Francine Knowles ... Bruce Vinson ... Linda Franklin ... and Wayne Cassidy ...
all in the game that’s just over their heads:
All-Star Blitz

Broadcast History

Peter Marshall and contestants Premiere: 1985 April 08
Packagers: Peter Marshall Enterprises/Merrill Heatter Productions
Airdates: Host: Peter Marshall
Announcer: John Harlan
Executive Producer: Noreen Conlin
Producers: Art Alisi and David Greenfield
Director: Jerome Shaw
Set Designer: John C. Mula
Theme Music: “Gabby’s Theme” by Sheila Cole

About the Show

All-Star Blitz was Peter Marshall’s second game show (his first was The Hollywood Squares). The Blitz format resembled that of Squares, except that instead of playing tic-tac-toe with nine celebrities, two contestants tried to solve a word puzzle with four celebrities. This show could have been as successful as Family Feud was, if ABC had let it run a full year or more. Does anyone know whether the pilot differed from the series?

At one end of the set was Marshall between the contestants. At the opposite end were four panelists, seated beneath the puzzle board. Above each panelist was a column of three stars. The puzzle could comprise between two and six words, and was hidden on the board above the panelists. Blitz panelists

Players chose stars from the 12 on the board, by the name of the panelist and whether the star was on the top, middle or bottom. Marshall read a question, and the panelist responded in the spirit of The Hollywood Squares. The contestant was then asked to agree or disagree. If the player was correct, he or she won the star and got another turn. An incorrect judgment gave control to the other player. Main game puzzle

When the four corners of a box were lighted and the player rendered a correct judgment on a panelist’s response, the projectionist revealed the letters or word inside the box. The contestant was then given the opportunity to guess the puzzle. (The number of words in the puzzle was revealed to the home viewers, but not to the contestants.) When a player correctly solved a puzzle, he or she was credited with a game, but the show did not keep a dollar score. The first player to win two games got a prize, became the champion and advanced to the Blitz Bonanza round for a cash jackpot.

The Blitz Bonanza

Peter and contestant at wheel The contestant spun a wheel four times, hoping to reveal four parts of the hidden puzzle. (The wheel had 15 stars around its circumference, although it could stop between stars. With 30 possible outcomes, the contestant had five chances per spin to stop on any given box on the board.) This time, the player was told the number of words in the puzzle. If the wheel stopped on a box already revealed, the spin was considered wasted. Blitz Bonanza puzzle

After four spins, the player was given the choice of trying to solve or giving back the prize for a fifth spin. A correct solution was worth a cash jackpot that started at $10,000 and increased by $2,500 each time it was not won. The four celebrities also wrote down their solutions to the puzzle, so if the contestant could not give a correct solution, it would still be worth $250 for each panelist who had the right solution.

Computer Versions

Windows users may visit either BASICGames or BigJon’s PCGames to download a freeware All-Star Blitz game. To my knowledge, All-Star Blitz has not yet been ported to other operating systems.
All-Star Blitz is presumed to be the property of Sony Pictures Television. No challenge to ownership is implied. Thanks again to William Sydnor Jr. for providing screenshots.

James H. Vipond (Send email) - Return to main page