MATCH GAME 05Get ready to match the stars! |
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HISTORY OF THE MATCH GAMES
The original version of Match Game appeared on NBC December 31, 1962. This version was played differently than the 70's version. There was two teams composed of a celebrity guest and two studio contestants, and they would try to match answers to a questions to earn points. If two players matched, the team would earn twenty-five points. If all three players matched, they would earn fifty points. The first team to reach one hundered points won the game and earn $100. Then the contestants would go on to an audience match, and each correct response would earn the contestants $50. A home player game was introduced in 1967 where a person at home called in and would have a chance at winning a jackpot. The caller would have a chance to match a member of a studio audience. If they matched, they would win the jackpot and split it. If they didn't, the jackpot would increase $100 each day up to $500. On September 26, 1969, NBC cancelled Match Game along with three other game shows. On May 19, 1973, a pilot for a new version of Match Game was taped. The pilot was successful and Match Game 73 appeared on CBS on July 2, 1973. There were two studio contestants and a panel of six celebrities, and the contestants would try to match answers to a fill-in with the six celebrities. After two rounds were played, the contestants with the most matches would go on to a Super Match. During the Super Match, three celebrities chosen by the contestant would give there best response to the audience match. The best answer was worth $500, the second best reponse was worth $250, and the third $100. What ever the contestant won during the Super Match would be multiplyed by ten giving a contestant a chance to win up to $5,000 in a head to head match with one celebrity the contestant chooses. If they matched, the contestant would win the jackpot. Match Game 73 became a big hit, and Match Game became the number one daytime game show until 1978. On September 8, 1975 a syndicated night time version of Match Game called Match Game PM Sadly, on April 20, 1979, Match Game 79 was cancelled. Numerous time slot changes in the late 1970s caused the cancellation of Match Game. Another reason the show fell was because Richard Dawson had left the show in 1978 and many people followed him on Family Feud, which was on a rival network, ABC. In the fall of 1979, Match Game returned in syndication, but without the year on the logo. The show only lasted a few years. The last episode of Match Game aired in September of 1982. Match Game PM went off the air September of 1981. Gene Rayburn and Match Game was not gone for long. NBC came up with a good idea on making a revival of not one but two great game shows, and then placing them together to make a one hour star studded game show called the Match Game Hollywood Squares Hour! which went on the air October 31, 1983. Gene Rayburn was the host of the Match Game half, but for some oddball reason, Jon Bauman hosted the Hollywood Squares part. Two contestants would play Match Game and would have three chances to match the stars. The winner would go on to play Hollywood Squares against yesterdays champion. There were six celebrities during Match Game, but to play Hollywood Squares you needed nine stars. When it was time to play Hollywood Squares, three more stars would come in and be part of the panel. The winner of the Hollywood Squares part would go on to play the Super Match for a chance to win up to $30,000. After the audience match, the contestant would pick a celebrity who might have the card that said 30. Some celebrities had cards that said 10 and 20, but only one had a card that said 30. Whatever number the celebrity had, it would be multiplyed by 10 giving the contestant a chance to win up to $30,000. The contestant would also have to match that celebrity. The show was not a great success due to the soap stars (which were not funny), the lack of Hollywood Squares regulars, plus Mark Goodson insisted that the responses to the celebritie's answers during the Hollywood Squares part should not be scripted. This led to bad jokes from celebrities. The original Hollywood Squares and the new Hollywood Squares had the jokes to the answers scripted. The show was cancelled on July 27, 1984. It was the last time Gene Rayburn would host any version of Match Game. In 1990, a pilot was taped for Match Game (90) for ABC. Bert Convy hosted the pilot, but he would be unable to host the show because of his cancer, which later caused his death in 1991. Ross Shafer would host the show which premiered on ABC July 16, 1990. Gene Wood was the announcer of this version because Johnny Olson had past away five years earlier. For a few weeks it was a Match Game Reunion, because Charles Nelson Reilly and Brett Somers had teamed up again and became panelists for the first time since 1982. This version of Match Game added a new feature called Match-Up. One celebrity would have 30 seconds to try to guess what the contestant had put down from the two answer choices. Each correct answer earned the contestant $50. The wheel was on this version too, and the same format went just like the daytime version of Match Game in the late 70's. Due to the noon time slot, which ABC gave the option for local channels to use the time slot for local news or Match Game, most local channels chose to show the news over Match Game. Because many major markets chose to show the news, Match Game was not seen in many cities and if there are no viewers, there is no show. Match Game was cancelled on July 12, 1991. Then on September 21, 1998, Match Game (98) went on the air in syndication. The show was hosted by Michael Burger with regular panelists Vicki Lawrence, Judy Trunda, Nell Carter, and George Hamilton. The game was played just like the 70's version, but instead of choosing A of B the show had categories, which could have caused a disadvantage to the contestants. The Super Match was played just like Match Game 73-77, which gave a contestant a chance to win up to only $5,000. Because the show was in syndication, most channels aired Match Game during overnight time slots. WGN Chicago had Match Game on at 5:30am and KDNL St.Louis had Match Game on 2:30a.m. Some channels like WOIO Cleveland however had the show on at 10:00 a.m., but the show did not work out and Match Game 98 went off the air in 1999. This has been a look at the history of the Match Games. Some of the infomation on Match Game came from the Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows 2nd edition. Also thanks to Ryan Dziadosz from MATCH GAME MANIA for helping me out by giving me some more Match Game info. Thanks!
MEET THE
REGULARS FROM Richard Dawson was the first regular panelist on Match Game. Richard had stared in the television show Hogan's heroes before Match Game PM. Richard was the guy that most people went to on the head to head match. He always knew the $500 response! Mark Goodson decided to make him the host on the spin off of Match Game, Family Feud. Dawson left the show in 1978. Brett Sommers was the next one to join a short time later after her husband, Jack Klugman, agreed to appear on the show as long as Brett would appear a short time later. Jack did not work out, but Brett became very popular on the show and she stayed on the show until the series ended in 1982. Charles Nelson Reilly was the last one to join in 1974. Charles is a Broadway actor and director and had done a Broadway show with Gene Rayburn. Charles would leave every once in a while to do Broadway shows but Charles would always return. Charles stayed on the show till the series ended in 1982.
Richard Dawson ........Brett Sommers.......Charles Nelson Reilly
Gene Rayburn Then of course there is that wonderful host GENE RAYBURN! He was the person who made it all happen. Gene was a panelist on THE NAMES THE SAME, and TO TELL THE TRUTH. Gene also co-hosted the Match Game Hollywood Squares Hour. Gene sadly died on November 29,1999 at his home in New York City, he was 81. Gene, we will all miss you. Gene will be known as one of the greatest game show host of all time. |
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