Interesting facts about the game: what's where. The most interesting facts from the history of the program “What? Where? When? The symbol of the game is an eagle owl named Fomka

On September 4, 1975, the then insanely popular game “What? Where? When?". True, it was recorded in the apartments of two Moscow families of players - the Kuznetsovs and the Ivanovs, who were at first called experts, and not members of the “What? Where? When?".

The name of Boris Kryuk, who became the new presenter, producer and director of the game, was also hidden for quite a long time, and his voice was subjected to computer processing.

Since 1979, musical breaks began to be practiced in the program, first in recordings; artists, including foreign performers, began to appear in 1982. At first, the game was limited to airtime, namely, since 1982, in order to win the game, you must answer 6 questions correctly.

Recordings of the TV show “What? Where? When?" Since 1990, they have been held in Neskuchny Garden, in a hunting lodge built in the mid-18th century on the estate of Prince Nikita Yuryevich Trubetskoy.
Since 2002, a diamond owl made of crystal and silver weighing about 8 kg has become a prize in the TV show “What? Where? When?”, which is awarded to the best connoisseur or TV viewer.
The prize is decorated with 70 rubies.

Transfer money has been used as winnings since 1991 because Soviet time As a rule, they did not play for money. Prizes for the winners were given in books.

Vladimir Yakovlevich Voroshilov led the popular game until December 30, 2000, and in March 2001 he died. At the grave famous TV presenter in 2003, according to the project of long-time participant of the game Nikita Shangin, a monument in the shape of a “Black Box” was erected.

The show's mascot, the eagle owl Fomka, first “took part” in the show in 1977. From an ordinary children's toy store, the famous top produced by the Krasny Proletary plant came into the program, with the help of which the question for each round is determined. It was bought by V. Voroshilov.

38 years ago, the intellectual quiz “What? Where? When?". Having hardly changed over so many years, it continues to attract viewers from all over the country to the screens. In honor of the birthday of our favorite show, we decided to put together the most interesting facts about it.

1. In the very first episode of the program “What? Where? When?”, which aired on September 4, 1975, there were no experts yet. Two families from Moscow took part in the program: the Ivanov family and the Kuznetsov family. Filming took place in the apartments of both families. Each was asked 11 questions. Then the two stories were combined into one program. The show, as we are used to seeing it, appeared on December 24, 1977. Two years later, the players at the table were called experts for the first time.

2. The name of the TV show host remained a mystery to viewers for a long time. And Vladimir Voroshilov was given the nickname “Incognito from Ostankino” for a long time. Viewers only found out who was hiding behind the menacing voice on April 23, 1980, when the broadcast ended with the words: “The broadcast was hosted by Vladimir Voroshilov.” After his death in 2001, Boris Kryuk took over as presenter. His name was also hidden for a long time, and his voice was processed on a computer. But even now, when this information has ceased to be a secret, experts address the presenter only this way: “Mr. Presenter!”

Vladimir Voroshilov

3. Since 1990, all games “What? Where? When?" take place in the Hunting Lodge in Neskuchny Garden. Built between 1739 and 1753, the building is a monument architecture XVIII century, part of the pleasure estate of Prince Nikita Yuryevich Trubetskoy.

4. The symbol of the game is an eagle owl named Fomka. In 1977, he even appeared in the hall during a game. And as a reward, the best players receive a “Crystal Owl”. The prize was first introduced in 1984. In 2002, a diamond owl was added to the crystal owl. It is awarded to the best player based on the results of the year.

Master of the game "What? Where? When?" Alexander Druz with "Crystal Owl"

5. The organizers of the game take the musical break very seriously. IN different years The TV show featured: Lyudmila Gurchenko, Vyacheslav Malezhik, and many others.

6. One of the most mysterious attributes of the game “What? Where? When?" is the famous black box. During the existence of the program, hundreds of different objects have been in it: soap, a conductor’s baton, a skull, toilet paper, Wedding Dress, feather bed fluff, spurs, brick, a head of cheese, a head of cabbage, a bikini swimsuit, a jar of urine, an alarm clock, a live butterfly. Once among them there was even a real aviation “black box”. And several times throughout the history of the game the black box was empty.

7. Anyone who has ever watched the game probably noticed the top on the table with a rider inside, which the hall manager launches before each round. It's hard to believe, but this top is a slightly improved children's toy produced by the Moscow plant "Red Proletarian". “Once I went to the Toy House to buy something as a gift for my three-year-old friend. I saw a top with a jumping horse and bought two at once, the second one for myself. I played without leaving home for ten days,” Voroshilov recalled.

