Former football player Rolf Benirschke hosted the daytime show until NBC dropped it on JBob Goen became its host when it moved to CBS on July 17 of that year. Sajak left the daytime show on January 9, 1989, to do a nighttime talk show for CBS that would fail after one year. Vanna White replaced Susan Stafford as hostess in December 1982. The theme song used from 1975 to July 1983 is called 'Big Wheels' by Alan Thicke.Ĭhuck Woolery left Wheel on December 25, 1981, after a salary dispute with Merv Griffin three days later, Pat Sajak replaced him. After Clark passed away in 1988, Los Angeles-area disc jockey MG Kelly briefly filled in until O'Donnell was able to take over permanently. Announcer Charlie O'Donnell has been 'the voice of the Wheel' since episode one in 1975, save for a few years in the 1980s when Jack Clark announced due to O'Donnell's obligations to other shows. Woolery was the show's original host, and Susan Stafford was the original hostess.
Wheel debuted on January 6, 1975, on NBC it was put on the air as compensation for cancelling Jeopardy! (which Griffin produced) with one year remaining on its contract. The theme song used in the 1974 pilot was 'Give It One' by Maynard Ferguson. In early pilot Wheel was called Shopper's Bazaar Edd Byrnes and Chuck Woolery hosted pilot episodes in 1974.
