In the early nineties, viewers, not yet spoiled by the variety of television programs, young and old sat in front of their screens on Friday evenings to watch a program in which the most ordinary people from Russian cities and villages competed in ingenuity and erudition, spinning a drum and spelling out the hidden word. and taking home the joy of winning or the bitterness of defeat. How old is “Field of Miracles,” a program that has been on television for generations? And could its creators have imagined that it would stay on the air for so long and continue to be at the top of the ratings even after the appearance of new, more popular TV shows?
Making a game show
So how old is “Field of Miracles,” a program familiar to us since childhood? This TV show was first released in 1990, or more precisely on October 26th. It is on this day, Friday, at 20.00, that one of the longest and most popular TV games begins. The young, talented and ambitious Vladislav Listyev, together with Anatoly Lysenko, who was then the head of the youth editorial office of Central Television, revised and adapted the script for the American game “Wheel of Fortune,” invented and embodied by Merv Griffin. One of the main differences was that Wheel of Fortune had several presenters, while Field of Dreams had only one. Listyev himself became it. Having conceived and realized “Field of Miracles,” he enthusiastically carried out the first issue himself. And this enthusiasm was enough for a year. Despite the fact that the popularity of the show was very high and the interest of the audience only grew over time, Listyev wanted to expand his horizons. Therefore, he set out to implement new projects, handing over the reins to Leonid Yakubovich.
The essence of the game is quite simple: there are three trios of players playing in turns, then the winners from each trio play among themselves, and then a super game follows, which the finalist has the right to refuse and take the prizes or play it and also receive a super prize. Each player spins the now famous black and white reel and, depending on the value rolled, either guesses the letter or the move moves on. There are, of course, a lot of exceptions - this is the “Prize” sector, and the “Zero” sector, and “Bankrupt”, and two boxes for three correctly guessed letters... But the main essence of the game is to guess the word before your rivals. During the process, the players express themselves as best they can - they say hello to their relatives, perform dance or circus acts, sing, recite poems and, of course, give gifts to the presenter. Gifts from players are one of the main traditions of the game. Souvenirs can be anything, but it is desirable that they have the flavor of the area where the guest came from, or that they are made or prepared with your own hands. All gifts are sent to the Capital Show Museum.
First presenter - Vlad Listyev
The creator of the game show also became its first presenter. Vladislav Listyev was born in Moscow in 1956. He was a talented journalist, presenter, and entrepreneur with business acumen. He was one of those who stood at the origins of the creation of the VID television company, whose emblem, appearing on the screen, often frightened children. Listyev remained the host of his brainchild for only a short time, from 1990 to 1991. At that time he was already known thanks to the socio-political program “Vzglyad”, and after “Field of Miracles” he went to conquer new heights. He created such programs as “Theme” and “Rush Hour”, he was successful, popular and loved by the audience. He was often invited to KVN as a member of the jury. Then came the peak of his career at the VID television company - he became its president. And again he decided to go further, in 1995 he was appointed to the post general director ORT channel. And just a month after the appointment, on March 1, 1995, a tragedy occurred - Vladislav Listyev was killed.
TV game "Field of Dreams"- one of the first programs of the VID television company (the domestic version of the American program “Wheel of Fortune”) first appeared on Channel One (at that time ORT) on Thursday, October 25, 1990.
The first host of the game show " Field of Dreams“was Vladislav Listyev (one of the creators of the “Field of Miracles” project). The creators borrowed the name of the show “Field of Miracles” from the fairy tale about Buratino by Alexei Tolstoy.
Since November 1, 1991, he became the host of the “Field of Miracles” show Leonid Yakubovich. Models (girls and men) act as Yakubovich’s assistants.
Rules of the TV game Field of Miracles
The rules of the “Field of Miracles” show are quite simple and have remained virtually unchanged for a long time. The host of the “Field of Miracles” show, Leonid Yakubovich, thinks of a word (hidden on the scoreboard) and gives clues to the participants as the game progresses.
