The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) 

Contestants guess the correctness of celebrities' answers in order to win spaces in a tic-tac-toe game.

Creators:

Merrill Heatter, Bob Quigley

Stars:

Kenny Williams, Peter Marshall, Cliff Arquette

Nominated for 8 Primetime Emmys. Another 12 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Kenny Williams	...	Himself - Announcer 1,342 episodes, 1965-1980
Peter Marshall	...	Himself - Host 1,340 episodes, 1966-1980
Cliff Arquette	...	Charley Weaver - Panelist / ... 962 episodes, 1965-1974
Wally Cox	...	Himself - Panelist / ... 909 episodes, 1965-1973
Paul Lynde	...	Himself - Center Square / ... 829 episodes, 1966-1979
Rose Marie	...	Herself - Panelist / ... 627 episodes, 1965-1980

Storyline

Nine celebrities, seated in a three-by-three tier as in a tic-tac-toe board, joined two contestants one of them a champion in a game known best for the celebrities' witty answers to questions. The object was to win an otherwise standard game of tic-tac-toe by determining whether a celebrity was giving a correct answer to a general knowledge question or bluffing ("agree" or "disagree"). Contestants selected a celebrity, for which host Marshall read a question; a correct decision to agree or disagree by the player allowed him/her to place their mark in that box, while the opponent's mark was placed there if said decision was incorrect (unless it led to tic-tac-toe, in which case the contestant had to earn the box). During the first complete game of a show, a "Secret Square" game offered the contestants a bonus prize package for a correct answer. The contestant winning the best-of-three match was champion and returned to face a new challenger. Five-time champions retired un-defeated with...

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Plot Keywords:

celebrity | tic tac toe | non fiction | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Game-Show

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Official Sites:

King World Studios West

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 April 1965 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Studio 3, Stage 1, NBC Studios - 3000 W. Alameda Avenue, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Merrill Heatter-Bob Quigley Productions,Four Star Television,Filmways Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min (3536 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (1966-1980) Black and White (surviving kinescope prints from mid-1960s)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Retired, reclusive actress Greta Garbo was such a big fan of the show she actually wrote a fan letter to Paul Lynde in care of the show's taping location at NBC Burbank.

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Quotes

[show intro]
Announcer: And here's the master of the Hollywood Squares, Peter Marshall.
Peter Marshall: Thank you, Kenny and good morning everyone. Nice to have you with us. Hello, stars!
Celebrities: Hello, Peter!

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Connections

Spoofed in Tiny Toon Adventures: Acme Cable TV (1991)

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Soundtracks

Merrill & Bob's Theme
(We're THE HOLLYWOOD SQUARES No. 2)
Performed by the William Loose Orchestra from 1969 to 1979

User Reviews

A Original Fun Tic Tac Toe

This is the original series. Peter Marshall, the straight man from the comedy team team of Noonan & Marshall is the host & master of the Squares. Paul Lynde most often was the center square. Charlie Weaver, Morey Amstersdam, Rose Marie, & many others made their tours during the shows 11 year run.

This was a 5 day a week staple on NBC at 11:30 AM from 1965 to 1976 when it went off, one of many victims of the one hour New Price is Right. While it ran, it got a lot of viewers. A lot of the older generation actors & actresses alternated with newer ones to fill the 9 squares every week.

If it were available now, there would be a lot of nostalgic moments for baby boomer's as Michael Landon, Jim Henson, George Goebel, & a host of others would appear on the program. The game itself was so harmless that at one point there was a children's version of the Squares running on Saturday morning NBC TV.

This was a very popular way to fritter away 30 minutes & would get you 30 minutes closer to Let's Make A Deal too.