\"Get Ready to Match the Stars! Michael Landon...Vicki Lawrence...Jack Klugman...Jo Ann Pflug... Richard Dawson...and Anita Gilette, as we play the star-studded, big-money, Match Game '73!
And now, here's the star of Match Game '73, Gene Rayburn!\"
These words, uttered by Johnny Olson, ushered in a new era of game shows on television. Match Game was revamped and revived on television with annual updates, risqué questions, and wacky panelists. It was this formula that gave this show the top spot in daytime television until \"The Price Is Right\" took over in 1978.
Match Game has done a lot over the years. It helped give birth to Family Feud, helped Richard Dawson to stardom with the aforementioned show, and made Gene Rayburn a household name.
The success of the CBS daytime version helped bring about Match Game PM, a weekly syndicated show with increased jackpots and more suggestive humor. This version ran from 1975 to 1980.
After CBS canceled their daytime edition in 1979, the door was opened to a daytime syndicated version that ran from 1979 to 1982. The Gene Rayburn era had ended.
Two more versions surfaced, but neither could capture the magic and wit of the original and was canceled within a year.
That is it on my retrospective on MG. Please feel free to chime in on your thoughts!
The Inquisitive One
