I remember "Split Second" very well.
When it premiered on ABC in 1972, I had just turned 10, but watched it when I was home during summer vacations or any days off I had from school. Moreover, I had a better appreciation for cars after watching that show; I never really noticed the makes and models of cars I saw on the road before "Split Second." Whenever I saw a Pontiac Grand Prix or Chevy Corvette, for example, I would say, "That's the car I saw on 'The Car Show' (my alternate title for "Split Second")!" And, I also remember for Christmas 1972 I received a model car kit (remember those?) of a 1973 Corvette, which my dad (may he rest in peace) helped me put together and paint. And, many times when I was 11, I remember telling my dad "I want a Pontiac Grand Prix when I grow up!" (Sadly, GM discontinued Pontiac in October 2010, and as of this posting I drive a 2008 Chrysler Sebring convertible - but that's *nothing* to sneeze at, and if that's about as close as I get to owning a sports/luxury car in my lifetime, I'm indeed *lucky.*)
To answer kayakkenn's question about the cars "Split Second" featured: They were only *General Motors* products, namely, Chevys one week and Pontiacs the next, although in early 1974 for one month instead of the Chevys they had *Buicks* on one week and Pontiacs the next. (It's too bad when "Split Second" featured the Buicks they didn't have the then-futuristic-looking Riviera among the lineup.)
And I remember some of the (now-lost) episodes very distinctly: In early 1973, a lady who called herself "Beaver" won a 1973 Chevy Monte Carlo after turning the key and the car started; on an earlier episode, a Kathleen Schmidtke won a 1973 Chevy Impala (I believe). And then on four 1974 episodes, a returning champion named Barry Coleman was wearing his family's "good luck pants" (some brown plaid trousers, but then, that was early 70's fashion) and tried to win a Pontiac Grand Safari wagon, but couldn't start the car and on the fifth day was defeated by somebody else.
I was also always hoping that whenever the Chevys were featured the contestants would go for the Corvette, Camaro, Chevelle (especially if it was the Super Sport model), or Monte Carlo, and when the Pontiacs were featured they would choose the Grand Prix or Firebird. I also began to suspect "random" meant "rigged" after a while (at the close of each show, Jack Clark was heard saying, "The car that started today and the cars that were blacked out were selected *entirely at random* just prior to the start of today's program"), because I noticed the cars that started - particularly the Pontiacs - began to follow a pattern; for example, the Ventura would start on Tuesdays, the Grand Safari wagon on Thursdays, and the Firebird on Fridays. Shades of the Quiz Show Scandals of the late 50's I heard about, maybe?
I, too, remember all the blurbs about "It's a Brand New Day on ABC!" and their adding two more soap operas right before the show got canceled in June 1975; I thought, "Well, it may be a brand new day for soap fans (especially the target audience), but it's a *sad* day for me (as well as other "Split Second" fans) now that 'The Car Show' is going off!" But, since I was 13 at that time, that gave me more time to spend outside on nice days during summer vacations, as well as more opportunities to do other things during fall and winter on other days off from school.
I also remember I often fought with my mom when I was home to see "Split Second," as she usually watched "Search for Tomorrow" on CBS, which was on against it (most of the time, she would let me see "Split Second;" you have to remember VCRs weren't around in the early 70's). But I *do* remember seeing that 1975 "Split Second" finale; I distinctly remember my dad was home on a week's vacation and he told my mom, "I don't want to listen to any soap operas." Thanks, dad!
I was sorry to hear recently ABC brainlessly "wiped" (erased) about 97% of all the "Split Second" episodes in 1976 to use the tapes for other programming (boo-hiss!). I was recently able to see those surviving six episodes on You Tube; one contestant chose a 1972 Grand Prix and won it after turning the key. And, I also saw the 1975 finale once again - what memories. (Besides the modification to the intro Richard Wagoner mentioned above, Jack Clark also changed the closing spiel on that last show: "'Split Second' *was* a Stefan Hatos/Monty Hall Production.")
I read at Wikipedia that the UCLA Film and Television Archives has about 15 other episodes of "Split Second" in their collection. I can only hope Monty Hall's production company can strike a deal with UCLA and put those other surviving "Split Seconds" out on DVD or You Tube. (For the record, I *never* had a chance to see the 1986 revival, which *is* still surviving; at that time - after just graduating from college - I was busy trying to get my career off the ground.)
In any event, "Split Second" was great fun. I'll give it a 9.
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