Players take turns spinning the reel, the arrow of which can stop not only on the number of points, but also on a special sector (prize, plus, million, chance - calling a friend, etc.) in each of the three rounds, three people participate, and then three winners compete with each other in the final game, and its winner, if he wins the super game, receives the main prize from the “Field of Miracles” show.
Changes in the studio of the TV game Field of Miracles
Over the 19 seasons of the show “Field of Miracles,” the studio has undergone changes more than once.
In 1990, the studio of the “Field of Miracles” show was dark blue, the drum was of a simple, unpretentious shape, with external handles that looked like hooks and with arrows indicating sectors, a scoreboard with black letters.
In 1991, the inscription “ Field of Dreams", and on the scoreboard there are blue letters.
From 1993 to 1995 - the drum has become a little smaller, with an arrow, like a compass, and several vertical handles, maximum amount points on the reel - 750 and also - the music has changed. The scenery of the studio for the “Field of Miracles” show was bluish, with multi-colored splashes.
In 1995, when the screensavers and logo of Channel One changed, the scenery of the “Field of Miracles” show changed again: the stairs along which the participants went down to the studio were blinking, on the sides of the steps there were televisions showing a spinning drum, and the music during the rotation of the drum became different. . On the sides of the scoreboard were installed two images of St. Basil's Cathedral.
Since 2001, due to a change in the image of the program " Field of Dreams", the studio was improved again, making it more modern, a new drum was installed, followed by a plasma TV showing a drum with sectors. In 2005, the drum was replaced with a more patterned one, the music was changed during its rotation, and the design of the studio was not changed anymore.
The recording of 52 minutes of airtime for the game “Field of Miracles” most often lasts more than three hours. In one shooting day, as a rule, four episodes of the game “Field of Miracles” are filmed.
Leonid Yakubovich's phrase at the "Field of Miracles" game: "Prize for the studio!" has already become popular.
Number of game participants " Field of Dreams", who convey greetings to family, friends and sponsors, give Leonid Yakubovich a variety of gifts, telling jokes, reading poetry, dancing or playing musical instruments increases every year.
In 2015, the “Field of Miracles” program celebrated its 25th anniversary!
As a rule, Russian television, theater, film and pop stars participate in the festive or anniversary editions of the “Field of Miracles” show.
From 1997 to 2002 the game " Field of Dreams"(except for the usual Friday evening) was released in repeats on Mondays at 10 am.
“Field of Miracles” airs on Channel One every Friday at 20.00
If you grew up watching the “Field of Miracles” program, I do not recommend reading this text so as not to ruin your children’s naive fantasies. It cannot be said that I ran to the TV every Friday to watch the next episode of the capital show, but due to certain circumstances I somehow had to see the invariably mustachioed Leonid Yakubovich often, who even by that time had become a symbol of Channel One. And before I had no doubt that the capital show is just a well-coordinated work of the scriptwriters, where there is almost nothing alive. However, I only hoped for one thing - that Yakubovich would not read out memorized phrases, but would speak himself. Only in reality everything turned out to be much worse...
And this, oddly enough, seemed like a gift. Of course, all this is for the sake of the age category of the show, because the game itself in the program takes an insignificant amount of time, but every year the game seems more and more plastic and wretched, although I will not hide that as a child I was crazy about it and even wondered with my parents letters... So, according to an article published by Ruposters, the authors of the capital show "Field of Miracles" have been deceiving viewers for many years. The editors of the project themselves buy gifts for participants for Leonid Yakubovich.
Program participant Mikhail Mayer lifted the veil of secrecy over how the filming of “Field of Miracles” actually takes place. According to the man, the editors themselves gave him presents for Yakubovich and forced him to lie about his small homeland.
“There they dressed me up as a gypsy, put on a red shirt, because I was going to sing the song “Guitar” by Uspenskaya. Backstage they told me: “Say that you came from Irkutsk, here are your cranberries, here are mushrooms.” I felt embarrassed, the gifts didn’t seem to be mine . Well, okay... I went out, spun the drum, guessed two letters. They gave me a DVD player and went from there. And Chuna, the town where I lived for 10 years, booed me after this program. For what I said in broadcast that I am from Irkutsk,” said Mikhail Mayer.