8. Until the fall of 1991, experts did not play for money. Books were used as prizes in the game. Then the intellectual club began to be called an intellectual casino, and the host was renamed the croupier. The motto of the program was the phrase: “Intellectual casino is the only place where you can make money with your own mind.”

Program "What? Where? When?", 1986

9. In addition to the television version, there is also a sports version of the game “What? Where? When?”, which appeared in 1989. One of the features of this game is that teams compete against each other on the same questions.

10. During its existence, the TV quiz show “What? Where? When?" received seven TEFI awards, including victory in the Sound Engineer category. Each action of the game is accompanied by a certain musical composition. While the top is spinning, Gennady Bondarev’s composition “Wild Horse” is played, the black box is brought out to the tune of “Ra-Ta-Ta” by Chris Ewens and Christian Heilburg, and the crystal owl is handed over to the accompaniment of Homage To The Mountain by Yello.

On September 4, 1975, at exactly 12:00, the program “What? Where? When?” was broadcast for the first time. Today, even a child can tell the rules of this game, but few people remember that 38 years ago there were no experts, no spinning top, or the famous crystal owl. In the first games, two families competed against each other, 2 rounds were filmed in their house, and then the stories were edited using photographs from the participants’ family album. Later, students began to take part in the game and the program was called a "youth television club", and in 1991 it turned into " smart casino".

The first questions for experts were thought up by Vladimir Voroshilov himself and a team of editors, but a few years later, letters from viewers began to arrive at the program’s address with questions, the answers to which were sometimes the most unexpected.

"RG" selected several interesting questions that were voiced on the air of the game "What? Where? When?"

Question No. 1

In 1926 and 1948, Germany was punished for starting wars in the same way that Sparta was once punished. What kind of punishment is this?

Answer: German athletes were banned from participating in the Olympic Games

Question No. 2

The Weekly World News conducted a survey in five major cities America, finding out who would agree to go naked to work for $1 million. 84% of men agreed. Women, as it turned out, are somewhat more shy: only 20% would show off their charms. True, the explanation may be contained in the words of one of the survey participants, who would have exposed herself provided that she had been warned several weeks in advance. Why does she need these few weeks?

Answer: To lose weight

Question No. 3

The Mexican resort of Acapulco is world famous. Its popularity is largely due to the local climate, which is perfectly suitable for recreation. Having guessed what the word “acapulco” means in translation from the Aztec language, name famous traveler, who visited, among others interesting places, and in a city with the same name.

Answer: Dunno

Question #4

This device was invented in the USA in the early 20s. It was first produced by a company that had previously been involved in the production of cocktail mixers, and quickly gained popularity among a significant part of the population. In the 30s and 40s, models with adjustable heat and speed appeared. Why did sales of these devices increase sharply in the 60s?

Answer: Because men began to wear long hair and they also needed hair dryers.

Question #5

The radical avant-garde association of artists of the early last century, which broke away from the “Jack of Diamonds”, was unusual name two words denoting an item that was once gifted to its rightful owner. What was the name of this association?

Answer: "Donkey's tail"

Question #6

English psychologist David Lewis claims that it is safe only for women, while for men it can become a source of dangerous diseases. Studies have shown that only a quarter of women experienced any minor abnormalities, such as palpitations. Men, on the contrary, reacted extremely negatively to this: their pulse quickened, arrhythmia began to appear, and their blood pressure jumped sharply. Name it English word, which relatively recently penetrated into the Russian language.

Answer: Shopping

Question No. 7

Many do not believe in its existence. However, Kant believed that any human knowledge. And they also say that it only fails those who have it. Name it.

Answer: Intuition

Question #8

Oddly enough, these two have a lot in common. Both have Italian roots. They would have the same middle names, if, of course, they had any. But their relations with Russia developed differently. For the former, his visit to Russia ultimately brought nothing but trouble, although at first everything went very well for him. The second one is not only known to everyone in Russia, young and old, in fact, he was born here. Name them both.

Answer: Napoleon Bonaparte and Pinocchio

Question No. 9

There is something inhuman, mechanical in each of them. At the same time, the first one is friendly towards others, although a certain woman suffered a lot from him. The second one, on the contrary, is very unfriendly, but a certain woman eventually managed to avoid the threat from him. Interestingly, both made the same promises. Who are they?

Answer: Carlson and the Terminator


This collection contains the most interesting facts about the program.

1. In the very first episode of the program “What? Where? When?”, which aired on September 4, 1975, there were no experts yet.

