The Name of the Game

The Name of the Game

1968
The Name of the Game
The Name of the Game

The Name of the Game

7.6 | TV-PG | en | Action & Adventure

The Name of the Game is an American television series starring Tony Franciosa, Gene Barry, and Robert Stack that ran from 1968 to 1971 on NBC, totaling 76 episodes of 90 minutes. It was a pioneering wheel series, setting the stage for The Bold Ones and the NBC Mystery Movie in the 1970s. The show had an extremely large budget for a television series.

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Seasons & Episodes

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EP24  The Showdown
Mar. 19,1971
The Showdown

Howard's (GB) ancestor, an old west gambler, tries to stay alive in the face of a showdown.

EP23  The Broken Puzzle
Mar. 12,1971
The Broken Puzzle

The governor of an unnamed state though popular with his constituents runs the state like a banana-republic dictatorship, complete with uniformed thugs. Glenn Howard (GB) finds that the source of his power may have bigger political stakes in mind.

EP22  Beware of the Watchdog
Mar. 05,1971
Beware of the Watchdog

Dan Farrell (RS) investigates a consumer advocate who is currently masterminding an expose of the fish-canning industry. When several attempts are made on his life, the advertisers are under suspect.

EP21  Appointment in Palermo
Feb. 26,1971
Appointment in Palermo

Howard (GB) goes to Italy to research a story, then finds himself mistaken for a Sicilian patriarch. He is kidnapped by one of the families involved in a centuries-old blood feud.

EP20  The Savage Eye
Feb. 19,1971
The Savage Eye

Dan Farrell (RS) looks into a conflict involving loggers and the filming of a documentary.

EP19  A Capitol Affair
Feb. 12,1971
A Capitol Affair

Howard Publications journalist intervenes when a misguided Washington gossip columnist tries to destroy the career of a promising government official who happens to be her boyfriend.

EP18  Seek and Destroy
Feb. 05,1971
Seek and Destroy

Dan Farrell (RS) runs into many dead ends as he endeavors to discover why an important scientist suddenly died.

EP17  The Man Who Killed A Ghost
Feb. 05,1971
The Man Who Killed A Ghost

The real personality of a famous cowboy star is exposed by David Corey (RW).

EP16  Los Angeles 2017
Jan. 15,1971
Los Angeles 2017

Glenn Howard finds himself suddenly plunged 46 years into the future only to learn that the people of Los Angeles are living underground to escape the pollution and under the thumb of a fascist government run by psychiatrists.

EP15  A Sister From Napoli
Jan. 08,1971
A Sister From Napoli

A district attorney up for a judgeship is deemed unfit and an investigation ensues by Lewis Corbett(PF).

EP14  The Glory Shouter
Dec. 18,1970
The Glory Shouter

A fire-and-brimstone tele-evangelist is plagued by gremlins from within his organization who are tapping his till. Dan Farrell (RS), investigates only to deduce that he may be the one siphoning from his own flock's donations.

EP13  Aquarius Descending
Dec. 11,1970
Aquarius Descending

Glenn Howard (GB), who is instrumental in discrediting a corrupt politician. Seeking revenge, the politician orders a young hard-case to romance Howard's impressionable 17-year-old niece. The plan is to involve the girl in a scandal and ruin Howard and his magazine.

EP12  Why I Blew Up Dakota
Dec. 04,1970
Why I Blew Up Dakota

Dan Farrell (RS) looks into the strange bombing of an odd-ball artist.

EP11  I Love You, Billy Baker (2)
Nov. 27,1970
I Love You, Billy Baker (2)

We don't have an overview of this episode, please check back later.

EP10  I Love You, Billy Baker (1)
Nov. 20,1970
I Love You, Billy Baker (1)

Las Vegas superstar Billy Baker, who is known far and wide for his reluctance to grant interviews,is particularly close-mouthed on the subject of a beautiful young dancer with whom he'd once been in love--and who now is very much dead. Crime magazine reporter Jeff Dillon (TF) wants to know why.

EP9  All the Old Familar Faces
Nov. 13,1970
All the Old Familar Faces

Howard (GB) tries to find out who is behind a series of death threats levelled against him. He interviews several likely suspects who, in flashback, explain just what might have prompted them to kill.

EP8  Little Bear Died Running
Nov. 06,1970
Little Bear Died Running

When an Indian kills the friend of a reporter, Paul Tyler (RC) investigates.

EP7  The War Merchants
Oct. 30,1970
The War Merchants

Farrell (RS) investigates the death of an old friend and discovers an international weapons-smuggling operation.

EP6  The Time Is Now
Oct. 23,1970
The Time Is Now

Howard (GB) investigates the death of a moderate black educator at a campus torn into a struggle between militants and moderates.