Yaroslavl resident Ivan Koptev also confirmed that Yakubovich is given presents prepared in advance by the editors of the show. According to the ex-participant, the edible gifts on the show are all fake, since “Aunt Zina’s borscht” would otherwise go sour on the way from Vladivostok.
“The editors of the program discussed gifting Yakubovich as an obligatory ceremony, already boring to everyone, with each participant separately. I was going to give a painting by the self-taught artist Vasily Bakharev from the city of Danilov, in the Yaroslavl region, and a bag of crackers - I have two correctional colonies near my house But the creative group “Fields of Miracles” also handed me a prison sweatshirt,” Koptev said.
As it turned out, all participants fill out a special form in which they indicate what gifts they are going to bring to the studio. If people have nothing to give, then the editors can choose something themselves - the main thing is that the gift corresponds to the place where the participant came from. Thus, Inna Kameneva was presented in the studio as a resident of Cherepovets, although in fact she is a Muscovite.
“They immediately asked me: “Are you coming with gifts?” I said yes. I immediately planned to bake pies and make a cake. But the editor said that I didn’t have enough vodka. So they bought it for me so that I could give all these gifts to studio," said Kameneva, who participated in the capital show on February 3.
I understand that television is always scripted and staged, there is nothing surprising in this, it just becomes a little sad after such articles, because childhood ends with them. And, by the way, it is completely unclear why people who are already bringing gifts should buy others and come up with other cities? Are there really not enough heroes from different cities? What do you think?
“We invite you to take part in the “Field of Miracles” program. Please contact us by phone." Irina Panasenko re-read the telegram and could not believe her eyes. Get on your favorite TV show?! Maybe this is a prank?
For a mother with many children, Irina has four children - two boys and two girls, living in a village in the Yaroslavl region, this was a real shock.
Going to the game was the dream of my now deceased father. My daughters Masha and Lisa decided to give a gift: together with their friend Vera, they composed a crossword puzzle and sent it to Channel One. All this time they were silent - waiting for the answer to come. Only after that they confessed,” Irina recalls.
At the family council, they decided to try their luck and go, and take with them all the children and their friend Vera, who helped write a crossword puzzle. The children made gifts and learned a song to perform on the show. The adults were thinking about where to get money for the trip. In a family with four children growing up, every ruble counts.
The district administration helped. The head allocated 5,000 rubles for tickets to a large family. We decided to go to the capital by bus, it was cheaper, but it turned out to be more inconvenient. After a long journey, the bus station seemed like paradise. Representatives of the film crew were already waiting for the Yaroslavl residents.
Cordons " Ostankino»
We were provided with a minibus. The children looked out the windows with all their eyes. It was their first time in the capital. Finally we arrived at the Ostankino TV tower,” says Irina. “We were forced to go through strict control: our bags were x-rayed, we ourselves were forced to go through a metal detector, and all our documents were checked several times.
Finally, the long-awaited studio. The Yaroslavl residents were taken to a separate room and asked to wait for the director and show them the gifts they had brought.
Preparing for the shoot took several hours. First, everyone was sent to the make-up artist. They worked on everyone, put their hair and makeup in order and sent them off to breakfast. In a separate room where the participants gathered, there was a table covered with plates of sandwiches and pies.
Then the participants were sent to rehearsal.
- The set is very large, although on TV it seems small. There are huge cameras around, some of them ride on wheels. They explained to us how to spin the drum and where to look while shooting. I never thought that it would be so difficult to film a program,” Irina smiles.
Fifteen minutes before Leonid Yakubovich arrived, the film crew began to fuss. The food was cleared away, the tables were wiped down, the gifts we brought were taken back to their place.
It turned out that Yakubovich really loves order. He is strict with his subordinates, although he is emphatically polite in his communication,” recalls Yaroslavna.
