Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour Question

[calliaume]

This came into my head for an interesting reason.  I'm friended on Facebook with Too Close for Comfort actress Lydia Cornell, and she posted a screen shot yesterday from the episode on line - but it was obvious she hadn't seen the show itself in a long time, if ever.  I sent it along, and she was very gracious in reposting it.  (She's still in touch with the rest of the surviving cast, and I don't think she had much video of her with Ted Knight outside of the show itself.)

All of which brings up another question, which Adam Nedeff alludes to in his book on Gene Rayburn:  not a lot of celebs from the original shows appeared on this one, for various reasons.  Some of them were no longer around (Wally Cox, Charley Weaver, Paul Lynde) or persona non grata (Richard Dawson).  George Gobel did appear a couple of times, CNR was on a few times - and that appears to be it.  Was there an overriding reason for the rest of the regulars/recurring from both shows didn't appear, or did it vary?  (Possible reasons:  NBC didn't want certain people, some celebs were good at one game but bad at the other, etc.)

[Matt Ottinger]

Guessing, of course, but it would stand to reason that especially the Squares folks had relationships with Peter Marshall and the original producers that wouldn't have carried over.  These shows were always described as a "party", and a party that's trying to achieve the same thing at a different house is always going to seen a little weird and not as good as the original one.

[JacksonBrowne1980]

if Peter Marshall had hosted the HS portion, ity would have lasted longer

[TLEberle]

I doubt that, given that they still wouldn't have any of the HS regulars, nor the format from the old days, and (from what I recall) it was a place-holder until Santa Barbara was ready.

[BrandonFG]

When I realized this show replaced Fantasy, I thought how odd it would've been to see Peter Marshall go from one show to another, in the same time slot.

But, I don't think the host mattered. IIRC, General Hospital was simply red hot in the ratings at the time.

[parliboy]

if Peter Marshall had hosted the HS portion, ity would have lasted longer

We don't really know that.  While the hosting issues were one problem with the show, it was only one problem.

[clemon79]

We don't really know that.  While the hosting issues were one problem with the show, it was only one problem.

Pat O'Brien, on the other hand, would have saved it. Why, look what happened after he left The Insider*!


* Nine years later

[Fedya]

I always preferred James Cagney to Pat O'Brien, anyway.

[whewfan]

This came into my head for an interesting reason.  I'm friended on Facebook with Too Close for Comfort actress Lydia Cornell, and she posted a screen shot yesterday from the episode on line - but it was obvious she hadn't seen the show itself in a long time, if ever.  I sent it along, and she was very gracious in reposting it.  (She's still in touch with the rest of the surviving cast, and I don't think she had much video of her with Ted Knight outside of the show itself.)

All of which brings up another question, which Adam Nedeff alludes to in his book on Gene Rayburn:  not a lot of celebs from the original shows appeared on this one, for various reasons.  Some of them were no longer around (Wally Cox, Charley Weaver, Paul Lynde) or persona non grata (Richard Dawson).  George Gobel did appear a couple of times, CNR was on a few times - and that appears to be it.  Was there an overriding reason for the rest of the regulars/recurring from both shows didn't appear, or did it vary?  (Possible reasons:  NBC didn't want certain people, some celebs were good at one game but bad at the other, etc.)

I think NBC wanted to have as many stars from their shows as possible on this show, regardless of how well or badly they played the games. Richard Dawson wouldn't have wanted to be on Match Game again anyway, and given Feud was an ABC show, it wouldn't have worked. Perhaps it was due to loyalty too. I think the regulars of the original HS knew that this version didn't have the same feel as none of the stars were given bluff answers or zingers, so they stayed away for that reason.

[calliaume]

I think the regulars of the original HS knew that this version didn't have the same feel as none of the stars were given bluff answers or zingers, so they stayed away for that reason.

George Gobel was on the show twice, but other than not doing the walkthrough during the show open, I have no memory at all of how he did.

[thomas_meighan]

Semi-regulars from the MG side were decently represented; Bill Daily, Jimmie Walker, McLean Stevenson, Marcia Wallace, Dick Martin, Gary Burghoff, Nipsey Russell, Elaine Joyce and Fannie Flagg all appeared on at least one week. Brett didn't participate, but it doesn't seem that she made any TV appearances from 1982 to 1990.

Unless you count Walker, Stevenson and Wallace (along with Gobel), the HS side didn't have as many previous regulars -- although since MGHSH was being packaged by Goodson, it may be that they simply turned to celebs they had booked most often for other shows, and didn't call on those who rarely did Goodson games, like Vincent Price or Charo. Others, like Karen Valentine and Sandy Duncan, seemingly weren't doing many game shows by that point.

[chrisholland03]

Guessing, of course, but it would stand to reason that especially the Squares folks had relationships with Peter Marshall and the original producers that wouldn't have carried over.  These shows were always described as a "party", and a party that's trying to achieve the same thing at a different house is always going to seen a little weird and not as good as the original one.

This is my understanding as well, and likewise for the MG side.  Melding two different parties is always...interesting.

That era at NBC is almost surreal in retrospect.  Definitely entertaining but not for the reasons they were after.

[aaron sica]

That era at NBC is almost surreal in retrospect.  Definitely entertaining but not for the reasons they were after.

Indeed....That same 1983-84 season was the one where not a single one of NBC's new fall shows made it to a second year.

[whewfan]

I think the regulars of the original HS knew that this version didn't have the same feel as none of the stars were given bluff answers or zingers, so they stayed away for that reason.

George Gobel was on the show twice, but other than not doing the walkthrough during the show open, I have no memory at all of how he did.

The one episode I have, he does walk through, although with a cane. I suppose he just stayed in his square in other tapings?

[calliaume]

George Gobel was on the show twice, but other than not doing the walkthrough during the show open, I have no memory at all of how he did.

The one episode I have, he does walk through, although with a cane. I suppose he just stayed in his square in other tapings?

I could be misremembering.  I know Cullen didn't do the walkthrough - perhaps Gobel did for some episodes and not others, or else I'm mixing the two up.

When you look at the bookings list, especially the first few months, it looks like they were trying almost every celebrity they could think of to see what would stick.  Which is fine - except for Dawson, that's basically what they did in 1973.  It just didn't work as well this time out, which was another strike against the program.