Q: Can you tell me about one of my favorite '70s TV shows, "The Name of the Game"? How long did it run? What network was it on?
A: "The Name of the Game" was a big deal for NBC in 1968-71, with what was reportedly the biggest budget for any show up to that time and Friday-night episodes that ran 90 minutes each week. It had three leads: Gene Barry as a publishing magnate, Tony Franciosa as a top reporter for the company and Robert Stack as the editor of a crime magazine. Each episode focused on one of the three. Shortly after the series ended, NBC did similar packaging with its mystery-movie bundle of "Columbo," "McCloud" and "McMillan and Wife" (where the "wife" was played by Susan Saint James, who had also been on "Name of the Game"). The "Name" series had a lot of off-camera drama; Franciosa, talented but volatile in those days, was fired during the third season, and the show did not last long after that. You can find a detailed piece about the series here: bit.ly/3v9JmjS.
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