Family Feud 

Two families compete by trying to outguess the opponents about survey results.

Stars:

Richard Dawson, Gene Wood, Johnny Gilbert

4 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Richard Dawson	...	Self - Host 2,335 episodes, 1976-1985
Gene Wood	...	Self - Announcer 2,309 episodes, 1976-1985

Storyline

Richard Dawson hosted this TV game-show, which pitted members of two families against each other. Each team tried to guess the results of survey questions faster and more accurately than the other team.

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Plot Keywords:

team | guessing game | non fiction | 

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Genres:

Game-Show

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Certificate:

TV-G

Did You Know?

Trivia

During one practice of the show, the producers put in a survey question at the end of the game. After the run-through, Michael Brockman went to Mark Goodson and his staff and told them the front part of the game isn't that good, but he thought the survey question was terrific and asked Goodson if he could reformat the game around the survey material. Goodson agreed to change the structure of the game. In the new structure, two families would square off to guess the answers of survey questions, the first team to reach 200 points won the game and had a chance at more money. However, there was controversy over the fairness of the "steal". ABC president Fred Silverman wanted the "steal" to be dropped from the show Goodson however said the "steal" is what makes the game work and is the penalty for not having cleaned the board. In the end Goodson prevailed and the "steal" remained in the game.

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Quotes

Richard Dawson: [During a rare sixth round question] Number Four, what do you think? Come on! We've already run into "Love Boat", let's move!

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Connections

Featured in Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)

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Soundtracks

The Feud
(theme)
Written by Robert Israel (BMI)
Performed by the Score Productions Band
Published by TattleTales Music (BMI)

User Reviews

Forget the game show, let's talk about the hosts.

Family Feud was a favorite of mine growing up in the 1970's and 80's. While the game itself isn't that great, the real reason I liked FF was because of the first two hosts they had, two men who were larger than life in my opinion.

Richard Dawson (who I actually thought was from the Southern U.S. as a kid instead of England) is one of the greatest game show hosts ever. The man had tons 'o charm, that great wit, that history of wooing the ladies, and deep respect for all the participants on the show. He was a very easy-going individual who didn't have an ego trip while hosting the show (unlike Bob Barker). It's hard to believe that behind the scenes he was rude to management and the crew.

Dawson's version of the program ran from 1976-85. In 1988, CBS revived it and brought in the equally amazing Ray Combs. Combs, a stand-up comic was perfect for the 1988-94 run. A very positive, happy, and funny host, he brought great flamboyancy to the show. Who couldn't forget the little jig he'd do when he was introduced. Sadly, Ray's private life was pretty brutal and led to his untimely suicide.

The families they brought were always in their Sunday best, but they also brought in some wacky families during the two show's run. Also, you never knew what way-out hilarious responses they'd give out when trying to come up with successful answers to a survey. There was this family called the Picketts who won the right to try and uncover the final survey answer of "Name a famous Rudolf." Rudolph the Reindeer and Rudolf Valentino were uncovered. Their three attempts yielded: Rudolf Jackson, Rudolf Smith, and Rudolf Hitler. The other family got a chance to steal for the win and chose Rudolf Hess. They struck out and the Picketts won despite their hilariously stupid answers. How Richard Dawson kept a straight face was miraculous...

Don't bother with Louie Anderson or Richard Karn's version of FF. Watch the original on The Game Show Network.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 July 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Best of Family Feud

Filming Locations:

ABC Television Center - 4151 Prospect Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Broadcasting Company (ABC), Mark Goodson Television Productions, Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min (2330 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono (1976-1983) Stereo (1983-1985)

Color:

Color