Look at this studio! Filled with glamorous prizes! Fabulous merchandise, just waiting to be won today on...
Informational Stuff:
Hosts:
Chuck Woolery (1975-1981)
Pat Sajak (1981-1989)
Rolf Benirschke (1989)
Substitute Host: Alex Trebek
Hostesses (letter-turners):
Susan Stafford (1975-1982)
Vanna White (1982-1989)
Substitute hostesses: Summer Bartholomew, Vicki McCarty
Airdates: January 6, 1975-June 30, 1989, NBC
Announcers: Charlie O'Donnell, Jack Clark, MG Kelly
Studio: NBC Studio 4, Burbank
Packager: Merv Griffin Productions/Enterprises
Main Game
Wheel of Fortune is easily one of the
most popular game shows of all time. However, before it's long tenure in the
nighttime, it was a NBC daytime show. Merv Griffin created the show, based on
the popular parlor game "Hangman."
Three player compete. Players spin a big wheel, filled with cash and other
spaces, and then the 
player would pick a letter, with each letter adding to their bank. Also on the
Wheel were "Bankrupt", which took all your money, "Lose a
Turn", which just simply lost your turn, and also "Free Spin"
which would
win a circular card which a player could turn in to not lose their
turn. A player could also lose their turn by picking
an
incorrect letter. Each letter went into the puzzle. The players could pick any consonant,
but vowels were worth $250. The first player to solve the puzzle, used their
winnings in their bank to
go
shopping and purchase various available prizes. 
The
top dollar value in round 1 was $750, round 2 was $1000, and round 3 was $2000.
For a month in 1987, there was a "Jackpot" space on the wheel (not to
be confused with the Jackpot space added to the nighttime version in the
mid-90s). If a player landed on it and solved the puzzle, $1000 was added to
their bank. It grew by $1,000 each day until won. 
If time was running out, a bell would
ring. The host would then spin wheel. The players would then pick letters from
left to right, from wherever they left from. Vowels worth nothing, consonants
worth whatever was spun.
From 1975-1982, the player with the most money would be declared champion and come back on the next show. Starting around the 1982 season, a bonus round was introduced.
Bonus Round
In
the bonus round, the player could pick any prize with a gold star attatched to
it. The object was to solve a puzzle 
and
the player would win that prize. Originally, the player picked 5 
consonants
and a vowel. After a few years, the letters picked began to be the same (R, S,
T, L, N, and E). So it was changed, to giving the players those letters, and
then having the contestant pick three more consonants and one more vowel.
Facts
-Alex Trebek filled in for a week in 1979, for an ill Chuck Woolery.
-Chuck Woolery was the host of Wheel of Fortune from January 6, 1975-December 24, 1981. Chuck left the show after a contract dispute with producer Merv Griffin. Chuck apparently wanted a raise from $250,000 a year to $500,000 a year. Merv only offered $350,000. Chuck didn't want it and walked. Pat Sajak, formerly a weatherman in Chicago and Los Angeles, took over as host. Pat would obviously become the host more famous with Wheel of Fortune (especially with the launch of the syndicated version in September 1983). Pat would host the daytime version of the show until January 1989, when he left to host his own CBS late-night talk show. Merv Griffin then hired former NFL placekicker for the San Diego Chargers, Rolf Benirschke. Rolf is probably most famous for kicking a field goal in the AFC playoffs against the Miami Dolphins, ending one of the longest playoff games in NFL history in 1982. Rolf also survived a form of cancer, which ended his football career. As for their post-Wheel careers, Chuck would go on to host "Scrabble", "Greed", and "Lingo." Pat's talk show bombed, to say the least. But Pat continues his success as the host of "Wheel of Fortune" on the long running syndicated version. Rolf hasn't been much in the news since Wheel, but some say he's embarrassed to ever mention it.
-Susan Stafford, the original hostess, left the show in November 1982. Susan would later go into more voluntary work in the peace corps and various other work. Susan later became involved with producer Dan Enright. Susan remained involved with him until his death. Three substitutes filled in during the weeks after Susan left, Vanna White, Summer Bartholomew, and Vicki McCarty. Vanna obviously would end up getting the job, reaching monumental success in terms of a hostess. Vanna has been featured on many Wheel-related items, including computer games and board games. Many say she's responsible for Wheel's success, and she continues to work on the nighttime Wheel to this day. While not much became of Vicki McCarty, many game show fans remember Summer Bartholomew, who would later get a hostess job on the '80s game show hit, "Sale of the Century".
-The original theme for Wheel of Fortune was called "Big Wheels" by Alan Thicke (yes, that one). It was used from 1975 to around 1983. The new theme song introduced, called "Changing Keys" and composed by Merv Griffin, debuted around '83, and is obviously the more famous Wheel theme. Many game show fans consider the original the superior theme however.
Page 2 of Wheel of Fortune, the Bob Goen version!