I am putting this new query up as the dedicated thread to this short-lived (three-season long) show - a sort of Mad Men of the publishing world, from what I got in a 2018 Hollywood Reporter article about the 50th anniversary of its premiere - has been put under lock and key - but it has to do with the opening title sequence backed by the jazzy 7/4 time theme composed by Dave Grusin (of which a different version appeared each season). Most episodes, unfortunately as packaged in recent years when it was shown anywhere, use the same opening, drawn from a first-season Robert Stack episode where the order of the leads was shown as him (with his name cleverly "stacked" up and down by the artists who worked at Universal Title, before going to his two-tone image in multiple layers), followed by Gene Barry and Tony Franciosa - regardless of who headline a given episode. But as on one of the Barry episodes as originally aired in Season 2, and shown on YouTube, make clear, the order on that episode's opening title segment was Barry, Franciosa and Stack. My question (for those who might know) involve those few and far between episodes (compared to the other two leads) with Mr. Franciosa (and, after he was fired midway into Season 3, those who were rotating replacements such as Robert Culp, Peter Falk, Robert Wagner and even Suzanne Pleshette). It is a given he would have come first, with the column of "Tony's" stacked up and "Franciosa's" stacked down in a see-saw pattern, on its way to the multiple images of him breaking off after the zoom up. But who would have followed in the order of such episodes - Stack and Barry, or the other way around? I've searched in vain on YT for such examples.
That was a stand-out show in those years. I do remember this theme- but I don't know about your query.
That was the "Stack/Barry/Franciosa" opening - alas, tacked onto a Franciosa episode. Here's what I mean by the "Barry/Franciosa/Stack" variant, from the very start of the Season 2 Barry episode "The Takeover": And that's why I ask if anyone knows on Franciosa episodes who came after him in the opening titles.
Your answer: Also, see “Opening Titles” on the Wikipedia page: The Name of the Game (TV series) - Wikipedia
That RS / GB / TF sequence is the default opening used on virtually every episode - and retroactively, I might add - regardless of who's in the lead in a given episode. Didn't use to be that way. And Wiki seems to know as much as everyone else, i.e. not that much. However, apparently "Keep The Doctor Away" from Season 2 - a Franciosa episode - had its original opening, which would have led with Franciosa in the opening titles; however, that episode seems nowhere to be found on IMDb, and three other original episodes, all Barry - "Goodbye Harry," "The Takeover" and "The Tradition" - all had the GB / TF / RS opening variant. It is on "Keep the Doctor Away" where I enquire how the opening titles star order was handled.
The GB / TF / RS opening title variant was also used in the Season 3 episode "A Capitol Affair" - the one where Suzanne Pleshette played gossip columnist Hallie Manville; Mr. Barry figured in that episode.
Terrific show, very cool and "happening" for the late '60s/early '70s. Big fan of the "LA 2017" science fiction episode of Name of the Game, directed by young Steven Spielberg...
Great show, perhaps the best episode was the one in which[Sammy Davis Jr.] portrayed a soul singer with a deadly secret[Davis should've gotten an Emmy] Franciosa starred in that episode.
The only episode ("I Love You, Billy Baker") to be divided into two parts - and the one after filming of which Mr. Franciosa was fired and, for the rest of that final season, they had the rotating "guest" reporters in his place as described in the post that inaugurated this thread. I'm still wondering what, in this and the other 15 episodes Franciosa headlined, what originally would have been the rotational order on the opening title sequence (Franciosa / ? / ? - I think "Keep The Doctor Away," which guest-starred Robert Goulet, had the original title sequence as applicable to that episode intact, as opposed to having the "Stack/Barry/Franciosa" version as from Season 1 inserted as in the other 43 or so that Stack didn't star in. Oh, and the opening titles of "LA 2017" would have originally been Barry/Franciosa/Stack, with the third season opening/closing theme version. The Season 1 RS/GB/TF open prior to "LA 2017" in that clip was revisionist up the gazooka.
