Beat the Clock facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Beat the Clock |
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| Genre | Game show |
| Presented by | Bud Collyer Jack Narz Gene Wood Monty Hall Gary Kroeger Paul Costabile |
| Narrated by | Bern Bennett Dirk Fredericks Gene Wood Nick Hollinrake Jack Narz John Cramer |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 5 (1969–1974) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 22–26 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions (1950–1961, 1969–1974, 1979–1980) Clock Productions (1969–1974) The Clock Company (1979–1980) Fremantle (2002–2003, 2018–2019) Paxson Entertainment (2002–2003) Tick Tock Productions, Ltd. (2002–2003) |
| Distributor | 20th Television (1969–1972) Firestone Film Syndication, Ltd. (1972–1974) |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS (1950–1958, 1979–1980) ABC (1958–1961) Syndication (1969–1970) CTV (1970–1974) PAX TV (2002–2003) Universal Kids (2018–2019) |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) (1950–2003) 1080i (HDTV) (2018–2019) |
| Original release | March 23, 1950 – July 8, 2019 |
Beat the Clock is a fun television game show where people try to finish challenges and win cool prizes. The catch? They have to do it all before a giant clock runs out of time! This exciting show was created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman.
The idea for the show actually started on radio in 1948, first called Time's A-Wastin'. It changed its name to Beat the Time in 1949. The show then moved to TV on CBS on March 23, 1950. It was so popular that CBS even added an afternoon version in 1957.
After its first run, the show moved to ABC in 1958 and aired until 1961. Later, it had a brief return on CBS from 1979 to 1980. In 2006, Beat the Clock was part of a special TV series called Game$how Marathon on CBS. The most recent version of the show aired on Universal Kids from 2018 to 2019.
Contents
The Early Years: 1950–1961
The very first version of Beat the Clock was shown on CBS until 1958, then it moved to ABC until 1961. The host for these early years was Bud Collyer.
Contestants had to complete tasks, which Collyer called "problems," within a set time limit. A big 60-second clock counted down their time. If they finished before time ran out, they "beat the clock." If not, "the clock beat them." The show had several sponsors, with Sylvania being the main one for a long time.
Show Personalities
Bud Collyer was the main host, known as "America's number one clockwatcher." Other hosts sometimes filled in for him.
The show also had female assistants. The first was Roxanne, followed by Beverly Bentley. They helped with the stunts and showed off the prizes.
The announcer for the CBS run was Bernard "Bern" Bennett. He was never seen on camera, which led to a fun contest where viewers drew what they thought he looked like! When the show moved to ABC, Dirk Fredericks became the announcer.
Contestants and Their Challenges
Contestants were usually married couples chosen from the studio audience. Sometimes, engaged couples or family members also played. Bud Collyer would chat with them, asking about their families. If children were there, he'd talk to them too.
For the stunts, husbands often took off their jackets to make it easier. If a stunt was messy, they might wear a plastic jumpsuit. Wives sometimes wore jumpsuits too, especially if their own clothes might get in the way or get dirty.
How the Game Was Played
Main Game Stunts
One couple would try to win a prize by completing stunts. The time limit was shown on the giant clock, usually 30 seconds or more. On the nighttime show, the first stunt was called the "$100 clock." If they won, they moved to the "$200 clock." Winning the $100 clock meant a prize worth over $100. If they failed the $100 clock, they got a smaller prize. On the daytime show, couples kept playing as long as they won, earning different prizes for each victory.
Jackpot Clock
On the nighttime show, if a couple won the $200 clock, the wife would play the "jackpot clock." She had 20 seconds to unscramble the words of a famous saying or quote on a magnetic board. If she succeeded, they won the big Jackpot Prize! This part of the game helped create the idea of a "bonus round" in game shows.
Bonus Stunt
During each episode, a bell would ring, signaling a "Bonus Stunt." This stunt was for a special cash prize, starting at $100. If no one won it that week, $100 was added for the next week. These stunts were usually harder than the regular ones and could reach prizes of $2,000 or even $3,000! Viewers at home often tried to figure out the trick to these stunts.
Super Bonus Stunt
In 1956, to compete with other shows offering big money, the "Super Bonus" was introduced. It started at $10,000 and grew by $1,000 each week it wasn't won. Any couple who won the $200 clock could try this bonus.
