Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour (1983–1984)

Afternoon game show which combined elements of two classic game shows "Match Game" and "Hollywood Squares" into one.

Stars:

Gene Rayburn, Jon 'Bowzer' Bauman, Gene Wood

Cast

Series cast summary:
Gene Rayburn	...	Himself - Match Game Host (192 episodes, 1983-1984)
Jon 'Bowzer' Bauman	...	Himself - Hollywood Squares Host (192 episodes, 1983-1984)
Gene Wood	...	Himself - Announcer (162 episodes, 1983-1984)

Storyline

An hour-long combo of two classic quiz shows, hosted by Gene Rayburn and Jon Bauman. In the Match Game half, a group of celebrities would be given a sentence with a missing word, which they would then have to fill in. The contestants would then give their own answer, and scored points according to how many celebrities gave the same answer. In the Hollywood Squares half, the celebrities, seated in squares in a tic-tac-toe arrangement, would give their answers to questions on various subjects. The contestants would then have to guess whether or not a celebrity's answer was right. Contestants guessing correctly would gain control of the square. Gaining control of three squares in a row would win the game.

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Plot Keywords:

non fiction

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Genres:

Game-Show

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 October 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour

Filming Locations:

Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mark Goodson Television Productions, National Broadcasting Company (NBC), Orion Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the first program to combine two game shows into one single program.

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Connections

Followed by Match Game (1990)

User Reviews

Kind of an experiment,really

I watched this show as often as I could when it first ran on NBC,from September 1983 to July,1984(particularly after I became aware of this about halfway through the run),which wasn't too,TOO often as I was in sixth grade at the time and had few days off to catch this show at its usual two in the afternoon(CST)slotting here in the Midwest. But when I caught it,I was quite pleased with it,the mixed formats of two legendary shows and the bright,energetic theme(which has long since been co-opted by established Goodson/Todman show The Price Is Right to introduce some of their bigger games or showcases). While I will concede that bringing Peter Marshall back to cover the Hollywood Squares end of the show--to me,Jon Bauman,formerly Bowzer,wasn't bad but was perhaps a better fit as a regular panelist than host--it still seemed to have the right energy and flow(bringing back Gene Rayburn in what would be,sadly,his last affiliation with the Match Game,was among the explanations for that)to fill up an hour of time. For those not familiar,the show was broken down into two segments,where a preliminary segment of the Match game would play two rounds of celebrity matches to pick a winner to play in the second half of the show,which was the Hollywood Squares. The six-person tier set-up from the Match Game was able to meld quite nicely with the nine-person tic-tac-toe grid that was the Hollywood Squares and the winner of the Squares end of the show would play a Supermatch endgame with a chance at up to $30,000(still not a bad payoff for a single answer on any show!).

Sadly,as this show was quietly ushered off the air(if I recall correctly,it was replaced by the soap opera "Santa Barbara",which would enjoy a near-ten year run),the demand for it on re-runs would be minimal,so I doubt its re-run(assuming it had one)on Game Show Network was probably a lasting one. About the only way to catch any of these old shows(and that probably means,at best,three or four shows)is to see them in fragments on YouTube. But who knows,there may be tapes floating out there that are yet un-seen(or,I suppose un-RE-seen)that might pop up. And maybe a re-(re?)-airing on GSN? One could hope or ask,I suppose.