Susan Stafford Wheel Of Fortune
by Christian Dixie
- Susan Stafford Wheel Of Fortune Return
- Chuck Woolery Susan Stafford Wheel Of Fortune
- First Wheel Of Fortune Girl
- Wheel Of Fortune Vanna White
- Chuck Woolery And Susan Stafford
Wheel of Fortune, the most successful syndicated program in history, has been captivating audiences since its nighttime debut in 1983. The history of the show spans 44 years, with $250 million in cash and prizes being given away to its contestants over the course of the show’s run.Wheel of Fortune, created by Merv Griffin, gets over 1 million applications for contestants vying to be on the show. Ten thousand people get the chance to audition for the show and only 600 contestants appear on the show every season. Let’s take a look at the history of Wheel of Fortune.
Born in Lynn, Massachusetts, Susan grew up in Missouri, started winning beauty contests as a teenager in Kansas City where her modeling career began. Susan moved to California and enjoyed success in co-starring roles in major television series and a couple of motion pictures. Susan is best known as the original hostess on 'Wheel of Fortune' from. Historic Images Part Number: sap36241. This is an original press photo. Susan Stafford on 'Wheel of Fortune' and 'Police Story. Photo is dated -none. A: The short answer is no. It may contain wrinkles, cracks, and possibly even tears due.
The daytime version (1975 – 1991)
Before Pat Sajak and Vanna White were the hosts of Wheel of Fortune, there was Chuck Woolery and Susan Stafford. The show was a lot different back then, as it only aired in the daytime and the contestants used their money to shop for prizes. In December of 1981, Woolery left the show due to a disagreement with the salary in his contract. Susan continued to be hostess for another year before leaving the show in 1982. On December 28th, 1981, Pat Sajak made his hosting debut, replacing Woolery while Susan Stafford stays on as hostess.
In 1982, Stafford decides that she wanted to do humanitarian work. As a result, Stafford left the show, opening up a spot for a new hostess. In December of 1982, Vanna White made her debut and was named the permanent hostess. Merv Griffin chose White because of the chemistry she and Pat shared on camera.
Sajak would go on to host the daytime version for eight years until 1989, when he decided to launch his own talk show. Former San Diego Chargers kicker Rolf Bernischke replaced Sajak and hosted the show until the end of the season, as he was let go due to the low ratings.
On July 17, 1989 Bob Goen replaced Rolf. Wheel was picked up by CBS and the show no longer aired on NBC due to low ratings after Sajak left to focus on his talk show. The shopping format was retired in favor of the cash-prize format, as players were able to have the amount of prizes added to their total (Hence the phrase “cash and prizes”).
Wheelof Fortune continued to air on CBS until January 1991, when the show moved back to NBC and aired for 8 more months. In September of 1991, the daytime version of Wheel of Fortune came to an end after 16 years.
The nighttime version (1983 – Present)
Image from Eternal Lifestyle
In September 1983, The current nighttime version of Wheel of Fortune made its television debut. Pat Sajak and Vanna White have been hosting the nighttime version for 37 years. The show also used the shopping format up until October 1987 when they switched to a cash-prize format. From 1983-1997, Vanna was turning the letters physically and in February 1997, Wheel of Fortune upgraded the puzzle board with touch screens and added computer technology to save time in between rounds for switching out puzzles.
In the 1980s, Wheel of Fortune was the most popular game show, receiving 40 million weekly viewers tuning in to see what Vanna would wear or what jokes Pat would come up with during the show.
Today, Wheel of Fortune is still one of the most iconic game shows of all time. The show has given away $250 million since its debut and receives 1 million contestant applications every year, with ten thousand invited to audition and a select few of six hundred contestants appearing on the show. Sajak and White are on contract with Wheel of Fortune until 2022.
Sources: Sony
Images: Collectors.com, Eternal Lifestyle
Featured Image: Olivia Weinzapfel
What you are about to read is an interview with Susan Stafford.
You say you don`t know who Susan Stafford is? Susan Stafford is the woman who turned the letters on 'Wheel of Fortune' before Vanna White was hired. Susan Stafford began when the show began, in the mid-`70s, and quit in 1982. Vanna White was chosen to replace her, the show became the biggest hit in the history of syndicated television, and the rest is legend.
'When we taped the pilot, the host was Ed `Kookie` Byrnes,' Stafford told me the other day. 'But when the show actually went on the air, the host was Chuck Woolery. After Chuck left, Pat Sajak replaced him. Pat had been the weatherman at the local NBC station in Los Angeles.'
Stafford said that even though she was making a good living on 'Wheel of Fortune,' by 1982 the job was starting to make her question her priorities.
'I mean, for seven years I stood there and turned letters,' she said.
'I had to ask myself if that was any way for a grown woman to live her life.'
Susan Stafford Wheel Of Fortune Return
So she handed in her resignation. The first thing she did after leaving the show was to work at St. Joseph Hospital in Houston, specializing
in pastoral care education and working with dying cancer patients. Since then she has written and hosted a health-oriented show on cable TV, has done documentaries about leprosy and has studied psychology.
Naturally, the question comes up in her mind: What if she had stayed with 'Wheel of Fortune'? Right after she left, the show added the nighttime syndicated version to its daytime slot on NBC. It was the nighttime version that made 'Wheel of Fortune' a phenomenon, and that made Vanna White a megacelebrity. If Susan Stafford had stayed, maybe it would have been her photograph on the cover of Newsweek instead of Vanna`s.
Chuck Woolery Susan Stafford Wheel Of Fortune
'Do I kick myself?' Stafford said. 'No, I like myself too much for that. Do I miss the money? You bet I do.' She said that she was financially 'just getting by.'
First Wheel Of Fortune Girl
As for the stardom that has come to Vanna White, Stafford said, 'The success of Vanna? I`m amazed, but I think it`s fine.
'I broke her in. When I was leaving the show and she was joining the show, I showed her what to do. It`s not like you have to teach somebody a whole lot. I just showed her how to turn the letters, and told her that she should be grateful for this opportunity.
'What do I think of her? She`s got a good body and wears pretty dresses. She`s a harmless, sweet girl who doesn`t mean anyone any harm. When I was showing her how to turn the letters, she was real grateful. Her eyes got real big. She was so happy to be there. It reminded me of how I was at the beginning. But let`s face it, no matter how much money you make or how famous you become, you`re still just the girl on the game show turning letters.'
Stafford said that she has watched the show only once or twice since leaving. 'I`ve never felt nostalgic,' she said. 'I`m surprised that they haven`t changed the format. Actually, when I`ve watched the show I have felt a sort of relief. Relief that I don`t have to do that anymore.'
At one point, when Vanna had to miss the show for a week because of the death of her boyfriend, the producers of 'Wheel of Fortune' called Stafford and asked her to fill in. She agreed to do it.
'It was easy,' she said. 'It`s a pretty simple job. Going back to it was a piece of cake.'
Thinking back to her years on the show, Stafford said that two dominant thoughts used to fill her mind as she stood by the puzzle board and turned the letters:
Wheel Of Fortune Vanna White
'I was thinking a combination of I hope the contestant will win, and how sore my feet were.'
Stafford, who just turned 40, said that she hopes other opportunities will develop for her. When pressed, she admitted that, had she known what was going to happen with 'Wheel of Fortune,' she might have stuck around.
Chuck Woolery And Susan Stafford
'But I didn`t, and I`m happy with who I am,' she said. 'The one thing that bothers me is when I tell people what I used to do, and they say, `You mean you were Vanna White before Vanna White?` That gets a little annoying. But I put up with it. It`s just part of life.'