The show was taped in Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, NBC's largest New York studio, which since 1975 has housed Saturday Night Live, among other shows. The show originally aired in black and white, and moved to color on June 24, 1963.
Full Answer
How many contestants were on Match Game'7?
Gene Rayburn greets two contestants and several million Americans on Match Game '7?/PM. Two contestants, including a returning champion, competed. The champion was seated in the upstage ( red circle) seat and the opponent was seated in the downstage ( green triangle) seat.
Who was the original host of the Match Game?
The Match Game premiered on December 31, 1962. Gene Rayburn was the host and Johnny Olson served as announcer; for the series premiere, Arlene Francis and Skitch Henderson were the two celebrity panelists.
What do you think about Match Game on the Game Show Network?
I liked his rich tone of voice and charm to make the contestants feel comfortable. I always enjoy watching Match Game on the Game Show Network; I kind of wish they'd dump most of their homegrown game shows like Cram, Lingo, and others (except Whammy) and show more 70's and 80's classics like Match Game.
Is Match Game on GSN?
This series exists in its entirety, and it is currently on GSN and Buzzr. Match Game was depicted in a 2012 episode of the Nickelodeon sitcom Victorious called “April Fools Blank”.
Did the celebrities drink on Match Game?
Food and drinks, including alcohol, were provided. Gene Rayburn and the panelists sometimes seem tipsy on Thursday and Friday episodes.
Did Match Game panelists get along?
Among the most popular panelists were Brett and Charles. “Besides being hilarious, they were two of the smartest people I have ever known,” says Fannie. “They got such a kick out of each other and razzed everybody else on the panel mercilessly, and they were particularly relentless on the people they liked.
Are any of the stars from Match Game still alive?
On the other hand, besides White, Fannie Flagg, Elaine Joyce, Jo Ann Pflug and Joyce Bulifant are among the celebrities from the show who are still with us.
Did Richard Dawson and Gene Rayburn get along?
One of his panelists, Richard Dawson, allegedly feuded with Rayburn during production of Match Game (1973) prior to Dawson hosting Family Feud (1976).
Who was the most famous person on Match Game?
Brett Somers She is the queen of Match Game. If you ask people what Somers is known for, 99% of the time, the answer you will get is “Match Game.” It made her a game show icon. Her then husband, Jack Klugman of The Odd Couple fame, suggested her for the series after he appeared on the first week of the program in 1973.
Who was the biggest winner on the old Match Game?
During the six-year run of Match Game on CBS, only one champion, Carolyn Raisner, retired undefeated with $32,600, the highest total ever won on Match Game. On the daily 1979–82 syndicated version, two contestants competed against each other in two games, with two new contestants replacing them afterward.
Is Charles Nelson Reilly still living?
May 25, 2007Charles Nelson Reilly / Date of death
Is Elaine Joyce still alive?
Elaine Joyce (born Elaine Joyce Pinchot; born December 19, 1945) is an American actress....Elaine JoyceYears active1961–presentSpouse(s)Bobby Van ( m. 1968; died 1980) John Levoff ( m. 1985; div. 1992) Neil Simon ( m. 1999; died 2018)Children23 more rows
Is Patti Deutsch still alive?
July 26, 2017Patti Deutsch / Date of death
Is Jean Rayburn still living?
November 29, 1999Gene Rayburn / Date of death
How much did Gene Rayburn make hosting Match Game?
From 1983 to 1984 he hosted Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour. Rayburn was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 1967 for The Match Game and for three Daytime Emmy Awards for Match Game 73 in 1975, 1977, and 1978....Gene Rayburn Net Worth.Net Worth:$4 MillionNationality:United States of America3 more rows
Why did Richard Dawson wear sunglasses?
More bad behavior on set assumed and finally after a while the producers had enough and dismissed Dawson and on his final appearance on Match Game, he was seen wearing dark tinted sunglasses because he scratched his eye and left a scar.
What year was Match Game on NBC?
Related shows. Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour. Blankety Blank. Match Game is an American television panel game show that premiered on NBC in 1962 and has been revived several times over the course of the next six decades.
Who was the host of the Match Game?
Gene Rayburn (center) hosting a prime-time Match Game special episode, 1964. The Match Game premiered on December 31, 1962. Gene Rayburn was the host and Johnny Olson served as announcer; for the series premiere, Arlene Francis and Skitch Henderson were the two celebrity panelists.
How many episodes are there in the best of match game?
