Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Classic TV: Supermarket Sweep (1965)

You could say producer David Susskind had plenty of chutzpah to sell ABC a game show set in an actual supermarket.

In the end, Supermarket Sweep lasted 19 months (December 1965-July 1967), filmed on location at various Food Fair supermarkets across the country. Bill Malone was the series host. I vaguely remember seeing some of the show as a toddler, but not enough to merit a rating for this entry.

Before we get to the vintage video, and, speaking of chutzpah, independent producer Al Howard revived Sweep as a cable series in 1990, first on Lifetime, and then, on Pax (now Ion). Actor David Ruprecht served as host for this version, which is now available for viewing on Amazon Prime and Buzzr. Buzzr's owner, Fremantle Media, holds the rights to Sweep, and has added it to the list of shows being revived for ABC this summer, with actress-comedienne Leslie Jones ("Ghostbusters", ex-Saturday Night Live) tapped to host. Here's to hoping they go back to the real stores, and not a Hollywood soundstage, as they did with the 1990-2003 series.

Here's a partial episode:

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