Wheel of Fortune timeline (network)/1979

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January 1979

• On January 1, Wheel does not air due to the Tournament of Roses parade.
• According to a fan recollection, sometime this year a contestant wins the first two rounds and places the entirety of his winnings on account. Said contestant goes on to win Round 3 and uses his combined winnings to buy a car.

March 1979

• By March 2 (Angela/Leo/Juanita):
  • Charlie's intro is slightly altered to replace "extravagant" with "luxurious".
  • The Wheel is slightly modified:
    • The Star Bonus is retired, an event which very likely happened much earlier.
    • The 7's are altered to have a flat bottom.
    • The Bankrupt next to $900 in Rounds 2+ is swapped with the $200 three spaces counterclockwise. This was likely done to even out the Wheel, as the two Bankrupts had been separated by just five cash wedges in Round 2 and eight in Rounds 3+.
  • The "right letter" ding has reverted to the usual sound.
• On March 2:
  • The category displays are red, matching Susan's outfit.
  • For the first known time during this era, the puzzle board's chase light sequence is reversed, going counterclockwise.
  • The buzzer does not sound on an incorrect letter in Round 2.
• March 5 is Brides Week. This week uses an international theme, honoring Americans of Spanish, Greek, French, and Asian heritage. For this week, each day's winner receives a collection of bridal gowns. According to one recollection, Summer Bartholomew, Andrea Hall Lovell, and Deidre Hall all model.
• On March 27 (Gwen/Brian/Anita):
  • The audience can be heard chattering for a few seconds in the opening before "Big Wheels" begins.
  • The category displays are blue, matching Susan's outfit.
  • The first three spins of Round 2 are all Bankrupt, to which Chuck responds by beginning his Round 2 intro spiel again. After that, the next spins are Lose a Turn, an incorrect letter, and a fourth Bankrupt, with no letters being revealed in the puzzle FOURSCORE AND SEVEN YEARS AGO until the seventh turn. Overall, Bankrupt is hit a total of six times, a one-round record. Interestingly, none of the Bankrupts claims any money.
  • Round 2 lasts for a very likely record-breaking 6 minutes and 35 seconds.
  • In Round 2, Susan turns the V too hard, causing the plastic letter sheet to slide partway off the trilon.
  • Round 3 is the first known appearance of Occupation.
  • Chuck's Final Spin lands on Bankrupt.
  • Likely due to the longer-than-usual Round 2, Chuck and Susan do not sign off; rather, the final segment begins with the fee plugs.
• As of March 27, the money graphic still looks the same way it did in October 1978.
• As of March 27, Charlie's closing spiel about the prizes is still the same as it was on July 15, 1975.
• By March 27, Roselon Industries begins providing Susan's wardrobe.
• By March 27, the slide whistle now sounds if the Final Spin lands on Bankrupt, essentially a running gag that remains until about mid-1985 or so.
• Presumably by March 27, the limitations on vowel calling are removed from the Speed-Up.

April 1979

• The April 23 show (#1109, taped March 28) is Barbara/Diana/Pat.
• By the above episode:
  • The dollar sign on the money graphic returns to being above the first number.
  • Puzzles begin to use apostrophes.
  • The closing segment once again uses a shot of Chuck and Susan chroma-keyed into the center of the Wheel.
  • Charlie's closing spiel about the prizes is amended to end with "Gift certificates do not include sales tax."
  • The eligibility disclaimer adds a period to the end.
• Ellen Mandlman plays on April 24-26, winning a total of $17,450. Clips of her episodes appear in the 2005 special Wheelin' Into KC (a behind-the-scenes look at the show's visit to Kansas City, Missouri in April 2005), which also includes an interview with her. The clips suggest that all three episodes exist in full.

May 1979

• Summer returns on May 24 to fill in for Susan, who dislocated her shoulder in a car accident.
• On May 31:

  

  • The category displays appear to be teal, matching Summer's outfit.
  • Nickname makes its first known appearance, in Round 1. It is not known if the category existed before this point (it is not present in the Milton Bradley games), had a consistent presence between here and mid-1988, or if it was retired and brought back sometime.
  • Contestant Hilarie puts $5 and $89 on account after Rounds 2 and 3, respectively.
  • During Round 3, Summer forgets to turn an X and is reminded by Chuck.
  • During the credits, Summer's wardrobe credit accidentally appears briefly before the sponsor list.
• As of May 31, the curtain is still visible during the final segment and credits.
• On May 31, the eligibility disclaimer's font is thinner than usual, possibly a result of turning off a "bold" setting on the computer used to create the monospaced displays.