EP5  The Enemy Before Us
Oct. 16,1970
The Enemy Before Us

Crime Magazine reporter Jeff Dillon (TF) is back in his old neighborhood in New York's ""Little Italy"", Dillon hopes to take a break from his hectic responsibilities and recapture ""something real"" from his younger days. Unfortunately, he is bombarded by pain and disillusionment from every side: his stepmother is gravely ill, and her son is deeply involved with drug dealing.

EP4  Battle at Gannon's Bridge
Oct. 09,1970
Battle at Gannon's Bridge

An ex-convict Eddie Gannon, who holds the lease on a converted church used as a halfway house for recently released prisoners,is endangered by a rash of unsolved crimes in the neighborhood. Gannon asks Crime magazine editor Dan Farrell (RS) to prove that none of his fellow ex-cons are responsible for the thefts.

EP3  Cynthia Is Alive and Living in Avalon
Oct. 02,1970
Cynthia Is Alive and Living in Avalon

Cynthia is a reclusive jet-setter who has of late become a political activist. She refuses all interviews and keeps hidden in a rambling house on the island of Avalon. At the urging of his pal, reporter Paul Tyler decides to make a name for himself by getting the exclusive story on Cynthia.

EP2  A Love To Remember
Sep. 25,1970
A Love To Remember

At his college class reunion, Howard (GB) meets a strange, beautiful woman who tells him how a crush she once had on him has ruined her life.

EP1  So Long Baby, and Amen
Sep. 18,1970
So Long Baby, and Amen

Dan Farrell (RS) reports his findings at a Congressional committee hearing on addictive drugs. Later he finds himself entangled with a self-destructive, drug-addicted young girl.

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7.6 | TV-PG | en | Action & Adventure , Sci-Fi | More Info
Released: 1968-09-20 | Released Producted By: Universal Television , Country: United States of America Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:
Synopsis

The Name of the Game is an American television series starring Tony Franciosa, Gene Barry, and Robert Stack that ran from 1968 to 1971 on NBC, totaling 76 episodes of 90 minutes. It was a pioneering wheel series, setting the stage for The Bold Ones and the NBC Mystery Movie in the 1970s. The show had an extremely large budget for a television series.

