Most of us have a passing familiarity with the Press Your Lucks and $25,000 Pyramids of game-show history, but there are countless other gems that, for whatever reason, have faded from memory.

Since the game show is TV’s most ephemeral genre, its fans have an especially active community on YouTube. The uploaders—a mix of hardcore tape traders and casual fans who happened upon an old VHS trove—have brought back to light shows that, in some cases, haven’t aired anywhere for decades. In this series, I’ll take a look at a few forgotten would-be classics that I think hold up well.

Split Second

Host: Tom Kennedy

Originally aired: 1972-1975. (A later version, hosted by Monty Hall, was syndicated in the mid ’80s.)

Forgotten because: Most episodes were, as far as anybody knows, destroyed because ABC recycled the master tapes. Its 1980s remake was underwhelming.

What makes it great: Speed. The “lightning round” is a game-show cliché, yet not many shows have used it to full effect like Split Second did. The show acts like one long lightning round, with a format that practically guarantees an exciting finish. Each question has three correct answers, and the value of a correct answer goes up if your opponents miss. The money is secondary, though, as players are just jockeying for position in the final showdown.

It's a so-so idea with flawless execution. The questions are creatively written, and the direction is really tight. That quick pan from Kennedy to the board, used throughout, is the type of camerawork that gives the show some juice. You don’t see it much on modern game shows, perhaps because it can get over-the-top and cheap-looking, but Split Second’s director nails it.

Kennedy is an interesting case. I'd say he's easily one of the top five emcees ever, but he’s remembered much less than contemporaries like Dick Clark, Bill Cullen, etc. One major reason is that his signature show, Name That Tune, never sees new life in reruns because of music licensing issues.

Split Second’s Achilles heel was its bonus round. The trouble with such an exciting main game is that it’s a tough act to follow. Creators Stefan Hatos and Monty Hall punted with a “here’s a key, now pick a car and see if it starts!” round. Lame.

Further viewing:

• The conclusion of the show posted above. The sound and video sync is way off, which always drives me nuts, and it’s especially galling on a quick show like this. Try the poor man’s A/V synchronizer: Open a second copy of the video in another tab and turn the sound all the way down. Play them both, watching the silent one. When the video gets ahead of the audio, pause it for a second until the audio catches up.
  
  This is an exciting episode; the champion on the left is going for a guaranteed car after losing the bonus round four days in a row, but he runs into some trouble by some upstart named, no kidding, Valiant. Even Kennedy gets caught up in the action and has to calm himself down. Split Second at its best.
• An earlier episode, in black and white and mighty blurry, but the audio’s in good shape, so you get a better feel for the pace:
  Here are parts two and three.