In this unaired pilot for a 1966 game show called The Big Money, Monty Hall of Let's Make a Deal fame invites contestants to use their talents to win cash prizes. The prize amounts are impressive: $50,000 in 1966 is equivalent to about $425,000 in today's money, adjusted for inflation.
The first contestant is a competitive ax thrower. Her target is a cross-section of some kind of giant tree.
The second contestant is a professional golfer who suffered "hand trouble" in 1965 and is trying to make a comeback. His first task is to putt three out of three balls from seven feet away (he succeeds). His second task is to hit a ball from the rough and have it land within a 6-foot circle surrounding the hole. He has three chances to do it. I won't spoil the fun for you — watch the video and see if he is successful.
The other contestants include a carpenter who is challenged to drive nails into a plank of wood, and a drill sergeant challenged with field-stripping and reassembling an M14 rifle blindfolded.
The Big Money would have made a great game show, and I wonder why it never went into production. I could easily see it as a YouTube game show. I hope someone does it!