Two families from Moscow took part in the program: the Ivanov family and the Kuznetsov family. Filming took place in the apartments of both families. Each was asked 11 questions. Then the two stories were combined into one program. The show, as we are used to seeing it, appeared on December 24, 1977. Two years later, the players at the table were called experts for the first time.

(pictured is the program “What? Where? When?” produced in 1989)

2. The name of the TV show host remained a mystery to viewers for a long time.

And Vladimir Voroshilov was given the nickname “Incognito from Ostankino” for a long time. Viewers only found out who was hiding behind the menacing voice on April 23, 1980, when the broadcast ended with the words: “The broadcast was hosted by Vladimir Voroshilov.” After his death in 2001, Boris Kryuk took over as presenter. His name was also hidden for a long time, and his voice was processed on a computer. But even now, when this information has ceased to be a secret, experts address the presenter only this way: “Mr. Presenter!”


3. Since 1990, all games “What? Where? When?" take place in the Hunting Lodge in Neskuchny Garden.

Built between 1739 and 1753, the building is an architectural monument of the 18th century, part of the pleasure estate of Prince Nikita Yuryevich Trubetskoy.


4. The symbol of the game is an eagle owl named Fomka.

In 1977, he even appeared in the hall during a game. And as a reward, the best players receive a “Crystal Owl”. The prize was first introduced in 1984. In 2002, a diamond owl was added to the crystal owl. It is awarded to the best player based on the results of the year.

(in the photo is the Master of the game “What? Where? When?” Alexander Druz with the “Crystal Owl”)

5. The organizers of the game take the musical break very seriously.

Over the years, the following people performed on the TV show: Lyudmila Gurchenko, Vyacheslav Malezhik, Anne Veski, Igor Nikolaev, Edita Piekha and many others.


6. One of the most mysterious attributes of the game “What? Where? When?" is the famous black box.

During the existence of the program, hundreds of different objects have been in it: soap, a conductor's baton, a skull, toilet paper, a wedding dress, feather bed fluff, spurs, a brick, a wheel of cheese, a head of cabbage, a bikini swimsuit, a jar of urine, an alarm clock, a live butterfly . Once among them there was even a real aviation “black box”. And several times throughout the history of the game the black box was empty.


7. Anyone who has ever watched the game probably noticed the top on the table with a rider inside, which the hall manager launches before each round.

It's hard to believe, but this top is a slightly improved children's toy produced by the Moscow plant "Red Proletarian". “Once I went to the Toy House to buy something as a gift for my three-year-old friend. I saw a top with a jumping horse and bought two at once, the second one for myself. I played without leaving home for ten days,” Voroshilov recalled.


8. Until the fall of 1991, experts did not play for money.

Books were used as prizes in the game. Then the intellectual club began to be called an intellectual casino, and the host was renamed the croupier. The motto of the program was the phrase: “Intellectual casino is the only place where you can make money with your own mind.”


9. In addition to the television version, there is also a sports version of the game “What? Where? When?”, which appeared in 1989.

One of the features of this game is that teams compete against each other on the same questions.

10. During its existence, the TV quiz show “What? Where? When?" received seven TEFI awards, including victory in the Sound Engineer category.

Each action of the game is accompanied by a specific musical composition. While the top is spinning, Gennady Bondarev’s composition “Wild Horse” is played, the black box is brought out to the tune of “Ra-Ta-Ta” by Chris Ewens and Christian Heilburg, and the crystal owl is handed over to the accompaniment of Homage To The Mountain by Yello.

On September 4, 1975, for the first time, viewers of the USSR could watch with interest the game of experts in the intellectual program “What? Where? When?". For 38 years now, the popularity of this program has not waned. Read on to find out what this game is about.

Game idea and basic principle

The creators of this TV game are presenter Vladimir Voroshilov (in the first years of the program’s existence, due to the fact that he became persona non grata, his last name was not even indicated in the credits) and Natalya Stetsenko.

The rules of the game in the early years were significantly different from modern ones. In addition to the television version, after some time the sports version also became popular, when teams were formed in cities and qualifying “battles” were held. The game is based on the principle of brainstorming, when within one minute a team of experts needs to correctly answer any question. If an incorrect answer is given, then the opposing team - the TV viewers - gets a point. Victory goes to the side with six points. After the death of Vladimir Voroshilov (March 10, 2001, Boris Kryuk began to host the game. At first he was not in the frame, his voice was modified using modern technologies, and the name was kept secret.