A DVD set called The Best of Match Game featuring a collection of more than 30 episodes of the 1970s version including the original 1962 pilot episode (which was originally called The Match Game) was released in 2006. An eight episode collection, called "The Best of Match Game: Dumb Dora Is So Dumb Edition!", was released later on in 2007 by BCI Eclipse Company LLC (under license from FremantleMedia Enterprises ), which contained 8 original episodes, uncut and un-edited, and digitally restored, re-mastered and transferred from the original 2-inch videotape recording masters for optimum video quality.
What song was used in the Match Game?
Match Game featured several theme songs throughout its various runs. From 1962 to 1967, Bert Kaempfert 's instrumental " A Swingin' Safari " was used as the theme, a slightly different rendition ( Billy Vaughn 's cover of the same song) was used on the pilot. From 1967 to 1969, a new theme composed by Score Productions was used.
How many editions of the NBC game were made?
Starting in 1963, Milton Bradley made six editions of the NBC version. Each game contained crayons, wipe-off papers, 100 perforated cards with six questions per card, a plastic scoreboard tray with colored pegs and chips, and 6 "scribble boards". After the first edition, the vinyl scribble boards and crayons were replaced with six "magic slates" and wooden styli.
When did the head to head match happen?
Once the wheel stopped, the contestant attempted to match with the indicated celebrity. If the wheel did not make at least one complete revolution, the contestant was required to spin again.
Who narrates the real match game?
On November 26, 2006, GSN aired an hour-long documentary titled The Real Match Game Story: Behind The Blank, narrated by Jamie Farr. The documentary features rarely seen footage of the 1960s version, many odd or memorable moments from the main 1973–82 runs, and interviews with Rayburn (his final interview before his death in 1999), Somers, Dawson, DeBartolo, producer Ira Skutch, and others involved in the show's production.
Storyline
Game show in which 6 guest stars (which change from week to week) are given a humorous phrase with one word missing. The stars write down a word they think would be most appropriate for the missing word, and then two contestants try to guess what the stars have chosen. A point is given for each correct match, and the one with the most points wins.
Did you know
Brian Billick was a contestant on Episode #3.19 (1978). At the time, he was a college assistant coach who had been cut from an NFL team. After losing the game, Richard Dawson joked, "Failed at football, failed at Match Game.
Contribute to this page
By what name was Match Game 73 (1973) officially released in India in English?
What episode of Match Game 77 did Richard Dawson and Debralee Scott revolt?
Match Game '77 “School Riot” episode is one of them, in which Debralee Scott and Richard Dawson revolt when the judges did not accept “Finishing School” as a match for “School” was ranked as #82 on the list.
What is match game?
Match Game (7x/P.M.) was the comedy game show where celebrities match contestants and vice versa, simply by filling in the blanks. If the contestants do it very well, they win lots of money.
What is the match game on RuPaul's Drag Race?
The reality series RuPaul's Drag Race has played a version of Match Game, called "Snatch Game", since season two. The queens imitate their favorite celebrities and sit on the panel, while two celebrity contestants, usually the special guest judges for that episode, try to fill in the blanks and match the queens.
Why wasn't the game played in the skit?
In the skit, the game wasn't played because the host had been murdered, and a detective came out instead to question the panel about their whereabouts. In true fashion, the panel responded by writing their answers on the response cards and revealing them as called on.
Who hosted Family Feud?
The idea for the bonus round (Super/Audience Match) would later be spun off as Family Feud hosted by famed Match Game panelist Richard Dawson from 1976 (1977 in the syndicated version) until 1985, then again from 1994 until 1995.
Explore
From Billie Eilish and Bad Bunny to the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Foo Fighters, all the artists who can't wait to get on the road again. Read More
Every game show needs Leslie Jones
Who knows how much of what we saw on set will be cut, but hopefully they don’t cut any of Jones’ antics. Everyone at this panel seemed to be enjoying themselves, but Jones was definitely having the most fun. She was all over the place. She became invested in helping the contestants win money.
Alec Baldwin is actually a great host
In his review of Match Game, EW TV critic Jeff Jensen observed that Baldwin “made this show by embodying — performing— its outrageous spirit and creating space for everyone to play along.” That was even more true for the studio audience and for the celebrity panelists.
The audience receives prizes, too
Taping what would ultimately become a 42-minute episode took about two hours, which is a long time to expect an audience sitting in a freezing studio to remain energetic and engaged. Thankfully, ABC had a comedian on hand to keep us all hyped.
