The 70s at 7 (ish)
How many of you remember rushing home from school to watch Match Game hosted by Gene Rayburn and featuring all those great 1970s celebrities like Brett Somers, Charles Nelson Reilly, Richard Dawson, Fannie Flagg and more.
Match Game was a show that was less about the game or contestants but more about the celebrities and the interaction between them and Rayburn. Often, their banter was full of double entendre that no doubt pushed the patience of network censors. The show from from 1973 to 1979 as daytime show on CBS and then spent three more years as a syndicated evening program
Match Game had many incarnations including a far less racy and more laid back predecessor version in the 60s (which also starred Rayburn) . Less than spectacular re-makes of the show include The Match Game Hollywood Squares Hour (a terrible concept co-hosted by Rayburn and former Sha Na Na member Jon Bowzer Bauman) and a 1990 revival hosted by Bert Convy and then Ross Shafer, another in 1998 hosted by Charlene Tilton and later Michael Burger. A one shot edition was part of CBS' Gameshow Marathon mini-series and was hosted by Ricki Lake. This special sported a fairly exact replica of the 1970s set, essentially followed the same format and featured at least one original Match Game recurring guest, Betty White.
One of the annual features on the show during the 70s - when it included the year of production in the title - was the annual ceremony renaming the show on the New Year's Eve episode. Below are clips of all five seasons renaming ceremonies:
1973 to 1974
1974 to 1975
1975 to 1976
1976 to 1977
1977 to 1978
1978 to 1979 (the last change)
Match Game was a show that was less about the game or contestants but more about the celebrities and the interaction between them and Rayburn. Often, their banter was full of double entendre that no doubt pushed the patience of network censors. The show from from 1973 to 1979 as daytime show on CBS and then spent three more years as a syndicated evening program
Match Game had many incarnations including a far less racy and more laid back predecessor version in the 60s (which also starred Rayburn) . Less than spectacular re-makes of the show include The Match Game Hollywood Squares Hour (a terrible concept co-hosted by Rayburn and former Sha Na Na member Jon Bowzer Bauman) and a 1990 revival hosted by Bert Convy and then Ross Shafer, another in 1998 hosted by Charlene Tilton and later Michael Burger. A one shot edition was part of CBS' Gameshow Marathon mini-series and was hosted by Ricki Lake. This special sported a fairly exact replica of the 1970s set, essentially followed the same format and featured at least one original Match Game recurring guest, Betty White.
One of the annual features on the show during the 70s - when it included the year of production in the title - was the annual ceremony renaming the show on the New Year's Eve episode. Below are clips of all five seasons renaming ceremonies:
1973 to 1974
1974 to 1975
1975 to 1976
1976 to 1977
1977 to 1978
1978 to 1979 (the last change)
Labels: 70s at 7, match game
Posted by Michael Higby @ 5/18/2008 07:05:00 PM
3 Comments:
Hey Higby - Good Choice - Charles Nelson Reilly was a man before his time.
What was the name of the guy with the red hair, with the handlebar mustache that used to dress in sequins and throw confetti on the crowd?
Was that Rip Taylor?
OMG CHARLES NELSON REILLY! He was the Cat's Pajamas! And Brett Sommers was so funny and bawdy! Loved it!
xoxo
Yup, Rip Taylor was that guy. He also hosted the $1.98 Beauty Show, one of Chuck Barris' creations.
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