Why the original host "Wheel of Fortune" was fired after a single season

Chuck Woolery spent the television game to a disorderly wages dispute.


When Pat Sajak withdraws from Wheel of Fortune Later this year to be replaced by Ryan Seacrest , it will end a record passage as a television game host. The 77 -year -old helps candidates run the wheel and buy vowels since 1981, with his 43 -year -old mandate Bob Barker 35 years of head The price is correct . (Co-host Vanna White seal Wheel A year after Sajak.) But his name is now synonymous with the show, Sajak was not the original host. He was preceded in the role by another legend of the game show that ended up leaving Wheel of Fortune on a salary dispute. Continue to read to find out how allegedly hostile work environment and "hostile work environment" can have a cost Chuck Wooley A life concert.

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Wheel of Fortune made his debut in 1975 as a day show on NBC.

Chuck Woolery with contestant on Wheel of Fortune
Nbc

Although it perceives today as one of the most popular unionized series on television, Wheel of Fortune In fact, he started as a day series On NBC. Wollery, then better known as a singer and performer in the children's television show New zoo review , served as an original host.

But he was not the only one to link for the concert. While Wooley held the microphone for the original pilot of the show, when he went through the name Buyers bazaar , actor Edd byrnes (Who played at Vince Fontaine Fat ) was used for the concert for two other test episodes, which actually bore the name Wheel of Fortune .

When the time came to choose a permanent host, however, the producer MERV GRIFFIN would have chosen Wooley, according to Come !!! The game book (via buzzer blog), because He had heard byrnes repeat The vowels for himself and again to memorize them. Susan Stafford , who had shot letters for Byrnes during his episodes, was chosen as co-host of Woolery. During its first year, the program was broadcast opposite CBS The price is correct .

In relation: 6 classic games show that you have completely forgotten .

Wooley left the show on a salary dispute.

Chuck Woolery in 1993
Ron Galella Collection / Ron Galella via Getty Images

The Wooley version of the show was not quite the success it would eventually become.

"Chuck and Susie have done a good job, and Wheel did quite well on NBC, although he never approached the type of success of the notes that Danger! Made at its peak, " remembered Griffin in his memories Merv: Make good life last , as indicated by The Washington Post .

However, the show did well enough for the host contracts to be gathered in 1981, Wool asked for an increase - From $ 65,000 per year to $ 500,000, he told Podcast centered on Vegas The band In 2007. He thought he deserved to earn the same amount as the emission hosts who obtained similar notes.

Wooley also told Podcast that Griffin, a full -fledged host, had created a "hostile working environment" for him and was only willing to pay him $ 400,000 for a season. Wooley also said that when NBC proposed to intervene with the additional $ 100,000, the producer was furious and threatened to carry the series to CBS. The network withdrew the proposal to fulfill his salary and, according to Wooley - Griffin then fired it and replaced it by Pat Sajak .

The show has found a new lucrative life in syndication.

Vanna White and Pat Sajak in 1993
Ron Galella, Ltd./ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Although already popular, Wheel of Fortune would soon find the excessive success that Griffin was looking for when, in 1983, he extended in a unionized series It was for years produced simultaneously with the Network edition. Sajak directed the two versions of the game game until the release of the day edition of NBC in 1989. White took over when it Hollywood retired In 1982 to focus on his humanitarian work. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

Together, Sajak and White were going to host more than 7,000 episodes of the unionized version of Wheel , which remains one of the most popular emissions on unionized television.

In relation: Pat Sajak Slams Wheel of Fortune Fans who think the show is "fixed".

Wooley finally found its own success.

Chuck Woolery hosting Lingo
Carlo Allegri / Getty Images for Game Show Network

Although Wooley has not won the permanent concert at Wheel , he has not completely lost his turn as a popular remote game animator. Shortly after leaving the show, it was chosen as host of Love connection —A job he held from 1983 to 1994.

Simultaneously, Wollery organized a television edition of Scrabble (1984 to 1990) and continued its jokes with countless competitors in other game programs, especially The meeting game (1997 T0 1999) and Jargon (2002 to 2007).

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