Dobkowitz Games

[gamesurf]

The non-official official list (keeping in mind that others may have contributed and some of these are reliant on fallible memories) summarized from these threads:

Add 'em Up - Frank Wayne
Any Number - Ted Cooper
Balance Game (84) - Frank Wayne
Balance Game (06) - Roger Dobkowitz
Barker's Markers/Make Your Mark - Roger Dobkowitz
Blank Check/Check Game - Roger Dobkowitz
Bonkers - Bob Barker
Bonus Game - Marc Breslow or Ira Skutch
Bullseye (76) - Marc Breslow
Bump - Frank Wayne
Card Game - Frank Wayne
Check-Out - Sam Governale, with presentation help from Kathy Greco and Barbara Hunter
Clearance Sale - Roger Dobkowitz
Cliff Hangers - Mark Goodson
Clock Game - Frank Wayne
Coming or Going - Bob Barker
Cover Up - Roger Dobkowitz
Danger Price - Ira Skutch
Dice Game - Robert Sherman
Do the Math - Scott Robinson
Double Cross - Adam Sandler
Easy as 123 - Bob Barker
Finish Line - Andy Felsher
Flip Flop - Bart Eskander
Fortune Hunter - Roger Dobkowitz
Gallery Game - Roger Dobkowitz
Gas Money - Roger Dobkowitz
Give or Keep - Frank Wayne
Golden Road - Jay Wolpert
Grand Game - Frank Wayne
Gridlock - Adam Sandler
Grocery Game - Imie Lane Camelli
Half Off - Mandel Ilagan
Hi Lo - Frank Wayne
Hit Me - Andy Felsher
Hole In One - Jay Wolpert
Hurdles - Jay Wolpert
It's In the Bag - Roger Dobkowitz
Joker - Marc Breslow
Let 'em Roll - Bob Barker
Line 'em Up - Kathy Greco
Lucky Seven - Frank Wayne
Magic # - Frank Wayne
Make Your Move - Frank Wayne
Master Key - Frank Wayne
Money Game - Frank Wayne
More or Less - Bob Barker
Most Expensive - Jay Wolpert
Mystery Price - Frank Wayne
Now... and Then - Steve Ryan
On the Nose - Marc Breslow
On the Spot - Roger Dobkowitz
One Away - Frank Wayne
One Wrong Price - Paul Alter
Pathfinder - Murphy Roberts (from Card Sharks)
Pay the Rent - Adam Sandler, with Mike Richards providing the idea
Penny Ante - Frank Wayne
The Phone Home Game - Frank Wayne
Pick-a-Pair - Kathy Greco
Pick-a-Number - Roger Dobkowitz
Plinko - Frank Wayne
Pocket Change - Roger Dobkowitz
Poker Game - Frank Wayne
Professor Price - Frank Wayne
Punch a Bunch - Marc Breslow
Push Over - Roger Dobkowitz
Race Game - Marc Breslow
Range Game - Ted Cooper
Rat Race - Drew Carey
Secret "X" - Kathy Greco
Shell Game - Frank Wayne
Shower Game - Frank Wayne
Side by Side - Bart Eskander
Spelling Bee - Frank Wayne
Split Decision - Roger Dobkowitz
Squeeze Play - Roger Dobkowitz
Stack the Deck - Bart Eskander
Step Up - Bart Eskander
Super Ball - Marc Breslow
Super Saver - Murphy Roberts (of Card Sharks)
Switch? - Chris Clementson (of Password Plus, though he merely claims he suggested the idea a decade before it appeared and the work of pitching it may have been done by somebody else)
Switcheroo - Frank Wayne
Take Two - Marc Breslow
Telephone Game - Joel Hecht
Temptation - Jay Wolpert
Ten Chances - Roger Dobkowitz
That's Too Much! - Roger Dobkowitz
Three Strikes - Created by Frank Wayne, though given to "somebody else" to present
Time is Money (04) - Roger Dobkowitz
Trader Bob - Created by Frank Wayne, given to Phil Wayne Rossi to present
Triple Play - Bob Barker (though his contribution may have just been the idea of three cars in three doors and somebody else may have created it)
Two for the Price of One - Bob Barker
Walk of Fame - Imie Lane Camelli

Which leaves the following games without known creators:

Back to '72
Barker's Bargain Bar/Bargain Game
Bullseye ('72)
Buy or Sell
Credit Card
Double Bullseye
Double Digits
Double Prices (though this is such a simple concept it's unlikely to attributed to a simple person)
Five Price Tags (Roger may have suggested the True/False portion)
Freeze Frame
Hot Seat
It's Optional
One Right Price (see Double Prices)
Pass the Buck
Safe Crackers
Shopping Spree
Swap Meet
Time is Money ('14)
To the Penny
Vend-O-Price

Trivia:  Mark Goodson is credited with the creation of at least two pricing games; both of which survive to this day.

