--- In PyramidGameShowFanClub@yahoogroups.com, "William A. Padron"
<wapadron@...> wrote:
>
>
> In reply to in part...
>
> > On Friday, Lynn won the first game and hit for $20,000 for Nora.
Billy Crystal won the second game with Natalie Hearst. Here is the
dialogue as they returned from commercial:
> >
> > DICK: All right, we've discussed all the possiblities of winning
$10,000 here in a minute or so. Billy knows not to use his hands, to
give a nice tidy list and if the buzzer sounds like that to ignore it
and we'll talk about it afterwards. I might say to you along the way
"would you like to go on?" that's a hint that a lot of time went by;
it's your decision. Natalie, you ready? For $10,000, here's your
first subject, go!
> >
> > The rest is history......
> >
> > After the 35 second celebration.....
> >
> > DICK: Bob ...
> >
> > BOB CLAYTON: I think that's a record.
> >
> > DICK : That is a record all-time win, 26 seconds to go to the
top. (APPLAUSE). Fantastic. Look at that. That doesn't happen in
that length of time. Pem, Pem, Pem, Murdock hello, how much time do
we have? 40, 20 seconds?
> >
> > NATALIE: Oh, can I go back and go for another 10? (LAUGHTER)
> >
> > DICK: What are you going to do with all the money?
> >
> > NATALIE: First pay off some debts and then maybe go to graduate
school.
> >
> > DICK: Have we given away $30,000 today? Holy mackerel! We'll be
back in a second with both winners, don't go away.
> >
> > The music continued along from where it had stopped and as they
went to commercial.
> >
> > BILLY: I'm just realizing what we did. One clue. (As the edited
version of "Tuning Up" ended.)
> >
> > Upon returning, there was a flashing $30,000 sign on the screen.
> >
> > DICK: Natalie and Nora you've won $30,000, do you have a word for us?
> >
> > BOTH: Thank you!
> >
> > DICK: See you the next time.
> >
>
> Sadly, and as reported in an episode of GSN's "50 Greatest Game
Shows" mini-series by host Bil Dywer, the original studio master tape
to that historic landmark episode has since been destroyed by ABC-TV.
It has been said that almost all of the last two years of "The
$20,000 Pyramid" (1978-80) only exists today, and it is a darn shame
that the powers to be at ABC-TV and even Bob Stewart Productions did
not have the foresight to save that one particular telecast for
archival purposes, so the total blame should be on those two principals.
>
> Perhaps somewhere, maybe Billy Crystal himself may have his own
complete copy of that episode on video...someone should really ask
him! Only a brief clip of that historic incident in "Pyramid" history
exists now, and was seen again in a flashback segment on the Monday,
April 30, 1979 episode (and featured on GSN's first "Pyramid Thursday"
of August 8, 2002, as well on two airings of "50 Greatest Game Shows").
>
> Something of an oddity though...Lynn Redgrave and Billy Crystal
reteamed again during the week of January 10-14, 1983 on CBS-TV's "The
New $25,000 Pyramid", and this time on that Friday episode (replayed
during the last "Pyramid Thursday" on December 5, 2002), there was a
double Winner's Circle win in the same show, but it was by the same
contestant at the $10,000 and $25,000 levels. Billy and Dick had both
erred during at points through that week that the fastest time at the
giant pyramid was at 28 seconds (!!!) made by Billy, when it was
really 26 seconds.
>
> Sincerely,
> William A. Padron
> wapadron@...
> wapadron@...
>
> _________________________________________________________________
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>
Wow. I took your advice and looked in the archives and you clearly
have much more information than I remember. I must have been in a fog
because I lost the game to Natalie. I remember I was upset because I
had to give Lynn 'Ready, Aim, Fire!', and every clue I could think of
contained one of the words in the answer. So, I held my hands up like
I was holding a rifle and said virtually nothing while I thought
up...and then rejected potential clues! Needless to say, I lost a lot
of time on that one. I also had difficulty because Lynn was British
and had different word associations. For example, I had to give her
'Gesundheit'. And when I said What follows a sneeze?, she said God
Bless You!

The incident mentioned with Nora Chester from the Thursday show was
very funny. I was sitting behind Edie and Tony (the contestant
coordinators) when she was at the Pyramid for the $15,000 try. She
was stuck on What Confucious Says, and was really frustrated.
Suddenly, her face lit up as she realized she had found the answer.
She leapt out of her chair and yelled 'Kamikaze Pilot!' and was
dumbfounded when the winning music did not play! Edie and Tony were
doubled over with laughter (as were all of us). But when she finally
won (which gave me and Natalie the opportunity to play), she danced up
and down the aisles.

I have a bunch of photos from that episode. Mostly of me and Lynn,
though.

Edie was great...and tough. There was a man who appeared on (I think)
the Tuesday show. For some reason, he was very quiet and stiff when
he played. I remember Edie turning to Tony and saying quite loudly
"Tony, what the F**k is the matter with him!" During the lunch break,
she mentioned there were a bunch of sodas, and 1 beer. The beer was
for her, of course! But what amazed me about her, was that I had a
friend who appeared on the show the previous summer, and Edie
remembered every detail about her appearance. I mean, how many
contestants does she meet...and she remembers such detail? Anyway, it
was fun to relive the memory.