For the second season of Fox’s revival of the classic game show Name That Tune, host Jane Krakowski and bandleader Randy Jackson welcome regular people who want to win a lot of money and prizes by guessing songs from almost every genre.
One thing that has changed this year, though, is that the show now features stars from movies, TV, music, and sports. Krakowski says, “The celebrities went all the way to Ireland [where Season 2 was filmed] and really put themselves out there.”
Singer Jojo and TV personality Kelly Osbourne both appeared in the season premiere. Still to come are contestants like Krakowski’s co-star from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Tituss Burgess, Spice Girls member Mel B, and The Facts of Life alum Kim Fields.
Development
The idea for Name That Tune came from an old radio and TV show called Stop the Music. Mark Goodson, orchestra conductor Harry Salter, and ad man Howard Connell came up with the idea for Stop the Music.
Stop the Music used people in the studio audience and random phone calls to potential viewers and listeners to figure out what tunes an orchestra was playing. Name That Tune transformed this concept into a head-to-head competition between two participants onstage.
Name That Tune has changed over the years, but its core ideas have stayed the same. These include an orchestra and/or a band, a head-to-head competition between contestants to name songs played by the orchestra or band, and a bonus round called the “Golden Medley,” in which the winner of the head-to-head competition plays on their own for the episode’s grand prize.
Winners from the past would sometimes be asked to come back and name songs for much bigger prizes. In the 1950s, the grand prize was $25,000. By the 1970s and 1980s, it was $100,000.
Gameplay
1950s Version
The participants in the 1950s version of Name That Tune stood across the stage from two big ship bells while the orchestra began playing tunes. When a contestant knew the song, they ran across the stage to “ring the bell and name that tune.” Every game played four songs, and each song was worth a different amount of money.
The first tune was worth $5, and each one after that was worth twice as much as the one before it. The fourth and last tune was worth $40. After four songs, the player with the most money won the game and got to play the “Golden Medley” bonus round.
From 1955 to 1959, there were only three songs that were played, and they were worth $10, $20, and $30. If both players had $30, they played in the Golden Medley as a team.
Golden Medley
In the original show, home viewers chose all of the songs that were played. Each correct tune won money for both the winner and the people watching at home. The first accurate answer was rewarded $25, and each correct response after that quadrupled the prize money.
If you could name all seven, you won $1,600 and had the chance to come to the New York studio where the show was recorded at the time and play with the studio contestant in a special round called the “Golden Medley Marathon.”
The Gold Medley Marathon
The winner of the home contest and the winner of the studio contest worked together in the Golden Medley Marathon. This time, the two players had to correctly guess five songs in 30 seconds. If they did, they got to split $10,000 and could try again the next week. They could come back for up to four more weeks, and there was a chance they could win a total of $50,000.
By 1959, the top prize for a CBS show that aired during prime time was $25,000.
Who Are the New Hosts of the Game Show Name That Tune?
For the second season of Fox’s revival of the classic game show Name That Tune, host Jane Krakowski and bandleader Randy Jackson welcome regular people who want to win a lot of money and prizes by guessing songs from almost every genre.
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