What's the second one?

[SamJ93]

ISTR reading somewhere that Bob also had a hand in creating Buy Or Sell.

Of the five still-active games that debuted while Mark Goodson was alive, my money's on Five Price Tags, given that it debuted in Season 1 while he was undoubtedly more directly involved in the production than he was later on.

[Nick]

Three Strikes - Created by Frank Wayne, though given to "somebody else" to present

Someone told me years ago who that somebody was. I'm not sure if the statue of limitations is up on that one that I could repeat it, but I can say his name has not been mentioned in this thread.

Of the five still-active games that debuted while Mark Goodson was alive, my money's on Five Price Tags, given that it debuted in Season 1 while he was undoubtedly more directly involved in the production than he was later on.

Clock Game would be my guess, given he was involved enough that he almost killed it when the prop wouldn't work.

Sally, it's been sixteen years since your tease. What's the answer?

[ClockGameJohn]

I was always proud of being able to remember everything I was told about the history of the show and the pricing games. Since it has been over half a century since many of these games were created, we have always tried to be sensitive to the fact that some of the development of these games may have been someone's else's brainchild, and we didn't want to slight someone or misrepresent a creator.

The accuracy of some of this information is also disputable; as many of these folks are no longer with us. Sadly, the last person who would have likely been able to recall the development of the original games that we are unsure of was Jay Wolpert. There are stories of the reboot of TPiR being discussed and developed "poolside" at the Beverly Hills hotel with Mark Goodson, Frank Wayne, Jay Wolpert, Ira Skutch, Ted Cooper, and Marc Breslow. These are the men who would have been involved with the creation of the very first games.

That said, there are some games listed that I have conflicting information as to the originator.

• ONE WRONG PRICE - I remember this as being credited to Phil Wayne. There was input from additional staff.

As for the games listed above that do not have an assigned creator, this is my recollection as told to me by the longtime staff members with knowledge of the topic:

• BUY OR SELL - Joe Neustein (Match Game/Super Password)
• CREDIT CARD - Andy Jacobsen
• DOUBLE DIGITS - Bobby Lane
• FREEZE FRAME - Paul Alter
• IT'S OPTIONAL - Jay Wolpert
• 1 RIGHT PRICE - I recall 1RP being credited to Ira Skutch (though the simplicity of the game would make this certainly debatable as a group effort - see 'pooside' above)
• PASS THE BUCK - Adam Sandler
• SAFE CRACKERS - Jay Wolpert
• SHOPPING SPREE - Paul Alter

I believe I also know who created Swap Meet, but I'd like to confirm.

It's important to also consider that games take quite a time to develop and come to fruition. I have always been intrigued (and perplexed) by the fact that numerous games debuted well after their creators were gone from the Company. In the case of Frank Wayne - Spelling Bee, Make Your Move, and Magic # all premiered after his death (the latter over 4 years later). I also recall that Paul Alter was involved in the modification of Make Your Move's rules.

Marc Breslow was long-disassociated from the show upon the premiere of Joker; a game he created under the original title "Old Maid."

Sally, it's been sixteen years since your tease. What's the answer?

Using all of the information above, we are certainly narrowing in on the correct answer!

[Axl]

FWIW, Chris Clementson has stated he created Line 'Em Up (although as with Switch?, it was not executed until years later).

https://www.golden-road.net/index.php/topic,24266.msg422477.html#msg422477
https://www.golden-road.net/index.php/topic,21739.msg384821.html#msg384821

[Nick]

Hm, price_authority is Chris Clementson. You learn something new everyday.

[gamesurf]

Using all of the information above, we are certainly narrowing in on the correct answer!

That leaves only Double Prices and Five Price Tags as the remaining 70’s games in the active rotation without a known creator.

But it totally makes sense that one of TPIR’s most elegant, enduring, classic games involved a brain like Mr. Goodson’s.

Only question now is, who created Five Price Tags?

[gamesurf]

(I kid, I kid... here's the remaining list...)

Back to '72
Barker's Bargain Bar/Bargain Game
Bullseye (72)
Double Bullseye
Double Prices
Hot Seat
Swap Meet
Time is Money (14)
To the Penny
Vend-O-Price

"Who created the newer games" might be a question on my list for the next visit to Haven.

[MSTieScott]

The current Time Is Money can be credited to Adam. A preliminary version was being tinkered with while I was working at the show.

[namnhu12]

Per my contact, Hot Seat was created by Mike Richards.