According to the predictions of astrologers in the program “What? Where? When?" was sentenced to 25 years. A quarter of a century later, on March 10, 2001, Vladimir Yakovlevich passed away. The anniversary games were his last tour.

Since 2002, the game has been released 17 times a year. The season consists of four series of games: spring, summer, autumn and winter (in 1991–2001 there were two series of games - summer and winter). The spring, summer and autumn series usually consist of 4 games, the winter series - of 5 (a “Final of the Year” is added, in which the main prize is the Diamond Owl).

Currently, there are clubs for fans of “What? Where? When?" in almost all large regions of Russia and in many countries where people from former USSR. Clubs organize games based on the sports version of “What? Where? When?". Regular championships are held, as well as festivals and tournaments. The work of clubs is regulated by the International Association of Clubs “What? Where? When?". The newspaper “Igra” was also published, dedicated to “What? Where? When?" and "KVNu". "What? Where? When?" gave birth to another intellectual game - “Brain Ring”.

First rules

When the program “What? Where? When?" aired, the game was built on the following principle: two families represented two teams playing against each other. The game consisted of two rounds, which were filmed alternately at each participant's home. There was no presenter; the two stories were connected in editing using photographs from a family album. Two teams took part in the program - the Ivanov family and the Kuznetsov family from Moscow.

Game without a top

The main attribute of the game - the top - appeared only a year later, in 1976.

Unlike the modern one, it had two arrows that chose not the question, but the answering player. Since then, the game has been a “television youth club”. Its first episode was conducted by A. Maslyakov, and the first “experts” were MSU students: A. Ledenev, G. Velmakina, S. Glavatsky, D. Varzanovtsev, N. Kozlova and others. When the arrow of the top pointed to the player, he, without hesitation , should have given an answer instantly - there was no minute of discussion in the rules. There was no team either: everyone played for themselves. In the 1976 game, 14 questions were asked. The count has not yet been kept. The main goal of the game is to collect seven prize envelopes. In the game on April 24, not a single participant managed to win the main prize. In 1977, the top began pointing to letters from viewers with questions. A minute of discussion was introduced. A living symbol was presented intellectual game- the wise owl Fomka.

They also introduced a rule: if club members lost a question, the entire six players changed. Alexander Fuks was the permanent director of photography of the program for twenty years.

Questions

The first questions were invented by V. Voroshilov himself and the program’s editorial team, since the “team of TV viewers” ​​did not yet exist, when the game became popular, they began to accept questions from TV viewers. There were an incredibly large number of letters, and the questions had to not only be carefully checked for accuracy, but also edited, and a dramatization thought through (for some, the necessary details had to be selected). The game requires erudition and a broad outlook in the field modern science, the ability to think quickly, originally and out of the box. A good question is one that requires knowledge of not only disciplines school curriculum, but also ingenuity, resourcefulness, and attentiveness. A strong team should have harmonious cooperation between people with in different ways thinking, which should be specialists in various fields of science and spheres of life. Much depends on training and the ability to understand each other within the team.

Types of questions

A common question in verbal form. Experts must prepare the exact wording of the answer.

Multimedia question is constructed using video materials filmed either by the viewer himself, or by a professional cameraman, or by correspondents of the program. The correct answer may sometimes also be shown on the screen.

Question with the subject. A team of experts is shown a certain object and asked a question. When a correct answer is given, the club manager usually shows it on the object. Sometimes experts must, on the contrary, guess the object behind the scenes, which they are given with the correct answer.

Black box: a black box is brought out to experts, and the presenter gives a description of the object lying in it. Sometimes several black boxes are brought out (game December 10, 2011 - the question involved all three boxes at once: large, medium and small).

First players

The players of the first seasons - Moscow State University students or engineering workers in jeans and checkered shirts - wore beards and joked a lot, loved bard songs and conversations in the kitchen. The symbol of the ChGK of those times was Alexander Byalko, a nuclear physicist who looked like a Finnish lumberjack, the hero of the Strugatskys - taciturn, witty, with hidden sadness in his kind eyes: in 1982, he gave an early answer four times in one game, and on the New Year's Eve broadcast with the score 5:5, in front of the whole country, he lit a fire with a stick, a rope and a plank, which saved all the teams from relegation from the club. A happy, blissful time of ignorance - when the players, the millions of observers of the process, had enough time to simply think, or, in extreme cases, listen to the reasoning of Academician Petryanov-Sokolov about whether it is possible to teach a person to think. Vladimir Voroshilov, whose last name was finally allowed to be mentioned in the credits, published the book “The Phenomenon of the Game” - not a memoir, not a collection of anecdotes, but a theoretical understanding of the TV game: the principles of asking questions, the mechanism of collective interaction, etc.

