SuperBall and Blocking

[sideshowPA]

Every time I see SuperBall on an 80's rerun, I am amazed by the amount of commotion going on to make this game work, and I wonder if anyone has any insight into how this game was staged and the associated camera blocking. There's a ton going on, and I am assuming that there were no stopdowns required, as was the norm with Bob Barker.
Here are my meandering thoughts - let me know if I am off-base, if you have your own ideas, or if I am missing anything.

At the start of the game the contestant and Bob are at the tip of the stage, and SuperBall is not visible. It's likely covered or about to be wheeled in, but where is the game?

Also, since all 3 doors are used, the turntable must be in its back position like for the Showcases. Would this position allow the SuperBall prop, which is pretty big and wide, to be wheeled in from that spot? Or maybe SuperBall comes in from the other side, but I am not sure there is room there either. This is a big prop which appears from seemingly nowhere.

When the prize for door 1 is revealed, a camera shoots it from a shallow angle, likely right next to the turntable. I assume this camera then moves behind the SuperBall prop.

As doors 2 and 3 are revealed and described, this must be where the magic occurs. The prop is placed in position somehow, without disrupting the cameras shooting doors 2 and 3. Then, as we finish describing door 3, the game is in position, doors are closed, and we are ready to play.

There's just so much going on here, and it is marvelous.

[SteveGavazzi]

Super Ball!! actually starts with the Turntable in the same position used for Lucky $even.  There's an episode somewhere where the prop is plainly visible between the Turntable and Door #1 during the previous game, so I assume it's brought in from there during the prize plugs and then everything is repositioned.

[tpirfansince1972]

It would be so great if they could somehow bring this game back, but retool it as an all cash game.

Then we would have 5 SP cash games and 5 GR cash games.

[JT]

I went to the show in the late 80s and Super Ball was played.  After the Door #1 prize is described, the prop quickly comes out between the turntable and Door #1.  It was a long time ago but those rows of flashing lights that border the lane where you roll the ball may have folded or have been on hinges somehow to help with getting the game out from that space so quickly.  Also, if you noticed, they frequently had a trip or a bed with a mattress plug in Door #2 so they could cut away to those art cards (or whatever they are called) and give more time to the game set up off camera.  There was also some sort of electrical set up going on at the front of the game (we all remember when Holly tripped on the white electrical cord.)  In any case, yes it was a carefully and cleverly orchestrated game set up while the show in progress - adding to the excitement!

[sideshowPA]

I went to the show in the late 80s and Super Ball was played. 

Super-Cool share! Thanks.

[tpiradam]

Super Ball!! actually starts with the Turntable in the same position used for Lucky $even.  There's an episode somewhere where the prop is plainly visible between the Turntable and Door #1 during the previous game, so I assume it's brought in from there during the prize plugs and then everything is repositioned.

From May 4, 1988:

[SteveGavazzi]

Also, if you noticed, they frequently had a trip or a bed with a mattress plug in Door #2 so they could cut away to those art cards (or whatever they are called) and give more time to the game set up off camera.

I particularly like this detail.  It's such an obvious solution, yet it doesn't look off-kilter at all to your average viewer.

[gsn93]

I particularly like this detail.  It's such an obvious solution, yet it doesn't look off-kilter at all to your average viewer.

I was about say the same thing. They usually had a longer plug for the door 2 prize. It's one of those things you wouldn't notice as a casual viewer, but once you start watching from a behind the scenes point of view it all comes together. I was that weird person even at a young age. I was always curious on how shows clicked.

[DYC]

SuperBall!!! was retired during Barker’s last few years, at a time in the show’s run when a lot of prize plugs, most notably grocery prize descriptions in fee games but still roundly applied to most all prize reads, were greatly reduced to squeeze down the show’s runtime. It’s been noted that it was retired due to it’s long segment length, but maybe also because the plug reads were getting too short to stage it with Barker’s no-stopdowns rule.

[SteveGavazzi]

SuperBall!!! was retired during Barker’s last few years

I think the years may be catching up to us here...Super Ball!! was retired way back in Season 26.

[tpirfan28]

There's just so much going on here, and it is marvelous.

And you even stopped short...they were switching out small items on the turntable during the game as well!

The show was shot with four cameras, right?  One odd angle for the contestant and Bob, three on the doors, then one moves behind the prop, one goes essentially to the producer's table, one at the Row for the small items, and one to the audience?

[DYC]

I think the years may be catching up to us here...Super Ball!! was retired way back in Season 26.

I was thinking it was about year 2000-ish, without any cross reference. I remember somewhere in that timeframe, maybe within the last 10 years of Barker’s shows, the network began to eat more and more program time for commercials, pushing the show to cut down the verbiage of prize reads and at times push Bob into kinda speeding through the show in “rush mode”.

[SeaBreeze341]

I was thinking it was about year 2000-ish, without any cross reference. I remember somewhere in that timeframe, maybe within the last 10 years of Barker’s shows, the network began to eat more and more program time for commercials, pushing the show to cut down the verbiage of prize reads and at times push Bob into kinda speeding through the show in “rush mode”.

They've been doing that since the mid/late 90s.  At least that's where I've noticed a change toward more ads and less programming.  It has definitely trending more toward that since the start of the millennium.  The days of jokes, monologues, and contestant conversations were minimal or absent.  You can't blame Bob and company for axing Super Ball.  It just wasn't worth it.

It is hard to believe we're close to a quarter century since its retirement (at least for me having been around and watching throughout its whole existence).  Looking back, and seeing / rewatching a lot of TPIR recently, until recently, it's difficult to think that this was just a regular SP fee game.  A glorified one TBH, but with a do-over, I hardly think it would be anything less than a car/cash game.  On that note...

It would be so great if they could somehow bring this game back, but retool it as an all cash game.

Then we would have 5 SP cash games and 5 GR cash games.

I’m between a spot between "I’m not betting on a Super Ball return & slight optimism".  Given everything (with the length of the game & what people were playing for), I could only see it return as a cash game or something special (toward Big 3 or Big 4) territory.  There was discussion elsewhere about this not too long ago, but if Super Ball ever came back or if a different version returned, we’d probably see the game played about 4-5 times a season (and the game trended that way toward the end).

I wonder what would work best (for modern Price) in terms of when to slot this game, given the fact that there’s no longer a commercial between games 1 & 2.  Nonetheless, despite my thoughts on the game overall, I'd love to see it return.  It would probably work best as a cash game; I don't think there would be too much trouble in terms of staging and preparation

[JT]

Though it has a diff look and feel, the closest we have to Super Ball today is unfortunately Rat Race.  If the Rats come in 1st, 2nd & 3rd, that's the equivalent of getting the Super Ball in the WIN circle.  (Yes, I know it's not the same but it's the closest we got.)

How could they bring a shorter version of Super Ball back in the 2020's?:  Offer cash on a video screen in Door #1, a Trip in Door #2 and a car in Door #3, and play Double Prices and Squeeze Play in that half of the show due to time limits.  I would show all 3 SPs on the turntable at once like they did later in the run but I would not do a 4th SP for just the Super Ball.  If a contestant guesses any of the 3 SPs correctly, they automatically win that Ball plus the Super Ball which can be prominently displayed somehow on the game (and Drew can call it Oh Mighty Super Ball....)   If the contestant wins all 3 prizes without the Super Ball, then the Super Ball in the WIN circle earns a $10,000 bonus (the orig $3,000 basically adjusted for inflation 40 years later!)