An example of trying to fix something that isn't broken: The Joker's Wild celebrity edition (1973)

 We've previously documented how Jack Barry had originally thought of using The Joker's Wild with celebrities in the first of two pilots hosted by Allen Ludden.

A year into Joker's CBS run, ratings were declining, and Barry, seeing how CBS was able to successfully revive Match Game in the summer of 1973, decided to tweak Joker, modifying his original pilot from four years earlier. Barry would remain as host, with Ludden busy doing Password over on ABC. In December of '73, Barry mounted a pilot for a revamped Joker, with 5 celebrities, as in the original pilot, only this time, the format resembled that of NBC's Hollywood Squares, in which the panel could bluff the contestants if needed.

The panel this time around: Jo Anne Worley & Ann Elder (Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In; Worley was also appearing on the syndicated It Pays to be Ignorant around this time), Robert Reed (The Brady Bunch), Pat Buttram (ex-Green Acres), and Marty Ingels (ex-I'm Dickens, He's Fenster).

Forgive the video quality. Wink Martindale uncovered the tape, warts & all.

Once again, CBS didn't bite, and Joker continued in the classic format for another 18 months or so before being cancelled in the summer of 1975.

Rating: B-.