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:

Peter Marshall, Kenny Williams, Cliff Arquette

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

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Peter Marshall	...	Self - Host 1,705 episodes, 1966-1980
Kenny Williams	...	Self - Announcer 1,695 episodes, 1965-1980
Cliff Arquette	...	Charley Weaver - Panelist / ... 1,106 episodes, 1965-1974
Paul Lynde	...	Self - Center Square / ... 1,079 episodes, 1966-1980
Wally Cox	...	Self - Panelist / ... 989 episodes, 1965-1973
Rose Marie	...	Self - Panelist 782 episodes, 1965-1980
Vincent Price	...	Self - Panelist / ... 693 episodes, 1967-1980

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...

---

Plot Keywords:

celebrity | tic tac toe | non fiction | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Family | Game-Show

---

Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bert Parks was the host for the unaired pilot.

---

Quotes

[reading of the bonus prize after player won the match]
David Brenner: Here's the news, do you ride a bike?
Peter Marshall: [to contestant] Do you ride a bike?
[contestant nods]
David Brenner: You do? Good, because in Yugoslavia your prize would be called, "Five thousand American dollars".
[contestant freaks out; Marshall counts off five one-thousand-dollar bills]

---

Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Suzanne Pleshette/Jim Henson/Bobby Kosser/Hal Lipset (1974)

---

Soundtracks

The Silly Song
Performed by the Jimmie Haskell Orchestra from 1966 to 1969
(We're THE HOLLYWOOD SQUARES No.1)

User Reviews

The Rules of the Game

The 2 contestants are stationed at "X" & "O" to play tic-tac-toe. 3 Squares Across, Up & Down or Diagonally or 5 Squares were possible. One Contestant picks a square by determined the correct answer or making one up will Agreed or Disagreed the answer. The 1st contestant get 3-5 squares with either "X" or "O" wins $200 and completes the 2 out of 3 match wins $400. The Champion completes 10 games (5 matches) wins $2000 plus a new car. In the 1st or 2nd game was "The Secret Square" and the contestant choose that square can win merchandise prizes from $2000 to $5000 and later it raised up greater than $10,000. Contestants will compete before losing the game. In 1976-1977, The Program presents "The Bonus Prize Squares" and all 9 stars has an envelop that anything such as an car or $5000 cash.

Details

Official Sites:

King World Studios West

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 April 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Hollywood Squares (Daytime)

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