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Cast

Director

Richard Irving

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Universal Television ,

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Reviews

Dave Lillian I had just visited Universal Studies, Hollywood in 1968, when I was 15 and saw sets where they filmed The Name of The Game. Growing up with Bat Masterson and The Untouchables, I was a big fan of two of the stars, Gene Barry and Robert Stack. Susan St. James was just a young lady as Peggy Maxwell at 22 years of age. Tony Franciosa was fine too though I think he got into some type of dispute with the studio and disappeared from the show.The 90 minute show ran on Friday nights and I remember enjoying it quite a bit. I have not seen it in some time and really hope it will be available on DVD sometime soon. It was shot in color and I think ran for about three years. Though the show is now almost 40 years old, I know I would still have fun watching it. My kids would laugh at the rotary dial telephones and lack of computers but to me it would still be a blast. They would recognize Robert Stack from Airplane though! Tony Franciosa was good but my favorites were Barry and Stack. The action, cars, outfits and setting were all classy. Please bring it back on DVD!
urposterior Here's a great series that really should be released on DVD. Each 90 minute episode was a self-contained movie with one of three stars: Gene Barry played Glenn Howard, the self- made man who built his publishing empire from the ground up; Robert Stack played Dan Farrell, an ex-FBI agent who became the editor of "Crime" Magazine to better pursue and expose criminals; and Tony Franciosa as Jeff Dillon, who played the impetuous reporter for "People" Magazine (yes, and this was way before the actual "People" Magazine we now know). Many now well-known directors shot these episodes, including Steven Spielberg. And Billy Goldenberg's score for each show was always melodic and cutting edge. Hey Universal Home Video, PLEASE release a boxed DVD set of this series! As one of the first (if not THE first) rotating series of shows, it was both groundbreaking and entertaining. It should be enjoyed by a new generation of viewers... THANK YOU!
Ben Burgraff (cariart) Based on a popular TV-movie from 1966 ("Fame is the Name of the Game"), this 90-minute series was touted as NBC's 'quality' series of 1968, with three high-caliber stars (Gene Barry, Anthony Franciosa, and Robert Stack), movie-quality scripts, and first-class production values. Set in the world of magazine publishing, NBC trumpeted stories "ripped from today's headlines", and "action and adventure on a world-wide scale".While NO series could have delivered everything NBC promised, "Name of the Game" was, in general, an entertaining series, through much of it's run, and occasionally could be daring and imaginative.Top-billed was Gene Barry ("Bat Masterson", "Burke's Law"), as Glenn Howard, multimillionaire head of Howard Publications, replacing crusty character actor George Macready from the TV-movie. Suave and debonair, Barry's character often seemed little removed from his previous role, millionaire cop Amos Burke. But Howard was a crusader, unafraid to take on Washington, and address 'sensitive' issues. His 'starring' episodes tended to be the widest-ranging, with the most memorable single show of the entire series, "L.A. 2017", a nightmarish yet often satirical view of a pollution-poisoned future, based on a Philip Wylie story, and directed by a very young Steven Spielberg.Anthony Franciosa ("Valentine's Day") reprised his TV-movie role as Jeff Dillon, an investigative reporter for "People" magazine (long before Time/Warner created it!) Cocky and intuitive, Dillon would often stumble into major stories by chance, and would, 'Columbo'-like, hound villains until the full measure of their evil-doings would become known. The most 'lone shark' of the three leads, Dillon was Howard's 'bad boy', often in hot water, but always vindicated by episode's end.Appearing least frequently, Robert Stack ("The Untouchables"), ex-cop and crusading head of "Crime" magazine, took on everyone from the Mob to serial killers, willing to tackle cases that law enforcement agencies had given up on. Aided by reporters Joe Sample and Ross Craig (Ben Murphy and Mark Miller), he could dissect 'perfect' crimes, and bring closure to grieving families. Despite his limited appearances, "Name of the Game" offered some of Stack's best work.Making her TV-series debut was Susan Saint James, who, at 20, had been a hit in the TV-movie. Now 22, she would appear in most of the episodes, as Howard's personal assistant and Dillon's bane. Spunky, occasionally loopy, but always endearing, Saint James would become one of television's most popular actresses for over two decades, moving on to "McMillan and Wife" and "Kate and Allie". While ratings would eventually do "The Name of the Game" in (as dwindling quality scripts, and changing formats, necessitated by budget restraints, lost the series it's core audience), and other publishing-themed series proved more hard-hitting and topical ("Lou Grant"), NBC's ambitious series certainly earned it's place in the sun. While many of it's elements seem dated, today, it was as 'cutting-edge' as TV got, in 1968!
schappe1 When this debuted in 1968, I thought it was the best TV show I'd ever seen. It had a "wheel" format of the kind pioneered by Warner Bros. a decade before, which allowed more time to film each episode and allowed the show to attain higher quality than the average TV show. You could also do any kind of story on it. Glen Howard, (Gene Barry) could get involved with boardroom battles, political scandals in Washington, could travel to anywhere in the world. He was involved in everything from a campus protest to a murder investigation in and English country house to the "Prague Spring" to a flashback episode that took place in the old west to a Phil Wylie vision of a post-apocalyptic world. Dan Farrell, (Robert Stack), was Elliot Ness with a typewriter, going wherever crimes were committed to battle the bad guys with the truth and comfort the afflicted. Jeff Dillon, (Anthony Franciosa), was more interested in afflicting the comfortable as a reporter for People Magazine, (Time/Life's version didn't exist yet), His was perhaps the most open-ended job of all. He could be doing a personality piece on a show business icon, going undercover at a paramilitary training ground, investigating a phony doctor, covering the coverage of a search for someone lost in the woods, (an updated version of "Ace in the Hole"). Susan Saint James was the real star of the show as she was assigned as the assistant to each in time for their latest adventure, (a strange practice, it seems to me, but she was always welcome). The whole thing was packaged in a glittery covering of jazzy music and artsy-craftsy direction, (including by a young Stephen Spielberg), that made it all seem "hip" and exciting. Looking back at it now, that's one of the problems. It's so aggressively contemporary that it's now very dated, both in style and attitudes. The "Man From Uncle" doesn't date because it was never realistic to begin with. "Adam 12" doesn't date because it was never about issues. The things those cops dealt with is the same thing they'd deal with today. "Lou Grant " doesn't date as much because it was presented in a straight forward manner. "Name of the Game" seems stuck in it's own time.Another problem is that it got more and more wordy as the show went on. it started out as that rare dinosaur, the 90 minute drama. Coming up with movie length stories on a weekly basis was tough and there was a lot of "fill" in many of the episodes. NBC, experimenting with the notion that longer shows might be cheaper because they meant less shows, eventually expanded it to a series of "special" two hour shows, which not only bloated it more but took it past many bedtimes. What finally killed it was the expense. It was the most expensive show in TV history to that time, (and probably would still be with inflation factored out). it had to be a huge ratings hit to "make it" for a long run. It wasn't and it didn't. But, for a while there, it was something special.