June 1979

• On June 1, the category displays are blue, matching Summer's outfit.
• As of June 1, "Big Wheels" is still played when going to commercial.
• Cynthia Washington, ex-wife of former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Gene Washington, fills in for Susan the week of June 4.
• Susan returns on June 11.

August 1979

• August 13 is the first Teen Week, and the first known use of the standard Friday Finals format (with contestants playing for savings bonds). During this week, a teenage celebrity guest appears at some point during the show to invite that day's contestants to visit their show's set: Alison Arngrim (Little House on the Prairie) on Monday, Todd Bridges and Dana Plato (Diff’rent Strokes) on Tuesday, Kim Richards (Hello, Larry) on Wednesday, and Gil Girard (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century) on Thursday.

September 1979

• Courtenay O'Connell plays on September 4 and 5 (taped August 14). On September 10, the St. Petersburg Times publishes an article about her experience.
• On September 4 (Marie/Courtenay/Clint):
  • For the only known time in the Woolery era, the category displays are yellow, matching Susan's outfit.
  • When Courtenay solves the Round 2 puzzle INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY, there is a pause before Chuck walks over to congratulate her. Chuck can be heard asking for "a ruling from the floor" before an offstage voice says "yes". According to a comment on YouTube, this is due to the judges almost declaring that she had mispronounced "until" before determining it to be due to her accent.
  • After the above, Courtenay purchases a $6,160 Subaru BRAT.
  • Courtenay says "It's..." before solving the Round 3 puzzle TINKER BELL, but this is not commented on.
• On September 5 (LeRoy/Courtenay/Cookie):
  • Courtenay loses $3,250 to Bankrupt in Round 2.
  • Courtenay calls a repeated N in the Speed-Up, but it is not acknowledged as such.
  • In a rare occurrence, LeRoy spends all of his money in the Round 3 shopping segment.
  • Jeff Goldstein directs.
• By the above episodes:
  • A new music cue is introduced for all commercial breaks. While composed by Alan Thicke, the tune is very similar to The Grass Roots' 1971 song "Temptation Eyes" (and as such will henceforth be referred to as "the 'Temptation Eyes'-based cue" in the absence of an official title).
  • The curtain is no longer seen during the final segment and credits.
  • The ticket/contestant plug is slightly altered to remove the white box from around the text. It otherwise looks the same as it did during the Armed Forces Week in October 1978.
  • The eligibility disclaimer removes most of the space after each comma.
• As of September 5, the Wheel's top values are still $500/$1,000/$1,500, and $125, $275, $650, and $850 are still present.

October 1979

• On October 3, Wheel does not air due to NBC News coverage of Pope John Paul II visiting the U.S.

November 1979

• On November 13 (Kathy/Paula/Dave):
  • During one of Kathy's spins in Round 3, the Wheel slips out of her hand, causing her to lose her balance and accidentally fall into the railing. Chuck stops the Wheel, manually resets it to its initial position, and has Kathy spin again.
  • Chuck's Final Spin lands on Bankrupt.
  • None of the puzzles have an N in them.
  • In a rare occurrence, Dave spends all of his money in the Round 4 shopping segment.
• By November 13, the Wheel is overhauled:
  • The colors are altered, most notably the use of only one shade of blue and orange.
  • The top values in Rounds 1 and 3 are increased to $750 and $2,000, respectively.
  • The configurations are modified again:
    • Round 1: $750 replaces the $500 next to Bankrupt, the sole $125 is decreased to $100 and swaps positions with the brown $500, the sole $275 is decreased to $250, and the orange $500 is increased to $600. As a result, $175 is the only remaining value that is not a multiple of $50.
    • Round 2: The sole $100 is increased to $150, the $600 by Lose a Turn is lowered to a yellow $400, the sole $350 is lowered to $200, and the sole $650 is decreased to $550. This is believed to be the first appearance of $550 since the 1974 pilots; $650 does not return as a cash value until 2012, at the start of the 30th syndicated season.
    • Rounds 3+: The sole $850 is reduced to $700, the sole $450 becomes $200, and $2,000 replaces $400 and swaps positions with the neighboring $350. $850 does not return as a cash value until 2021, at the start of the 39th syndicated season.
• On November 14 (Robert/Wilda/Kathy):
  • Chuck's Final Spin lands on Lose a Turn.
  • Wilda finishes in second place with $7,400. This is the highest known second-place total in the Woolery era.
• By the above episode, an electric-guitar cue is now used for commercial breaks, though it is also known to have been used as a prize cue on September 4.
• On November 15 (Nancy/Rhea/Kathy):
  • The "Temptation Eyes"-based commercial cue is used for all commercial breaks.
  • The Round 1 puzzle TICK-TACK-TOE has only three unique consonants and is misspelled (should be "tic-tac-toe").
  • In Round 3, one of Nancy's spins seemingly stops on the very left peg of $1,500, only to click over to Bankrupt almost two seconds later.
  • Although a repeated T is called in Round 3, it is not acknowledged as such.
  • The buzzer sounds on a repeated letter in the Speed-Up.
  • Nancy sweeps the game.
• On both November 14 and 15, the Speed-Up round is played for a gift certificate with no shopping, and there is no post-game chat at the end.
• Wheel does not air on November 22 due to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
• A female contestant named Shauna plays on at least November 28 and 29, and she is the basis of a documentary called The Luckiest Shauna; They are known to have contacted Wheel looking for a copy of the November 28 show, but it does not seem to exist (she was not aware of returning champions until viewing the 1976 and 1978 episodes held by Paley Center).

