User:Daniel Benfield/Nighttime Video Archive/Season 12

Even more cosmetic changes, most notably the fifth "Changing Keys" (now a big-band style; the puzzle-solve cue changes to match on October 4), the puzzle board's new "spiky" border (the spikes themselves stop flashing on November 28), and Columbia-TriStar Television taking over production.

For this season, the show's promo campaign features famous Soul and R&B artist Aretha Franklin promoting the show as America's Game.

The $10,000 Wedge debuts on November 28, sporting a different font that changes to the regular one a week later. By October 18, the "decade" categories are no longer followed by bonus questions. November 7-18 are the Red White and Blue Sweepstakes, while the Red-Letter Puzzles appear to depart around February 8.

On February 24, the "Created by Merv Griffin" credit becomes separate, complete with Charlie's voice; weekend repeats of Season 11 only feature his voice (which is heard in full credit rolls once the aforementioned credit appears on screen).

Sometime in May, the opening is altered to remove "the" before the show's title, as well as the phrase "soaring into your lives" before Pat and Vanna's introductions.

Probably the largest change is the replacement of Nancy Jones by Harry Friedman on June 14.

New Categories: Megaword on September 20, Next Line Please on December 9, Fictional Place by May 30.

Retired Categories: The "old" Fill In the Blank (about November 4; became Next Line Please), Nickname (December 19, possibly), Megaword (around April 7), Slang (around June 19).

Road Shows: Fair Park in Dallas, Texas (October 31-November 4/November 21-25); Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida (February 6-March 3); USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in Newport News, Virginia (May 15-26).

Repeat Weeks: December 26-30 or January 2-6, April 17-21.

LEGAL STUFF SO I DON'T GET SUED: I'm only linking to these videos, none of which were uploaded by me, for the purposes of research and as a public record. Footage ©1994-95 Califon Productions/Merv Griffin Entertainment and associated entities.

September 1994

 * September 5, 1994 (#S-2146/Season Premiere/Teen Week, Day 1)
 * September 6, 1994 (#S-2147/Teen Week, Day 2; GSN repeat with commercials)
 * September 7, 1994 (#S-2148/Teen Week, Day 3)
 * September 8, 1994 (#S-2149/Teen Week, Day 4)
 * September 9, 1994 (#S-2150/Teen Week, Finale)
 * September 15, 1994 (#S-2154; GSN repeat with commercials)
 * September 16, 1994 (#S-2155)
 * September 22, 1994 (#S-2159; GSN repeat with commercials)
 * September 23, 1994 (#S-2160)
 * September 26, 1994 (#S-2161)

October 1994

 * October 4, 1994 (#S-2167; GSN repeat with most commercials)
 * October 5, 1994 (#S-2168)
 * October 7, 1994 (#S-2170; GSN repeat with commercials)
 * October 12, 1994 (#S-2173; GSN repeat with commercials)
 * October 13, 1994 (#S-2174; GSN repeat with commercials)
 * October 14, 1994 (#S-2175)
 * October 18, 1994 (#S-2177)
 * October 24, 1994 (#S-2181: Danny/Jeanne/Rosemary {alternate copy})
 * October 31, 1994 (#S-2186/Dallas Week I, Day 1; GSN repeat with commercials)

November 1994

 * November 3, 1994 (#S-2189/Dallas Week, Day 4; GSN repeat with commercials)
 * November 15, 1994 (#S-2197/Red, White, & Blue Sweepstakes, Day 7)
 * November 18, 1994 (#S-2200/Red, White, & Blue Sweepstakes, Finale)
 * November 21, 1994 (#S-2201/Dallas Week II, Day 1...with two returning champs)
 * November 22, 1994 (#S-2202/Dallas Week II, Day 2: Denise/Vince/Sophie {alternate copy... thing})
 * November 28, 1994 (#S-2206; debut of the $10,000 Wedge)

December 1994

 * December 5, 1994 (#S-2211)
 * December 9, 1994 (#S-2215; debut of Next Line Please)
 * December 1994 (#S-22??)
 * December 19, 1994 (#S-2221/Family Week, Day 1; the last known appearance of Nickname)
 * December 20, 1994 (#S-2222/Family Week, Day 2: Carine & Patricia/David & Mark/Judy & Diane; Vanna shows off her newborn son, Nicholas {alternate copy thing... pretty self-explanatory})
 * December 21, 1994 (#S-2223/Family Week, Day 3)
 * December 22, 1994 (#S-2224/Family Week, Day 4)
 * December 23, 1994 (#S-2225/Family Week, Finale)

January 1995

 * January 19, 1995 (Best Friends Week, Day 4; GSN repeat with commercials)
 * January 20, 1995 (Best Friends Week, Finale {alternate copy})
 * 1995

February 1995

 * February 1, 1995
 * February 2, 1995
 * February 14?,1995 (Alan/Jim/Doris; champ retired "yesterday", all five prizes remaining in Bonus Round)
 * February 17, 1995 (Shelley/Sean/Sandi; Sandi suggests a name for the flashing arrows: "Vheel" {"the V above the Wheel"; pronounced like "veal", and this is the most likely spelling})
 * February 20, 1995 ("Some of the Greats", Day 1: Raymond {won $81,665 in January 1994}/Kelly {won $75,498 in December 1992}/Carol {won $76,403 in December 1992})
 * February 21, 1995 ("Some of the Greats", Day 2: {champ}/David {won $71,534 in November 1990}/Monty {won $76,451 in March 1993}; GSN repeat with commercials {alternate copy thing... pretty self-explanatory})
 * February 22, 1995 ("Some of the Greats", Day 3: {champ}/Robin {won $43,000+ in March 1994}/Alison {won $77,109 in February 1994}, with ten wrong letter calls in Rounds 3 and 4 {alternate copy})
 * February 23, 1995 ("Some of the Greats", Day 4: Maria {won $76,421 in November 1993}/Nicole {won $91,530 in October 1989}/{champ})
 * February 24, 1995 ("Some of the Greats", Finale: Gary {won $39,400 in March 1992}/{champ}/Angie {won $60,693 in October 1993}, with the COWBOY bonus puzzle {alternate copy thing... pretty self-explanatory})
 * February 27?, 1995 (Dan/Jean/Renae, episode or two before BOMBASTIC; all five prizes remaining in Bonus Round)

March 1995

 * March 10, 1995
 * March 17, 1995 (Steve/Erica/Joe {alternate copy})
 * March 23, 1995

April 1995

 * April 7, 1995 (last known appearance of Megaword)

May 1995

 * May 1, 1995 (Celebrity Award Winners, Day 1: Richard Karn/Deidre Hall/Louis Gossett Jr.)
 * May 2, 1995 (Celebrity Award Winners, Day 2: Paul Rodriguez/Chelsi Smith/Jeffrey Tambor)
 * May 3, 1995 (Celebrity Award Winners, Day 3: LL Cool J/Garry Marshall/Jess Walton)
 * May 15, 1995 (Armed Forces Week, Day 1)

June 1995

 * June 1, 1995
 * June 19, 1995 (Teen Week II, Day 1)
 * June 21, 1995 (Teen Week II, Day 3; last known appearance of Slang)