The symbol of the era of the 90s was Alexander Druz, silent, ironic, and a little awkward. His principle of play is not instantaneous intuitive comprehension, but sober, almost commercial calculation.

Sectors

Sector "zero"(introduced in 1992), replacing the “green sector” from the very a large sum, which was in 1991 (20 thousand rubles). If the arrow of the top stopped on this sector, the presenter went out into the gaming room, chose one of three “zero” cards lying on the table, on which, as a rule, Vladimir Voroshilov’s own questions were written down. He did this in his own manner, so that sometimes the players could not understand where the introduction ended and the question began. Voroshilov called this version of the game “a game of an intellectual casino against experts.”

The “zero” sector was played until three times per game. Once, in 2000, it fell out 4 times. Presenter Vladimir Voroshilov came out into the hall with a bonus card “Zero”. It was identified by the number “0” on the table. During the first period of its existence, questions from the “zero” sector were, as a rule, asked by the sponsors of the program (with the questioner and the team making individual bets), and subsequently by the presenter himself, who came out to the experts and asked his question. Most often the questions were on logic. After the death of Vladimir Voroshilov, the cards with questions were taken to the announcer's room. In June 2001, the three-map Zero sector played its last game. Last question in this round the team of the club’s national team won, and Maxim Potashev gave the answer to the question.

Thirteenth sector(“Internet vs. Experts”) is played only once per game. On the table it is marked with the number “13”. If the arrow of the top pointed to it, experts are asked one of the questions sent during the broadcast of the game on the site 13.tvigra.ru (until 2012 - 13.mts.ru). According to the presenter, the choice of question is random and made by computer, so no one knows the exact answer to it. The question appears on the screen and the presenter reads it. In case of an incorrect answer, the person who sent his question is assigned to the team of viewers (which gets a point) and receives the appropriate amount of money depending on the round of the game. Often disliked by many experts and persons present in the hall due to the triviality of his questions and answers, in some cases sparking strong disputes during the game. Introduced into the club since the winter series of games in 2001.

Blitz sector: Experts must answer three questions in a row, each discussion should not exceed 20 seconds. As a rule, all three questions are related to each other by a single topic (animals, cars, events, art, etc.).

The sector is unloved by experts for its non-trivial nature, which is why it is more often lost than won. In this case, the team of viewers gets a point from the person out of three whose question was not answered (he also receives the winning amount, depending on the round). First introduced in 1986, from 2001 to 2004. wasn't played out.

Super blitz sector: a complicated version of blitz, in which only one “expert” plays at the table (the player’s name is called by the team captain, although in the 2008 final the player was chosen by the top). The player is asked three questions, as in blitz, and is given 20 seconds of thinking for each. At the same time, the presenter asks for complete silence in the hall. The player is sometimes allowed to voice his thoughts out loud. We criticize the super blitz most of all, since out of the many cases of its loss in the history of the club (the super blitz was introduced in 1986), it was taken less than a quarter of the time.

Basalai sector: a special sector that operated from the 1997 Winter Games to the 1998 Summer Games.

Sector Bergerac: special sector operating in summer games 1998.

Sectors Hobbit, Avanta, Sonnet: special sectors operating in winter games 1998.

Retro sector: a special sector operating in anniversary games ah 2000. The sector asked questions from old games “What? Where? When?”, most often the 1980s. He did not participate in the final of the anniversary games on December 30.

Rounds

The standard game involves eleven rounds (questions), although theoretically you can win it already on the sixth question. In rare cases, at the request of experts and the club, as well as with the support of the keeper of traditions (see below), the twelfth question may come into play. In the Winter Series, after the tenth round, the team is also allowed to take a "decisive round", in which the previous score is reset, and the team leaves the only expert at the table.

Decisive round: In the event that a team of experts has earned 5 points in their favor, but would like to increase the result of the game to a score of 6:0 in their favor, the team can take the decisive round. In this case, the strongest expert, in the opinion of the team, remains at the table, after which a question is selected in a standard manner using a top, which the expert must answer without anyone’s help. Wherein prerequisite is that there should be absolute silence in the hall and a complete absence of discussion of the issue. This type questions helps the team advance to the season finals with more successful game previous teams this season. In the entire history of the Moscow elite club, 21 decisive rounds were played, and it was won only five times.

