Gambit (game show)
| Gambit | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Also known as | Las Vegas Gambit |
| Directed by | Jerome Shaw |
| Presented by | Wink Martindale |
| Starring |
Elaine Stewart (CBS) Beverly Mauldin (1980–81) Lee Menning (1981) |
| Narrated by | Kenny Williams |
| Theme music composer |
Mort Garson (Gambit) Stan Worth (Las Vegas Gambit) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Merrill Heatter Bob Quigley |
| Producer(s) | Robert Noah |
| Location(s) |
CBS Television City Hollywood, California (1972–76) Tropicana Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada (1980–81) |
| Running time | ~22–26 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network |
CBS (1972–76) NBC (1980–81) |
| Original release | September 4, 1972 – November 27, 1981 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Catch 21 |
Gambit is an American television game show based on the card game blackjack, created by Heatter-Quigley Productions. The show originally ran on CBS from September 4, 1972, to December 10, 1976, and was recorded at CBS Television City in Studios 31, 33, 41, and 43. On October 27, 1980, NBC revived the show as Las Vegas Gambit, as a replacement for The David Letterman Show, and kept it on its schedule until November 27, 1981. As the title implied, this edition of Gambit was recorded in Las Vegas with the Tropicana Las Vegas, which had previously hosted Dealer's Choice and later hosted Let's Make a Deal, serving as the show's base. Both versions were hosted by Wink Martindale and announced by Kenny Williams. Elaine Stewart was the card dealer for the CBS version, while Beverly Mauldin filled this role for the first half of Las Vegas Gambit, and was later replaced by Lee Menning.
Another Merrill Heatter-produced, blackjack-based quiz show, Catch 21, began airing on GSN in 2008. This show shares some similarities with Gambit, but with several noticeable differences.
The object of the main game was that of blackjack: come as close to 21 as possible without going over (or busting). As in blackjack, the cards 2 through 10 were worth their face value, face cards (Kings, Queens, Jacks) counted as 10, and Aces could count as either 1 or 11.
Martindale asked a series of questions, usually multiple-choice or true-false, to two married couples. The first couple who buzzed in and correctly answered the question won control of the top card from a deck of oversized, regulation playing cards. An incorrect answer awarded control of the card to the couple's opponents. The first card was shown before the first question, but cards thereafter were presented face down.
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