Password Plus

If you've never seen 'Password Plus' before, I highly suggest you tune in to watch it. It is a very entertaining show, hosted by Allen Ludden. However, the Ludden ones (79-80) are the only ones I feel are worth watching. Allen Ludden made Password, and he is what made Password Plus great before his death in 1981. The two contestants, each matched up with a celebrity, would play the classic Password game, then try and solve a puzzle (either a person, place, or a thing) using the five passwords previously guessed. Whatever team got to 300 dollars first went on to play 'Alphabetics.' In Alphabetics, ten passwords were arranged alphabetically (for example, A through J). Each word was communicated to the contestant, using one word clues. Each word was worth 100 dollars, and if you got all ten, you got 5,000 dollars. The show has a great, catchy theme song, and terrific entrances with Allen Ludden greeting you with an outstretched arm and inquiring, 'How ya doing', or saying 'I'm glad you're here', or 'Hi, Doll!'. Watch the 1979 version on Game Show Network Monday-Friday at 7:00 p.m., or the 1980 version at 4:00 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. It'll be well worth your time.

In 2019, you can "binge" this show on Amazon Prime - at least a decent sampling of the Ludden episodes. It's really fun, when the celebrities are good at the game. But when they are AWFUL, it can be a bummer. I just watched Dick Martin derail about four great players. It is infuriating. Yet, they apparently asked him back a few times, as he was a regular on the previous versions of the show.

Linda Henning is an excellent player. So are Elizabeth Montgomery, and Robert Foxworth (married). Vickie Lawrence is terrible. It's similar to watching lousy panels on "Match Game" (especially the new version). But the latter is a silly show, whereas "Password" is intended to be a bit more cerebral.

Again - that first visit by Dick Martin in 1979? You will get really irritated.

I only give Password Plus a nine because the original was more pure and deserves the ten.

If you don't know how the game is played, watch it, and it's available on Amazon's programming apps.

Watching this version in retrospect is a little sad, because it was during this show that Alan Ludden developed stomach cancer, had to leave for chemotherapy, and never made it back on air. His personality and wit were highly interesting and entertaining, and he seemed to be good friends with every celebrity guest contestant ... he certainly had an easy-going manner with them ... and I'm sure he and Betty White actually WERE good friends of many of them.

In this version, they didn't play a point count down to one, but played for clues comprising a puzzle leading to one answer, and the first contestant to win a clue password and then guess the puzzle answer won each round of the game.

This version of Password first of all did away with the worst single aspect of the original game. In the original, the more you guess the fewer points you get when you are finally right you get maybe one or two points. It was strangely counter-intuitive. The one who guesses the word last gets a chance at the board.

The one minute lightning round gets faded out and replaced by the alphabetics which has the suspense of the lightning round with the 'ticking clock' but the large backdrop alphabet set and the two facing chairs is wonderful - the team leaves the panel set and faces each other.

$10,000 Pyramid also perfected this set up to the highest level of suspense and it was Betty White's favorite game (after Password). I never liked Super Password as much.

I really like to watch this show on the weekends, right after I watch the original Password. I love to solve the password puzzles, watch to see if the contestants win in the Alphabetics Round, and try to think of clues for every single password. I heard this show was never a big hit when it returned on television, but it was very good revival. (Allen Ludden will be sorely missed)