The New Treasure Hunt

This, if many of you have read my previous reviews, is my all-time favorite game shows.

It just doesn't seem like almost 50 years ago that this had been broadcast...but it has, come 2023. We have seen all the cast pass away, with the exception of Sivi Aberg. Jan Murray, who created the original game show back in the 1950s, proved yet again that cruel humor works and tense moments of suspense are very key in the elements of surprise. It's shown here in its glory, and for four great years between 1973 and 1977, it came to fruition. Chuck Barris himself had a lot to do with the gags here; it just took the right element and timing of the late Geoff Edwards to time them perfectly. There is no doubt that the whole production crew, including Walt Case and John Dorsey, could not hold back the same suspense and laughter. The concept was brilliant, and the show likely would have kept going, but Edwards wanted more involvement in the contestants but Barris wanted more suspense. Was not 30 surprise boxes not enough? Enter 1981 and now 64 boxes. That's when the show lost its luster, to me.

So much more can be said for the 1973-1977 run, and that is why it will be my forever number one game show of all time...50 years later.

You guys were all great! Thank you Geoff, Walt, John, Sivi, Nomi, Jane, Emile...and especially Chuck - who made it all possible. It was the best.

Not only was watching the show a lot of fun, seeing whether someone would get a klunk or not, the pretty packages added to the fun. My dad thought they didn't have klunks, but they did. Sometimes someone would get a klunk and it would STAY a klunk. Sometimes someone would get a klunk and it would change to a good prize. Someone on here said the "klunk song" frightened them - to me it wasn't frightening but it was so annoying. There's this weird atonal song they play at the end of the Beatles song Strawberry Fields Forever, and it used to frighten me. So don't feel bad. Tony Cacciotti, who had a big mud fight with Burt Reynolds in The Longest Yard, was in some of the skits but I don't remember seeing him.

I remember watching this show when I was about 5 years old. The one thing I wanted to mention was the song they used to play when they revealed a "clunk" to the contestant. I remember this song used to freak me out, so after a while, I'd watch the show with the sound completely turned down (it was the 1970's, there were no mute buttons).

Another note is that the show came back on around 1981. In this version, every contestant was a woman, and they had never had any men even attempt to open up the small jack in the box to see if they'd go on to pick 1 of 64 boxes. I recall reading somewhere that they thought women would react better to all those skits they'd pull off after a box was chosen, so they never had a man on this 1980's version of the show. The 1980's version was only on for a season, I believe.

I used to love this show as a kid! I also used to and still kind of do have a crush on Geoff Edwards. He was funny and goofy trying to pry into making the contestants' emotions run wild. The reason there was no male contestants and only female contestants is because men wouldn't like to be "klunked"(a term coined by Geoff himself)and females make better contestants Chuck Barris has said. And men would want to beat up Geoff perhaps in a "dark alley!". But Geoff was perfect for the show and if there was ever a remake, he should host it and only Geoff himself!! I hope and pray that GSN like another person has said on this board will unleash this show and put it on the air. Really, really soon and bad!!

It all makes sense now, knowing that this show was produced by Chuck Barris. Because it wasn't just a normal game show. This show was weird.

Starting with its host Geoff Edwards. I guess actually seeing Lee Harvey Oswald get shot in person (he was a Dallas reporter) must have whacked his brain a little. Although 'Treasure Hunt' was similar to 'Let's Make a Deal' Edwards wasn't snotty & subdued like Monty Hall, he was goofy and off-the-wall (much like Barris). He did a great job hamming it up and stretching out the excruciating time the contestant had to wait to find out whether they'd made the right choice (this was essentially the core of the show). He always kept you guessing by engaging in double and even triple false finishes (i.e. "Sorry you lose- Wait! What's this?! Oh, its nothing, you really did lose" etc.)

Plus he would always do this often hilarious little bit at the end of every show with the (supposed) "Bonded Security Agent, Mr. Emil Autouri". He would try and get him to break his stone-faced, emotionless demeanor by telling a risqué joke, trying to tickle him, or even pretending to break down crying that he just wanted him to like him!

But all Mr. Autouri would ever do is, when Geoff finally just asked, "Mr. Autouri can you verify that you hid a check for $25,000 in one of these boxes?", he would respond, "Yes I did" and then he'd give Edwards the piece of paper with the box's number on it and slowly go get the box to prove that the check was in there.

A real innovative show for bleak 70s television!