Jay Wolpert
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(January 2022) |
Jay Wolpert | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Jay Sheldon Wolpert January 29, 1942 |
| Died | January 3, 2022(aged 79) |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1969-2020 |
| Spouse |
Roslyn Granowitter (m.1967) |
| Children | 2 |
Jay Sheldon Wolpert(January 29, 1942 – January 3, 2022) was an American television producer and screenwriter.
Early life
[edit]Wolpert was born inThe Bronx,New York City.
Career
[edit]Early career
[edit]His first television appearance came as a contestant on the original version ofJeopardy!in 1969. He competed in theJeopardy!Tournament of Championsthat year and won. Wolpert's upset win was notable for defeating the two highest-winning contestants in regularJeopardy!play up to that point, Jane Gschwend and Elliot Shteir.[1]
Game show production
[edit]Wolpert began his game show-producing career working forDan Enrightin Canada. He later worked as a producer and creator ofgame showsforChuck Barris ProductionsandGoodson-Todman Productions.While at Goodson-Todman, he served as producer ofThe Price Is RightwithBob Barkerfrom 1972 until 1978 and also created the game showDouble DarewithAlex Trebekfor CBS, which ran for a short time in 1976 (not to be confused with the later, unrelatedshowthat premiered a decade later onNickelodeonwithMarc Summers).
Wolpert left Goodson-Todman to form his own production company Jay Wolpert Productions, and his first game show was the 1979 seriesWhew!for CBS withTom Kennedy.Wolpert produced the series withBurt Sugarmanfor most of its run.Whew!was canceled in May 1980 after a thirteen month run, and Wolpert did not return to television with a series until January 1983, despite shooting several pilots in the interim. Briefly, he was VP of program development atMetromediaafterWhew!got cancelled.[2]On January 3, 1983, Wolpert'sHit Mandebuted on NBC withPeter Tomarkenas its host.Hit Manlasted thirteen weeks on the air.
Five years later in 1987, and after a failed syndication pilot based on the board gameTrivial Pursuitwith Steve Morris (the game would get two other shows based on it,one in 1993andone in 2008,both incorporating interactive elements), Wolpert returned to daytime television with the seriesBlackoutfor CBS. Debuting on January 4, 1988, in place ofThe $25,000 PyramidwithDick Clark,theBob Goen-hostedBlackoutended after thirteen weeks of episodes and was replaced by a revival ofFamily FeudwithRay Combs(which began airing on July 4, 1988); new episodes ofThe $25,000 Pyramidaired for thirteen weeks afterBlackout's cancellation.
In 1990, Wolpert launched a new series on theLifetime networkbased on a pilot he had shot in 1981 with Tomarken as host. On February 5, 1990,Rodeo Drivedebuted with comedianLouise DuArthosting.Rodeo Driveended its run on August 31 of that year; the show had aired twelve weeks of new episodes prior to that and had been in reruns until the program was removed from Lifetime's lineup.
After a hiatus, Wolpert returned to the Goodson Productions team in 1993 after serving as president of Jay Wolpert Enterprises, and produced a newThe Price Is Rightseries for Goodson andParamount Television.[3]The New Price Is RightwithDoug Davidsondebuted in syndication in September 1994, with Wolpert producing. Ratings forThe New Price Is Rightwere lacking,[clarification needed]resulting in a cancellation after sixteen weeks in January 1995.
In 1996, Wolpert andThe Family Channelteamed up for two series. One wasWait 'til You Have Kidswith Tom Parks, a series based onThe Parent Gamewith Clark Race. The other wasShopping Spreewith Ron Pearson, which ran for nearly two years and was Wolpert's longest-running game show in his company's history. AfterShopping Spreewent off the air in August 1998, Wolpert's company stopped producing programming. He was executive producer of the 1998 version ofMatch GamewithMichael Burger.
Wolpert was listed as a consultant during the credits ofWho Wants to Be a Millionaire?withChris Harrisonduring the 2015–16 season, and had some input in that season's format changes.
Screenwriting and acting
[edit]Wolpert turned to screenwriting, penning the script forThe Count of Monte Cristo(2002) and receiving a story credit for all films of thePirates of the Caribbeanseries.
His minimal acting experience included playing theOB-GYNinFather of the Bride Part IIwho tellsDiane Keaton's character Nina Banks (née Dickerson) that she is pregnant.
Death
[edit]Wolpert died in Los Angeles from complications ofAlzheimer's diseaseon January 3, 2022, at the age of 79.[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Most episodes from theArt Flemingera ofJeopardy!do not survive, so there is no video record of Wolpert's appearances, however stills of Wolpert receiving the trophy from Art Fleming do exist along with the trophy itself, prominently displayed in Wolpert's house, and an audio record of the finals and Wolpert being declared the Champion. Paper records indicating Wolpert's appearances may be found in the NBC Master Books daily broadcast log, available on microfilm at theLibrary of CongressMotion Picture and Television Reading Room. A summary of those records may be foundhereArchived2008-01-19 at theWayback Machine.Shteir's and Gschwend's winnings were noted when both appeared, without Wolpert, on a special 2000th episode, where it was noted that they andBurns Cameronwere still the highest-earning performers in regular play up to the show's 1972 air date. A listing ofJeopardy!Grand Champions, 1968–1974, may be found inFabe, Maxene (1979).TV Game Shows.Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company. p. 13.ISBN0-385-13052-X.
- ^"Fates & Fortunes"(PDF).Broadcasting Magazine.December 8, 1980. p. 108.RetrievedNovember 2,2023.
- ^"Fates & Fortunes"(PDF).Broadcasting & Cable.June 14, 1993. p. 98.RetrievedNovember 2,2023.
- ^Kit, Borys (4 January 2022)."Jay Wolpert, Original 'Price Is Right' Producer Turned 'Pirates of the Caribbean' Screenwriter, Dies at 79".The Hollywood Reporter.Retrieved4 January2022.
External links
[edit]
- 1942 births
- 2022 deaths
- Contestants on American game shows
- American male screenwriters
- Television producers from New York City
- Writers from the Bronx
- Screenwriters from New York City
- Deaths from dementia in California
- Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in California
- Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery