P.D.Q.

This game consisted of two teams of two players each. One player would be at a game board while their teammate would be in a soundproof booth. The person at the game board communicated a word or phrase to their teammate in the booth using three letters at first and added a letter every five seconds until the word or phrase was identified. The team using fewer letters won the game. Normally there was a "Home Team" consisting of two celebrities and a "Challengers Team" of one celebrity and a contestant. A tie score was considered a win for the contestant, who would win prizes for each game won by the Challengers Team. In other words, if the Challengers won a game, the contestant would win a prize. Each show included a P. D. Q. Special, a three-game match with special prizes awarded to the contestant if the Challengers won two out of the three games. A Bonus Round was held at the end of the show, with the contestant being asked to identify ten words, one at a time in five seconds or less, with only three letters per word to work with. If the contestant could successfully identify all ten words, they would win an automobile. If not, they were awarded a dollar amount redeemable for merchandise from the Spiegel Catalog. The jackpot total was either $250 or, if the Challengers used fewer letters than the Home Team over the course of the show, $500. —Steve Bulota