Games - Match Game

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	Games - Match Game

Match Game was a long-running American television game show in which contestants teamed with celebrities trying to answer fill-in-the-blank questions. The most famous versions of the 1970s and 1980s involved contestants trying to match six celebrities.

Broadcast history

The Match Game premiered December 31, 1962 continuing through September 26, 1969 on NBC for 1760 episodes. Although the general premise was the same, the rules of this version were significantly different from those of later versions and the subject matter was much more staid and tame.

CBS, which had brought back fellow game show staple The Price Is Right
in 1972, revived The Match Game on July 2, 1973 as Match Game '73. For the next several seasons, the title would be updated to reflect the year.

Ratings were initially poor, and CBS issued a cancellation notice to the show's producers. However, it was not then a common network practice to yank failing shows off the air at the same moment their fate had been decided. Thus, "Match Game" was expected to run out the string on its original commitment of episodes before leaving the schedule. At this point, the creative staff (notably Dick DeBartolo) asked whether the writers could inject some outrageous and suggestive humor into the bland questions, since the show would soon be off the air anyway. The producers agreed. As the content transformed into the "naughty" variety most people remember the show for, ratings suddenly improved, and CBS "un-cancelled" the series. "Match Game" would thereafter become the highest-rated show in daytime from 1974 to 1976.

CBS finally canceled the show on April 20, 1979 as Match Game '79 after 1445 episodes due to various time slot changes and Richard Dawson's leave. The show continued production without the year in the title and entered daily syndication the next fall, even airing on many CBS affiliates. The daily syndicated show ran until September 10, 1982, although reruns aired on some stations in the 1985-1986 Season.

The weekly syndicated nighttime version, Match Game PM ran from September 8, 1975 to September 13, 1981. After 1979, the two syndicated versions weren't packaged together and in some instances, could be seen on different stations in the same market.

Reruns of the CBS and Rayburn-syndicated versions currently air on the Game Show Network (GSN).

Programming History

December 31, 1962-September 26, 1969, NBC. Weekdays at 4:00PM (This version only ran for 25 minutes).
July 2, 1973-August 15, 1975, CBS. Weekdays at 3:30 PM.
August 18-November 28, 1975, CBS. Weekdays at 3:00 PM.
September 8, 1975-September 13, 1981, syndicated. Weekly.
December 1, 1975-November 4, 1977, CBS. Weekdays at 3:30PM.
November 7-December 16, 1977, CBS. Weekdays at 11:00 AM.
December 19, 1977-April 20, 1979, CBS. Weekdays at 4:00 PM.
September 10, 1979-September 10, 1982, syndicated. Daily.
July 16, 1990-July 12, 1991, ABC. Weekdays at 12Noon.
September 1998-September 1999, syndicated. Daily.

(all times are EST)

.

The Revivals

Beginning October 31, 1983 two game shows were revived and made up the hybrid NBC's The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour
, a daytime series that ran until July 27, 1984. Two unsuccessful revivals were attempted in the 1990s: from July 16, 1990 to July 12, 1991 on ABC and during the 1998-1999 season in syndication.

In 2006 the series will be bought back as one of seven game shows being used in "Game Show Marathon," which will air on CBS. Ricki Lake will serve as host, with Betty White and George Foreman signing on as panelists for this portion of this seven-week program.

Hosts and celebrity panelists

Gene Rayburn hosted all versions of the show through 1984. Ross Shafer hosted the 1990 version, and Michael Burger hosted the 1998 version.

Charles Nelson Reilly and Brett Somers were regular celebrity panelists through most of the 1973-82 version's run (they would customarily sit on the top right and top center seats, respectively); Richard Dawson was also a regular from 1973 through 1978 (his customary seat was bottom center). Game show hosts such as Bob Barker, Bert Convy, Tom Kennedy, Bill Cullen, Peter Marshall and Allen Ludden made occasional appearances as panelists. Other frequent panelists from this era included Bart Braverman, Joyce Bulifant, Gary Burghoff, Bill Daily, Patti Deutsch, David Doyle, Patty Duke Astin, Fannie Flagg (usually sat bottom right), Holly Hallstrom, Elaine Joyce, Vicki Lawrence, Dick Martin, Louisa Moritz, Lee Meriwether, Jo Ann Pflug, Nipsey Russell, Avery Schreiber, Debralee Scott, Connie Stevens, Kaye Stevens, McLean Stevenson, Marcia Wallace and Betty White.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Match Game ]

Games - Match Game

Broadcast history

Programming History

The Revivals

Hosts and celebrity panelists

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