Game play
Four contestants competed on each episode of ''Hit Man'' in a quiz based on memory and instant recall. One was either a returning champion or champion-designate, with the other three were challengers who competed for the right to face him/her in the second round. The winner of each game played the bonus round, known as the Triple Crown, for a top prize of $10,000.Round 1
The three challengers watched a short film narrated by Tomarken. Film topics varied widely and included biographies, behind-the-scenes features about specific movies, professions, hobbies, etc. The film was also shown to the returning champion offstage, since the subject matter would also be used for the Triple Crown. After the film ended, Tomarken asked the challengers a series of toss-up questions about its content. Each correct answer moved the challenger one step up a five-step ladder behind him/her, while a miss put the question out of play and froze him/her out of the next one. The first challenger to give five correct answers won $300 and sat out the rest of the round, and the second to do so won $200. These two challengers advanced to the second round; the third one was eliminated from the game and received consolation prizes.Round 2
The champion joined the two remaining challengers onstage, and all three contestants were shown a second film and asked a series of toss-up questions about it. The object this time for all three contestants was to defend a series of hit men assigned to them. The champion was given seven hit men, while the winner and runner-up from the first round received four and three respectively. Each toss-up was played as a head-to-head showdown between the champion and one of the challengers, starting with the winner of the first round. Answering a question correctly caused the opposing contestant to lose a hit man, while answering incorrectly cost the contestant that did so one of his/her own. Each challenger played against the champion until they lost a hit man. Any player who lost all their hit men was eliminated. If either challenger was eliminated from the game, play continued with the champion and the remaining challenger. The champion won the game by eliminating both challengers' hit men. If the champion lost all of his/her own his men, the challenger in control of the game at that time became the new champion.Triple Crown
The champion faced a board of eight columns that contained varying numbers of circles. Two columns each had two, three, and four circles, while one column had one circle and one had five circles. The champion turned his/her back to the board, and the columns were scrambled. The champion had 60 seconds to answer questions based on the day's two films, without turning to face the board. He/she chose a column, and Tomarken began to ask questions. Each correct answer placed a money man in one circle, but a pass or incorrect answer forced the champion to choose a new one. He/she was never told how many answers were needed to fill a chosen column until it had been successfully filled and/or the end of the round. The champion won $1,000 for each of the first two columns filled, or $10,000 for filling three. Champions remained on the show until they were defeated in the second round of the main game or had played the Triple Crown five times.Broadcast history
''Hit Man'' premiered on January 3, 1983, as one of three new game shows on NBC's daytime schedule, along with the new '' Just Men!'' and a revival of '' Sale of the Century'', that the network commissioned to replace the cancelled serials ''International versions
References
External links
* {{IMDb title, id=0136641, title=Hit Man 1983 American television series debuts 1983 American television series endings NBC game shows 1980s American game shows Television series by Jay Wolpert Enterprises Television series by Metromedia American English-language television shows