale of the Century, which he hosted for the rest of its original run.

Host
Joe Garagiola
Announcer
Johnny Olsen