December 1979

• For this month, the puzzle board and contestant area are decorated for Christmas. Also, many Christmas-themed prizes are available for purchase.
• By this point, at least one trilon is noticeably squeaky. This can be heard on December 4 when Susan reveals the D in the Round 3 puzzle RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL, and again on the 31st when she turns the same trilon to reveal the E in the Round 3 puzzle TERRY BRADSHAW.
• On December 4 (Susan/Lea/Ginger):
  • The "Temptation Eyes"-based commercial cue is used for all commercial breaks.
  • The category displays are light blue, matching Susan's outfit.
  • The first spin of Round 3 is likely a reshoot, as Chuck overreacts to Ginger's landing on $300.
  • Lea calls a repeated P in the Speed-Up, but it is not acknowledged as such.
  • During the Speed-Up (in Round 3), the category display is present on the players' half of the screen, which itself is zoomed too far out.
  • At the beginning of the subsequent shopping round, an oak-framed bathroom mirror (part of a $302 oak bathroom-accessory set) shows a reflection of the puzzle board being wheeled away. Later, as Charlie describes it, the mirror shows a reflection of the Used Letter Board and an unknown staff member.
• As of December 4, Charlie's opening spiel is still the same as it was on March 2 and the money graphic still looks the same as it did on June 1.
• December 17 is Teen Week with the standard Friday finals.
• By December 27, Charlie's intro is slightly altered to again replace "luxurious" with "extravagant".
• On December 27 (Allan/Ellen/Sheryl):
  • The "Temptation Eyes"-based commercial cue is used for all commercial breaks.
  • In Round 2, Allan solves over the "only vowels remain" beeps.
• By December 28:
  • The dollar sign on the money graphic is moved down, lining up with the bottoms of the numbers. Strangely, it does not zoom in.
  • Holiday decorations are added to the curtain.
  • The prize manufacturer tags are now smaller; their font is changed to Peignot Bold.
• On December 28 (Allan/Mina/Susan):
  • The "Temptation Eyes"-based commercial cue is used for each of the commercial outros and for the mid-show car plug, except for the final one (when none was used).
  • The slide whistle sounds after Chuck's Final Spin lands on Lose a Turn; his second attempt lands on $250.
  • Allan sweeps the game.
• On December 31 (Lou/Allan/Jackie):
  • The electric-guitar cue is used for all commercial breaks.
  • During Round 2, the puzzle-solve cue accidentally plays for a second instead of the "only vowels remain" beeps (itself played a second later). Once the puzzle is solved, the cue begins playing from the point it was cut off.
  • Rounds 1 and 2 are played entirely by the contestant who began them.
  • The "Temptation Eyes"-based commercial cue is used for the prize descriptions after Round 3.
  • In Round 4, the category chimes are played over a shot of Chuck.
  • Allan retires with $15,425, which Chuck mistakenly reads as $1,425 until being corrected from offstage.
  • For the first known time, the post-game chat is not done at or near the Wheel: Chuck and Susan sit at part of the Round 3 prize platform and promote their appearance during the Tournament of Roses pre-parade on January 1.
  • "Auld Lang Syne" plays from Chuck and Susan's sign-off through the end of the credits.
  • The eligibility disclaimer does not have its commas. As they are present on March 20, 1980, it is not certain whether this comma-less version was used for more than one episode.
• As of December 31, the cash wedge next to $1,500 is still $200.