One of the things I loved about summer vacation in the 60's (that's a mighty long list!) was the fact that I could get up in the morning and start watching a slew of great TV shows beginning at 9:00 Central Time.
The shows included great kids' fare like Captain Kangaroo, Sesame Street late in the decade, and the local cartoon shows. But another summer treat was watching all of the game shows that were on in that era.
It's taxing my brain cells to the limit to even remember the NAMES of these shows, much less the network and time slot. But when I can recall such tidbits, I'll toss them in.
My very favorite show was the Match Game. It was an afternoon offering. I don't know why it was so appealing to me, but it was the one that I never missed.
Now I'm not talking about the tasteless 70's version. The 60's show didn't feature the provocative clues like Gene Rayburn would feed Charles Nelson Reilly circa 1974. It was much lower key, and darned entertaining to a seven-year-old. Maybe that's why CBS spiced it up so much ;-).
Tom Kennedy was a prolific game show host in the 60's. One show I remember was You Don't Say. It was along the lines of the more famous Password, where you had to guess a clue from a celebrity without hearing it spoken. For all the goods on You Don't Say, you can go here.
To tell the Truth was a show that featured a very familiar closing signoff: "A Mark Goodson-Bill Todman production." The prolific pair created a big pile of game shows before their run ended with Bill Todman's death in 1979. This show would feature a person who had accomplished something that was remarkable, but out of the panelists' view. Celebrities would ask questions of three subjects, the real person and two impostors (I learned that word at a very early age, thanks to this show). They would then guess who was the real deal. The suspense would be prolonged when the real (fill in blank) would be asked to stand up by host Bud Collyer. There would be gestures by all three of standing up before the actual one would reveal his or herself. I remember the panelists of the 60's frequently featuring Tom Poston, Peggy Cass, Kitty Carlisle, and Orson Bean (one of the funniest men who ever lived).
The aforementioned Password was another MG-BT show. Host Allen Ludden held sway over two celebrities who would try to get their John Q. Public teammates to guess a password (and vice-versa). One of the funniest moments ever to happen in afternoon TV was when comedian Nipsey Russell was being prompted by a (Caucasian) lady to say the word "buck." She said, very slowly and carefully pronounced, "doe." Nipsy's innocent, immortal response was "knob."
Reach for the Stars was a trivia show, as I recall, and it involved contestants grabbing stars from a board with questions on their reverse sides. "Reach for the stars!" they were exhorted by its host.
Joe Garagiola hosted Sale of the Century. It was a bit out there. Contestants won small amounts of money by answering questions, and were allowed to spend it on items that were ridiculously cheap, a bedroom suite for 30 bucks, for instance. I believe the winning contestant each round was allowed to shop after each victory, if I remember right.
Man, this is getting out of hand. I'm going to draw this segment to a close, and we'll dig up some more old game shows in the next column.
Comments (6)
When the person on to tell the truth was actually someone famous they'd hide their face behind a mask. Which is what they did when Kitty Carlisle returned after an extended absence due to illness.
Posted by soccer dad | March 28, 2007 11:17 AM
Posted on March 28, 2007 11:17
I loved Match Game! I would even watch the cheesy newer versions. Did you see it with Ricki Lake last year? It was awful but I watched!
Posted by Coolmommy2x | March 28, 2007 1:32 PM
Posted on March 28, 2007 13:32
Game shows were a staple in our house in the 60s. Truth or Consequences, Shennanigans, Beat the Clook, Password, Jeapordy, Let's make a deal, To Tell ther Truth, It's your Life, What's my Line, etc! I liked Tom Kennedy, Tim Cullen, Bob Eubanks, Marty Hall, and Allen Ludden! What is sad now is when you watch all these old shows and many of the hosts and celebrities are all passed on! But thanks heavens we can still watch them! I remember all the neat prizes contestants would win..And we won't talk about that little scandle in the 50s with game show! Ha Ha! Probably my favorite was Truth or Consequences! And Ol Bob Barker still looking good today! Now will the Real Ron Enderland please stand up!!!
Posted by Rivers End | June 9, 2009 9:09 PM
Posted on June 9, 2009 21:09
in my house.
EYE GUESS
CONCENTRATION
PASS WORD
YOU DONT SAY
CELEBRITY SWEEPSTAKES
SALE OF THE CENTURY
VIDEO VILLAGE
MATCH GAME
TRUTH OR CONSEQUINCES
BEAT THE CLOCK
BOWLING FOR DOLLARS
TREASURE HUNT
LETS MAKE A DEAL
DATING GAME*******
NEWLYWED GAME
WHATS MY LINE
JEOPARDY
JOKERS WILD
Posted by vera | January 31, 2010 4:43 PM
Posted on January 31, 2010 16:43
Vera, Welcome to the site! I wish there was a way for all us boomers to forum each other! Glad to see you here on the website! I love your enthusiasum (sp)! You definately are a boomer! Ron has the best site for recollections by far, I think! But just wanted to say Hi and look forward to your posts! Rivers End Born 1959
Posted by Rivers End | January 31, 2010 4:55 PM
Posted on January 31, 2010 16:55
Hmm...Ya know what, Rivers End? A forum may not be a bad idea. Let me look into the ramifications and the geeky parts of setting it up.
Posted by Ron E. | January 31, 2010 5:27 PM
Posted on January 31, 2010 17:27