Me: "I'm gonna tackle the Australian and New Zealand versions!"
Also Me: (tackles a version whose language he doesn't understand outside of a few words)
So here's
La Roue Chanceuse, the French-Canadian version of
Wheel.
I don't know how much background info each international version should get on the Compendium (though I see there's a single page for all the international versions; yeah, that's a bad idea given how much is online/recapped from the British and Australian versions alone), but here's some stuff:
* Name is French for "The Lucky Wheel".
* Hosted by Donald Lautrec and Lyne Sarrazin.
* Aired Mondays to Saturdays on TQS.
* Lifespan: May 1, 1989 - approx. August 29, 1992. (Last paper in Newspapers' archives that includes a TV listing is dated 8/29/92, a Saturday.)
* Set, music, and logo are mimics of the US 1986-89 daytime set, being recognizable but not exact. (Reg Grundy, that you?)
** Set altered in 1990 or '91 to move the turntable, change the set backdrop and contestant backdrops to chevron-esque designs, and give the Wheel a yellow center and a rather different font. While two promos are around from this period, they don't show any puzzles.
* All displayed money amounts use no commas (barring some of the pricetags) and have the dollar sign at the end. This seems to have been common with French-Canadian games.
* Bonus puzzles are right-justified.
* Notable gameplay stuff:
** Shopping format used through at least part of 1991.
** Rounds 2 and 3+ carry over the top values from prior rounds, complete with distinctive appearances (see below).
** Final Spin value is determined by the arrow of the player in control. There can be multiple Speed-Ups in a single game. Dings and buzzes are used for correct and incorrect letters.
** Bonus Round uses the five-and-a-vowel format. Changed from "pick your prize" to blind draw sometime in 1989, using a six-envelope version of the "W-H-E-E-L" envelope holder ("L-A-R-O-U-E" here).
* Some promos used the show's theme, while others used a localized version of "I'm A Wheel Watcher" (yes, really). No clue if the latter was ever used on the show, though.
* Had two board games: a standard version (based on Pressman's 4th Edition) in 1989, and a Version Junior (based on Pressman's Junior Edition) in 1990. Noted since we could pull puzzles from the board games for the Compendium.
* No, seriously, are we sure Grundy wasn't involved here?
* 1989: ? (female)/? (female)/Michel
Monument (R1?): LE MUSEE DE LA CIVILISATION DE QUEBEC
[Notes: clips seen in a 2006 retrospective of TQS shows. Wheel minimum is 100$ with a top value of 500$ in Round 1, which I note because
this promo shows an R1 layout with 50$ and 75$ spaces plus a top value of 750$.]
* 1989: Charles/Suzanne/Normand (champ retired last time with 12550$)
Lieu: LES JARDINS DE TIVOLI
Expression: PERDRE SON SANG-FROID
Titre: LA GRANDE VADROUILLE
*Bonus Round* Lieu: LA MALBAIE
[Notes: top values are 500$/750$/1000$ by this point, using white glittery lettering on unique wedge colors. Prior to this, they used a standard wedge color and the same black lettering as the other spaces.]
* 10/ or 11/89: Ghyslen/Christian (9550$)/Danielle
Ēvēnement: LA CUEILLETTE DES POMMES
Titre: LE MISSISSIPPI BRULE
Groupe: LES SCOUTS DU CANADA
Ēvēnement: GLISSEMENT DE TERRAIN
*Bonus Round* Lieu: AFGHANISTAN
[Notes: blind draw Bonus Round in place by this point. One advert in the available copy is for a sale ending "4 novembre 1989". Set has pumpkins in various places.]
* 11/6/89: Alain (13800$)/Denis/Richard
Titre: ON NE VOIT PAS LE TEMPS PASSER
Lieu: PONT COUVERT
Personne: UN INGENIEUR ELECTRICIEN
Chose: DES PRODUITS INFLAMMABLES
*Bonus Round* Expression: GUEULE DE BOIS
* 11/89: Denis/France/Celine (2100$)
Expression: CENT METIERS CENT MISERES
Titre: LE BLUES DU BUSINESSMAN
Lieu: LE FAUBOURG A MELASSE
Groupe: LES TRANSPORTEURS CANADIENS
*Bonus Round* Personne: GRAPHOLOGUE
* 1990-91: Lise/Alain/Daniele (5325$)
Expression: DANS LE DOUTE ABSTIENS-TOI
Lieu: UNE AGENCE DE PLACEMENT
Expression: PASSER UNE NUIT BLANCHE
Expression: CROISER LE MARBRE
*Bonus Round* Chose: FOURGONNETTE
[Notes: by this point, the Tour Gratuit (Free Spin) wedge is replaced by a "Tour Libre" token, the backing behind the puzzle board's trilons becomes a solid yellow, and the Bonus Round envelope holder changes from L-A-R-O-U-E to La-R-O-U-E (which may suggest the show was airing five-a-week now) with a different color scheme. Available copy has no last segment, but does give both home games to the players.]