After checking the readiness of the filming site, Leonid Yakubovich came to the participants. The conversation didn't last long. The presenter managed to get to know everyone, ask a couple of questions and joke.
Most importantly, don't worry. Let's just play, it's a show. Enjoy it. People you may not have seen for years will see you. They will be happy for you. Be yourself, was the parting word to the participants.
But when everyone came out onto the platform, flooded with spotlights, not a trace remained of the former calm and confidence.
I had so many words prepared. But I was confused. All I could do was imagine myself and the children,” says Irina.
Was Leonid Arkadyevich surprised by their number?
A little. I think he was more surprised when I told him my salary.
- What is she like?
Almost 6,000 rubles - I work as a teacher-social worker at the Krasnotkatskaya school. He also asked how we live on this. How? Yes, like everyone else! My husband has to work a lot.
My husband told me to take the prize
Irina managed to guess two letters when the game began to present surprises. First, the “Key” sector fell out. The woman was happy, but... the key did not fit the car. Not even five minutes had passed before the “Black Box” appeared on the reel. The bargaining has begun.
10 thousand rubles? - asked Leonid Yakubovich.
Then it hit me like an electric shock. I remembered how in the evening my husband and I discussed that we should take the prize. At this time, the children were screaming, begging them to take the money. And I repeat: “Prize,” and I see their disappointed faces. The fact is that before the game we were warned: “The black box can contain everything - from car keys to a cupcake.” And then Yakubovich takes out the car keys from the box! - Irina laughs.
We filmed the game with the participation of Yaroslavl residents for an hour and a half! But in the end, only 10% of what happened was included in the television version.
The family returned from the program with gifts: plasma TV, three cameras and cell phone. My husband Sergei greeted me at home with flowers and gifts.
A week after the game was shown on TV, the Yaroslavl residents went to Moscow to pick up the car. The gift from the game was an answer to the prayers of the Panasenko family. Recently, the district administration allocated them a plot of land as a large family. The head of the family built the house himself, but in order to purchase all the building materials, he had to sell two cars.
We purchase products on a wholesale basis. We bring 30-40 packages at a time, so as not to waste time in stores. It was very difficult without a car. And now I have freedom of movement. I can take my daughters to the section, my sons to classes, and go to the store. And once or twice a month, having saved up money for gasoline, we go to neighboring cities and regions on excursions. Previously, we would have stayed at home,” says Irina.
True, you still have to pay tax for your “miracle”. According to approximate calculations by Irina and Sergei, this is 30 thousand rubles. But the family is not discouraged, they will definitely cope with this little thing. By the way, recently another family from the Yaroslavl region became a participant in the program: they won a trip to Bulgaria.
The game takes place in three rounds, each of which involves 3 players.
Leadingthinks of a word(rarely a phrase) indicated on the scoreboard, and during the game gives guiding hints for the participants.
In the early 1990s, there was an “insurance” that consisted of the following: participants called an “accident” (for example: the “Bankrupt” sector fell out twice in a row, not a single correct letter was named, a move was not completed at all, etc.), and , if something happened to the participant that he was “insurable” from, he received a cash prize. In these years, for the first time in a TV game, each top three, final and super game was held by independent companies.
Players take turns spinning the reel. Sectors with different numbers of points may appear on the reel, which the player will receive if they guess the letter, or special sectors:
- Prize (P)- the player can choose: to continue the game or drop out of it, but receive a prize hidden in a black box. The host bargains with the player for a prize, which can be any item (from car keys, a TV, a player, a check for $10,000 to a pumpkin, an onion, a toy car, slippers). Also, instead of a black box, you can take a cash prize (the player chooses the amount himself). If the player refuses the prize, then it is considered that the player got a sector with 2000 points.
- Plus (+)- the player can open any letter in the account (if this letter appears several times, then all of them are opened).
- Chance (Sh)- the player can call the phone (the number is given by a random viewer in the studio) to get an answer or a hint. If the person at the other end of the line answers correctly, they will send him a prize. If a player refuses this sector, it is considered that he got a sector with 1500 points. Currently, the “Chance” sector is displayed on the reel with the image of a telephone.