Big Cash Bonus Stunt
Later in 1956, the bonus changed again to the "Big Cash Bonus Stunt." This was similar to the original Bonus Stunt, starting at $5,000 and increasing by $1,000 each week.
Bonus Cash and Prize Stunt
On the daytime version, a lucky couple could win a lot of cash and their choice of a new car or boat by completing a "Bonus Stunt." The cash prize started at $100 and grew each week. The biggest cash bonus won on the daytime show was $20,100!
The Stunts Themselves
The stunts were created by writers like Frank Wayne and Bob Howard, and even famous playwright Neil Simon worked on them early on. The stunts were designed to be fun and often used everyday items like boxes, balloons, and dishes.
Many stunts involved physical speed or skill. Contestants might have to balance things, race across the stage, or throw objects at a target. Often, a stunt would look easy but have a hidden twist. For example, you might be told to stack plates, but then hear, "Oh, and one more thing... you can't use your hands!" Common twists included blindfolding players or telling them they couldn't use their hands or feet.
Sometimes, stunts involved making one of the contestants messy, usually the husband. This often meant getting covered in whipped cream or pancake batter! The show's goal was for contestants to have fun, so rules were sometimes flexible. If a prop broke or a contestant was struggling, Bud Collyer might stop the clock to give advice or even award them the stunt.
Prizes and Goodies
Prizes changed over time and with different sponsors. When Sylvania was the sponsor, losing the first stunt might get you a Sylvania radio.
- Prizes for winning the $100 clock included silverware sets or kitchen appliances.
- Winning the $200 clock could get you a refrigerator, air conditioner, or a washing machine.
- The Jackpot Prize was usually a Sylvania television set, sometimes with a stereo. These TVs were big pieces of furniture with a "halo light" around the screen, which was a cool feature for the time.
Contestants also received gifts just for being on the show, like a Beat the Clock home game. Children who came on the show got special gifts too, like a Roxanne doll for girls or a Buck Rogers Space Ranger Kit for boys. Later, all children received a camera kit. If a couple got messy, they'd get a photo of it!
Old Episodes
Like many old shows, Beat the Clock was recorded using a method called kinescope, which was like filming a TV screen. Some of these old recordings still exist, but many are lost or damaged. You can sometimes find episodes from 1952-1958 on channels like GSN or Buzzr.
The 1969–1974 Version
Beat the Clock returned to TV in 1969 as a daily show. It aired until 1974. The show was first taped in New York City, then moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to save money. This was unusual for an American game show!
Jack Narz hosted the first three seasons, and then the show's announcer, Gene Wood, took over as host for the rest of the run. The music for this version was played live on an organ.
Jack Narz as Host (1969–1972)
In early episodes, couples played for points with the help of a celebrity guest. The first couple to reach 100 points won a prize package. Later, couples won a prize each time they won a stunt. Then, they played a "cash board" where they picked letters to reveal money amounts like $25, $50, $100, or $200.
If a couple finished a stunt in less than half the time, they got extra cash. Celebrities also performed "Solo Stunts," and couples could win money by guessing if the star would beat the clock.
Gene Wood as Host (1972–1974)
Jack Narz left the show in 1972 because the travel costs from his home to Montreal were too high. Gene Wood, the announcer, became the new host. The show was then called The New Beat the Clock, even though the logo still said "Beat the Clock." The set also got a fresh new look.
Couples now played two stunts, win or lose, and still went to the Cash Board if they won. Both couples also competed in a final stunt, with the winner getting a prize. Celebrity guests still helped the contestants and did solo stunts. Sometimes, they even had "Ladies' Day," where only women played the game.
The show was still popular, but it stopped production in 1974. This was because the Canadian government asked for a share of the money from prizes given to contestants.
Old Episodes (1969–1974)
Some episodes from this era are still around and have been shown on GSN and Buzzr. These include episodes with famous guests like Bob Denver, Louis Nye, Tom Kennedy, William Shatner, and Richard Dawson.
The 1979–1980 Revival
In 1979, CBS brought Beat the Clock back as All-New Beat the Clock for its daytime schedule. This time, it was taped in Los Angeles. Monty Hall was the host, and former host Jack Narz was the announcer and a producer.
Two couples competed: the champion couple wore red sweaters, and the other couple wore green.
Game Rounds
The first two rounds had couples competing against each other in stunts worth $500. One stunt usually featured the women, and the other featured the men. The stunts lasted 60 seconds, and the couple who finished first or got furthest won. The winning couple then played a solo stunt for another $500.