Club help. If a team of experts has no versions about the correct answer, it can use the help of the club once. The time that can be used for these purposes is 20 seconds. In 2007, this rule was slightly changed, after which help can only be taken when the score is not in favor of experts; since 2010, it can also not be taken on blitzes, superblitzes and the decisive round.

Prizes

It was only in 1979 that a new term appeared in the game - “connoisseur”, and the team eventually turned into a club of connoisseurs. In 1979, special prizes also appeared - books awarded by Tamara Vladimirovna Vishnyakova, a member of the presidium of the All-Union Society of Book Lovers, director of the Moscow House of Books. If the player answered all seven questions correctly, he received a set of books.

A few days before the collapse of the USSR, the game turned from an “intellectual club” into an “intellectual casino.” The motto of the program was the phrase “Intellectual casino is the only place where you can make money with your own mind.” The gaming table was divided into red and black sectors, and each question now had its own “cost” in ruble equivalent. Later (from 1994 to 1998) bets appeared in the game. Chips were placed in an amount equal to the value of the sector: if the bet “plays” (the top arrow points to this sector), the amount increases tenfold. If in 1994–1995 the bet was made by the playing team, then from 1996 to 1998, when the teams in the club were disbanded, each player bet for himself. Sponsors and a lawyer appeared - the defender of the interests of the “experts” - Mikhail Barshchevsky. And from December 1, 2001, the intellectual casino ceased to exist. Only TV viewers who win against experts receive money in the game. The amount of winnings of a TV viewer was first (from 2001 to 2007) determined using a telephone vote of TV viewers (two telephone numbers worked - the first was called by TV viewers who liked the question, the second - by those who did not like it. Each call “for” added 1 ruble to the winnings, and “against” took it away). Since 2008, the authors of the questions receive winnings in accordance with the point they brought to their team of viewers: for the first point - 10 thousand rubles, for the second - 20 thousand, and for the sixth, winning point - 60 thousand rubles. If the team of “experts” took advantage of the “club’s help” and won the round, the viewer receives compensation from the sponsor, equal to the amount, which he could have earned if the experts had not answered his question.

Musical pause

In 1979, a musical pause was introduced into the game.

For several years, the game “What? Where? When?" was one of the few programs on Soviet television where you could see clips of popular foreign performers. In the first years, musical breaks were recorded, but since 1982, “live” artists began to be invited. Since 1986, the musical break has been symbolized by three figurines in the form of treble clefs. The team captain had the right to use these pauses up to three times per game at the discretion of the team. In 1990, this rule was abolished, and in 1996, the musical break was appointed by the presenter. Recently, there has been a “Tea Break”, when the manager of the hall brings six cups of tea on a tray and places them on the table.

Music in the game

Music plays an important role in the game. Several songs were dedicated to the TV game: the song “I Want to Know Everything” by the vocal-instrumental ensemble “Jolly Fellows.”

The song “Vivat, King!” singer Tamara Gverdtsiteli gave the club a gift for its twentieth anniversary.

"What? Where? When?" has become so popular that her music is associated only with the game show. The main melody that plays in the game's intro is introductory part to the symphonic poem by R. Strauss “Thus Spake Zarathustra”.

At the beginning of the game, a fragment of Hermann's aria from the opera " Queen of Spades"(What is our life? A game!").

Previously, Countess Loretta’s aria from A. Gretry’s opera “Richard the Lionheart” was also used. Often the Yello duet’s composition “Homage To The Mountain”, which opens the album “Baby”, was played as an introduction. The final game of the year features the Philips theme, “Cosmic Wind.”

During the game, when the top is spinning, the composition “Wild Horse” performed by Dixieland Albert Melkonov (author of the composition is Gennady Bondarev) is heard; between rounds, arrangements of fragments from “An American in Paris”, compositions “Blues” by George Gershwin, jazz medleys, music are sometimes heard G. Verdi.

When the assistants take out an object or a black box, the composition Ra-ta-ta performed by James Last is played, and at the end of the program we hear “Dance of Death” by Saint-Saëns. When the “zero” sector fell out, the composition “Doop” was played, processed by Jean Lejeux Station Edit.

Awards

The “Sign of the Owl” was awarded to the best player of the 1980 final, Alexander Byalko.

"Crystal Owl" was introduced in 1984.

The owner of the first such owl was Nurali Latypov. Currently awarded in each series of games to the best player from the experts' team or the best player from the TV viewers' team (depending on whose team won); until 1990, it was awarded once a year to the best expert and the best television viewer.