- Key- the player is given 6 keys, one of which is for the car. The player selects one of these keys and tries to open the car door with its help. If the key fits, the player takes the car, if not, he continues to play. Moreover, you can refuse this sector, and then the presenter offers 2000 points for the guessed letter. But if a player uses a sector and chooses the wrong key, then the turn goes to another player. Next, the assistant comes up and shows that there really is a key to the car. Currently, the “Key” sector is displayed on the reel with the image of a key.
- Bankrupt (B)- the points scored by the player are burned, and the turn passes to the next player. If the “Bankrupt” sector appears twice, the player is given an incentive prize.
- Zero (0)- the points scored do not expire, but the move is transferred to another player.
- x2- the player’s points are doubled if he names the letter correctly (if there are two letters, then it is tripled, if there are three, it is multiplied by 4, etc.)
Unused and temporary sectors:
- At the end of 1991, the drum used a sector Fant (F), the player fulfilled the leader's wishes.
- Since February 1992 there was a sector Alternative (A), the player was given a word of 6 letters, the player rolled the dice 6 times, the number that came up meant the letter in the account that should open, and after that the player had to name the word in order to play further. If he did not say this word, the move was passed to the next player.
- During New Year's time the sector was used New Year with a snowflake on the drum.
- Also from 1993 to 2001 there was a sector Capital (K)(before the monetary denomination in 1998 it was called Million (M)), when the player was given two bags: one with bagels, the other with money, and he chose the one that, as he believed, contained three million rubles (after denomination - three thousand rubles). If a player chose a bag with bagels, then he took the bagels and the turn passed from him to another player, if a bag with money, then he took the money, and he still had the right to move, while the participant could name any letter.
- In 1998-2001 the sector was used Scoreboard (T), the player opened special squares on the scoreboard, hoping to find a prize.
- In December 2002, the “Good Friends” competition was held. Within a month, the program received letters in which viewers told what their loved ones dreamed of. On December 30, 2002, in the New Year's episode aired, letters from viewers were read by the hosts of Channel One entertainment programs Maria Kiseleva (“The Weak Link”), Maxim Galkin (“Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”), Valdis Pelsh (“Lord of Taste”, “Russian roulette"), Leonid Yakubovich ("Field of Miracles").
- Sometimes there are also sectors from sponsors, and when they appear, prizes are awarded. From December 1995 to 1997, the sector " Unistroy", for the opportunity to get a new apartment, and in the thousandth issue, held on December 30, 2009, there was a sector “ Nescafe"- new sponsor of the program. In several issues there was a sector " One hundred beauty recipes" In the issue dated November 23, 2012, there was a sector “ Continent" The main prize was a TV.
- In the March 7, 2013 issue, there was a holiday sector " March 8", and the participant received a prize.
- Since October 4, 2013, there has been a sponsorship sector " NanoPlast" The move remained with the participant, and he received a prize. Also, sometimes the presenter gives a patch to elderly people.
- In one of the 2014 issues there was a sector “ Pyaterochka" Also in this issue we celebrated the birthday of the Pyaterochka store.
- 25 . If the player got this sector, he was awarded 25,000 rubles.
- On October 30, 2015, in honor of the 25th anniversary of the program, there was a sector 1990 . If the player got this sector, he was given a food set made in 1990.
- On October 30, 2015, in honor of the 25th anniversary of the program, there was a sector 2015 . If the player got this sector, he was given a modern food set.
Next, the player names a letter of the Russian alphabet, which he believes is present in the hidden word. If there is such a letter, then it opens on the scoreboard, and the player receives the dropped number of points (if there are several such letters, all are opened, and points are awarded for each), and can spin the reel again. The letters “E” and “Ё”, “I” and “Y” are counted as one letter. If the answer is incorrect, the turn goes to the next player. The number of points is not displayed anywhere, and the amount scored by the final winner is announced by the presenter. In the early 1990s, the number of points would sometimes appear on the screen in the event of a scoring move.