I have stumbled on the answer. The Franciosa episodes did indeed have the order on the opening titles as Franciosa / Stack / Barry. A YouTuber put up S02E24 ("Jenny Wilde Is Drowning," a Franciosa episode with guest Pamela Franklin), albeit in black-and-white and with the first 12 or so seconds of the open missing. But in the sequence of the open, and Stack coming up followed by Barry and then "Starring In" and all the rest, there it is:
Another ep which (at least on a print circulated around) had the Franciosa/Stack/Barry opening variant, was this Season 1 episode, "Shine On, Shine On, Jesse Gil":
The show was recently aired in Brazil and,unlike the episodes aired on Encore and Cozi, they kept the rotating titles for the stars. In addition, the episodes that Franciosa was replaced in the third season like A Sister from Napoli and Man Who Killed a Ghost kept Franciosa as first. I assume they used Stack exclusively for the the Encore/Cozi airings to highlight his involvement as he was clearly the most popular at the time. They also changed some of the music for those airings.
When 'The Name of The Game' was originally screened over 1968-71 the opening graphic 'Rotated' per segment each of the 'featured' three leading stars (whose face was depicted at the closing episode credits / theme tune) would be put up first in turn for their segment episodes the second and third 'star' might alternate in the opening order from episode to episode but the featured star was always put up first often the order was; Tony Franciosa / Robert Stack /Gene Barry - 'Tony Franciosa' segment Gene Barry / Tony Franciosa / Robert Stack - 'Gene Barry' segment Robert Stack / Gene Barry / Tony Franciosa - 'Robert Stack' segment while there might also be an alternate order of; Tony Franciosa / Gene Barry /Robert Stack Gene Barry / Robert Stack / Tony Franciosa Robert Stack / Tony Franciosa / Gene Barry There were, however, a few exceptions - notably the episode; 'Pineapple Rose' (season one) - which was originally a Tony Franciosa segment episode made by his production team however apparently TF failed to turn up for filming so Cliff Potts (credited as 'Cliff Potter') - who played Exec asst Andrew Hill in the Gene Barry segment - duly was moved across with his role upgraded and became like Tony Franciosa's character 'Jeff Dillon' for this one episode...Andy Hill thus deputised as guest lead with Gene Barry making a few cameos 'as Glenn Howard' and the episode featured Gene Barry's opening graphic order of rotation and Gene's closing face credit. 'Goodbye Harry' and 'Man of The People' (season two episodes) featured Darren McGavin and Vera Miles as guest leads respectively - again Gene Barry made cameos 'as Glenn Howard' and the two episodes were put in his segment re opening and closing credits 'A Capitol Affair' (season three) featured guest lead Suzanne Pleshette - again Gene Barry cameos 'as Glenn Howard' and the episode was put under his segment re the four episodes with Tony Franciosa gone from the show.... The two Robert Culp episodes ('Cynthia is Alive...' / 'Little Bear Died Running'), the Robert Wagner ('The Man Who Killed A Ghost') and Peter Falk ('A Sister From Napoli') episodes in season three featured a 'Tony Franciosa segment' opening graphic but photos from the episodes were used as closing credit backdrops when selected 'restored' episodes of the show was later screened on cable TV the 'Robert Stack' segment opening graphic was (wrongly in my view !!) edited onto almost all of the episodes - this was probably done as at that time Robert Stack was deemed to be the best remembered star from his most recently appearing in the film 'Airplane' (!) 'Keep The Doctor Away', 'The Tradition' and 'Goodbye Harry' however retained the correct original rotated opening graphic order I would hope the correct Rotating opening graphic order would be restored to each segment episodes in the event the show should ever finally be given it's LONG overdue release on DVD (please NBC Universal !) - hopefully with the 1966 pilot TV Movie 'Fame is The Name of The Game' (starring Tony Franciosa) included
Part of the old NBC “Mystery Wheel” series which also included “McCloud”, “The Bold Ones” and “McMillan & Wife.”
