Fractured Phrases & Words and Music

[thomas_meighan]

Jim Perry's two earliest game shows that I'm aware of both aired on CTV in the mid-1960s and coincidentally both of them bear remarkable similarities to American games that aired concurrently or later. The two in question are "Fractured Phrases" (1965-1967) and "Words and Music" (1966-1967).

Jim hosted the first season of "Fractured Phrases" at CFCF in Montreal beginning in the fall of 1965 and the format seems very much like the Art James series that ran on NBC at the same time, sort of a verbal rebus in which common names or phrases were guessed from other words. At the start of the second season Jim left to host "Words and Music" and was replaced by Les Lye. A description of the series and a photo of the set can be found at
http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/programming/television/programming_popup.php?id=1961

"Words and Music" lasted only a single season and seems not dissimilar to the 1970-71 NBC show--both involved guessing keywords from the lyrics of songs. A picture can be found here:
http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/programming/television/programming_popup.php?id=86

Were there any official connections between the CTV and NBC series, i.e. were they licensed to the Canadian producers (or vice versa)? Or were their
similarities in format entirely coincidental? All four of these shows are quite obscure so I won't be disappointed if there are no definitive answers.

[Matt Ottinger]

Jim Perry, a guitar-playing folk singer

Sorry, brain exploded.  What were you saying?

Seriously, I'm virtually certain that Fractured Phrases was a Canadian version of the American series.  However, the descriptions of the two different Words and Music series are similar but different enough (and several years apart) that they might have developed independently.

[Ian Wallis]

In the '60s it wasn't uncommon for Canadian networks to air their own version of American series.  For example, there was a Canadian version of To Tell the Truth for a while, airing while the American series was still going strong.  After a while it seemed that Canadian networks found it cheaper to just buy rights to air the American series instead of doing their own production.

[DjohnsonCB]

Art James said in a later interview that he wasn't too crazy about "Fractured Phrases", but now the game has been reborn on store shelves--sort of--as Mad Gab.  Who's to say that won't hit TV someday?

[alfonzos]

I remember Words and Music vividly. The first format used three players and the clues were on a the gameboard, a four-by-four grid. A player would choose a clue and who ever would buzz and give the correct answer contained within the song, that person would win the square. The first to win four squares in a row would win.

The format would change to a two-player game. The same gameboard would be used but the squares would be numbered one through sixteen. The Winker, host, would read whatever clue came up next. Whoever game the correct answer would choose a number and that may or may not reveal a letter. The gameboard contained a familiar person, place thing, or phrase of which the letters were in the correct order but not necessarily consecutive. Example: Batman might be
- B - -
- A T -
- - M -
- - A N

I don't remember if there was a bonus game for the winner.

FWIW, I preferred the second format.

[The Ol' Guy]

- B - -
- A T -
- - M -
- - A N

You mean like the end game of the One To Win game recently posted on Video & Audio?

For what it's worth, the game mechanics have been used for three different box games - first in 1991 as Mock My Words, then Babble On, then Mad Gab. Maybe someone out there knows, but I have a sneaky suspicion the same developer just modified the game to change with the times. Still might make an interesting game show for someone like GSN to do. Provided they don't try to dirty it up.