When did Match Game end?
In Closer ’s recent profile of Gene Rayburn, game show historian and Gene’s biographer, Adam Nedeff, detailed that Match Game ended its first run on NBC in 1969, but was resurrected in 1973 thanks to the success of The Hollywood Squares.
When did Brett and Charles appear on the new Hollywood Squares?
Years later when Brett and Charles appeared in a special ‘game show themed’ week of episodes of The New Hollywood Squares in 2002, they went out after the taping along with original Hollywood Squares host Peter Marshall to celebrate Marcia’s birthday. More than 30 years later and they were all still very close.”.
Who was the first regular on the show?
As to the celebrities themselves, Ashley details that “Richard Dawson was the first ‘regular’ and there from the beginning; Brett Somers and Charles Nelson Reilly each began during the third week of the show and their chemistry was so perfect that they were made regulars.
Who was the most cerebral panelist in the game?
And while Richard Dawson was the most cerebral panelist and the best at the game, people loved Brett’s audacity. She said what she thought, had a forceful personality, but had a great sense of humor, and didn’t mind being the butt of a joke.
Did Match Game have a celebrity?
Point out Ashley, “ Match Game in a sense created its own celebrities. Brett actually had an extensive career in theatre and television throughout the fifties and sixties, and was in fact a lifetime member of The Actor’s Studio in New York. But it was Match Game that made her literally a household name.

Overview
Match Game is an American television panel game show that premiered on NBC in 1962 and has been revived several times over the course of the last six decades. The game features contestants trying to match answers given by celebrity panelists to fill-in-the-blank questions. Beginning with the CBS run of the 1970s, the questions are often formed as humorous double entendres.
1962–69, NBC
The Match Game premiered on December 31, 1962. Gene Rayburn was the host and Johnny Olson served as announcer; for the series premiere, Arlene Francis and Skitch Henderson were the two celebrity panelists. The show was taped in Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, NBC's largest New York studio, which since 1975 has housed Saturday Night Live, among other shows. The show originally aired in black and white, and moved to color on June 24, 1963.
Match Game 73–79 (1973–79, CBS)
In the early 1970s, CBS vice president Fred Silverman began overhauling the network's programming as part of what has colloquially become known as the rural purge. As part of this overhaul, the network reintroduced game shows, beginning in 1972. One of the first new offerings was The New Price Is Right, a radically overhauled version of the 1950s game show The Price Is Right. The success of The New Price Is Right prompted Silverman to commission more game shows. In th…
Later revivals
After the cancellation of Match Game 79, there was still enough interest in the series for Goodson–Todman and Jim Victory Television to consider a continuation of the daily series in syndication as the weekly Match Game PM was still airing and had not stopped production. The consideration eventually came to fruition as a daily syndicated Match Game, without a year attached and often referred to on-air as The Match Game, debuted on September 10, 1979.
Episode status
Only 11 episodes of the 1962–69 series are known to survive —the pilot and 10 kinescope recordings, all of which are archived at the Paley Center for Media. Nine of these are black-and-white kinescopes and one is a color episode (from 1969 and on videotape). The pilot has since fallen into the public domain.
The 1973–82 incarnations are shown in reruns daily on Buzzr and GSN.
The Real Match Game Story: Behind the Blank
On November 26, 2006, GSN aired an hour-long documentary titled The Real Match Game Story: Behind The Blank, narrated by Jamie Farr. The documentary features rarely seen footage of the 1960s version, many odd or memorable moments from the main 1973–82 runs, and interviews with Rayburn (including the final interview before his death in 1999), Somers, Dawson, DeBartolo, producer Ira Skutch, and others involved in the show's production.
Music
Match Game featured several theme songs throughout its various runs. From 1962 to 1967, Bert Kaempfert's instrumental "A Swingin' Safari" was used as the theme. Kaempfert's commercial single, recorded in Europe, was used for the pilot; an American cover version by the Billy Vaughn orchestra was used through 1967. From 1967 to 1969, a new theme composed by Score Productions was used.
Merchandise
Several home game versions based on the 1960s and 1970s American television version were published by Milton Bradley from 1963 through 1978, in multiple editions.
Starting in 1963, Milton Bradley made six editions of the NBC version. Each game contained crayons, wipe-off papers, 100 perforated cards with six questions per card, a plastic scoreboard tray with colored pegs and chips, and 6 "scribble boards". After the first edition, the vinyl scribbl…