Another point re the original 'Name of The Game' rotating opening graphic order was if there was a cameo appearance (all but one done by Gene Barry) in another star's segment episode then the cameo star would be put up second in the rotation order normally this was Gene Barry who would go second after either Tony Franciosa or Robert Stack with the non appearing star for that episode placed third in the order. for the Gene Barry episode; 'The Taker' (early in season one - written & produced by Richard Levinson & William Link, the creators of 'Columbo') Tony Franciosa made his only cameo appearance 'as Jeff Dillon' in the show - where Jeff Dillon is seen briefly early on in the episode exchanging banter with Glenn Howard at the monthly senior staff meeting at Howard Publications - probably this cameo by Tony Franciosa was done for show continuity purposes to establish the character 'Jeff Dillon' - known from the 1966 pilot TV movie - is now working for the younger Glenn Howard (Gene Barry) at PEOPLE magazine for Howard Publications Although Tony Franciosa in 'Fear of High Places' (where Peggy Maxwell already knows her boss Glenn Howard) was listed first in the episode order the Gene Barry episode 'Lola in Lipstick' has an early scene where Peggy first meets Glenn Howard (!) The opening Robert Stack episode in order was 'Witness' - deemed a 'more typical' RS episode - however Dan Farrell's intro episode was actually; 'Nightmare' - where we learn Dan's tragic past as an FBI agent, his wife's shooting taking a bullet meant for him, and how & why he came to quit the FBI and accept Glenn Howard's job offer to become editor of CRIME magazine. so a more correct opening order would probably be; 1.'Fame is The Name of The Game' - 1966 pilot TV movie - Tony Franciosa 2. The Taker* - Gene Barry (*Tony Franciosa cameo) 3.Nightmare* - Robert Stack (*Gene Barry cameo) 4.Lola in Lipstick - Gene Barry 5.Fear of High Places* - Tony Franciosa (*Gene Barry cameos) 6 Witness* - Robert Stack (*Gene Barry cameo) then so onwards.... The Bold Ones originally had three rotating segments: The New Doctors - E.G. Marshall, John Saxon (later Robert Alden), David Hartman The Protectors - Leslie Nielsen, Hari Rhodes The Lawyers - Burl Ives, Joseph Campanella, James Farentino for season two The Protectors segment was replaced by; The Senator - Hal Holbrook 'Sarge' starring George Kennedy was originally intended for The Bold Ones 'The New Doctors had a crossover two part story with 'Ironside' - 'Five Days in The Death of Sgt Brown' 'Sarge' teamed up with 'Ironside' for the TV movie - 'The Priest Killer' Originally the 'Mystery Movie' umbrella comprised; McMillan & Wife / Columbo / McCloud then another such umbrella was; Banacek / Cool Million / Madigan / Hec Ramsey Banacek later joined the first umbrella group for later seasons thereafter various shows were grouped together under 'umbrella' Mystery Movie titles ....
'The Name of The Game' has become an almost forgotten gem of a show for such an influential Award winning TV show with longer 'feature length' episodes that directly inspired the following seventies 'Mystery Movie' shows such as Columbo, McMillan & Wife, McCloud, Banacek etc (which had the same production teams, many familiar stars, and even identical yellow episode credits lettering as used in 'The Name of The Game' !) The show, besides challenging storylines, also was notable for featuring future TV series stars Susan Saint James ('McMillan & Wife', 'Kate & Allie') and Ben Murphy ('Alias Smith and Jones', 'Gemini Man') as supporting actors. the show also featured Boris Karloff's final acting performance (in the Gene Barry episode 'The White Birch') also having Orson Welles narrating an episode (the Tony Franciosa story 'The Enemy Before Us') and the only onscreen appearance together of brothers Pete Duel and Geoffrey Deuel (in the Robert Stack instalment; 'The Savage Eye') Steven Spielberg got a major career boost directing the sci fi themed third season Gene Barry episode; 'LA 2017' in 1971 Steven Bochco likewise becoming script editor of the third season Robert Stack segment writing the instalment; 'So Long Baby And Amen' with production work by Leslie Stevens, Dean Hargrove, George Eckstein, also Norman Lloyd, Gene L. Coon, Richard Levinson & William Link, and Fred Shorr etc plus many top International guest stars featuring, the show really deserves full restoration (including it's rotating opening graphic restored correctly !) and, together with the 1966 pilot TV movie 'Fame is The Name of The Game' getting a long overdue DVD release...
It sounds like they took the same approach as another NBC/Universal wheel, the Sunday Mystery Movie. If Columbo was that night’s segment, then Peter Falk came first, followed by the others. If the segment was McMillan and Wife, then it was Rock Hudson and Susan Saint James, followed by the others, etc. The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (also from Universal) also followed this pattern during the first season. If it was a Hardy Boys episode, the order of the billing was Shaun Cassidy/Parker Stevenson/Pamela Sue Martin. If it was a Nancy Drew, then the billing order was Martin/Cassidy/Stevenson. During the show’s second season, they created separate openings for the two segments.
