Jay Wolpert may not be a household name but he has created some of the greatest ideas in game show history. Wolpert, a winner on "Jeopardy!" in the late 1960s, began his game show career as a writer on the early 70s game show "Joe Garagiola's Memory Game". Wolpert then went on to produce "The Price is Right", from 1972 to 1978. After a stay with Goodson/Todman that included Wolpert creating and producing his own show, "Double Dare" (see below), he went on to create his own production company. Wolpert returned to Mark Goodson Productions (later Jonathan Goodson Productions) in 1993.

In addition to the shows listed below, the multitalented Wolpert has done some writing, including "The Count of Monte Cristo", a Disney movie released in January 2002. Wolpert has also appeared in several movies, "I Love Trouble" and "Father of the Bride, Part II". His shows may not have the popularity of "Wheel of Fortune", the ratings of "The Price is Right", or the longevity of "Jeopardy!", but Wolpert has left his mark on the game show genre. Despite 3 of his creations lasting only 13 weeks each and others lasting no more than 6 months, Wolpert's persistence has created one superb game show idea after another. Below is a chronological list of shows Jay Wolpert has created and/or produced, either as Jay Wolpert Productions/Enterprises or with a different production company.

Double Dare 1976-77 One of the most challenging Q & A games ever, Double Dare was known for its theme music (used for Card Sharks from 1978-1981) more than it was for the game itself. Click on the title above to visit Matt Kaiser's page devoted to this diamond in the rough.

Whew! 1979-80 A true classic from the late 70s and early 80s, Whew! is known for the Gauntlet of Villains and some great music from the one and only Alan Thicke. The late Randy Amasia, a dear friend and a big winner on Whew!, created an in-depth site about the vintage show. I have moved Randy's Whew! site to tv-gameshows.com.

Hit Man 1983 Hit Man was a show that mixed the good and bad of game shows. The bad part of Hit Man was the occasionally boring and tedious shorts shown about a specific topic. The good was an exciting game where 2 challengers took turns attempting to knock off the champion and one of the best end games ever seen on television, in my opinion. Hit Man is one of the few shows where none of the contestants have a true advantage before the show starts i.e. most of the questions asked could only be answered by recalling what was mentioned in the short.

Blackout 1988 Blackout was a game of puns and giving clues about words that filled in blank spaces within the pun. The trick is that the opposition could "blackout" the description. Despite having nothing to do with the main game, the end game was one where a player had to use good instincts in deciding when to show his/her partner the clues to the identity of a person, place, or thing.

Rodeo Drive 1990 Distinguishing what is a rumor about a celebrity from what is fact is the name of the game on Rodeo Drive. The end game is a variant of the Gauntlet of Villains from "Whew!".

The Price is Right 1994-95 Wolpert produced a short-lived revival of TV's longest running game show with Doug Davidson as host. Tony Harrison has a great page about the 1994-95 show.

$hopping $pree 1996-98 If you knew nothing about a person except what you have learned from a 20 second inspection of items that person brought to the studio, could you choose the items that person wanted at different stores? Could you also choose the correct items associated with famous people from the past and the present? If so, this show is for you.

Wait 'Til You Have Kids! 1996-97 The game where couples decide the best solution to different scenarios involving children according to what a child psychologist believes is best. Wait 'Til You Have Kids! may be the only 13 week show to have 2 completely different sets during its run.

Match Game 1998-99 A somewhat recent yet unsuccessful revival of Match Game was produced by Wolpert. Chris Lambert has a page on the failed revival, part of his amazing tribute to every incarnation of Match Game.

On October 9, 2001, I was fortunate enough to have lunch with Jay Wolpert. We had a thorough conversation about his shows, his career, The Price is Right in the 70s and other assorted topics. I cannot thank Mr. Wolpert enough for making my trip to LA a very memorable one.