Bonus Shuffle
After the first two rounds, both teams played a table shuffleboard game called the "Bonus Shuffle." Teams took turns sliding pucks down a table with different money values. The team whose puck landed furthest on the board won that money and became the day's champions.
Bonus Stunt
The winning couple then played the "Bonus Stunt" for a chance to win ten times their Bonus Shuffle score, up to $10,000! If a Bonus Stunt wasn't won for five weeks, it was replaced with a new one. Couples stayed on the show until they lost or won more than $25,000.
The All-New All-Star Beat The Clock
In November 1979, the show changed to an all-celebrity format. Celebrity pairs played for different sections of the audience, who split the winnings. Stunts in the first two rounds were worth $250 for the audience sections. If the celebrity team won the bonus stunt, $1,000 went to their audience section, and the rest went to their favorite charity. Celebrity teams stayed on the show for a week.
Old Episodes (1979–1980)
All episodes from this version still exist. Some have aired on GSN and Buzzr, including a Christmas episode with Ronnie Schell and Joyce Bulifant.
The 2002–2003 Version
This version of Beat the Clock aired daily from 2002 to 2003 on PAX TV. It was taped in Universal Studios Florida. Three couples competed, identified by red, blue, and gold colors. There were no returning champions.
Round 1
All three couples started with a face-off stunt. The first couple to finish got 10 points and the advantage of choosing which stunts the other teams would play. Before each stunt, a two-part trivia question was asked. Answering it correctly gave the team 10 extra seconds for their stunt. Completing the stunt earned 10 points, plus one extra point for each second remaining.
Round 2
The second round had two parts. First, another face-off stunt, where the first two couples to finish moved on. Then, these two couples bid on who could complete a stunt in the fastest time. The team that successfully completed the stunt in their bid time won the game and went to the bonus round.
Bonus Round: The Swirling Whirlwind of Cash and Prizes
The winning couple played "The Swirling Whirlwind of Cash and Prizes" inside a special machine, like a vertical wind tunnel. $25,000 in cash and "prize vouchers" (slips of paper with prize names) swirled around. The couple had one minute to grab as much as they could, but they could only grab items in the air and had to put them in a bag. Later, gold certificates were added, which would double the cash they grabbed!
The 2018 Revival
In 2017, Universal Kids announced a new version of Beat the Clock, which started airing in February 2018. This version was taped in Los Angeles and featured teams of children and adults. Paul Costabile was the host.
Game Format
Two teams, one in purple and one in green, competed in stunts and challenges against the clock. There were three rounds of stunts.
- Round 1 stunts were worth $100 each.
- Round 2 stunts were worth $150 each.
- Round 3 was a head-to-head challenge worth $300.
Both teams kept the cash they earned, but the team with the most money at the end of Round 3 won the game and went on to "Beat The Big Clock" for over $2,000.
The Big Clock
The winning team had 60 seconds to complete one final four-part stunt. Each part they completed was worth $250. If they completed all four parts, they won $2,000, plus a $1,000 donation to a children's charity of their choice.
International Versions
Beat the Clock has been popular in other countries too! Here's a look at some of them:
| Country | Local Name | Host | Channel | Year Aired |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Australia |
Free for All | Ugly Dave Gray | Nine Network | 1973 |
 Canada |
Beat the Clock1 | Jack Narz (1969–1972) Gene Wood (1972–1974) |
CTV | 1969–1974 |
| Beat the Clock | Paul Costabile | Family Channel | 2019–present | |
 Germany |
Nur Nicht Nervös Werden | Joachim Fuchsberger | ARD | 1960–1961 |
 United Kingdom |
Beat the Clock Segment on Sunday Night at the London Palladium |
Tommy Trinder (1955–1958) Bruce Forsyth (1958–1960), (1961–1962) Don Arrol (1960–1961) Norman Vaughan (1962–1965) Jimmy Tarbuck (1965–1967) |
ITV | 1955–1967 |
| Beat the Clock | Jim Dale | 1973–1974 | ||
| Beat the Clock Segment on Seaside Special '87 |
Mike Smith | BBC1 | 1987 | |
| Beat the Clock | Bruce Forsyth | ITV | 2000 |
1Aired in both U.S. and Canada for both markets
Images for kids
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Bud Collyer, the host of Beat the Clock, in 1958.
